9486 in the collection
Hypocricy on the Job
Ohanian Note: Take a look at who's leading the charge for the MCAS requirement for a diploma: Fleet, Verizon, etc. So the institutions that are destroying these young peoples' lives are now getting PR for trying to rescue them.
Jessica Owens, 18, said that after surviving her senior year, she was on the verge of abandoning her college aspirations. Shina Hines, also 18, said she is trying not to dwell on the one failure that has thwarted her plans to attend college this September.
''They said they'll hold my seat until January,'' Hines said, as she walked across the street from her summer job with Fleet Bank to a math class in one of the bank's board rooms.
The high school years are over for Hines, Owens, and roughly 440 other Boston seniors who couldn't graduate on time because they failed the 10th-grade MCAS graduation requirement.
But a summer jobs program called Classroom in the Workplace tries to reach those seniors by providing them summer jobs and 90 minutes of daily MCAS tutoring during the workday.
Part of the first graduating class required to pass both the math and English portions of the exam to earn a diploma, these are the teens educators fear could fall through the cracks. For them, there is no more constant monitoring by district officials, and the daily crush of teachers, principals, and guidance counselors who help push them along the way.
Area companies such as FleetBoston Financial, Verizon, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have stepped in to make sure these students don't get lost.
''Our commitment from the beginning was: If you don't give up on yourself, we won't give up on you,'' said Neil Sullivan, executive director of the Boston Private Industry Council. ''We are trying to develop opportunities for students who could not walk on graduation day.''
Now in its fifth summer, the Classroom in the Workplace program has a proven success record, Boston school Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant said. Last year, 220 students from the Class of 2003 participated. Of those, 56 percent passed the exam and graduated with their peers. An additional 15 percent passed one of the two portions of the exam.
''We said we are not going to let go of the seniors who are still working hard to pass MCAS,'' said Payzant. ''This isn't the end for them.''
Janet Ortiz, 18, a single mother of two, said the program has inspired her to try again.
''I've got two kids to support,'' said Ortiz, who handles foreign exchange at Fleet. ''I need to pass the MCAS to get a diploma, go to college, and get a job.''
At least this way, she adds, instead of working at a retail store or fast food restaurant, ''we have an opportunity to work in a corporate setting, to dress professionally, to act professionally. This is something I can put on my resume.''
Owens said she also appreciates the new environment but worries she still won't be able to conquer the statewide exam.
''Passing the MCAS is very important, but it's getting stressful,'' said Owens, who works with Ortiz and has already failed MCAS several times. ''We keep taking it, and taking it, and taking it. ... If we can't pass, we're done. Some of us wanted to give up, but then we said, `Let's keep trying.'''
Hines, a former student of Boston Community Leadership Academy, said despite her disappointment, she is enjoying her summer and is confident she will pass.
''I am 99.9 percent sure I'll pass the test this time. Then, I think I'll owe myself a party,'' said Hines, who hopes to become a child psychologist. She is spending the summer photocopying documents for FleetBoston's investment bankers, board members, and customers.
FleetBoston spokesman Joseph Goode said the company hopes to give teens the skills and motivation to become part of a successful work force.
''By giving these kids exposure to the workplace, we are showing them that achievement in the classroom and working hard go hand and hand,'' Goode said. ''We are invested in young kids like Shina. We encourage them to keep coming back, because in the end, what we are trying to do is strengthen the work force so that we will have a stronger pool to recruit from.''
— Megan Tench
Seniors get MCAS help on the job
Boston Globe
June 29, 2003
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/180/learning/Seniors_get_MCAS_help_on_the_job+.shtml
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
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