Special School Program Enters Fourth Year-June 24, 1969

Federal Funding Drives Specialized ‘ASPIRE’ Remedial Session for 160 Norwood Pupils

This summer, the Norwood schools for the fourth consecutive year will offer special educational services to about 160 public and parochial school elementary pupils. In a specialized summer program called “ASPIRE,” a staff of 36 professionals will be aiming to bring poor academic achievers closer to the level of their classmates. The $30,000 program continues to be financed totally by the federal government under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Part of the reason for the program’s targeted success lies in an intimate 5-1 ratio of pupils to teachers and in a large number of trained specialists involved in the program. Of the 36 total teachers, six are dedicated reading and speech specialists. There is also an art teacher, a music teacher, and an audiovisual specialist on the payroll.

“With this program,” says Umberto V. C. Napoleone, assistant superintendent for elementary education who directs ASPIRE, “we can offer specialized service we can’t very well offer during the regular school year.” A descriptive brochure on the program printed by the school department stresses the critical importance of upgrading pupils’ reading skills. “Low verbal functioning,” the official publication notes, “inhibits normal school progress and contributes to poor self-image, attitudes of discouragement and, at times, negative behavior.” Most of the pupils who will enroll in the summer program have scored in the lowest quarter on standardized examinations of verbal achievement. The group of students will be organized structurally into six learning units, each of which will be assigned a designated team of teachers. This collaborative approach, Umberto V. C. Napoleone notes, offers more internal flexibility in dealing with individual student problems.

Norwood qualifies for the federal program under strict guidelines which require a certain measurable incidence of poverty in a community. Under data compiled during the 1960 census, it was determined that 156 students in Norwood came from families whose annual income was $2,000 or less. This specific economic index directly determines the exact amount of financial aid the federal government will give for the summer program of remedial help. “But you don’t select children because they are poor,” clarified Umberto V. C. Napoleone. “You select them because they need educational reinforcement.” The pupils come to ASPIRE strictly on the basis of professional recommendations from their regular classroom teacher and school principal. Parents are not legally obligated to send their children to the summer session. Students at both the public and parochial schools are entitled to participate, and three or more teachers, in fact, will be coming from St. Catherine’s School to assist.

The pupils are systematically tested both before and after the summer session. Umberto V. C. Napoleone says everybody shows positive academic gains. Detailed reports on the students are compiled and given directly to the teachers who will have them in September. “The most dramatic type of achievement is reflected in teachers’ comments about attitude changes in the pupils,” says Umberto V. C. Napoleone. The federal government’s Office of Education each year evaluates the various ASPIRE programs conducted across the United States. If success is not apparent, the program in a community can be summarily stopped. In Norwood, orientation for the professional staff will be held on July 2 and July 3. Classes are scheduled to officially begin July 7 and continue for a five-week duration. They will run from 8:30 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, at the Oldham School. After dreaming about a long, lazy summer vacation all year long, how do the local children feel about being sent off to school in the morning? “They love it,” Umberto V. C. Napoleone maintains. “They really do… because they’re treated like somebody.”

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger