[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: East Side, West Side

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
East Side, West Side
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1232597198.shtml


   The battle is over, the School Board having adopted the consultant
   recommendation to close three schools this fall. One of the stated
   advantages of this "K-5" solution is that it aligns the elementary and
   secondary boundaries. No elementary school's boundaries will straddle
   the new single middle/high school boundaries.
   This allows the lower grade schools to better align its programs in
   support of what the higher grade schools offer, as in IB
   (International Baccalaureate) and AP (Advanced Placement). This seems
   logical, but some who spoke at the recent meetings made a good point,
   that it is a defacto division of the district.
   Leaving aside Spanish Immersion (RSI) for the moment, District 281A
   will be the AP system comprising Armstrong High School, Plymouth
   Middle School, and four elementary schools. District 281C will be the
   IB system, comprising Cooper High School, Robbinsdale Middle School,
   and four elementary schools.
   Trouble is, many will want to cross over, even do a blend. I heard
   this during the Strategic Planning meetings. Now, let's put RSI back
   in the mix. And what about sports and activities? I understand there
   is some sort of busing today, though not as much now.
   Maybe this is an opportunity to explore online learning. The live AP
   course at Armstrong is on HDTV at Cooper, with a teaching assistant,
   just like college! Vice versa for an IB course taught live at Cooper.
   Maybe the live/HDTV switches once a week, so the teacher has equal
   contact with both sections.
   Such interchange could go up or down grade levels. It could be
   translated to further support RSI. Best of all, it's relatively
   inexpensive.