The Village Skeptic Blog
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3 Reasons Why Everyone Should Care About Their School Board [Updated]
"Oh, I don't have any kids in school." By far, that's the most common response I hear when I introduce myself to folks as a candidate for Board of School Committee. I understand why people say this. I'd probably say the same thing if I were in their shoes. I doubt I'd...
Union Leader Endorses Jon DiPietro for School Board
"If Manchester voters want anything to change in the city’s schools, they are going to have to make it happen at the ballot box." "In Ward 6, Jon DiPietro would be a welcome improvement over" the incumbent. I am proud to announce the endorsement of the Union Leader...
Manchester School District Survey Results
I July and August, I conducted a survey of Manchester residents, asking them about Manchester School District issues. This article presents the results of the 175 responses to that survey. Overview The two most important issues as ranked by the respondents were...
Why Comparing Manchester to Surrounding Towns Is Misleading
It's a common criticism from many politicians and activists: Manchester spends less money per student than any other district in the state of New Hampshire except for one (159th out of 160). This is mostly true but it doesn't matter because it's like comparing apples...
Students and Teachers Get Some Relief. Finally.
The full Board of School Committee met on Aug-14 and approved a recommendation to standardize the districts standardized testing. That's not a misprint: For years, the Manchester School District's formative assessments were an inconsistent Frankenstein's Monster that...
The Heartbreaking Cost of Over-assessing Our Kids
In 2014, a Manchester elementary school teacher was in so much anguish, she felt compelled to speak out. The source of her angst was the excessive amount of assessments teachers are mandating to administer. Kelley Tambouris was "angry, frustrated, but most of all sad!...
Regarding the State Board of Education’s Review of Common Core Standards
Today, I appeared before the State Board of Education in Concord to offer the following testimony during public comment: I took time away from my business this morning to drive up to Concord and support the review of the state English Language Arts and Math Common...
Non-academic Surveys and the Myth of Anonymity
Many school districts are partnering with universities, think tanks, and non-profit organizations to administer non-academic behavioral surveys to students. These surveys ask very personal questions including but not limited to sexual activity, drug use, domestic...
Manchester School District Spending
There are many discussions that take place about school spending and I've found it difficult to find data to put budget discussions into context. This post is the first in a series that will examine expenditures both citywide and in the school district. This first,...
Manchester School District Building Capacities 2016
The Manchester Board of School Committee formed a subcommittee to help alleviate overcrowding in some of the city's elementary schools by studying and recommending options for redistricting. Due to the fact that the city has far more capacity than enrolled students,...