Paterson

I think that Paterson was not discussed enough in class and I find it interesting because my mother grew up in Paterson and went to school there her entire life. She went to the high school represented in the movie 'Lean on Me'. My grandmother lived there until 4 years ago when she moved into an asissted living community close to my parents so they could help her. My grandmother talks about a Paterson that I never saw since I only knew her when she lived in an apartment building not in 'the neighborhood' as she puts it.

I decided to do a little bit of research. There are 30,000 students in 52 Paterson public schools. Looking at the website, http://www.paterson.k12.nj.us/index.html, it is clear that the school district is making a huge effort. There are extra programs being offered across the district (example: free math summer camp for 8th graders). As an Abbott district, free Pre-K is offered; there are specialized schools that look amazing (example: Garrett Morgan); and a number of students, teachers and schools look like they have received recognition for outstanding performance (http://www.paterson.k12.nj.us/highlites/index.html). In addition, the student to teacher ratio seems very good (different sources show it as 11:1 or 9:1).

However, the district is an Abbott district and doesn't have the best reputation. It is rated a 2 out of 10 based on its test results by the Great Schools website (http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/nj/district_profile/412). I think it would have been interesting to see some Paterson schools and learn about that city as well as Newark.