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Man cited for trespassing

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Lottery Summary for the eek of April 17

The Wilkes-Barre Area School District&#8217;s high school consolidation &#8220;plan&#8221; has fostered much discussion.Rather than providing my own opinion, what follows are excerpts from a brief written by Craig Howley and others and published in 2011 by the National Education Policy Center. (Visit <a href="http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/consolidation-schools-districts" target="_blank">nepc.colorado.edu/publication/consolidation-schools-districts</a>.)&#8220;The last major report to argue for larger sizes for districts or schools &#8230;. appeared in 1970,&#8221; according to the brief. &#8220;Contemporary research does not support claims about the widespread benefits of consolidation. Research on the effects of contemporary consolidation suggests that new consolidation is likely to result in neither greater efficiency nor better instructional outcomes. &#8230; The contemporary research, as a body and almost to a study, has not recommended consolidation either to save tax dollars or to improve the outcomes or quality of schooling.&#8221;The writers add, &#8220;Contemporary school consolidation efforts often fail to deliver the promised enhancement of academic offerings.&#8221;Citing statewide school consolidations in West Virginia, they also state: &#8220;After the school consolidation (closures), students attended larger schools where they received less individual attention, endured longer bus rides to and from school &#8230; and had fewer opportunities to participate in co-curricular and extracurricular activities (a result of both increased competition for limited spots and transportation issues). Families&#8217; experiences included fewer opportunities to participate in formal school governance roles (as members of site based leadership teams, for example) and increased barriers to participating informally in their children&#8217;s education.&#8220;Large school and district size negatively affects desirable academic outcomes. A sizable body of research investigating school size has consistently found larger size &#8230; to be associated with &#8230; more dangerous school environments, lower graduation rates, lower achievement levels for impoverished students, and larger achievement gaps related to poverty, race, and gender.&#8221;It appears that the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, whose officials cite economic need as the rationale for school merger, is nearly a half century behind the times. This review confirms that many studies have shown deleterious financial and educational outcomes from consolidation.This community must revolt and insist upon preservation of neighborhood schools in our residential areas. Merger is costly from both a fiscal and educational standpoint.Mark F. SchiowitzWilkes-Barre

Letter to the Editor: Research on school consolidation suggests Wilkes-Barre Area should reconsider its plan