Looking for a teaching job? Rhode Island is hiring 74 at one school!

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I am being silly. But I'm just pointing out some of the attitudes toward education that teachers deal with. Stuff like this is normal unfortunately - and this is a fairly successful school.

Then it seems that the normal activity of a student skipping tutoring doesn't hinder the overall success of the school. So thus, the teachers are "succeeding" even if their students try to put up roadblocks to hinder progress.

 

[Kathi OD]

interesting, getting rid of all the crappy teachers and replacing them worked in Chicago....
http://chicagoweekly.net/2010/02/04...transforming-chicagos-worst-public-schools-2/

Harvard Elementary School in Englewood was a teacher's worst nightmare. Kids ran in and out of classrooms in the middle of class, started fights, and swore at faculty. Principals cycled through without making any impact. In 2007, less than a third of Harvard students passed the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), putting the school in the bottom ranks of Illinois public schools.
...
Koldyke approached Duncan with his idea for turning around the lowest-performing schools in the district. "The kids stay, the adults leave, and we would train this cadre of residents and put them in en masse into a school with new leadership," Koldyke says. Duncan, meanwhile, was launching CPS's Renaissance 2010 initiative, which aimed to close failing schools and open one hundred new ones by 2010, a goal CPS is on track to meet. Although CPS counts AUSL's turnaround schools towards that total, Feinstein makes clear that "to me, it was never about Renaissance 2010 with our program." Unlike many Renaissance 2010 schools, AUSL's turnaround schools aren't charter schools, don't receive Renaissance 2010 funding, and are staffed by unionized teachers.
...
Barrett's instinct was right. "They came in and they just changed this school from bad to excellent," she says. "I was shocked, because being here so long I didn't think anyone could change it." Between 2007 and 2009, while the average composite score on the ISAT in both the city and state crept up a few points, Harvard's score nearly doubled, from 32 to 56 percent. Today, students at Harvard arrive in uniforms, walk quietly in the halls, and treat teachers with respect. "At the old Harvard, you would tell them they would suffer the consequences, but the children who wouldn't listen knew they were going to get out of it," says Barrett, who says their attitude was, "Well, go ahead, tell the teacher, go ahead tell the principal, what they gonna do?" "You don't hear nobody here saying, 'Well, go ahead, tell Mr. Cowling, what he gonna do?' They don't say that here."

Did you read the entire article thoroughly? I'm not so sure you did. Your bolded statement is more a condemnation of previous administration of the school, than its teachers. A few of the old teachers still work at Harvard, under the new administration and policies.

Sounds like the new teachers have a new administration that doesn't take any nonsense. From your article:

Barrett (a teacher both at the new and old school) decided to give the organization a chance. She started to get “a good feeling,” in particular after meeting the new principal, Andre Cowling. “It was just certain things he would say that the other principals didn’t say,” she says.

The RI school is not getting new admin, just new teachers. Those new teachers in RI aren't part of an intensive training program designed especially for tough schools like the teachers in the Chicago school referenced in the article.

Additionally, you're comparing an elementary school to a high school. Much different environment in a high school than an elementary school. You left out the part where a student was beaten to death in a high school run by the same organization.

Another part you left out of your quote is a huge reason for success at this Chicago school...the new administration is reaching out to the parents, helping them to get involved.

And I didn't see it mentioned in your quote, but the school was completely renovated. I didn't hear any mention of the RI school being renovated.

Finally, in case you didn't know it, these new teachers are employees of CPS and members of ...OMG! a teacher's union!!

http://www.teachchicagoturnarounds.org/faq.html

Is there a special contract for teachers at Turnaround Schools?

No. All teachers at Turnaround Schools are employees of CPS and the terms of the CBOE/CTU collective bargaining agreement shall apply.

What are the benefits of teaching at a Turnaround School?

Turnaround teachers will benefit from enhanced professional development opportunities, additional mentoring for teachers, and the chance to influence a school’s culture, climate and academic excellence. Turnaround teachers will work with a team of like-minded colleagues who share the goal of delivering the best education possible to every student.

Is it safe to work at a Turnaround School?

CPS is committed to having all schools be safe places for children to learn and for teachers to work. Every school has plans in place to help ensure a safe environment, and teachers will be part of the planning, development, and implementation of these plans in their schools.

Will there be an induction or orientation?

Yes. Turnaround Schools will have paid professional development time prior to the opening of school in order to train and develop their new staff members. This time will focus on building school unity and beginning to develop the culture of success that will be crucial for Turnaround Schools.

What kinds of professional development will be offered?

Turnaround School teachers will benefit from special professional development and support which will vary based on the curriculum adopted at each school. Examples of the resources and partnerships that will be made available are the Chicago New Teacher Center and the Erikson Institute.

What is an AUSL school? How are AUSL schools different from Turnaround Schools managed directly by CPS?

CPS has selected the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) to manage three of the six 2008-09 Turnaround Schools: Howe School of Excellence, Morton School of Excellence, and Orr Academy High School. AUSL is a nonprofit organization with a two-part mission: to improve student achievement in Chicago Public Schools by preparing and retaining Chicago’s next generation of exceptionally effective teachers and school leaders; and to transform chronically failing schools into schools of excellence by opening and managing Turnaround Schools, capitalizing on the strengths of its pipeline of AUSL-trained teachers.

AUSL already has led the turnaround of two Chicago Elementary schools. The Sherman School of Excellence opened in Englewood in 2006, and the Harvard School of Excellence opened in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood in September 2007. In addition, AUSL manages six other CPS schools (two high schools and four elementary schools) as training sites for its Urban Teacher Residency program. Over the past six years, AUSL has trained nearly 250 teachers who serve more than 5000 Chicago Public School children from low-income backgrounds.

All teachers and staff at AUSL-managed schools are employees of the Chicago Public Schools, hired by the AUSL school leadership team, and paid on the salary schedule of the Chicago Teachers Union collective bargaining agreement.

So, it seems as though the Chicago Public Schools has a well-thought out plan for improving its lowest performing schools, and while that plan did call for getting rid of most of the older teachers, more importantly the plan includes plenty of support and continued professional development for its teachers, both the old and new ones. They are not just throwing teachers into a bad situation and expecting those teachers to figure it out. It also includes bringing parents in to the school and forming a partnership with them.

 

[castleview]

Then it seems that the normal activity of a student skipping tutoring doesn't hinder the overall success of the school. So thus, the teachers are "succeeding" even if their students try to put up roadblocks to hinder progress.

I should probably define my version of successful school. My children have had great teachers, a good principal, and the ability to excel because their mom (me ) encourages education and makes sure they are getting their work done. The overall test scores are probably low.

Heck, I live within an hour of some of the finest public schools in the country whose curriculums resemble college classes. Even they are considered to have low test scores because of the whacky way they come up with the scores.

 

[shrubber]

Did you read the entire article thoroughly? ...
So, it seems as though the Chicago Public Schools has a well-thought out plan for improving its lowest performing schools, and while that plan did call for getting rid of most of the older teachers, more importantly the plan includes plenty of support and continued professional development for its teachers, both the old and new ones. They are not just throwing teachers into a bad situation and expecting those teachers to figure it out. It also includes bringing parents in to the school and forming a partnership with them.

Of course I read the entire article. This example goes to show that getting rid of the lazy and or inadequate teachers and having them replaced works.
Did you not read that the school board wanted to provide the teachers more of an opportunity to create a plan that included plenty of support and continued professional development for its teachers, both the old and new ones. and the union rejected it !!! For the lack of $90 an hour
That is the gist of the matter

 

[golfgal]

So, it seems as though the Chicago Public Schools has a well-thought out plan for improving its lowest performing schools, and while that plan did call for getting rid of most of the older teachers, more importantly the plan includes plenty of support and continued professional development for its teachers, both the old and new ones. They are not just throwing teachers into a bad situation and expecting those teachers to figure it out. It also includes bringing parents in to the school and forming a partnership with them.

I don't see anything in this plan that includes helping the families promote getting a good education at home. You can train the teachers all you want, it still isn't going to help the home situation and it isn't going to help the students.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2404708

Just a reminder as to what teachers get to put up with from parents....

 

[shrubber]

Sounds like the new teachers have a new administration that doesn't take any nonsense. From your article: The RI school is not getting new admin, just new teachers. Those new teachers in RI aren't part of an intensive training program designed especially for tough schools like the teachers in the Chicago school referenced in the article.

http://www.teachchicagoturnarounds.org/faq.html



.

You should read any of the many articles linked here, The principal along with 19 of the staff were fired also.

 

[daughtersrus]

interesting, getting rid of all the crappy teachers and replacing them worked in Chicago....
http://chicagoweekly.net/2010/02/04...transforming-chicagos-worst-public-schools-2/

Harvard Elementary School in Englewood was a teacher's worst nightmare. Kids ran in and out of classrooms in the middle of class, started fights, and swore at faculty. Principals cycled through without making any impact. In 2007, less than a third of Harvard students passed the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), putting the school in the bottom ranks of Illinois public schools.
...
Koldyke approached Duncan with his idea for turning around the lowest-performing schools in the district. "The kids stay, the adults leave, and we would train this cadre of residents and put them in en masse into a school with new leadership," Koldyke says. Duncan, meanwhile, was launching CPS's Renaissance 2010 initiative, which aimed to close failing schools and open one hundred new ones by 2010, a goal CPS is on track to meet. Although CPS counts AUSL's turnaround schools towards that total, Feinstein makes clear that "to me, it was never about Renaissance 2010 with our program." Unlike many Renaissance 2010 schools, AUSL's turnaround schools aren't charter schools, don't receive Renaissance 2010 funding, and are staffed by unionized teachers.
...
Barrett's instinct was right. "They came in and they just changed this school from bad to excellent," she says. "I was shocked, because being here so long I didn't think anyone could change it." Between 2007 and 2009, while the average composite score on the ISAT in both the city and state crept up a few points, Harvard's score nearly doubled, from 32 to 56 percent. Today, students at Harvard arrive in uniforms, walk quietly in the halls, and treat teachers with respect. "At the old Harvard, you would tell them they would suffer the consequences, but the children who wouldn't listen knew they were going to get out of it," says Barrett, who says their attitude was, "Well, go ahead, tell the teacher, go ahead tell the principal, what they gonna do?" "You don't hear nobody here saying, 'Well, go ahead, tell Mr. Cowling, what he gonna do?' They don't say that here."

Since you brought up Duncan and CPS, here are some articles. 48% of students are not graduating, 84% are not proficient in math or reading...

http://educationalissues.suite101.com/article.cfm/arne_duncans_chicago_success_is_deceptive

Obama hailed Duncan’s gain of 29 percentage points in student gains. Well, after adjusting for changes in tests and procedures, the real growth rate was only about 8 percentage points and not 29.

And, that wonderful dropout rate that has dipped each year under Duncan? While it may be technically true, it is still very high. Chicago students have a 50% dropout rate so dropping to 48% is a good start in the right direction but not very significant overall. And, over 70% of 11th-graders fail to meet state standards on a consistent basis. This is hardly a national model for success.

But, just how prepared are Chicago public school students for college? The ACT data shows that Chicago students did score .9 point higher from 2002 to 2006. Great news, right? However, Chicago student’s composite was only 17.4 compared to the nation’s average being around 21. Surrounding states like Wisconsin and Iowa hold average ACT scores above 22. The Illinois average is 20.5.


Here's another one.

http://understandinggov.org/2009/05...dy-loves-arne-duncan-but-do-his-reforms-work/

The NAEP records show that CPS student performance was very poor in 2002 and did not improve by 2007. On the NAEP reading test, scored from 0-500,, Chicago 8th graders got an average score of 249 in 2002. In 2007, they got an average score of 250. The nationwide average in 2007, by contrast, was 261.

In 2002, 15 percent of all Chicago 8th graders were judged “proficient” at reading. In 2007, that number had increased by all of two percent — 17 percent of all Chicago 8th graders were judged proficient. Nationally, for 2007, 29 percent of all 8th graders were deemed proficient at reading.

Chicago 4th graders not only fare worse than the national average in reading – they do worse than other urban school districts. In 2002, Chicago 4th graders scored an average of 193. In 2007, the average did jump to 201. But this score was not just significantly lower than the national average but the average among the 11 assessed urban districts, which was 208. The percentage of Chicago 4th graders who scored at the proficient level in 2007 was 16 percent compared with 22 percent in other urban districts. Only Cleveland and Washington, D.C. did worse. Moreover, the gap in scores between poor students – defined as those eligible for the federal school lunch program – and the rest of the district actually increased between 2002 and 2007. Upon the release of these results in November 2007, then-Atlantic blogger Matthew Yglesias commented, “Obviously, there’s more to ‘demographic factors’ than whether or not you qualify for the school lunch program, but as far as quick arguments go it’s pretty convincing evidence that there are things LA, Chicago, Cleveland, and DC could be doing to obtain the kind of better results that New York and Boston are getting with poor children.”

NAEP Math tests were another area where Chicago students fared poorly. Fourth grade math scores made the modest jump from 214 to 220 between 2003 and 2007. But just 16 percent of CPS 4th graders were judged proficient in Math compared with 28 percent in other urban schools districts and 38 percent nationally. The story is the same for 8th graders: scores made a modest climb from 254 to 260 between 2003 and 2007. But in 2007, 13 percent of CPS fourth graders were proficient compared with 22 percent in other urban school districts and 31 percent nationally.

There are standardized tests besides NAEP, but unfortunately, CPS students have done poorly on those as well. In June 2007, the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research looked at scores on the Illinois Standardized Assessment Test. The consortium praised CPS for narrowing the reading gap between 8th graders, but noted that even these eighth graders, the highlight of Chicago’s results, were still more than a grade behind their peers across the state. “One still cannot escape noticing the very large gaps between Chicago and the rest of the state,” the study concluded.

 

[daughtersrus]

Of course I read the entire article. This example goes to show that getting rid of the lazy and or inadequate teachers and having them replaced works.

"The news was drastic: the school was going to be handed over to a nonprofit organization, the Academy for Urban School Leadership, to be turned around"



No. It showed that taking the leadership of the school out of the hands of CPS and putting it into the hands of a non-profit organization worked. From what I read, this is not what is planned for in RI. The superintendent there is firing the staff but is she also putting control into the hands of someone else or is the school district still going to remain in control of the hiring and training the staff?

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

"The news was drastic: the school was going to be handed over to a nonprofit organization, the Academy for Urban School Leadership, to be turned around"



No. It showed that taking the leadership of the school out of the hands of CPS and putting it into the hands of a non-profit organization worked. From what I read, this is not what is planned for in RI. The superintendent there is firing the staff but is she also putting control into the hands of someone else or is the school district still going to remain in control of the hiring and training the staff?

I am not sure why you keep beating this drum. Something had to be done. The teachers had an opportunity to help turn it around but decided not to do so. They played their hand and lost. So the town moved forward.

Will the proposed changes help? Maybe not, but the schools couldn't get much worse...

 

[shrubber]

Since you brought up Duncan and CPS, here are some articles. 48% of students are not graduating, 84% are not proficient in math or reading...

http://educationalissues.suite101.com/article.cfm/arne_duncans_chicago_success_is_deceptive

Obama hailed Duncan’s gain of 29 percentage points in student gains. Well, after adjusting for changes in tests and procedures, the real growth rate was only about 8 percentage points and not 29.

And, that wonderful dropout rate that has dipped each year under Duncan? While it may be technically true, it is still very high. Chicago students have a 50% dropout rate so dropping to 48% is a good start in the right direction but not very significant overall. And, over 70% of 11th-graders fail to meet state standards on a consistent basis. This is hardly a national model for success.

But, just how prepared are Chicago public school students for college? The ACT data shows that Chicago students did score .9 point higher from 2002 to 2006. Great news, right? However, Chicago student’s composite was only 17.4 compared to the nation’s average being around 21. Surrounding states like Wisconsin and Iowa hold average ACT scores above 22. The Illinois average is 20.5.


Here's another one.

http://understandinggov.org/2009/05...dy-loves-arne-duncan-but-do-his-reforms-work/

The NAEP records show that CPS student performance was very poor in 2002 and did not improve by 2007. On the NAEP reading test, scored from 0-500,, Chicago 8th graders got an average score of 249 in 2002. In 2007, they got an average score of 250. The nationwide average in 2007, by contrast, was 261.

In 2002, 15 percent of all Chicago 8th graders were judged “proficient” at reading. In 2007, that number had increased by all of two percent — 17 percent of all Chicago 8th graders were judged proficient. Nationally, for 2007, 29 percent of all 8th graders were deemed proficient at reading.

Chicago 4th graders not only fare worse than the national average in reading – they do worse than other urban school districts. In 2002, Chicago 4th graders scored an average of 193. In 2007, the average did jump to 201. But this score was not just significantly lower than the national average but the average among the 11 assessed urban districts, which was 208. The percentage of Chicago 4th graders who scored at the proficient level in 2007 was 16 percent compared with 22 percent in other urban districts. Only Cleveland and Washington, D.C. did worse. Moreover, the gap in scores between poor students – defined as those eligible for the federal school lunch program – and the rest of the district actually increased between 2002 and 2007. Upon the release of these results in November 2007, then-Atlantic blogger Matthew Yglesias commented, “Obviously, there’s more to ‘demographic factors’ than whether or not you qualify for the school lunch program, but as far as quick arguments go it’s pretty convincing evidence that there are things LA, Chicago, Cleveland, and DC could be doing to obtain the kind of better results that New York and Boston are getting with poor children.”

NAEP Math tests were another area where Chicago students fared poorly. Fourth grade math scores made the modest jump from 214 to 220 between 2003 and 2007. But just 16 percent of CPS 4th graders were judged proficient in Math compared with 28 percent in other urban schools districts and 38 percent nationally. The story is the same for 8th graders: scores made a modest climb from 254 to 260 between 2003 and 2007. But in 2007, 13 percent of CPS fourth graders were proficient compared with 22 percent in other urban school districts and 31 percent nationally.

There are standardized tests besides NAEP, but unfortunately, CPS students have done poorly on those as well. In June 2007, the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research looked at scores on the Illinois Standardized Assessment Test. The consortium praised CPS for narrowing the reading gap between 8th graders, but noted that even these eighth graders, the highlight of Chicago’s results, were still more than a grade behind their peers across the state. “One still cannot escape noticing the very large gaps between Chicago and the rest of the state,” the study concluded.

I read both articles and I did not see Harvard School mentioned anywhere?
These articles are debating the merits of charter schools in Chicago in general. No mention of the success or failure of this school.

 

[MM27]

interesting, getting rid of all the crappy teachers and replacing them worked in Chicago....
http://chicagoweekly.net/2010/02/04...transforming-chicagos-worst-public-schools-2/

Harvard Elementary School in Englewood was a teacher's worst nightmare. Kids ran in and out of classrooms in the middle of class, started fights, and swore at faculty. Principals cycled through without making any impact. In 2007, less than a third of Harvard students passed the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), putting the school in the bottom ranks of Illinois public schools.
...
Koldyke approached Duncan with his idea for turning around the lowest-performing schools in the district. "The kids stay, the adults leave, and we would train this cadre of residents and put them in en masse into a school with new leadership," Koldyke says. Duncan, meanwhile, was launching CPS's Renaissance 2010 initiative, which aimed to close failing schools and open one hundred new ones by 2010, a goal CPS is on track to meet. Although CPS counts AUSL's turnaround schools towards that total, Feinstein makes clear that "to me, it was never about Renaissance 2010 with our program." Unlike many Renaissance 2010 schools, AUSL's turnaround schools aren't charter schools, don't receive Renaissance 2010 funding, and are staffed by unionized teachers.
...
Barrett's instinct was right. "They came in and they just changed this school from bad to excellent," she says. "I was shocked, because being here so long I didn't think anyone could change it." Between 2007 and 2009, while the average composite score on the ISAT in both the city and state crept up a few points, Harvard's score nearly doubled, from 32 to 56 percent. Today, students at Harvard arrive in uniforms, walk quietly in the halls, and treat teachers with respect. "At the old Harvard, you would tell them they would suffer the consequences, but the children who wouldn't listen knew they were going to get out of it," says Barrett, who says their attitude was, "Well, go ahead, tell the teacher, go ahead tell the principal, what they gonna do?" "You don't hear nobody here saying, 'Well, go ahead, tell Mr. Cowling, what he gonna do?' They don't say that here."

I love the bolded part. What does that have to do with good/bad teachers? It means the principals are not doing their job. We have this issue in my school because the principals want a low suspension rate at the end of the year because it gets reported to the state. One year we had zero suspensions and my VP bragged about it whenever she could That very year there were a few kids in one class that were burning backpacks in the closet with a lighter when there was a substitute in the room, we had fights, we had kids cursing out teachers, and so on and the kids were given a lunch detention (which means you still go to lunch but you sit at a table with the other kids that are on lunch detention) and sent back to class.

It's easy to blame teachers for everything, but until you are actually in a school watching how it works from the inside, you won't understand that there are many factors that contribute to poor performance.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

...It's easy to blame teachers for everything, but until you are actually in a school watching how it works from the inside, you won't understand that there are many factors that contribute to poor performance.

This isn't about blame - pretty much everyone agrees that everyone failed these kids. It is about moving forward.

 

[CapeMayMommy]

You guys are beating this to death without discussing the real reason that these teachers were fired. It is really simple. The school has to be turned around. The administration put together a plan to turn it around. That plan required more work from the teachers at a fair rate ($30/hr). The teachers refused, demanding more money ($90/hr). The district cannot afford that rate, so the whole plan was scrapped and Plan B went into effect. The teachers knew that there was a real risk of Plan B if they didn't accept the conditions.

So, in a nutshell, the teachers quit.

$90 an hour is clearly not reasonable.

$30 an hour is good pay for a college graduate.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

When I was a youngin they held kids back if they didn't learn the required material. Unless something has changed, that right there proves that these teachers are not doing their jobs.

Things have changed - parent's expect perfection out of their children. Even if the child isn't learning the required material, the parents still see their child through rose colored glass and insist that he/she be pushed through to the next grade level. It's so sad, but true.

My father and my twin sister are both teachers. When my twin and I were ready to start school, my parent's talked to the teachers prior to registering us - we are October birthdays which would have made us some of the youngest kids in the class. After speaking with the teachers, my parent's decided to hold us back for an extra year. Sure we were some of the oldest kids in the class (it was great the year we turned 16 because we drove before everyone else!) but it didn't matter in the long run. My parents worked together with the teachers to figure out the best outcome for us. Too many parent's now-a-days don't care - as long as they can send their children off for a few hours a day, they are happy.

Same thing happens when we put in referrals for Special Ed testing. Parent says no and the child is left to suffer. But yes, it's all the teacher's fault

Like I said above, my dad and my twin are teachers - they are both special ed teachers. It pains them when they see a child struggling in school knowing that he/she could benefit from special ed programs but their hands are tied. If the parent doesn't sign the paperwork, there isn't a thing in the world that they can do. Is that fair? No, but it's the way the law works. Does it make the teachers look bad, yes. Is it their fault? No.

This might be the stupidest thing I have ever heard.* It is like they are legislating the Peter Principle.

Sadly, parent's insisting that their children be moved to the next grade level even if they aren't ready is really a stupid idea too. However it happens every single school year.

If the kids got to the 11th grade and only 7% passed math, some teacher did not do there job, no?

I disagree with you - maybe the child wasn't doing their job. Their job is to show up for school each day to learn - math, reading, social studies, history, etc. If the child shows up and doesn't care, his/her education will suffer - that doesn't mean that all of the teachers are bad teachers. If the teacher taught the material (as they are dictated to teach it) and the student's didn't understand/care, that is not the teacher's fault. If the student doesn't ask for help after class, than that is not the teacher's fault either.

There are always students (mostly in high school) who truly care about their education and there are students who do not. I was one of the students who cared. It baffled me to see the kids who didn't care.

I know there was a poster who said about how teacher's could never work as many hours as they say they do - I know of one. He's my father. He works so hard at his job. There are many weeks he works at least 6 days a week (sometimes he goes into school on Saturdays, sometimes he just works from home) and late into the evening. He has missed many trips with my mom and sister and me in order to provide the best education that he can for his students. He has taken work with him on vacation also. He's cut back a little since he had his heart attack a few years ago, but if he's home before 6 pm at night (the teachers at his school are allowed to leave at 3:45 pm) it's a miracle.

On a side note and this is not aimed at any of the quoted posters above:
When I see people bashing teachers and the work that they do, that really irks me. Not all teachers are good teachers - heck, I had some terrible teachers in high school. But I see how hard my dad works and how hard my sister works to improve the education of their students, it bothers me to no end to see people calling them greedy because they belong to a union. That is just crazy. Personally, I'm surprised this thread is still open. Many of the statements about people who belong to unions could be seen as personal attacks, which the last time I checked was against the rules on the Dis.

 

[kpm76]

It's interesting to read some of the comments. In no way do I think this under performing school is entirely the fault of the teachers. The system failed. The sad part is that if everyone accepted a little piece of the responsibility and pledged to work harder together by buidling stronger community partnerships and relationships with parents, this situation might have had a very different outcome.

It is unfair to compare the situation in Central Falls with other under performing schools and/or systems. Every community is so unique. In RI, the unions are very strong, very powerful, very outspoken and very demonstrative. Teachers do not have a choice; they must join if they wish to teach in a public school. It's still unclear about the teachers voting in this particular case, but the consensus is that they did not vote individually, but rather gave the union the go ahead to make decisions for them. The union came up with unreasonable and unrealistic demands and thus the teachers suffered the consequences. They are not entirely blameless since they authorized the union to "negotiate" on their behalf and that's the reality of collective bargaining. I will say it again, I am sure that there were some inidividual teachers who would have made other decisions given the choice, but bucking a union is not an option here.

Sad situation all around and ultimately the real losers are the kids.......

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I wonder - can the fired teachers apply for the open positions?

 

[kpm76]

I wonder - can the fired teachers apply for the open positions?

Yes, but only 50% of them can be re-hired. That's per the federal regulations regarding the Turnaround model......

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Personally, I'm surprised this thread is still open. Many of the statements about people who belong to unions could be seen as personal attacks, which the last time I checked was against the rules on the Dis.

This seems to me to be a pretty reasonable thread, considering the topic elicits strong emotional opinions. I haven't seen any personal attacks...nothing aimed at a particular poster, no name calling of a poster.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

This seems to me to be a pretty reasonable thread, considering the topic elicits strong emotional opinions. I haven't seen any personal attacks...nothing aimed at a particular poster, no name calling of a poster.

Agreed - those posts were directed at unions, not posters. Even when we have disagreed in this thread, we have kept it civil...

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

This seems to me to be a pretty reasonable thread, considering the topic elicits strong emotional opinions. I haven't seen any personal attacks...nothing aimed at a particular poster, no name calling of a poster.

Agreed - those posts were directed at unions, not posters. Even when we have disagreed in this thread, we have kept it civil...

The poster may not have aimed a comment at one person, but it was aimed at an entire group of people. To me that's an attack. Saying that somebody isn't professional because he/she belongs to a union is certainly an attack in my book - a personal attack, maybe not, but an attack none-the-less.

I'm sorry if you disagree, but that is the way that I feel.