Analysis: Roosevelt aiming to reinvent Pittsburgh's schools

P-G on Pgh Public Schools Nine of the district's 10 high schools posted low achievement test scores last year, and some have posted low scores repeatedly. Two, Peabody and Westinghouse, received a rating of 1 on Rand's performance index.

Mr. Roosevelt said he would appoint a working group to study the high schools and called high school reform 'a serious piece of business ahead of us in Pittsburgh.'

Peabody and Westinghouse should both become single-gender schools. Have the boys go to one location and the girls go to another location.

Oakland Catholic (only for girls) and Central Catholic (boys) are single gender high schools that do very well. Peabody and Westinghouse could be public school rivals to the single-gender, Catholic schools. The single gender, public-school setting gives families in the city another interesting option.

If you don't care for the single-gender setting for your high-schooler, go to one of the other schools in the district, including Schenley that will be much closer, as it moves to R's building.

As for support of the plan -- hell yes. Our school system need an overhaul. To 'reinvent' as the headline says, rubs me the wrong way. But, to overhaul is fine and wanted. Retool and reform, please.

I'd love to be a part of that high school task force. And the second effort (after single-gender schools) to consider is the merger of the sports programs into the W.P.I.A.L.. The city-league kids need to compete with the suburban players.