A Journal series by staff writer Cynthia
Needham takes an in-depth look at
Woonsocket Middle School, which sits at the bottom of the state's assessment
ladder.
Aftermath
07/11/2005
Valentine
is out as middle school principal
WOONSOCKET -- Middle school principal Donna Valentine
has been reassigned from the beleaguered school to the district's central office
at her own request, school officials say.
The series
06/10/2005
Lost in the middle, Day 5: Superintendent's
wish list
"I want a building where students are seen
and treated as individuals, where each student is motivated and assisted to do
the best they can."
Lost
in the middle, Day 5: Cynthia Needham: Getting on track to finding
some solutions
At Wednesday night's School Committee meeting, veteran
member John F. Ward took a minute from the evening's agenda to acknowledge the
Journal series "Lost in the Middle" which concludes today.
06/09/2005
Woonsocket
Middle School, Day 4: Report card
When it comes to academics, Woonsocket Middle School
students are way behind their peers statewide.
06/08/2005
Woonsocket
Middle School, Day 3: Report card
Many teachers say they are made to feel ignored
and alienated by administrators. They say they are doing the best they can given
the difficult building conditions and everyday challenges of an urban school.
06/07/2005
Woonsocket
Middle School, Day 2: Report card
Principal Donna Valentine is new to Woonsocket
Middle School. She and her administration have taken the brunt of the blame
for unrest in this building, but many of the problems were there before they
even set foot inside the school.
06/06/2005
Picture
of a school building frozen in time
Until 1913, Woonsocket students attended one of
the city's primary schools until they graduated or left to go to work in local
mills.
Woonsocket
Middle School: Report card
Middle school students are notoriously difficult
learners. Often, they are so wrapped up in early adolescent developmental changes
that school can seem almost secondary. At Woonsocket Middle School, that challenge
is compounded by tougher-than-normal economic circumstances and a school that's
fallen to bickering. The result is a firestorm of frustrations and an elaborate
blame game where nobody learns much at all.
Lost
in the Middle: A five-part series
Monday
Woonsocket Middle School is New England's largest with 1,551 students and it
is in crisis. Students here find a school with a history of failing scores,
assaults, a revolving door in the principal's office, a plague of broken bathrooms
and even an invasion of cockroaches.
Tuesday
Donna Valentine has been the principal at Woonsocket Middle School since September
and she's always on the move. After nearly 20 years in corporate positions at
a retail chain, she runs this school like a consultant brought in to rescue
a company from bankruptcy.
Wednesday
Teachers, tired of coping with difficult conditions in a braid of buildings
dating back before the Great Depression, are angry that their voices are not
heard.
Thursday
The students, whose scores on statewide tests are far below those of their
peers, complain that teachers pay so much attention to out-of-control classmates
there is little room for learning.
Friday
School Supt. Anthony D'Acchioli may be Woonsocket Middle School's biggest booster.
He backs his freshman principal but notes that she's got her hands full trying
to rein in a faculty accustomed to running the show.
