Skilled Police Officers & Educators Critical In Communities

[N'Zinga Shani]

“She Hugged Her Son When She Got Home” is the title of a Nov. 7, 2014 article in the New Haven Independent. The article is honoring Sgt. Elisa Tuozzoli as Cop of The Week.  As is so often the case with articles written by Paul Bass-- this article is filled with the type of information that forces readers to think carefully and broadly.

In one story about a police sergeant and her small crew the article gives us information about:

a)  Why citizens being civically engaged is important to the successful administration of a police department, and to helping a city meet the needs of all of its citizens.

b)  It provides insights into the significant value of cooperation and comradeship between police departments across state lines;

c)  It demonstrates the importance of the police being knowledgeable about various aspects of the judiciary system that we, the citizens, might not normally think about;

d) It gives us insights into some of the problems children face within their own families and how those problems might manifest in ways that affect a great many others, including in a school classroom;

e)  It gives us a glimpse of the enormous and unpredictable financial costs associated with meeting some of the social, physical and well-being needs of a single child in a city’s or town’s jurisdiction; etc., etc.

This NHI article highlights some of the intricate challenges facing police departments and schools in many inner-city areas.  Imagine how the problems this child is dealing with might manifest in a classroom.  a) Can a teacher adequately attend to this child’s needs and those of 21 more children (if he is in a regular classroom)?  b) Are our regular teachers adequately prepared to recognize and manage such students?  c) How many such students are in the NHPS system? d) How many of us have any idea what it is like for a teacher who has troubled children to teach?

What if the police officer was not alert and focused enough to recognize the aunt’s phone number?  Look at all that had to be put in place before this boy could be picked up in MA!  What was the cost of getting an ambulance from New Haven to pick up this child in MA?  One might ask-- why not transport him in a NH police vehicle? There are specific guidelines and protocols to be followed.  What would happen if in transporting him he had one of his violent outbursts? What if he got injured, etc, etc? What is the total cost of this single operation? Consider the man power this required in New Haven and in Massachusetts! 

Inner-city Public School Classrooms & Police Departments Have a Range of Special Needs:

This article further highlights the need for highly skilled, well trained, psychologically adept and totally committed police officers, social workers and educators.  Of course, we also need well equipped, knowledgeable and highly committed administrators, elected officials/representatives and community leaders to make our cities and towns the best they can be. Of equal importance is the need for civically engaged and informed citizens.

Knowledgeable & Skilled Economic Managers Essential at Every Level of Government:  It also highlights the enormous and unpredictable expenses associated with meeting the needs of highly diverse, socioeconomically disenfranchised, and extremely complex communities. Local elected officials do not have to have MBAs in economics; however, they should have an understanding of how local government works, and how revenue and expenses are calculated.  It is also important that our locally elected officials understand how state government works; this knowledge is helpful particularly in planning and managing the budget process. Lastly, informed and engaged citizens are vital assets in the effective administration of local governments.

OneWorld invites readers to read the complete article in the NHI; also read other interesting articles such as: “The Challenge of Promoting Equal Access to Quality Teachers” linked below.

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/social_...

The Challenges of Promoting Equal Access to Quality Teachers

“Beginning in April 2015, states will need to submit plans to the Department of Education to ensure that “poor and minority children are not taught at higher rates than other children by inexperienced, unqualified, or out-of-field teachers.

On the surface, this is a reasonable response to the issue of inequity in access to quality teachers. But how large of a problem is teacher inequity really? Looking at recent research on teacher equity suggests two conclusions. If equity is defined as access to teachers with particular characteristics such as experience, the problem seems large.”

http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2014/10/02-teacher-equity-...

Study Marks Problems Posed by Inexperienced Teachers

https://cabinetreport.com/human-resources/study-marks-problems-pose...

Teaching Troubled Children: Responding to the Challenge of Social, Educational and Behavioural Difficulties

http://www.icepe.ie/index.php?