Surburn Public Schools Vs. City Public Schools

Surburn Public Schools vs. City Public Schools

What type of educational standards does the American society accept and

expect for their child? Article will compare and contrast

two different types of schools. One school is located in an affluent

suburban community and the other school is located in a poor urban area.

The suburban school has twice as many students as the urban school. Both

schools are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania vicinity. One school is

in jeopardy of closing due to poor student achievement and the other

school is a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School. The schools are

only five miles apart although they are many miles apart as far as

educational promise. What are the physical, financial, esthetic, and

intrinsic values that enable one school community to be more productive

than the other? When it comes to education what standards does society accept?

Image entering into a cold, brick building that is dark and old. The

exterior of the building is covered with graffiti. The football field is

nothing but dirt and weeds; the bleachers are made of weather beaten wood.

Adjacent to the football field is a concrete basketball court, the rims do

not have nets and the metal backboard has not been painted in years. The

interior of the building is not much better. The paint on the walls is a

dreary gray and maroon. There are wires hanging from the ceiling. The

building smells old and musty. As one walks into the school you are

immediately confronted by metal detectors, and a blocked off section for

crisis intervention. The building offers three security guards, two school

police, and two probation officers. The office is very busy, and chaotic.

. The lunch that is being prepared in the cafeteria turns my stomach as I

walk past. Can you believe I was describing a school? I wonder how

children learn in this depressing environment. "The school is so

depressing and old. It makes me not even want to come to school. "The school is so depressing and old. It makes you not want to even come everyday. But I try to make the best out of it." Lamar Canty a senior at Peabody.

Can you believe that I was describing a school? When I was a student at Peabody it was one of the top schools in the

city. It was racially balanced 60 percent black and 40 percent white.

Our academic and athletic programs could and did rival any in the

tri-state area. The staff was very challenging and supportive. I am so

proud of the accomplishments of my peers who are successful educators,

businessmen and women, entrepreneurs, athletes, and entertainers. Peabody

has such a rich tradition. Peabody has changed tremendously. I hope the

school can be revived because, I would hate to see my alma mater close"

said, Leslie Robinson alumni 83'.

The school is in the city of Pittsburgh called Peabody High School. Peabody is one of 10 schools in the Pittsburgh Public School District. This school has a small enrollment of 708 students which 92.9% of African American youth are enrolled in this institution of learning. The class size range from 15.2 students in a class. The school is located in an urban area of Pittsburgh that allows students from Bloomfield, Friendship, East Liberty, Garfield, Highland Park, Larimer, Lawrenceville, Morningside, Shadyside, Stanton Heights; Highlander Academies include Public Safety Magnet, Health Careers, Culinary Arts and Information Technologies Academy programs open to all residents contingent on available space.

Peabody's curriculum offers a variety of programs for there students and has several special programs and services for the students in the community. These services are as follows Center for Advanced Studies (CAS); Pittsburgh Scholars Program (PSP); Advanced Placement courses; Public Safety Academy-magnet (training and certification for health related, law enforcement and public safety careers; partnerships with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI); Information Technologies Academy-(courses offered in Microsoft applications and operating systems, Cisco Networking systems, and A+ Computer repair; students may earn professional certification in all courses); Health Careers Academy prepares students for careers in direct patient care or health related business; Culinary Arts Academy prepares students for careers in the restaurant industry; Additional academies are planned for 2005 school year; Career Development courses include Business Education, Fashion Clothing, Foods and Nutrition; Peer Mediation Team; Adolescent Health and Wellness Center of Western Pennsylvania Hospital; Student Assistance Team; Women's Center and Shelter Outreach Services; St. Francis Adolescent Outreach Program; YWCA and YMCA Outreach Programs; Healthy Start; Teen Parenting Program; Microsoft Certification Test Center; Cisco Systems Local Academy; Educational partnerships with West Penn Hospital, Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, Pittsburgh Glass Center, University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, Duquesne University. So what seems to be the probably with this high school?

Peabody has low-test scores and that seems to be the area of improvement that most of the Pittsburgh Public Schools are facing. When speaking to Ms. Michele R. Holly the assistant principle she said, " our AYP scores are low and the government keeps raising the standards. However, it is hard for us (Peabody) to catch up because we do not have the funding and budget to be get the programs we need