This is a repost, but it needs to be here too. I am a Texan:
I would like to add, the comments about the TAKS test is on target made earlier. Getting out of the way of teachers and letting them teach would do great things for teaching and learning in Texas. By no means does that negate any of the statements below, we do need to pay more, demand more and spend more and fire more. Good teachers will and would support the below, remember the good teachers have to clean up behind bad teachers.
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OK,
You guys want to know what is needed to square away our schools. Nothing if we had quality parents, but that aint gonna happen, so here goes.
First, changes need to be made to make it easier to get rid of bad teachers, after a additional effort is made to save them. Teacher get hired, get by, needs help and there is none. The befrazzeled Principle, even if he/she has a VP is spread so thin that building a case in next to impossible with all the student-parent driven issues that command priority. This inept teacher just stays there and gets in enough time it makes it very hard to fire her/him.
Many schools have up to 70 teachers 850 students (elementary) and only a principal. Just how in the hell can you supervise 70 employees, not to mention caferteria staff, office staff, custotial staff and so forth? So before any of you cuss administrators think about private industry and show me an industry that has a ratio of boss to employee with nothing in between of 70 to one, 35 to one.
Next we need to start teachers in this bad economy at between $55 and 65k. Make the job pay and the good ones will come, and they will fight to keep the job. You get what you pay for. This would be an easy tradeoff between the Unions and Associations for more freedom of administrators to terminate.
Next, large school districts should have "storm troopers" that are administrators to come in to a troubled school and assist the existing administrative staff solve problems, up to and including multiple terminations, and adminstrators not be off limits. For real troubled schools they may be needed for a full year, but all schools in the district should have these people inside at least 6 weeks for evauation purposes every few years.
Next, it needs to be easier to deal with problem students, parent objections not withstanding. If little Johnny is an ass then give him a vaccination he will not forget or put him in an alternative school until he is broke. 3% of the kids should not stop the learning process and rob 70% of a teachers time. Normal, well behaved kids that want to learn have rights too.
Until this country ante's up the money necessary to fund public schools properly, you are going to see more of the same.
BTW, My wife was a Principal for 3 years, she ask to go back to the classroom. Miserable job, 675 or so students, 60 teachers and staff, less than worthless VP and her going back was the best 10-15k per year we ever lost. She is not as hard as I am, I could have handled it. That VP would have cried all day, cried herself to sleep, and woke up crying and drove to work with depression and dread while working for me until she found a way out. I can pick a fight and I can damn sure make someone's life miserable. Hell, I have done that for bad bosses, much less subordinates
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So there you have it, I think if these changes were implimented then our public schools would recover to be the worlds envy in just a few years.
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