Public opinion and statistics on Springfield schools differDate: 10/10/2018 Something struck me the other night when I saw at the Springfield School Committee meeting: the disconnect between what people think of the city and its school system and what the statistics tell us.
The stats say there is real progress in the results of not only tests such as MCAS, but in the increasing graduation rate and the decrease in truancy and arrests.
Things are getting better and it has been through the hard work by teachers, principals and administrators.
Springfield is making these gains with 77 percent of its students living in poverty, proving once again that being poor is not a factor to education.
What it does means is educational success can’t be tied to a status quo. Looking for better ways to reach students and understanding that different approaches have to be developed for different students is vital. I think we are seeing the proof of that in Springfield.
We have much more work to do but it’s clear our schools are heading in the right direction.
And yes, I’m sure that some folks will continue to ignore the good news and focus on whatever misconceptions they have or on whatever negative news – reported or anecdotal – they can find.
Perhaps it is a function of age and the fact that mortality is not too far ahead, but I wish that people would seek the positive instead of the negative.
I’m not saying ignore the negative. How about identifying what is wrong and seeking a solution for the situation?
I don’t think that is too naïve and starry-eyed. I think it’s a sensible approach to making this world a better place while we’re here.
Of course, as Facebook proves every minute, there are millions of people who simply live to complain and want nothing more than their own unenlightened opinions to be justified and re-enforced by the sharing of some meme.
Again, perhaps it’s my age, but the complaints and the reliance on unsubstantiated memes are just tiring to me.
I’ve recently heard complaints about MGM’s presence in the city that don’t seem to be based in any fact. Few people in the press in this area were accused of “hating” MGM but I was and yet, I’ve gone almost weekly to the casino complex either for a meal or drinks with my wife or showing the place off to friends. The new movie theater is probably going to be a weekly destination.
I never “hated” it, but simply questioned some of the claims that were bandied about.
My point is so far I’ve seen what I’ve hoped to see: a boost in existing businesses near the casino and the opening of new businesses near it.
For the naysayers, though, it seems to be much more important to look at the half-empty glass rather than the half-full glass. That attitude will not get us to where we want to go.
Congrats to the students, teacher and administrators of the Springfield Public Schools for the progress they have made.
Wave of the future
The Chicopee City Council, as a body, seems to have little interest in pursuing municipal Internet service, an idea started by Mayor Richard Kos in 2015.
The concept is that city’s fiber optic networks would be the backbone for an Internet service that would provide city residents with a competitively priced alternative. Proponents believe this service could attract new businesses to the city, just as the municipal electric service has done.
Frankly I can’t see why pursing this further would be a problem and I hope if Chicopee doesn’t do it that Springfield and Holyoke, both of which have fiber optic networks, would at least look into it.
The other advantage is the fiber optic lines allow for greater speeds, which is necessary as more and more enterprises depend upon reliable and fast Internet speeds. It can provide a community with an economic development advantage.
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