I see people referring to the recent MCAS scores being a disappointment for Melrose. Is this true? I looked at the state website and the scores didn't seem terrible.
Is this people attacking everything Melrose or is there some truth there? Remember Melrose is not a high performing community. It is mediocre.
Mediocrity is not acceptable based on the budget and importance of education. The budget is already big enough that competent people could make Melrose a much better school system than mediocre. Hire someone competent as a superintendent who values excellence in education for every student at every level. Hire someone who values their staff while seeing their shortcomings and works with them to become the best they can be. Hire someone who doesn't view parents as an necessary evil but truly believes in partnering with parents. Hire someone who isn't defensive, incompetent, narrow minded and completely motivated by selfish motives. Hire a new person who will create an atmosphere of competence, care and professionalism that is sorely lacking in Melrose. Melrose has been happy with mediocrity because the that's all they knew. People moving here who are educated know that the money in the budget is simply being wasted. Melrose is top heavy with too many highly paid administrative staff and way too few competent and experienced educators. The MCAS results are atrocious. We can be and should be better than this.
Historically it's been true that Melrose was satisfied with a mediocre school system but truth be told, it still is. So much for the educated parents moving to town. It continues to be go along to get along. If anyone were serious about improvement, the suggestions that Not Clueless gave would be implemented. Since they are not, the "stakeholders" must be satisfied. You receive what you demand.
Not sure “how far back” you mean by historically. Sixty plus years ago, when I was in the system, mediocrity would not have been, and was not accepted!
70s and beyond. Not saying mediocre is bad. It's so so. Some good kids here and many MHS grads lead fine lives. The school system is not Reading, Winchester or even North Reading that has improved greatly over the years. Check out places like Norwood which you'd never think of but is doing better than Melrose. As is posted on here frequently, it is what it is.
"It is what it is" seems to be the acknowledgement that the situation will not change. Maybe in 5 to 10 years but I don't see it happening now. Not with the super getting an employment extension of 3 years.
MCAS Scores from one community to another need to analyzed in conjunction with many socioeconomic factors such as High needs learners, education of parents, income, english as a 2nd language, etc. Trying to compare Melrose to Belmont or Reading doesn't work. Entirely different populations. Biggest drivers of performance in education is education of parents and family income. Over the last 15 years or so Melrose had large segments of the public school population whose parents did not have a diploma past high school and modest family incomes. With the insurgence of dual college educated couples making Melrose the hottest zip code in the country the needle will start to move when these children hit the Middle School. Better raw material will produce better results. Can't all be blamed on the teachers. There is only so much they can do.
That's great news, then instead of the hottest zip code in the country we can be the smartest zip code in the country!!! :sunglasses:
Amazing display of ignorance in this last posting. These data allow actual analytical understanding, but that requires a willingness to use critical thinking, which the last poster clearly doesn't do. The cop-out that "Melrose isn't Belmont" or that Melrose has an undereducated parent population do not hold when the data are analyzed (use the online tools) with a clear eye. And it's guaranteed that the new batch of two-family earners are every bit as ignorant as the previous years of tail-end boomer parents when it comes to a willingness to understand the truth about how Melrose schools are not getting the job done. Not only is this latest batch every bit as ignorant (they were the "Yes" crowd), they have even more need to believe that they did not overpay (they did) for their mortgages. They lined up in droves to vote for the likes of Jen McA (the rude and self-important, failed "Yes" campaign fanatic, and they are the types who flock to cover their yards in stupid flamingos to support that corrupt Ed foundation, or attend their ridiculous "parent university." They have been told that Cyndy is the greatest thing since the invention of yoga pants, and they believe it wholeheartedly, even when a cursory glance at the actual facts around that one's wretched tenure demonstrate the devastation she has caused to a once-mediocre-to-somewhat good district. These are the same parents who have no interest in the fact that this administration has failed a huge number of students who've come away with miserable SAT, ACT, and AP scores and landed zero scholarships at even unselective schools. Nope, this bunch will be in for a rude shock (by about the end of their kids' sophomore years), but they are not paying any attention right now except to keep buying more flamingos and voting for lousy school committee members.
Blame, the Melrose School Committee and the idle residents. Taymore must of used her crocodile tears again. No change will happen ruefully, it is trickling and people want more for what they are paying for.