ADMINISTRATION
-- Why did the district not have the DLI teachers certified by the NJ Department of Education as bilingual instructors prior to launching the program? Who is responsible for having teachers certified?
-- Who chose a dual language model for Community Park (CP) that dictated science must be taught in Spanish when it had a tenured, English-speaking science teacher?
-- When it became clear a bilingual science teacher could not be retained, who removed science lab from the DLI curriculum? Was this intended as a temporary or permanent solution?
-- Why did the district not inform DLI families that science lab was eliminated? Did Dineen Gruchacz, CP principal, and Priscilla Russel, world language, ESL bilingual supervisor, inform Betsy Baglio, parent liaison for the DLI program, and member of the Board of Education?
-- Does Mr. Cochrane maintain that he just learned about the DLI science lab issue when he was asked to address parents about it at a cafecito meeting on 10/27/15?
-- Does Mr. Cochrane still describe the DLI program as “fragile” - as he did in a follow up meeting with parents in February 2016?
-- Why have parents from other zones been encouraged to request the DLI program for their schools if the Community Park DLI program still has not been fully staffed?
-- Why, when there is an acknowledged shortage of bilingual subsitutes, does the district website list openings only for nurse subsitutues?
-- Why did the district not have the DLI teachers certified by the NJ Department of Education as bilingual instructors prior to launching the program? Who is responsible for having teachers certified?
-- Who chose a dual language model for Community Park (CP) that dictated science must be taught in Spanish when it had a tenured, English-speaking science teacher?
-- When it became clear a bilingual science teacher could not be retained, who removed science lab from the DLI curriculum? Was this intended as a temporary or permanent solution?
-- Why did the district not inform DLI families that science lab was eliminated? Did Dineen Gruchacz, CP principal, and Priscilla Russel, world language, ESL bilingual supervisor, inform Betsy Baglio, parent liaison for the DLI program, and member of the Board of Education?
-- Does Mr. Cochrane maintain that he just learned about the DLI science lab issue when he was asked to address parents about it at a cafecito meeting on 10/27/15?
-- Does Mr. Cochrane still describe the DLI program as “fragile” - as he did in a follow up meeting with parents in February 2016?
-- Why have parents from other zones been encouraged to request the DLI program for their schools if the Community Park DLI program still has not been fully staffed?
-- Why, when there is an acknowledged shortage of bilingual subsitutes, does the district website list openings only for nurse subsitutues?
SCIENCE LAB
-- What is the status of Engineering is Elementary (EiE), curriculum piloted by Eddie Cohen, science supervisor, in early 2016 for traditional and DLI classes in grades K-2? Is the science lab still known as the "engineering lab"? Does CP have an engineering lab teacher?
-- If EiE is not continuing in 2016-17, how is Mr. Cohen transitioning the students? What did they miss while piloting this program, and how will they get up to speed with their peers? Has Mr. Cochrane been informed, since he endorsed piloting EiE in a meeting with parents in February 2016?
-- Is the administration aware of the well-documented opportunity gap in science for girls and children of color?
-- Has the opportunity gap been widened for DLI students since the program’s 2015 launch, due to a lack of consistent science lab instruction with an experienced science teacher?
-- Does the administration view a teacher with no science degree or experience teaching science lab, as as being at the same professional level as science teachers who have science degrees, experience with teaching science lab, and professional relationships and collaborations with scientists in the Princeton community?
-- Will non-DLI students, who have been without consistent science lab instruction since April 2016, and are being taught by a teacher without a science or science-related degree, be behind their peers from other PPS K-5 schools who have experienced science teachers?
-- What is the status on replacing the highly rated, experienced science teacher of 8 years (B.S. Environmental Planning, M.A. Elementary Education), who resigned in September 2016? And for hiring a bilingual science teacher for DLI?
-- What is the status of Engineering is Elementary (EiE), curriculum piloted by Eddie Cohen, science supervisor, in early 2016 for traditional and DLI classes in grades K-2? Is the science lab still known as the "engineering lab"? Does CP have an engineering lab teacher?
-- If EiE is not continuing in 2016-17, how is Mr. Cohen transitioning the students? What did they miss while piloting this program, and how will they get up to speed with their peers? Has Mr. Cochrane been informed, since he endorsed piloting EiE in a meeting with parents in February 2016?
-- Is the administration aware of the well-documented opportunity gap in science for girls and children of color?
-- Has the opportunity gap been widened for DLI students since the program’s 2015 launch, due to a lack of consistent science lab instruction with an experienced science teacher?
-- Does the administration view a teacher with no science degree or experience teaching science lab, as as being at the same professional level as science teachers who have science degrees, experience with teaching science lab, and professional relationships and collaborations with scientists in the Princeton community?
-- Will non-DLI students, who have been without consistent science lab instruction since April 2016, and are being taught by a teacher without a science or science-related degree, be behind their peers from other PPS K-5 schools who have experienced science teachers?
-- What is the status on replacing the highly rated, experienced science teacher of 8 years (B.S. Environmental Planning, M.A. Elementary Education), who resigned in September 2016? And for hiring a bilingual science teacher for DLI?
Garden Education, Health
-- Why are the first grade DLI classes not receiving garden education? Have DLI families been informed that their children are not receiving a class the non-DLI first grade class receives?
-- If health is taught in English to DLI students, why couldn’t they also receive science lab in English? Is health not science?
-- Why are the first grade DLI classes not receiving garden education? Have DLI families been informed that their children are not receiving a class the non-DLI first grade class receives?
-- If health is taught in English to DLI students, why couldn’t they also receive science lab in English? Is health not science?
Board of Education
-- Has everyone on the Student Achievement Committee been informed of the science lab issue? Do they know that first grade DLI students do not garden education?
-- Has the entire Board of Education been informed of the science lab and garden education issues?
-- Does the Board know that only a handful of DLI families know about the ongoing science lab issue? And that most don’t know their children aren’t receiving garden education?
-- Does the Board know that parent meetings, aka “cafecito” meetings, are held primarily in the morning, and typically have only white mothers present - never members of the Latinx community - and that in 2015-16 only one evening meeting was held, with only one evening meeting planned for the 2016-17 school year? With no prior reminder sent out to parents at least the day before?
-- Does the Board know that the teacher currently teaching DLI students science, while certified, has no science background or extensive science lab instruction experience, unlike the science lab teachers at all the other PPS K-5 schools?
-- Has everyone on the Student Achievement Committee been informed of the science lab issue? Do they know that first grade DLI students do not garden education?
-- Has the entire Board of Education been informed of the science lab and garden education issues?
-- Does the Board know that only a handful of DLI families know about the ongoing science lab issue? And that most don’t know their children aren’t receiving garden education?
-- Does the Board know that parent meetings, aka “cafecito” meetings, are held primarily in the morning, and typically have only white mothers present - never members of the Latinx community - and that in 2015-16 only one evening meeting was held, with only one evening meeting planned for the 2016-17 school year? With no prior reminder sent out to parents at least the day before?
-- Does the Board know that the teacher currently teaching DLI students science, while certified, has no science background or extensive science lab instruction experience, unlike the science lab teachers at all the other PPS K-5 schools?
-- Is the Board aware that a concerning letter from Fogarty & Hara, the district’s law firm was sent to a parent who has been vocal about the science lab issue? Is this the best use of district time and money, and is it best practices for community engagement?
DLI Presentation and Renewal: November 14, 2016 Board of Education Meeting
-- Is it protocol for a parent to unsuccessfully ask their child's principal (Ms. Gruchacz) three times for a presentation that was given to the Board, and then have to ask Ms. Russell, Stephanie Kennedy, Business Administrator/Board Secretary, and Bonnie Lehet (who asked what the parent was going to use the presentation for?)
-- Why is "minimized achievement gap" no longer a goal for the program as it was when the program was launching?
-- Is it protocol for a parent to unsuccessfully ask their child's principal (Ms. Gruchacz) three times for a presentation that was given to the Board, and then have to ask Ms. Russell, Stephanie Kennedy, Business Administrator/Board Secretary, and Bonnie Lehet (who asked what the parent was going to use the presentation for?)
-- Why is "minimized achievement gap" no longer a goal for the program as it was when the program was launching?
-- In the slide below, bilingual Spanish/English science lab teacher is not listed - is there no longer an intention of hiring this position? If bilingual substitutes are still needed, why hasn't this been listed on the district employment opportunities website?
-- At the 56:18 mark Ms. Gruchacz was asked if anything needed be fixed and she answered, "I can't say there's anything that needs to be fixed....I don't have a specific problem to fix...I haven't discovered any huge problems, or even small ones." Does Ms. Gruchacz feel that the widened opportunity gap in STEM for minorities and girls for a year and a half due to inquiry in science lab instruction is neither a huge nor a small problem?
-- Is it protocol for a member of the BoE to vote on something when they have a direct interest, i.e. a child in the DLI program?
-- Is it protocol for a member of the BoE to vote on something when they have a direct interest, i.e. a child in the DLI program?