During the Board of Education’s January Regular Meeting, a contract renewal for The Princeton Review was on the agenda for the board’s most certain approval.  The Princeton Review (“Guaranteed Tutoring Results or Your Money Back”) provides high school kids with “unconventional strategies to crack the SAT.”  The current contract brings The Princeton Review and their “unconventional strategies” and money back guarantee to the Sports and Medical Sciences Academy (SMSA) in Hartford.

Absent a representative from the Review, it was up to Superintendent Torres-Rodriguez and SMSA Principal Kim Ambroise to provide the board with the rhetoric needed to assist them in approving this contract and to answer whatever questions board members may have.

Board Member Walker asked if other online test prep companies had been looked at; why did they choose The Princeton Review?

Principal Ambroise stated that the Review was selected due to so much positive “nationwide” feedback.   Not positive feedback or data driven results from within Hartford Public Schools, but because some school district in Beverly Hills gave it the thumbs up.

Secondly, Ms. Ambroise stated that she had used the Review in her previous district and students experienced “a lot of gains.”  Her previous district was West Hartford, hardly a great comparison for how something may work in Hartford.  And please define “a lot of gains.”

Finally, as Ms. Ambroise stated, The Princeton Review was selected because her nephew had used it and now has a Masters.  Done deal!

Board Member Deristel-Leger thanked the principal for her explanation on why the district was choosing the Review.  Yes, thank you for that ‘explanation,’ it provided deep insight into The Princeton’s Review’s ability to deliver the required services.

This BOE vetting of pending contracts is so easy a caveman could do it…apologies to any cavemen reading this.