Pay for performance, a good teachers perspective (wage, health care, speech)
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Schools should be private institutions. Each student can take X amount of tax dollars for their tuition to any school they wish.
Teachers and administrators at these private schools will be forced to market a good service, education, technical school, college prep to their potential customers. Admissions testing may be utilized by any school.
Administrators will be seen as strictly overhead, and their salaries might actually be representative of their contribution to the service provided. Schools will be forced to over services to the students and parents exceeding the other school down the street.
State testing will still be applied, and any school which doesn't produce results which comply with the minimum state standards will have their education license revoked.
Students who don't give a rats, and their parents who don't instill those values, can go to the crappy school, run by administrators who only care about their salary, and by teachers who can't get a job for what ever reason at the upstanding private schools.
Public education, as it is now, is simply another social service which doesn't instill any sense of competition in users and providers. The motivation to offer services, at a reduced cost to the people picking up the bill, while still performing to a level which exceeds minimum standards is not there.
There are thousands of kids who are stuck in inner city schools, with bad teachers, and rich administrators, getting **** poor education... who actually WANT to learn. They WANT to get out of the ghetto, yet they are stuck going through metal detectors and sitting in classes where the teachers are lecturing 4 years previous to their actual grade level. These students don't have the option to get out of their and obtain an education they can advance with. They are told WHERE they have to go, and they have no options. Thats sad.
In my idea above, students have the option to go to any school they want, that offers a course load which benefits them, from teachers who are interested in attracting more students (customers).
Additionally, there are terrible students, and terrible parents in districts that typically over perform. They hold everybody else back, they cause problems, and they have no interest in learning.
If only these two people, the person who wants to learn, but hasn't been provided an oppurtunity, and the one who has the oppurtunity but doesn't want to learn could just switch places.
This is the model many European nations use. In my opinion they have it right.
Normally, you righties love to point at Europe and hold your noses. I'm under the impression that public schools are the rule throughout Europe. Do you have differing info that you could post?
Here in America, private schools are common and they're an option for anyone who thinks they're a better choice. I think the system's working the way it's supposed to in that regard.
Now, problems with America's public schools is a whole different subject...
I've been teaching for over ten years now. And one thing that seems to always get lost in these discussions is the fact that student test scores are simply not a reliable indicator of a teacher's performance. Just as they are not a reliable indicator of a school's performance. They're an indication of one thing only: the demographic being served.
I've been teaching for over ten years now. And one thing that seems to always get lost in these discussions is the fact that student test scores are simply not a reliable indicator of a teacher's performance. Just as they are not a reliable indicator of a school's performance. They're an indication of one thing only: the demographic being served.
I agree! There is a direct-line correlation between test scores and parental socioeconomic status. These wealthy kids, for the most part, would score well no matter who was teaching.
And how well students take tests. I have students who test poorly because the testing model doesn't really suit them.
I teach Spanish at a university while getting a Ph.D. In the fall, my class average was 75%, very low. In the winter, same course, different students, same teaching methods, the average was 86%. This is why pay based on student performance is a bad idea.
Each individual parent (taxpayer) should have the right to comment on the child's success or lack of, at the end of the school year -- i.e. a report card for the teacher.
Quality/accuracy of checked work? (I've seen incorrectly marked spelling tests!)
Accessibility to parents? How accessible? Normal business hours, should they be checking their email right before they go to bed? Do teachers have to conform to parents schedules?
Effectiveness in conveying a concept? How frequently can you guage this to get an idea?
Absences? Kids are little disease containers, think about that.
Attitude? Again, how frequently can you guage this to get an idea?
Ability to keep an average class focused/engaged (not delinquents) Who will monitor that all the time? An average class with one new delinquent can be lost.
Lesson prep How can you guage this?
Student achievement as a final, determining factor. Chances are if the teacher is doing all of the above correctly there will be signs of student achievement. It doesn't have to mean Susie gets all A's. It's more about seeing the Bobby's who struggled acquiring some solid footing.
Odds are, yes this can be acheived. If the kids go home and do the work assigned and are in class daily. Thats a big if though.
One of my children had a 3rd grade teacher who was sitting there killing time. When I spoke with a neighbor, he told me he had her as his 3rd grade teacher and that she was a poor teacher at best then. Isn't tenure wonderful? An incompetent woman kept a job which was paying her 6 figures when she retired 8 years ago because she was tenured.
Ever seen kids make up lies to get good teachers they didn't like fired? I have. Ever seen a few bossy parents gang up on a good teacher they just didn't like to get them fired? I have. Tenure is there for a reason. Is it misused? Definitely. To eliminate it completely though because of a few bad people is not justified.
If there had been annual parent report cards, a trend would have emerged. If there had been merit-based pay, she would have been faced with a choice -- work for your raise or wallow.
I hope you realize that you'd be asking for even more administration in order to competently evaluate a teacher and give a decent report card. My admin had 2 people evaluate teachers and evaluated me 2 times a year for 1 hour. Not a lot to base a person's job on is it? they dropped by periodically, but a few bad days and you're in trouble.
Your statement sounds perfectly lovely, but I wonder how it would work in practice. I mean, how much of what you said can be seen reasonably by a parent/taxpayer without physically being inside the classroom during school hours?
Accessibility to parents? This one should be easy enough. Effectiveness in conveying a concept? I find this one much harder to measure qualitatively. Absences? I assume you mean the teacher being absent? Attitude? While someone with a "bad attitude" is likely to show that outside the classroom as well, we would need to see how the teacher interacts with students during the day. Ability to keep an average class focused/engaged (not delinquents) How to prove from outside the class? Lesson prep Same as previous. Should we be asking for copies of the teacher's lesson plans on a weekly basis? (Not that that would be a bad thing....I'm just curious.) Student achievement as a final, determining factor. Chances are if the teacher is doing all of the above correctly there will be signs of student achievement. It doesn't have to mean Susie gets all A's. It's more about seeing the Bobby's who struggled acquiring some solid footing.This assumes the parent is being responsible in their duties as well. Kid slacks, blame the teacher. A parent being neglectful of their child's education isn't likely to blame themselves, are they? The teacher becomes a scapegoat. That is my fear, in any case.
Although I have to agree that tenure below the university level seems counterproductive at best, and not even always "for the best" at undergrad and higher levels. Nor do I have much patience for the union. If they did a better job policing their own instead of "protect at all costs even the most obviously guilty" we wouldn't have quite as much of a problem on our hands.
The parents and the schools have to work together. The unions have created an us vs them environment which needs to end. Parents have to be responsible for what goes on outside the school grounds, teachers pick up from there.
As for grading teachers: we permit teachers to grade our children -- how many teachers have had favorites each year? I went through most of school as a teacher's pet. I wouldn't hesitate to bet that my grades would be rounded up while the class clown's were rounded down. Is this what the teachers fear would happen to them?
Either way, the system would be as good as those having input which is better than what we have now.
With regard to the points you've added to my suggested report card list:
Accessibility to parents: I have experienced teachers who make it difficult for a parent to reach them. Some will only take phone calls during the school day and don't return them at night. Some are great and give email addresses.
Effectiveness conveying a concept -- if the whole class (typical class, average students, no miscreants) takes a test and bombs it, and this trend emerges through subsequent years, something wasn't properly communicated.
Absences -- yes, teacher absences -- specifically abuse of absences. For example -- my son's AP Calc AB teacher takes a day off here, a day off there. (AP exams are in 3 weeks.) Last time the teacher took off, it was a Friday 2-3 weeks ago. The sub was unprepared to teach that class so it was a wasted day. That same weekend there was a huge Sci Fi convention at the local college. Friday afternoon, my son and his friends greeted their AP calc teacher as he strolled the vendor aisles. Moral: If you call in sick, don't hang out locally.
Attitude -- I've sat in classrooms on back to school night and the teacher was sweet, energetic, pleasant. A few weeks later children start telling their parents that Mr/Ms Smith tends to snap and is mean or that Mr/Ms Smith spends a lot of time talking about vacations. Parents usually dismiss this at first, but when the adults start asking one another, the stories are all the same. Last year's teacher spent more time in the hall talking with her friend (a fellow teacher and long time chum) about vacations in the Islands and bar hopping. This info was confirmed by the the teacher's helper, who happened to be my client at the time.
Ability to keep class focused/engaged ties in partially with the lesson plan.
If the parents are given a week's overview (not an extensive plan), perhaps supplied via internet (many districts are online) parents can keep track of how a class is progressing. Granted, this is only a suggestion and this would have to be finessed.
The parents and the schools have to work together. The unions have created an us vs them environment which needs to end. Parents have to be responsible for what goes on outside the school grounds, teachers pick up from there.
As for grading teachers: we permit teachers to grade our children -- how many teachers have had favorites each year? I went through most of school as a teacher's pet. I wouldn't hesitate to bet that my grades would be rounded up while the class clown's were rounded down. Is this what the teachers fear would happen to them?
Either way, the system would be as good as those having input which is better than what we have now.
With regard to the points you've added to my suggested report card list:
Accessibility to parents: I have experienced teachers who make it difficult for a parent to reach them. Some will only take phone calls during the school day and don't return them at night. Some are great and give email addresses.
Effectiveness conveying a concept -- if the whole class (typical class, average students, no miscreants) takes a test and bombs it, and this trend emerges through subsequent years, something wasn't properly communicated.
Absences -- yes, teacher absences -- specifically abuse of absences. For example -- my son's AP Calc AB teacher takes a day off here, a day off there. (AP exams are in 3 weeks.) Last time the teacher took off, it was a Friday 2-3 weeks ago. The sub was unprepared to teach that class so it was a wasted day. That same weekend there was a huge Sci Fi convention at the local college. Friday afternoon, my son and his friends greeted their AP calc teacher as he strolled the vendor aisles. Moral: If you call in sick, don't hang out locally.
Attitude -- I've sat in classrooms on back to school night and the teacher was sweet, energetic, pleasant. A few weeks later children start telling their parents that Mr/Ms Smith tends to snap and is mean or that Mr/Ms Smith spends a lot of time talking about vacations. Parents usually dismiss this at first, but when the adults start asking one another, the stories are all the same. Last year's teacher spent more time in the hall talking with her friend (a fellow teacher and long time chum) about vacations in the Islands and bar hopping. This info was confirmed by the the teacher's helper, who happened to be my client at the time.
Ability to keep class focused/engaged ties in partially with the lesson plan.
If the parents are given a week's overview (not an extensive plan), perhaps supplied via internet (many districts are online) parents can keep track of how a class is progressing. Granted, this is only a suggestion and this would have to be finessed.
If you know so many teachers that are doing such a poor job, maybe they should be fired and we can see how you would do in their place.
I agree that your complaints about some aspects are completely justified. However, it sounds like you expect teachers to have no life outside of school and put on a happy face and be sitting at the phone/computer waiting eagerly for you to call or email. Lots of teachers have to work extra jobs to keep themselves afloat and can't be at your beckon call. I've known teachers that have to work side jobs as paramedics/construction workers/airline baggage handlers, in order to stay financially afloat. If you want them to focus solely on your kids and be in constant communication with you (i.e. give up their lives) then I think you should be offering a lot more pay for being accessible and a pleasant attitude.
If you want them to have office hourse once a week for an evening to be accessible I think thats fair. I also agree that taking time off for B.S. reasons is unjustified. In 2 years I took no days off except to chaperone in class trips.
A question: Where thee hell are the parents? Being a two income family is not an excuse for requiring teachers to be babysitters. My mother and father worked, and I was a latch key kid, as were my siblings (in the 1950s-1960s no less). We were required to FINISH outr homework before we went out or turned on the TV. My dad would check our homework, and we would have to correct it. Either mom or dad went to the teacher's meetings and open houses, and, as I said BOTH had full-time jobs.
Man-up parents.
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Pay for performance
