School board looks to add 'Global Citizenship' flavor to its choice

With so many delicious choices, picking a flavor is never easy. The choice is particularly hard if it must be done on behalf of a large and diverse group of people.

That’s the situation the Board of Education finds itself in now as they pursue becoming a "choice district." They view this option as an opportunity to bring revenue, in the form of state aid, to the school system by opening up seats for students who live outside of Highland Park.

The "flavor" that the district must choose is the theme or specialty they will declare on their application to Trenton: the area of concentration that will make Highland Park schools stand out and attract these potential students. Schools already participating in the choice program across the state have selected focus areas such as technology, workplace readiness, and the arts.

But before making their choice for the application due in October, members of the Board of Education asked for recommendations, both from the public and from a task force.

The task force, comprised of about 20 community members including parents, educators, and Highland Park teachers, met on March 9th in what Board of Ed president Wendy Saiff described as an enthusiastic and productive session.

The task force’s recommendations were presented publically at last Tuesday evening’s Board meeting, summarized by Board member, Catherine Bull. Bull announced that "global citizenship" was the curriculum emphasis proposed by the group, advocating its broad reach into other subject areas at it incorporates easily with art, music, language, and community service.

In addition, Bull noted, “We would not need to start from scratch, as there are elements of global citizenship already in place [in the current curriculum]. It would just need some structuring.”

The task force recommended that the program begin slowly, initially offering just a few seats at the high school level.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Saiff opened the floor to public comment, and a number of community members offered suggestions or simply applauded the board for this initiative. Saiff also read a number of emails received from residents on the subject.

Some who spoke viewed Highland Park’s application to become a choice school as an olive branch extended to residents who have interest in the proposed Tikun Olam Hebrew language charter school, a growing source of tension within the community. These residents encouraged the board to use the topic of global citizenship as a way to include Hebrew language in the high school. “What you’re doing here is healing the world,” was one woman’s comment, a purposeful word play off the Hebrew charter’s name.

A resident of Edison added her own word play, thanking the Board for being "pro-choice."

Other speakers encouraged additional caution and a continued community survey before committing to a decision. Resident Melanie McDermott encouraged a comprehensive needs assessment be conducted and invited the Board to reflect on the question, “Who’s needs are being met by the choice approach?”

McDermott also recommended soliciting teacher input through a formal survey as well as conducting outreach to underrepresented groups in the district.

The two student representatives on the board from the high school offered their support for global citizenship, particularly as a way to promote service projects for students, but offered caution, as well against confining the emphasis to language alone.