Any thoughts on this? Education, especially STEM, is critical to us. We do not have the resources to send our children to private schools. Are there any additional parents of high school students forums where I can get more feedback?
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/best-schools-boston-2016-chart-public-high-schools/
You can thank the misnamed "OneMelrose" folks for the chronically low rankings of MHS on the lists that actually matter (not the real estate sites), like this one, where MHS ranks 67th (well below Wakefield at 58, Stoneham at 53rd, Wilmington at 56....). The Melrose Ed Foundation/OneMelrose (they are synonymous) cabal has kept a horrible superintendent (Taymore) and disgraceful school committee in charge for many years now (and another lousy superintendent, Casey, before that, both times when there was an actual, truly qualified alternative--someone who had a legitimate ph.D, actual experience as a sitting superintendent, honesty and integrity in their proven careers). This ignorant and highly arrogant cabal thinks it knows everything it needs to know about education, and it routinely turns its collective back on real, uncooked data. It obstructs anyone who tries to question them or who dares to reveal other perspectives.
Sure, the typical argument is that the best students will succeed, but it's not because this group has done anything to improve the school system, but rather quite the opposite.
If you want to change things, the first order of business is to show up at meetings and insist on something other than the self-congratulation nonsense that passes for due diligence. Ask questions and don't relent until unfiltered truth is on the table, so that the situation can be dealt with honestly and then improved. Before anything substantive will change, now that this cabal has a total lock on everything here, parents and community members need to decide that they are tired of being told fairy tales. Then they need to demonstrate the backbone to demand real accountability, which means that the cabal will get mad, which is just fine. Don't let them continue to get away with their continual obstruction and whitewashing. That's the starting point.
IT IS WHAT IT IS.This is Melrose Mass 02176.
And there's exactly why we're in the position we're in, people just throwing their hands up in the air with a defeatist attitude, saying there's nothing that can be done.
Is there a reason you're using 2016 instead of 2019?
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/education/best-public-high-schools-boston-2019-chart/
So Melrose fell from 67 in rank in 2016 down to 77 in rank in 2019? That doesn't show improvement at all. How does that fact square with all the talk from the schools during the override campaign about how great the schools are? They told us everything was great, just that they needed more elementary teachers and needed the Beebe and more teachers to address increasing enrollment.
And Wakefield fell to 71 and Stoneham to 74.
(I am definitely no fan of the administration of Melrose schools, just to clarify; I was just puzzled by the reliance on info that was out of date by a few years and wondering if there was a reason it was being considered more salient than more recent information.)
The school will never get better with the low hires. The he/she/they have the run of the school. Parent volunteers offer a huge resource and support base for the school community. They also show their kids the importance of participating in the larger community. It makes sense that students would do better when they learn in positive environments...This is significant because teacher turnover has been linked to increased costs and poor student achievement. Millions of young adults have entered the workforce with no more than a high school diploma. One in three young adults go to work rather than school, but few have college degrees.