TPS TALK
Falling through the cracks. That is a term that is heard in schools. It is one of the biggest concerns with any educator. No one in education wants to hear it is too late, that a student has fallen through the proverbial cracks in the system.
Being an educator is a tough job, one of the toughest — from state mandates to crisis prevention to long hours at the helm. Educators carry a tremendous responsibility of educating all students who are under their care.
What is happening in Trenton to prevent students from falling through the cracks?
Arthurs Middle School has in place a rather unique program at the school to help serve its students. Several times a month, a team of teachers will gather to review the school work of their students while on a common prep. The team will review where the student currently stands with academics as well as behavior. The four core teachers, administrators, counselors and social worker are all part of the team to review how students are doing in school.
The staff will review if the student is missing assignments, is improving in school work, or maybe the student needs to take a make-up assessment. The team will discuss some of the best methods to help the student.
After reviewing where the student currently stands, the team will give the student a thumbs-up for their current standing in the school, basically saying that the student is on track with academic progress. Or, the team will work together to see that the student is aware of missing assignments, accumulating too many absences or if they need to retake an assessment.
It is a team effort that is working toward the improvement of student achievement to try to prevent students from falling through the cracks.
While there is no perfect way in education to prevent a student from falling behind in school, this unique program at Arthurs Middle School is an example of teachers working in teams to do what is best for the students of Trenton.
Dr. Michael Doyle is community liaison director for Trenton Public Schools.