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Jersey schools earn label that nobody likes:
Dangerous
Wednesday, August 03, 2005 • BY
JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff
Four New Jersey public schools -- three
of them in Trenton -- have been tagged as "persistently
dangerous" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. But
with the state's announcement yesterday came another round
of debate about the new federal labels.
New Jersey is so far one of just three
states that has reported any schools with the unflattering
designation, using a complicated formula that includes data
up until 2003-04.
By that federal measure, Trenton may have
won the title of the nation's most dangerous district. The
three schools were Trenton Central High School, Martin
Luther King Middle School and Grace A. Dunn Middle
School.
The D'Ippolito Intermediate School in
Vineland also was named.
In the first such designations last year,
10 New Jersey schools were on the list, including
theVineland school and Dunn Middle School. A Newark
elementary school and an East Orange middle school also were
listed last year, but dropped this year.
The designation comes with requirements
that schools develop improvement plans, as well as offer
students the chance to transfer out. Last year, 78 students
transferred from the 10 schools.
In making the announcement yesterday,
state officials played down the federal label, but said they
hope it at least leads to improvements.
"We think it's an unfortunate choice of
words that the federal government has decided to use for
this purpose, but we hope the result will be improved safety
and welfare for everyone concerned," said Isaac Bryant, an
assistant education commissioner.
The safety piece of the No Child Left
Behind Act is one of its least known, in large part because
so few states have put it to use.
Under the 2002 law, each state is
permitted to devise its own formula as to what makes a
"persistently dangerous" school, and for a vast majority,
the bar has been set so high that no schools have yet been
tagged. Only New Jersey, Pennsylvania and South Dakota
designated any schools last year.
By New Jersey's standards, a school must
have three consecutive years of either seven or more serious
incidents, such as assaults or weapons, or a high rate of
lesser incidents like fights and threats as compared to
enrollment.
For instance, Trenton's high school
reported a total of 120 incidents in 2003-04, 24 in the more
serious category and 88 in the less serious, both well over
the thresholds. Among them were two weapons assaults, 14
assaults on staff and 38 simple assaults, or
fights.
The problems in Trenton schools,
especially involving street gangs, have been the subject of
public protests and forums. Trenton Superintendent James
Lytle and Mayor Douglas Palmer both reiterated yesterday
that concrete steps are being taken.
Lytle said he is confident that
"substantial progress" was made in all three schools in the
last year, and the statistics will bear it out in next
year's lists. He cited alternative programs for troublesome
students and smaller "learning environments" in the
schools.
"You can't shrug (the label) off,
particularly when we're singled out to this extent, but we
feel we are getting on top of these issues," he
said.
But Lytle also said the district may be
victim of its own candor in reporting the incidents to the
state, raising a persistent question of whether districts as
a whole are forthcoming in reporting violence in their
schools.
"Trenton schools have put a premium on
careful reporting because we believe you can't address the
problems without knowing who they are, where they are,"
Lytle said. "But obviously, there are not too many rewards
for the accurate reporting."
In announcing the designations, state
officials yesterday spent much of a news conference
conceding there are flaws in the federal requirements and
emphasizing the broader anti-violence strategies the state
promotes for all schools.
"It's hard to believe only New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and South Dakota are the only ones in the
country with persistently dangerous schools," said Bryant,
the assistant commissioner.
John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at
jmooney@starledger.com, or (973) 392-1548.
© 2005 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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