LETTERS: Greenleaf Trail, 'eyes on the street' and more

Let's see progress on Greenleaf Trail, too

Applause for Newsday's editorial backing the Port Jeff-Wading River Trail "Trailing enthusiasm," May 11]. With the Wading River section completed, residents will be able to move safely through the high-traffic Route 347-25A area to the open farmland of the North Fork.

Residents on the South Shore should be allowed to benefit from the similar Greenleaf Trail, which would connect several parklands in Brookhaven and Islip through safe off-road access. The Greenleaf project is also stalling due to misplaced worries.

Trails like these bring value to communities while allowing residents to ditch their cars and get healthy in the great outdoors. No more delays, let's hit the trail!

Jessica Helm

Rocky Point

'Eyes on the street' beat high-tech efforts

The heroes of the Times Square bomb scare underscored the relationship between neighborly eyes, community and security . Inherent in the "If you see something, say something" program is the effectiveness of a return to non-electronic surveillance in the age of omnipresent electronic surveillance. Back in 1961, urban activist Jane Jacobs argued for security through "eyes on the street." Street vendors are the eyes on the street all day long.

Our reliance on electronic surveillance has removed the obligation of neighbor in the safety-security equation. The fortunate outcome in the Times Square incident underscores the value of a return to an obligation to community, from which many of us have sought to escape.

Susan J. Drucker

Great Neck

Test scores can be misleading indicator

When visiting classrooms as a department chairman at a Long Island high school, I had the opportunity to view some extraordinary teachers. Truth be told, I also saw some very scary people in the classroom. So I agree with the need for education reform. Yet I caution that rushing to evaluate teachers based on standardized tests could be hurtful and misleading "Performance by students to count," News, May 12].

First, you do not want your teachers teaching to a test. This will narrow your child's education greatly. Second, the results of such tests can be misleading. There are many factors that affect student performance, none more influential than socio-economic factors. For instance, one teacher has students who benefit from parent involvement, computers at home and the availability of private tutors. He gets 100 percent passing the state exam. In another district, a teacher has students with language barriers and learning disabilities whose families don't have the economic ability to gain outside help. He gets 58 percent of his children to pass. Who really did the better job?

Robert Melo Sr.

Massapequa Park