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D.C. Public Schools let go of hundreds of teachers today, as part of the policy introduced by former education chancellor Michelle Rhee to let go of low-performing educators.
The District on Friday fired some 227 teachers and gave raises and bonuses to more than 600 teachers, based on numbers generated by its controversial teacher evaluation system. The system -- known as IMPACT -- put D.C. and its then Chancellor at the center of a national debate over teacher performance and accountability when it debuted in 2009.
Yep, Crazy how most people in the country realize this except for the people who run education in this country.
It always amuses me, when those who want to "reform" education in the United States start talking about change, they never ask the teachers themselves what needs to change.
It's also interesting to note that these politicians never mention anything about holding the parents (or the students themselves) accountable to "adequate yearly progress." Absolutely not, because that would be biting the hand that feeds them. These politicians would never think of that, because the parents are the ones who elected them to office. If these parents don't vote for them, who will -- the teachers? When will we wake up and call these self-serving politicians out for what we all know they are?
Finding teachers willing to teach unwilling-to-learn students is not so easy to find.
Finding teachers is the easy part. Teachers are not told in advance what group they get. They get a list and away they go. No teacher in their mind would willfully take a primarily LD or ED class in mainstream.
Kids who are either Gifted, LD, ED upwards of 8th grade all get special attention. Its all the kids in the middle who have to fend for themselves.
Quote:
...never mention anything about holding the parents (or the students themselves) accountable...
This has always been a large problem for over 30 years now. For some reason they think a teacher can do more in 40 minutes then a parent can do daily in 15 hours.
Yep, Crazy how most people in the country realize this except for the people who run education in this country.
It's not quite that straight forward. They look for improvement, not just high performance. Though, the deck is certainly stacked against teachers with low performing students.
This move might condemn Gray to one term. He certainly hasn't won over any Fenty supporters and a big reason for his getting elected was by those who thought he would rebuke this IMPACT policy. I say good for him for allowing the reforms to continue, even if the system isn't perfect.
The ironic part is any teacher who has good students, was probably kept. Anyone with bad students, was probably let go.
Finding teachers willing to teach unwilling-to-learn students is not so easy to find.
Confirmed:
'Highly effective' teachers still clustered in rich, white D.C. | Lisa Gartner | Capital Land | Washington Examiner (http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/capital-land/2011/07/highly-effective-teachers-still-clustered-rich-white-dc - broken link)
So a teacher's reward for teaching poorer students may include losing their job; effectively killing their career. Good luck filling these new vacancies.
Confirmed:
'Highly effective' teachers still clustered in rich, white D.C. | Lisa Gartner | Capital Land | Washington Examiner (http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/capital-land/2011/07/highly-effective-teachers-still-clustered-rich-white-dc - broken link)
So a teacher's reward for teaching poorer students may include losing their job; effectively killing their career. Good luck filling these new vacancies.
Yep, and education in DC will suffer for it.
I knew a guy who taught in a DC school trying to jumpstart his education career. Can't recall if he lasted a semester or the entire year. But he mentioned bullet-proof stuff, metal detectors, etc. The main problem was the theme of students completely unwiling to learn, and bringing a whole lot of other problems into the classroom with them.
Anyone willing to go into that kind of environment and spend his working day in a classroom with 30 kids who grew up in such environments...those people shouldn't be 'fired for being ineffectual', they should be honored for doing what very very very few educated adults are actually willing to do with their time.
Personally I think Educational Policy makers, who I'll assume have some degree in Education to get those positions, should be required to replace the 'ineffectual teachers' they just fired. for one academic year. If the Education Policy makers can improve 'test scores' or other 'keep your job' indicators, than those policy makers can keep their policy making jobs
Yep, Crazy how most people in the country realize this except for the people who run education in this country.
Hardly. But in response to the question, teachers just squawk about protecting themselves, not about how to help students.
Teachers are the only profession I've heard of that insists on lowering professional standards to nothing as a means of improving standards. Most professions do the opposite--encouraging and advocating for higher standards.
I would have thought that the teachers' union had hit rock bottom when they advocated to reinstate a teacher caught impregnating an underage mentally disabled student. This year, nearly half of the teachers were let go because they didn't maintain their teaching license. And yet what is the response? That it's because their students are poor. Or because administrators don't understand them. Teachers who play the blame game should be ashamed. It's time to drop the sanctimonious martyr act. It's no one's fault but their own if teachers don't maintain their license.
Personally I think Educational Policy makers, who I'll assume have some degree in Education to get those positions, should be required to replace the 'ineffectual teachers' they just fired. for one academic year. If the Education Policy makers can improve 'test scores' or other 'keep your job' indicators, than those policy makers can keep their policy making jobs
Kaya Henderson came to DC after being a teacher in the south bronx. She's been in the trenches.
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Good Job DC! (Wish they would do this nationally)
