Comments on: Zeke Smith – Closing the Gap Then and Now http://ppsequity.org/2010/03/14/zeke-smith-%e2%80%93-closing-the-gap-then-and-now/ Covering the beat of Portland Public Schools Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:00:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: John B. Tang http://ppsequity.org/2010/03/14/zeke-smith-%e2%80%93-closing-the-gap-then-and-now/comment-page-1/#comment-48503 John B. Tang Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:36:13 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1657#comment-48503 Zeke does not know enough about education issues to fix anything so let's face it. His resume is about one page long. How did he get to be Chief of Staff of a school district with 47,000 students is beyond me. He will protect Carole though to her detriment. I think Carole is an honest and decent person and she means well, but I don't know about Zeke. He is manipulative and slick and will do anything to protect Carole but at the expense of anything else. What Carole needs to do is to have the gut to fire a few of her senior management level staff who does not have anything to offer. BTW, why do I keep seeing Jean Fischer back at the BESC? Is she double-dipping enough? Isn't she one of the trimmings mentioned in the Willamette Week a while back. Isn't there enough talent out there to do what she is doing for central? So a new person has been hired for the Director of Office of School Modernization, an architech, I believe. There should be more talented people out there to bring into central rather than hiring the old hands who were not very successful with what they were doing for decades. Zeke does not know enough about education issues to fix anything so let’s face it. His resume is about one page long. How did he get to be Chief of Staff of a school district with 47,000 students is beyond me. He will protect Carole though to her detriment. I think Carole is an honest and decent person and she means well, but I don’t know about Zeke. He is manipulative and slick and will do anything to protect Carole but at the expense of anything else. What Carole needs to do is to have the gut to fire a few of her senior management level staff who does not have anything to offer. BTW, why do I keep seeing Jean Fischer back at the BESC? Is she double-dipping enough? Isn’t she one of the trimmings mentioned in the Willamette Week a while back. Isn’t there enough talent out there to do what she is doing for central? So a new person has been hired for the Director of Office of School Modernization, an architech, I believe. There should be more talented people out there to bring into central rather than hiring the old hands who were not very successful with what they were doing for decades.

]]> By: lek http://ppsequity.org/2010/03/14/zeke-smith-%e2%80%93-closing-the-gap-then-and-now/comment-page-1/#comment-48418 lek Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:03:56 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1657#comment-48418 lents raising there scores are a joke. since moving to lents last november. my son who always exceeded state tests barely passed. my mainstreamed son failed the math state test he used to exceed and my first grade daaughters teacher forgot to have her tag tested. how so many kids supposedly passed is beyond me. lents school is a joke. lents raising there scores are a joke. since moving to lents last november. my son who always exceeded state tests barely passed. my mainstreamed son failed the math state test he used to exceed and my first grade daaughters teacher forgot to have her tag tested. how so many kids supposedly passed is beyond me. lents school is a joke.

]]> By: moonlighting http://ppsequity.org/2010/03/14/zeke-smith-%e2%80%93-closing-the-gap-then-and-now/comment-page-1/#comment-48407 moonlighting Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:14:04 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1657#comment-48407 Zeke who?? What are his qualifications? He is second in command of a huge school district and as we all know really running the district (maybe into the ground). He seems to protect Ms. Smith from fixing special ed., title I and ESL. Zeke who?? What are his qualifications? He is second in command of a huge school district and as we all know really running the district (maybe into the ground). He seems to protect Ms. Smith from fixing special ed., title I and ESL.

]]> By: S. Wilcox http://ppsequity.org/2010/03/14/zeke-smith-%e2%80%93-closing-the-gap-then-and-now/comment-page-1/#comment-48374 S. Wilcox Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:51:32 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1657#comment-48374 I agree with Steve. Those successful schools? They managed to get their test scores up, or keep them up. That is all. Some have no resources, no support, no leadership. But they are ALL about the test. That is success in the district. I agree with Steve. Those successful schools? They managed to get their test scores up, or keep them up. That is all. Some have no resources, no support, no leadership. But they are ALL about the test. That is success in the district.

]]> By: Steve Buel http://ppsequity.org/2010/03/14/zeke-smith-%e2%80%93-closing-the-gap-then-and-now/comment-page-1/#comment-48373 Steve Buel Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:28:42 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1657#comment-48373 I guess I should have said the PPS list Carrie mentioned ...but the point is that reform and testing gets all the effort. Interesting article on Lents today. Time, effort, and energy are the keys to improvement whatever the goal. They have improved on the tests because they did these things and focussed on improving on the tests. Want something to duplicate to improve test scores then this is the ticket. But that is the question: "Do you want to improve on the test scores?" Where the answer is yes, you can go this route. Maybe the school district could divide up kids based on whether they need to improve on their test scores or not. School A is a test score school. School B is an education school etc. I guess I should have said the PPS list Carrie mentioned …but the point is that reform and testing gets all the effort. Interesting article on Lents today. Time, effort, and energy are the keys to improvement whatever the goal. They have improved on the tests because they did these things and focussed on improving on the tests. Want something to duplicate to improve test scores then this is the ticket. But that is the question: “Do you want to improve on the test scores?” Where the answer is yes, you can go this route. Maybe the school district could divide up kids based on whether they need to improve on their test scores or not. School A is a test score school. School B is an education school etc.

]]> By: Zarwen http://ppsequity.org/2010/03/14/zeke-smith-%e2%80%93-closing-the-gap-then-and-now/comment-page-1/#comment-48349 Zarwen Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:32:46 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1657#comment-48349 The only say we have is at the ballot box, where we are outnumbered and outcampaigned by the folks with the deep pockets. The only say we have is at the ballot box, where we are outnumbered and outcampaigned by the folks with the deep pockets.

]]> By: vargasgarcia http://ppsequity.org/2010/03/14/zeke-smith-%e2%80%93-closing-the-gap-then-and-now/comment-page-1/#comment-48344 vargasgarcia Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:45:51 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1657#comment-48344 p.s. Fantastic article Carrie. Thank you. p.s. Fantastic article Carrie. Thank you.

]]> By: vargasgarcia http://ppsequity.org/2010/03/14/zeke-smith-%e2%80%93-closing-the-gap-then-and-now/comment-page-1/#comment-48343 vargasgarcia Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:44:51 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1657#comment-48343 Where is the accountability? Why aren't we holding Zeke, Carole, Ruth Adkins, Bobbie Regan, Trudy Sargent, Pam Knowles and David Wynde responsible? Why aren't they answering these questions? Who do they answer to? Anyone? Where is the accountability? Why aren’t we holding Zeke, Carole, Ruth Adkins, Bobbie Regan, Trudy Sargent, Pam Knowles and David Wynde responsible? Why aren’t they answering these questions? Who do they answer to? Anyone?

]]> By: Carrie Adams http://ppsequity.org/2010/03/14/zeke-smith-%e2%80%93-closing-the-gap-then-and-now/comment-page-1/#comment-48339 Carrie Adams Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:16:46 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1657#comment-48339 Steve Buel, that's Zeke and the Portland Schools Foundation's list of factors critical for closing the achievement gap, not mine. I agree with you that the list is incomplete but a good start. Steve Buel, that’s Zeke and the Portland Schools Foundation’s list of factors critical for closing the achievement gap, not mine.

I agree with you that the list is incomplete but a good start.

]]> By: Steve Buel http://ppsequity.org/2010/03/14/zeke-smith-%e2%80%93-closing-the-gap-then-and-now/comment-page-1/#comment-48335 Steve Buel Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:06:14 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1657#comment-48335 All that the high school redesign can seriously do is help fix the offering inequities. (I have no idea where the other stuff has come from.) The idea that there is someone out there who knows how to truly fix the achievement gap is just not the case. However there are a lot of things that can be done to improve Portland's schools. Carrie's list is a good one. I can add another 50 things that would help. But until PPS gets over their obsession with testing, the reform movement, and generalized teacher improvement methods nothing they will do will make much of a dent in helping kids progress faster or get a truly better education or even drop out a great deal less. All that the high school redesign can seriously do is help fix the offering inequities. (I have no idea where the other stuff has come from.) The idea that there is someone out there who knows how to truly fix the achievement gap is just not the case. However there are a lot of things that can be done to improve Portland’s schools. Carrie’s list is a good one. I can add another 50 things that would help. But until PPS gets over their obsession with testing, the reform movement, and generalized teacher improvement methods nothing they will do will make much of a dent in helping kids progress faster or get a truly better education or even drop out a great deal less.

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