The Glen Cove Board of Education held the second of two town meetings on Monday, March 5 at the Landing School. While sparsely attended, the meeting did attract some residents who do not regularly attend school board meetings. In addition to board members and Thayer House administrators, the principals of Deasy, Landing, Finley Middle and Glen Cove High School were on hand to field questions and present opinions.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Larry Aronstein told the audience that this meeting was an opportunity for the public to speak out and the board to listen. The first comment, however, was a question, and the board and administration did the speaking. "How are the schools really doing?" a resident asked, and the superintendent commenced to reiterate the salient points of progress under his stewardship.

The superintendent noted the large number of school administrators who have been hired since he came to Glen Cove 19 months ago and said the district has gone a long way to change what is wrong and hold onto what is wonderful about the district. He said he believed parents would say that they love the elementary schools, that the middle school has made remarkable improvements in organization and safety, and that the high school is definitely moving in the right direction, with a greater sense of order, better attendance and increased academic seriousness. While state assessment test scores have been less than satisfactory, the superintendent believes the community will see a change and be "very happy" with the next set of results.

Deasy School Principal Julio Delgado said that there has been a closer alignment between the K-2 (Deasy and Gribbin) and 3-5 (Landing and Connolly) staffs and improvement of content, pedagogy and lesson design. Dr. Michael Israel, Landing School principal, said that last year was the first time some of the grades had state testing, but now "everyone is familiar" with the testing format and procedure and he, too, anticipates better scores next time. Finley Middle School Principal Anael Alston said that he meets weekly with teachers to discuss progress and plan how to address students' needs and Keith Schenker, principal of Glen Cove High School addressed the restructuring of ninth-grade teaming which, he said, has led to better planning among the teachers. Interdisciplinary teaching is producing positive results, he said. Dr. Shari Camhi, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and technology, added that this coordinated effort will continue and improve year after year.

When questioned on the concept of "teaching to a test," Dr. Camhi said that what the schools are doing is teaching students to be familiar with the testing format, with the goal of state assessment test day being "just another day."

Staff development has been a major factor in improvements to the district, according to all the district's administrators present at the meeting. Instruction strategies are being discussed and updated and classes are becoming more student-centered and hands-on, as opposed to a teacher standing in front of a seated class and teaching.

A major goal, according to Dr. Aronstein, is to "keep the middle class in public schools," and he was proud to say that while last year three students returned to city schools from private or parochial ones, this year 15 students returned to Glen Cove High School. "It will be interesting to watch the numbers for a pattern," he said. A staunch believer in heterogeneous classes, the superintendent said he feels that with differentiation of instruction by properly trained teachers, "all children benefit."

New programs that have been, or are being, introduced to the district under the present administration include a strings program in third-grade music, the Columbia Writing Project for grades K-8 and the Tripod Project, which works to narrow the achievement gap between minorities and white/middle class students. At its next meeting, the board will vote on the initiation of the International Baccalaureate Program, which encourages students to be active learners, well-rounded individuals and engaged world citizens. Dr. Aronstein also said he is looking to extend the foreign language program and is considering introducing the Chinese Mandarin language at the elementary level. He stated this is a national trend and a number of schools on Long Island have begun offering the language.

Dr. Aronstein stated that his vision is for Glen Cove to become an "outstanding school district...not good, not satisfactory, but outstanding." He pointed to the great success of the high school Mock Trial Team and Mathletes as evidence that this goal is within reach. He added that the diversity of the school population is an asset in this effort.

Zefy Christopoulos complimented the district on the strong relationship between the city government and the school district, calling it the best she has ever seen, but said Glen Cove has a "public relations nightmare" when it comes to potential home buyers. Many families hesitate to move to Glen Cove, she said, because of unfavorable viewpoints regarding the school system. Across the board, the administrators agreed that they encourage parents to visit the schools, take a tour and ask questions. "I tell people not to go by what they hear, but come and see for themselves," said Mr. Schenker. Mr. Alston commented that he believes word is getting out about the improvements in the district. He related a story about being on a cruise and meeting a parent from West Hempstead who said she has heard that Glen Cove is doing a great job. A BOCES employee told an administrator that all she hears about Glen Cove are positive comments, and that the district appears to be making "great progress." Dr. Aronstein said strangers stop him on the street to say, "You're doing good work." The buzz is out there, he said.

A point brought up by Beverly Granger was that some people who work in the school system sometimes have negative things to say about the high school, for example that the school doesn't focus on academics, but on athletics and clubs. She believes the faculty should not disperse that sort of commentary. Dr. Aronstein agreed. "People think that if an employee says so, it must be true," he said.

Annette Tripp suggested the district do more to increase providing bilingual information, another fact with which the superintendent agreed.

Everyone in attendance, be it parent, resident or administrator, left the meeting with much to consider, some already discussing new questions and ideas for the improvement of the Glen Cove School District. All were more informed than when they arrived. Isn't that what education is all about?