Ultimately Fishbein and Gorman are responsible. Their hefty salaries are funded by the taxpayers. If the rankings don’t improve in 2-3 years, then these two losers get FIRED. It’s that simple, folks.
What part of the budget (none?) is going towards improving the actual ACADEMIC QUALITY of Ridgewood schools?
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Are the feckless superintendent and RHS principal doing anything to improve these numbers?
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Ridgewood DID NOT make “The 50 highest scoring schools in NJ’s new school ranking system”
RHS is ranked 84 out of 386 in NJ High Schools (not even top 20%)
nj.com article link:
https://www.nj.com/education/2018/01/the_top_50_schools_in_njs_new_state_ratings.html
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Ridgewood DID NOT make the “top 10” (or even the “top 25”) in NJ High schools
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Ridgewood DID NOT even make the “Top 500” high schools Nationally (they were almost in the 600s)
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Ridgewood BARELY made the top 50% in College Readiness (53.6% of students are ready for college … which means almost HALF of RHS students ARE NOT ready for college)
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us news link:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/new-jersey/districts/ridgewood-public-schools/ridgewood-high-school-12746
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Pathetic. Pitiful.
They are both losers for sure. Why wait 2-3 years? They won’t turn anything around. They have been tested long enough and have shown to be nothing but political puppets.
Brogan needs to go as well, we don’t even rank in STEM education which are the skills our kids will need in the workforce. These teachers and administrators are overpaid failures.
“Emperor Superintendent Deems a Dog’s Tail a Leg”
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The following column appeared in The Ridgewood News on March 30, 2018.
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The other day a request came in to include information on the League of Women Voters’ upcoming Candidates Night in our district enews. Now, since the League is non-partisan, non-profit and local, the flyer easily passed our requirements for publishing. But the notice got me thinking in general about the important mandate that public school districts be strictly non-partisan while still encouraging our students’ intellectual curiosity and passions. It can be a delicate balance on occasion.
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A great example of successfully walking this line occurred at Ridgewood High School on March 14, when we permitted our students to organize a 17-minute walkout in conjunction with the national anti-gun violence event commemorating victims of the Parkland school shooting and raising awareness for violence-free schools. Simultaneous to this event another group of our students staged a sit-in in our Campus Center to highlight Second Amendment rights. [So is this how it goes? Two political wrongs make an apolitical right?]
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Intellectual and emotional passion energized a large body of our students that day. Of varying political views, those who either walked out or sat in paid respectful tribute to the Parkland shooting victims while raising their voices for change. RHS Principal Tom Gorman and staff helped guide our students’ planning to assure that in addition to a feel-good moment they would be enriched by a living civics lesson on the process of peaceable assembly and its value and power to effect non-violent change in a democratic society. At Ridgewood High School that day, our students lived out their textbook lessons on the meaning of freedom of speech. They also learned, as Dr. Gorman summarized aptly in a letter to the RHS community, that change is not a 17-minute event but takes a lifetime of work. In his words, Your strength and purpose happens in what you do in the 18th minute and beyond. I commend Tom’s letter to you, found in the Communications section of the RHS web pages at http://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
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March 14 was a historic day for the Ridgewood Public Schools. We had never done anything like it in recent history, and while other districts chose to disallow their students’ request to participate in the national walkout, I am pleased and proud of our decision to endorse this event and also proud of and thankful for all who were involved on many levels to ensure its success as a meaningful day of memorial, awareness raising and civics in action, while remaining strictly non-partisan.
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In particular, I am proud of our students for their interest and passion to make a difference, and their desire to grapple intellectually and respectfully with contemporary societal issues. [What’s next, Dan? Dueling Pro-Life/Pro-Abortion protests? An excellent case can be made for a convenient “tie-in” that pro-life students are protesting the gravest kind of violence done to the youngest of children, whom had they not been killed, would have become their fellow RHS students. Or, are you, by this self-congratulatory letter, simply trying to head such an eventuality off at the pass? You are not the judge of your own case, Dan. Superintendent or not, if you, in fact, stepped in it by personally fomenting one or more political protests by students during the school day and on school property, no amount of after-the-fact whitewashing on your part will transform wrongdoing into inspired charity.]
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I am equally proud of, and thankful, too, for our very professional staff and for their expertise and attention, not just to the curricular matters but also for their personal commitment, and for their ability to focus on the common ground we all share on the importance of safe schools that are free of violence.
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I am further proud to be living and working in a community that supports [Not so fast, Dan!] the efforts of its public school administrators in navigating the sometimes tricky terrain [Much as all this tickles your fancy, Dan, you and your administrator friends are not paid to help students explore a career in Obama-inspired community organizing. Please get back to doing your real job.]. These past few weeks have seen a more than a flurry of snow and the tight grip of winter; there’ve been many spirited conversations and a number of district communications* about safety, security and students’ rights to assemble on school property without repercussions. [Without repercussions! Ah yes, there’s where you went wrong. The real world is not so forgiving, Dan. You’ve deprived your charges of the best lesson you might have taught them! No letter from a Birmingham jail is possible in the scenario you’ve created…] These are real issues, real concerns. [Ooh..that’s a pithy little gem. We can tell you’re just dying to get your first entry into Bartlett’s Quotations. Keep trying.]
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It’s a community’s desire to put politics aside on occasion and walk the line with us that makes a difference in achieving our mission of excellence in a safe, non-violent school setting. I am so very appreciative of that willingness to engage. [Quite a slippery slope you’ve erected here, Dan. Enthusiasm may be your strong suit. But foresight? Not so much.]
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As always, please feel free to get in touch with any questions or concerns. [Who are you kidding…]
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D.
District Superintendent
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* Please see my March 1, 2018 letter on school safety, found on the Superintendent’s page of the district website at http://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D., is Superintendent of the Ridgewood Public Schools. Dr. Fishbein can be reached at 201-670-2700, ext. 10530, or via e-mail at dfishbein@ridgewood.k12.nj.us. For more information on the Ridgewood Public Schools visit the district website at http://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us, the district Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/RidgewoodPublicSchools, or follow us on Twitter @RwdPubSchools.
You all are complete idiots! It has to do with PARCC. Blame that shat on Christie!
You all are complete idiots! It has to do with PARCC. Blame that shat on Christie! The smart, well informed, and well educated parent of this town opt our kids out of that nonsense.
I don’t agree with many things that RHS does BUT that being said they do get the kids ready for college. My son is a freshman at college and said he was prepared far better than other kids at his college.
I don’t agree with many things that RHS does BUT that being said they do get the kids ready for college. My son is a freshman at college and said he was prepared far better than other kids at his college.”
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Nice try at the FUD…
Do you actually have a son in college?
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RIDGEWOOD HS –> College Readiness Index = 53.6
#583 in National Ranking
#26 in NJ Ranking
LINK:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/new-jersey/districts/ridgewood-public-schools/ridgewood-high-school-12746
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The US News and World Report link you’ve shared clearly shows Ridgewood as #26 for the entire State of New Jersey. In examining this list more than half the top 25 in the ranking within the state are special districts or magnet schools which have competitive requirements and testing for admission. Specifically in Bergen County both Bergen Tech and Bergen Academies historically enroll some of Ridgewood’s highest academic performers matriculating from the towns elementary and middle schools. I’m not sure about the leadership points you made here, in fact maybe better educators are available for the top dollar currently paid, but in fairness the children of this school district are doing better than many might think just based on these survey results.
Nice Try 5:42 (must be a teacher – or maybe Gorman or Fishbein??)
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It was convenient of you to ignore these facts:
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US NEWS STATE of NJ RANK:
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Eleven (not even the TOP 11 BTW) of the top 25 on the list are magnet or Vocational schools (which is not “more than half the top 25” but I guess math is hard for you)
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Also these PUBLIC (non-magnet) Schools are ranked AHEAD of Ridgewood:
#5 – Elizabeth High School
#6 – Princeton High School
#7 – Chatham High School
#10 West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
#11 – Livingston High School
#12 – Summit Senior High School
#13 – Millburn High School
#14 – Glen Ridge High School
#15 – Ridge High School, Basking Ridge
#18 – West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
#19 – Mountain Lakes High School
#20 – Tenafly High School
#23 – Northern Highlands Regional High School
#25 – Montgomery High School
#26 – Ridgewood High School
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US NEWS NATIONAL RANK:
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RIDGEWOOD IS RANKED #583 (almost below 600) in NATIONAL Rank
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US NEWS COLLEGE READINESS (arguably the most important ranking)
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RIDGEWOOD HAS A 53.6% COLLEGE READINESS rating (barely half of the students graduate as ready for college).
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STATE OF NJ’s OWN SCHOOL RANKINGS
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You are also ignoring that THE STATE OF NJ ranked Ridgewood High School as 83 out of the 385 NJ high schools.
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Neighboring Glen Rock was ranked #13
(the top twelve on the NJ State list are specialized “academies” and vocational schools which have academic standards for acceptance)
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Here’s some other (local) schools that are ranked higher than Ridgewood:
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#20 – Pascack Hills (Pascack Valley)
#25 – Northern Valley – Demarest
#28 – Tenafly
#29 – Mahwah
#45 – Northern Valley – Old Tappan
#46 – Pascack Valley
#48 – River Dell
#52 – Indian Hills
#55 – Emerson
#56 – Fair Lawn
#60 – Northern Highlands
#61 – Fort Lee
#72 – Waldwick
#73 – New Milford
#76 – Bergenfield
#82 – Ramapo
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Then Ridgewood at #83
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But at least we beat out Dumont (ranked #84)
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No Matter how you look at the data, it IS NOT good news for Ridgewood.
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The US News and World Report link you’ve shared clearly shows Ridgewood as #26 for the entire State of New Jersey. In examining this list eleven or almost half, the top 25 in the ranking within the state are special districts or magnet schools which have competitive requirements and testing for admission. Specifically in Bergen County both Bergen Tech and Bergen Academies historically enroll some of Ridgewood’s highest academic performers matriculating from the towns elementary and middle schools. I’m not sure about the leadership points you made here, in fact maybe better educators are available for the top dollar currently paid, but in fairness the children of this school district are doing better than many might think just based on these survey results.
Why are there so many anonymous comments. Man up and put your name with your words, it’s really easy to be a critic and not attach your name to it.
Top 50 for drug abuse
Mike, are you a union thug?
A union thug? I’m an 18 year Ridgewood resident who pays BIG money in taxes and who has 2 children in the Ridgewood School System. I have no horse in this race i assure you. Anonymous comments are noise have no credibility with me – why won’t you anonymous folks identify yourselves? Maybe you’re in the running to be the next Superintendent or Principal. What’s your angle in anonymously ripping people?
maybe they are worried their kids are going to get picked on by teachers at school
A union thug? Come on man, you have to laugh and laugh really, really hard here with this level of paranoia. Our one friend here is hard line with friend and foe alike without deviation…
Mike, surely you’re aware that the local NJEA is ready, willing, and able to victimize students whose parents hold and publicize antagonistic positions with respect to the Ridgewood district and its tax-revenue-wasting, child-mind-stunting, progressive-agenda-promoting ways.
8:02am definitely puts off the strong whiff of a school district shill.
You caught me. How could you tell? What gave me away? Was it that specific time while sitting at my desk taking attendance at the beginning of the school day? No, I used the acronym RHS, right? I know, who does that – rookie mistakes…