City of Baltimore - File #: 06-0121R

• File #: 06-0121R
• Version: 0
• Name: Informational Hearing - BCPSS Studio Course Curriculum Concerns
• Type: City Council Resolution
• Status: Adopted
• File created: 1/9/2006
• In control: City Council
• Final action: 5/1/2006
• Title: Informational Hearing - BCPSS Studio Course Curriculum Concerns FOR the purpose of requesting that the Chief Executive Officer of the Baltimore City Public School System brief the Council on current and future public school curriculum, detailing the options for change, ways of implementing such options, and the current implementation of the "Studio Course" curriculum in the Baltimore City Public School System.
• Sponsors: President Young, Kenneth Harris, President Dixon, James B. Kraft, Helen L. Holton, Agnes Welch, Edward Reisinger, Keiffer Mitchell, Paula Johnson Branch
• Indexes: Baltimore City Public School System, Resolution

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
5/1/2006	0	City Council	Adopted
5/1/2006	0	Education, Housing, Health and Human Services	Recommended Favorably
1/24/2006	0	Education, Housing, Health and Human Services	Scheduled for a Public Hearing
1/12/2006	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
1/12/2006	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
1/9/2006	0	City Council	Introduced
1/9/2006	0	City Council	Assigned

* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*

CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)

Introduced by: Councilmember Young



A RESOLUTION ENTITLED

A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Informational Hearing - BCPSS Studio Course Curriculum Concerns

FOR the purpose of requesting that the Chief Executive Officer of the Baltimore City Public School System brief the Council on current and future public school curriculum, detailing the options for change, ways of implementing such options, and the current implementation of the "Studio Course" curriculum in the Baltimore City Public School System.
Body
Recitals

Recently, the Baltimore City Public School System adopted a new program called Studio Course. This new curriculum, which cost the City approximately $2 million, uses teen magazines and other aids to help kids learn to enjoy writing rather than to write correctly, by shifting focus from the technicalities of writing to the enjoyment of it.

According to media reports, there has been very little research done into the efficiency of the Studio Course program, which has only been implemented in one other city, where middle schools had seen reading and writing scores drop considerably in recent years.

The idea that BCPSS would feel the need to implement a change in the school program without first doing a large amount of research and making sure that there is time to properly train teachers prior to implementation is disturbing. According to media reports, school system officials say that the St...