Page 8 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, April 29, 2022 Sica, Spadafora, and Christenson sponsors Earth Day recycling clothing drive for MPS By Tara Vocino C ity councillors Jadeane Sica and Craig Spadafora, in partnership with Mayor Gary Christenson, joined forces to collect clothing and linens to help support the Malden Public Schools at Saturday’s Earth Day celebration outside of Linden STEAM Academy. (Advocate photo by Tara Vocino) 425r Broadway, Saugus Located adjacent to Kohls Plaza Route 1 South in Saugus at the intersection of Walnut St. We are on MBTA Bus Route 429 781-231-1111 At this time, the state requires everyone to wear masks We are a Skating Rink with Bowling Alleys, Arcade and two TV’s where the ball games are always on! PUBLIC SKATING SCHEDULE 12-8 p.m. Sunday Monday Tuesday $9.00 Price includes Roller Skates Rollerblades/inline skates $3.00 additional cost Private Parties 7:30-11 p.m. $10.00 Price includes Roller Skates Adult Night 18+ Only Wednesday Thursday Friday Everyone must pay admission after 6 p.m. Private Parties Private Parties 4-11 p.m. Saturday 12-11 p.m. $9.00 $9.00 Everyone must pay admission after 6 p.m. Sorry No Checks - ATM on site Roller skate rentals included in all prices Inline Skate Rentals $3.00 additional BIRTHDAY & PRIVATE PARTIES AVAILABLE www.roller-world.com ~ Op-Ed ~ Can the Malden School Committee do better? By Heddie Otete A merican education has focused on one aspect of equity for several decades: on making sure that children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds reach a minimum level of proficiency. There has been some success. However, bright and high-ability students are often neglected, with the assumption that they already know enough or that they will do just fine no matter what. It’s not true. While there is nothing wrong with allocating resources to help students who are struggling to read at grade level, our policy makers should stop neglecting our advanced learners. At the last school subcommittee meeting, some speakers who called in expressed sentiments to the effect that the AEAP program is exclusive and unfair. I disagree. Educating everyone the same is not a good objective at all. These programs are not elitist, especially in a Title I district like Malden and we need to do more than just “close the achievement gap.” In the words of American author Chester Finn, “If America is to remain internationally competitive with other advanced nations; we need to maximize the potential of our top students.” It has been shown that “differentiated instruction” in the classroom is not effective. While a few teachers might be able to pull it off, too often the high-ability students are forgotten or get assigned busy work so the teacher can give more help to the students who are below grade level. On the other hand, separate learning opportunities, where peers are grouped together, as seen in acceleration and enrichment programs in countries like Germany, Canada’s Ontario, Switzerland and Singapore, have been shown to be more effective. Although we tiptoe around this fact, high-ability learners are the most likely to make major contributions to society. They are our future leaders, yet they are rarely pushed to their full potential. What if the high-ability students are from disadvantaged homes, in which academics are not a priority, they aren’t fluent in English or from families that do not have the financial means for tutoring? Equity requires that we develop their untapped potential. We can’t afford to waste it. Like any program, the AEAP is not perfect; it needs attention and to be adapted. But that can be done while the program is still running! As heard from students at the last school committee meeting, the program is creating a positive impact in children’s lives. Instead of ending a program that develops children, why not grow it into all the Malden Public Schools? I’ll be waiting to see if the Malden School Committee will do better by our students. Ward 8 Councillor Jadeane Sica with community donations. Fred Tillery loaded donations into a truck during Saturday’s Earth Day celebration/recycling clothing drive to benefit the Malden Public Schools outside of Linden STEAM Academy. Failder Jasmin donated three bags of clothes. Maryanne Smith, at left, and Donna Denoncourt donated linens, shoes, socks and purses. At right, Ward 8 Councillor Jadeane Sica.
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