One of the questions being considered by the Superintendent’s committee on Nathan Bishop is whether it should reopen as a K-8 or traditional middle school. At the DeJong forums, held city-wide in April, people where asked whether they preferred K-8 or traditional middle schools. Many East Siders at the Hope High forum felt they did not have the information necessary to make the choice.
In order to give citizens good information on which to base choices for their schools, ESPEC will host a panel discussion on September 6th, at which experts will discuss current research on the theory and practice of K-8 and middle schools. Panelists will include:
Ken Fish- Johnson and Wales University. Former Director of School Improvement for the RI Department of Education. (Ken runs Exchange City, which you may have read about in the ProJo.)
John Niska- Middle School expert at Rhode Island College. Elected as one of 12 National researchers to the Middle Level Research Council of the American Educational Research Association
Julia Steiny- Providence Journal education columnist and former School Board member.
We will announce additional panelists and the location of the panel in the coming weeks, but please mark your calendar today. We hope you will be able join us on the 6th.