The Road to Recovery: A B for John Dewey High School

When I said that the NYCDOE and Bloomberg were messing with the wrong school, I wasn't joking. John Dewey High School proves itself successful. The Dewey community remained strong in the weakest of times, and all that hard work has taken its toll. It showed the NYCDOE, Bloomberg, his puppet Walcott and every other idiot who believed it deserved to close. The progress and improvement John Dewey High School has made in one year is jaw dropping. Which brings me to my following point, I have amazing news to announce:

John Dewey High School received a B rating for the 2011-2012 school year on the annual school progress reports.

The school received a high B, outperforming schools like the highly regarded Midwood High School.

This post will go in-depth describing the progress John Dewey High School has made from the previous school year (2010-2011) and why it deserves that well earned B. The graduation rate increased by 6% and the college readiness rate increased by 5% without any true help from the NYCDOE, the Dewey community accomplished this by themselves with arduous work.

• Schools earning 70 or more points received As (35% of schools)

• Schools earning between 58 and 69.9 points received Bs (37% of schools)

• Schools earning between 47 and 57.9 points received Cs (20% of schools)

• Schools earning between 40 and 46.9 points received Ds (5% of schools)

• Schools earning less than 39.9 points received Fs (3% of schools)

Since John Dewey High School received one of the highest B's (rounded 64/100), it scores with the majority of schools in the city, the 37%, making John Dewey High School a high-average performing school.

COMPARISON OF JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL'S PROGRESS REPORT RESULTS FROM THE 2010-2011 SCHOOL YEAR THAT ENDED IN JUNE 2011 TO THE RECENT 2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR THAT ENDED JUNE 2012

(To view the images bigger, just click on them.)

2010-2011 SCHOOL YEAR RESULTS

Ouch! In the 2010-2011 school year, Dewey received its fourth consecutive C, scoring a shameful undeserved rounded 49/100. It was enough for the NYCDOE to put it on the chopping block, which, of course, it did.

Another eyesore. In 2009, Dewey performed in the 8th percentile, only scoring higher than 8% of NYC high schools, then in 2010 it rose impressively to 25, and fell back again to 17 in early 2011.

2010-2011's overview is not impressive. No green, just yellow and red, not a good. Student progress staggers halfway, student performance receives an alarming D, and the school environment receives a big red F. Two C's and two F's.

John Dewey High School's graduation rate for 2011 was 66%, which is still decent, but not enough to go beyond the city average, and it's a sizable amount below the peer schools average.

However, the four year weighted diploma rate exceeds the city schools average, but not the peer school average. The six year weighted diploma rate exceeds both the peer schools and city schools average, though.

This is truly another eyesore. The scores are so slow compared to the peer schools, and compared to the city schools, it's not the best either. The only result that hits the citywide average is the "Engagement" scoring a 6.6, exactly the city schools average. Everything else is below the peer schools and city schools.

The attendance rate, however, is impressive, at a rounded 89% hitting the peer schools average and exceeding the citywide schools average by 3%.

There's so much red, citing bad scores. Communication is very low for the 2010-2011 school year, burning red at 5.9, nearly a point below the citywide average.

There is barely any change, from the 2009-2010 school survey to the 2010-2011 school survey, the only thing that improved somewhat is the engagement, but even that, fell below the citywide average. Everything else remained on the same path, there were zero scores reaching 7's. The highest is "Academic Expectations" which scored a 6.9.

(I'm talking about the comparison to all high schools, not participants at the school because that one is subjective.)

2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR RESULTS

John Dewey High School receives a B rating for the 2011-2012 school year (last year's progress), scoring a rounded 64/100. It ranks 37% of schools in NYC, the majority, making Dewey an average performing school according to the NYCDOE.

Look at this! Dewey's percentile rank leaps tremendously in 2012! From a 25 in 2010, to a downfall of 17 in 2011, to a HUGE leap to 45 in 2012 (this year), meaning that John Dewey High School performs better than 45% of high schools in the city.

The standards have changed a bit, but are generally the same. Like this year, College and Career Readiness was added to the progress reports due to a push in national college readiness. Dewey excels in this category by scoring a rounded 7/10 giving it a high B rating. 2011-2012 has way more green and two yellows, the colors themselves show the improvement.

Student progress increases to a 34/55 leaving only behind 21 points.

Student performance boosts to a rounded halfway 10/20.

School environment improves drastically, from an F to a C, scoring a rounded 7/15.

College and career readiness receives a rounded 7/10, citing great college and career readiness.

From last year's unimpressive two C's and two F's, to this year's three B's and two C's. If that isn't improvement (in just one year) then I don't know what is.

What is Closing the Achievement Gap?

Closing the achievement gap simply means how great the school can education ELL's (English Language Learners), special ed. students, and students who enter with low proficiency levels. Dewey received a 6 out of 16 points in this category, higher than most high schools. Dewey has been traditionally known to educate foreigners who have been in the United States for less than three years perfectly. Many Dewey graduates that entered the school with virtually no English skills have ended up going to college in just four years.

Dewey is one of the schools that the NYCDOE gave the highest points for in this category, and no school received all the 16 points, but a 6 out of 16 is impressive, and one of the highest in the city.

John Dewey High School's graduation rate increased by 6% in just one year! If you look above in the 2010-2011 progress report, the graduation rate was a rounded 66%, and now, in the following 2011-2012 year, the graduation rate is a rounded 72%! I will say it again, if that isn't progress and improvement, then I don't know what is.

Apart from the improving 4 year graduation rate, John Dewey High School is just 0.9% below from its peer schools in the 4 year graduation rate, however, John Dewey High School's 4 year graduation rate exceeds the city average by 0.5%! Dewey's graduation rate is above the city average.

Dewey's four year weighted diploma rate also increases from a rounded 149% to a rounded 185%! A 36% increase in just one year, exceeding the peer schools average and exceeding the city schools average. The six year weighed diploma rate also exceeds the city average in schools by 0.6%.

Wow this is amazing! Compared to 2010-2011, 2011-2012 shows an outstanding improvement. Every result at John Dewey High School exceeds the citywide schools average, and Dewey is a hell of a lot closer to the average in its peer schools, and it once again excels in "Engagement" for both peer and city schools.

The attendance remains pretty much the same at a rounded 89%, which is impressive. It surpasses the citywide schools average in attendance by 2.2%.

Wow! Everything (circled in red) improved from last year! Just by looking at "Change from last year (2010-2011)" you can see all the arrows are pointing up, showing very high improvement. You can only see one faded red in "Communication" however, it's a faded red meaning it's only slightly below average, and it is, only by 0.2 points.

In comparison to all the other gray that signifies "average" this is a wonderful improvement from last year. Nearly everything is in line with the citywide average.

2011-2012 IMPROVEMENTS IN SCHOOL SURVEY SCORES FROM 2010-2011:
• 2011-2012: Academic Expectations - 7.4 out of 7.5, a spectacular improvement from 2010-2011's 6.9 out of 7.5.
• 2011-2012: Communication - 6.6 out of 6.8, an impressive improvement from 2010-2011's 5.9 out of 6.7.
• 2011-2012: Engagement - 7.1 out of 7.2, a good improvement from 2010-2011's 6.6 out of 7.0.
• 2011-2012: Safety & Respect - 7.3 out of 7.4, a great improvement from 2010-2011's 6.6 out of 7.2.

This is amazing news! The Dewey community rejoices and is elated. Since 2009, many people knew that a "closure" possibility was imminent, and when it became official in mid-2010, since day one, the Dewey community fought and fought! Students, teachers, alumni, you name it, were there. Starting from the "Fight Back Fridays!" to public meetings furiously opposing this irrational plan. John Dewey High School did it, John Dewey High School makes history by being the first school to go from "failing" to "in good standing" by the NYCDOE while being on a closure list. If that isn't progress, then I don't know what is. This is amazing, and I'm sticking up the middle finger at treacherous NYCDOE and Bloomberg right now. That'll show them. You have destroyed iconic schools since 2002, damaged students, damaged teachers, destroyed communities and hurt parents, well this is the breaking point. This is where the line is drawn. Enough is enough, your evil roots have been crushed.

Now, John Dewey High School has turned a new leaf. It currently scores higher than 45% of high schools throughout New York City. That's amazing, and nearly half of city schools. We can only smile, and thankful to see that this progress has finally been shown. If Dewey's progress has impressed the NYCDOE enough to give it a B, then it MUST be true progress.

IMPROVEMENTS & PROGRESS MADE IN JUST 1 YEAR AT JOHN DEWEY HIGH SCHOOL:

• From a 65.9% graduation rate in June 2011, to 72.4% June 2012.

• From a 29.5% college readiness rate in June 2011, to 34.9% in June 2012. 

• From a 49 out of 100 (C) to a 64 out of 100 (high B) in just one year, a 15 point increase!

• From a 149% four year weighted diploma, to a 185% four year weighted diploma, a 36% increase!

• Scoring from the 17th percentile, to the 45th percentile in just one year. About 28 percentiles higher!

Do you consider a school with a 72% graduation rate, or a 35% college readiness rate (above the citywide average) a failing school? NO. It never was a failing school. It's amazing how much progress John Dewey High School has made in just ONE year. The NYCDOE should definitely give more funding for the school now that it wrongly straps money from the school each year. Can you believe it? The NYCDOE pulled more and more money of out of the school, but yet Dewey's progress improved even more! It just shows that the NYCDOE and "Bloomcott" are just a bunch of corrupt puppets ruining American public education, school by school.

Am I saying these scores are perfect? No. Naturally, there's room for improvement. But still, they're pretty damn great, and in just one year Dewey has accomplished this much. This is amazing. Hopefully, in the next progress report Dewey receives an A. Because that's what Dewey deserves. A B for John Dewey High School, citing true progress, and indeed, a road to recovery for a school that the DOE has damaged and betrayed so much.

I hope this article gets the publicity it deserves so everyone across the nation can see how great of a school John Dewey High School is, and how wrong and corrupt our public educational system can be, because it's a tragedy. Yes, if you're an out-of-town guy or gal, or oblivious to how our American public educational works, here you go. You get a glimpse, experienced from the eyes of a student who goes to a school that was once targeted by them. That's precisely why this blog exists, to share my past experiences with you. 

Give John Dewey High School the funding it deserves, corrupt DOE!

Please keep in mind this data from the 2011-2012 school year, the last year of the ineffective principal Barry Fried, who was often criticized by staff members for doing nothing for the school, he only hid in his office, and at times he rarely showed up to the school. However, by the spring of 2012, Fried was finally replaced after serving principal of John Dewey High School since 1999, just a little over a decade. The replacement, Ms. Kathleen Elvin has been strict, but useful. She undoubtedly shows great leadership for the school even though some of her teammates are newbies. She's known for the creation of Williamsburg Preparatory High School in 2004 in the Harry Van Arsdale Campus in Williamsburg itself, Williamsburg Prep soon became one of NYC's highest performing high schools, receiving consecutive A's. Ms. Elvin says she plans to do the same at John Dewey High School, and her main goal is to make it once again one of the highest performing high schools in New York City, and the progress is evident.

(P.S. I know many of you are critics of the NYCDOE's Progress Reports, and truthfully, I am too, even though it may not seem like it in this post. They purposefully manipulate these scores to "justify" more school closures citywide, however, if you think about it... Why would the NYCDOE give Dewey a good grade when they tried to close it in the past, but were repeatedly stopped? It only proves that this progress MUST be real, and is definitely good enough for the NYCDOE to actually acknowledge it and give Dewey its well earned B. I mean c'mon folks, if the NYCDOE can see progress, then anyone can. We all know how reluctant the DOE is to acknowledge the positive changes in a school.)