Search results matching tags 'administration' and 'graduation'

The State of Education Today

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 22:07:46 GMT

Washington State, like many other states, is hurting financially. No one questions this; however, the recovery methods and suggestions do cause me to pause and worry about the state’s and nation’s education futures.

One column’s composer basically says teachers should be able to overcome all odds to create student success. Granted, the author states that parents are the most difficult group to involve in education, and he also thinks that schools should focus on what they can control (as if that hasn’t been happening for years). However, he concludes with the lazy argument of getting rid of “weak teachers” and “better compensating” the better teachers as if these two ideas are novel and haven’t been a part of the educational landscape.

Ironically, at a time when so many call for this better compensation and merit pay for effective teachers, the state is looking to cut the stipends for National Board certified teachers and freezing pay for all. Once again the highest striving and most vulnerable in the profession are being hurt by the cuts. Those who were promised extra pay for achieving what is perceived to be the most prestigious teaching accomplishment and those who are in the early stages of their careers are losing pay–up to 10-20% depending on years of service and NB certification. Broken promises and hypocrisy are not helping the debate.

The state is still fighting the case it lost when a judge ruled that the state is failing education. Instead of increasing funding or services to education, the state is wasting money fighting the ruling.

Still, legislative leaders and the media are calling for the raising of standards without clearly thinking through what is happening with those standards. The mess of higher standards, testing, and holding kids accountable has created a quagmire of regulations and inanity that threatens the graduation of students caught in the middle.

All the while the state and nation call on educators to raise those standards, expect more of our teachers, and pay them less. “Highly qualified” has been a major focus of the so-called reform and ensuring that a minimum standard is in place…until a private industry wants the standards lowered to allow their people in, despite having no shortage of available and qualified teachers. And then, to make matters even worse, the feds agree that trainees should be deemed “highly qualified” even with no experience. The question seems obvious: why not let people into classrooms who have taken a 5-6 week training course instead of people with education degrees, a 3-6 month internship, and (normally) multiple endorsements or degrees (I wrote on this topic here.)? Besides being an issue of sensibility and professionalism, it’s a civil rights issue!

Oh, but let’s not forget the “blame everything on the unions” crowd. Their flags fly just as high. Even though the article means well, look at this title: “How a teachers’ union actually helped kids (not just adults).” Or, how about this one? A writer calls on the public with his editorial to “Professionalize the teaching profession” by treating teachers as professions and “not union workers.” How did professional and union worker become mutually exclusive? In fact, in Washington State, about the only group truly advocating for living wages and research-based education initiatives is the union. This second article writer, of course, blamed less effective teachers being in the work force on the unions–a group with no power to terminate its own members (and why would it?)–instead of placing the blame where it should lie, on those with this power, the administrators.

In an era of blaming the teacher, cutting teacher salaries and incentives, raising standards, increasing testing, devaluing the profession, and demonizing the unions, what do we do? How do we effect change? How do we protect our profession and our kids?

I know Brian from Stories from School is advocating talking to legislators. I know many of my colleagues are writing and visiting legislative offices.

I’m thinking of advocating a new tactic: accepting a couple furlough days. I know, I know. It costs the teachers money. That’s true. But it costs everyone money: teachers, support staff, administrators, the district, and–most importantly–the parents. If we continue to absorb the effects of these cuts quietly, no one will care or listen.

But, by sending Timmy and his pals home for a few extra days and by forcing parents to deal with the problem, we might just see some change. Make the public deal with this mess too. Let the public outcry arise not just from the educators but those at home. They outnumber us any way. Plus, I have seen very little to alter the glacial rate of change more than angry parents.

Here’s another idea: instead of considering strikes, consider getting everyone to work their hours and go home. Show people what their money gets them. No more extra tutoring sessions, no more recommendation letters, no more enrichment sessions, no more grading and planning at home, no more meeting parents outside the work day, no more calls home at night, no more independent research, and so on. Until the public feels the effects, the public will not advocate for us during these times of unjust cuts.

Filed under: Administration, Diplomas, Frustration, Graduation, Money, Parents, PR, Study, Testing, Union

Falling Test Scores

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:09:52 GMT

My school’s state test scores dropped. No surprise there. We have larger class sizes because of staff decreases, less instructional time because of yearly schedule alterations, and a push to reduce the amount of work assigned in our classes.

However, the good news that will be celebrated is that our graduation rate is up. (My personal feeling is that this is the real goal, not student achievement.)

Now, I’m not one who believes state test scores are all-encompassing, and I don’t believe they are even the most important measures we use. Still, the drop in the last two straight years is starting to concern me, especially if it happens a third year in a row. It has to indicate some type of change.

The start of the drops coincides with the first time the school changed its schedule and its instructional time.

Maybe the canary is dying in the coal mine.

Filed under: Administration, Class Size, Graduation, Testing

A Slippery Slope

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 03:17:43 GMT

This kind of a schedule change is exactly what I fear in schools today. Taking time out of classes to create a study hall-type period is the slippery slope to lowering expectations and making changes to improve scores, not student achievement.

1. This kind of “intervention” as the assistant principal called it is really not a targeted program. All students are in the study hall with a very few kids getting any targeted assistance.

2. Two or three minutes off of each period means a loss of a week of class time. Thus, teachers can either cram the same amount of material into less time or teach less. Either way, the students are shorted–crammed instruction and fewer lessons or lowered expectations.

3. A schedule change does nothing for what is most likely the central problem: teachers are not differentiating instruction or constructing lessons to allow students time for extra help. Why else would time need to be set aside? Students should be able to progress from where they currently are towards the learning targets. However, teachers must construct lessons and schedule periods to allow all students to progress in the same class period. Difficult, but not impossible.

4. These types of schedule changes may improve school numbers (passage/graduation rates) slightly but do nothing to increase student capacity or learning. This looks like a numbers decision and not a learning decision.

This is the type of change NCLB and RTTT bring us. Surface changes may give the illusion of school improvement while doing nothing to improve instruction or student learning. Solutions to educational problems are not a schedule change away.

Filed under: Administration, Failures, Graduation, Lessons, Testing

Do Less

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:01:35 GMT

I was at a meeting yesterday where the administration unveiled the new schedule for next year. We will add an intervention period at the end of the day by taking minutes away from each class during the day. We will lose about 4 hours of class time per period to create this extra period.

When one teacher asked why this is a good idea (to sacrifice class time for the intervention period) an administrator said that every 50 students we keep in the school generates an additional $250,000.

When another teacher asked why 60% of the students should have their classes shortened–while having the same requirements to meet–to help the bottom 40%, the response from a second administrator was “teach less.”

I have always resisted when people critiqued education by saying educators are lowering the bar and teaching to the lowest common denominator. Now I’m not so sure the critics aren’t right.

We have narrowed our offerings, cut electives, and eliminated junior and senior classes, and now I’m told to do less.

This does not inspire me.

Filed under: Administration, Graduation, Money

I Guess Academics Don’t Always Matter

Anonymous — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:34:59 GMT

Charlie Weis was fired from his head coaching job at Notre Dame. I’d have to say that it was a justifiable firing although I also think Notre Dame has too high expectations, but that’s a post of a different color.

What interests me about Weis’ dismissal is that the Notre Dame Athletic Director, Jack Swarbrick, stated that Charlie Weis “did win a national championship at Notre Dame because the Irish finished first in graduation success rate this year.” However, Swarbrick also noted that the Weis firing was justifiable because “it is critical to this program and to its place in this University and college football that we compete at the highest level, that we compete for National Championships.”

Academic successes, however, could not save Weis’ job. Academic success is not the goal. In fact, most college football experts will say that winning football championships and having the highest of graduation rates do not go together (as they have been discussing this week on ESPN Radio and on ESPN’s TV shows). The best athletes in football rarely have the best grades.

Still, I like the bitter and revealing irony of Swarbrick’s comments. Collegiate athletic programs are more concerned with victories than they are with graduates. Perhaps this is a statement which is overly obvious, but it still resonates with me.

A part of me feels like this situation is somewhat analogous to the pressure applied to teachers in the classroom. Having high standards for students is ultimately important, but we’re asked to focus on passage or graduation rates. I have posted previously that I have been pressured to pass kids or make deals with kids rather than holding them to the requested high standards. This, to me, again shows that academics and learning are not the priority but numbers are. It sometimes comes down to a win/loss record first and foremost.

Or maybe I’m just feeling a bit cynical today.

Posted in Administration, Diplomas, Football, Graduation, Sports

First Full Day

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:33:04 GMT

Yesterday was the first full day of meetings for the Department Heads, and today we reviewed the PLC conference we attended. I have reposted my thoughts on that conference below just to let people know on what my school is focusing this year.

PLC Basics

PLC Myths

The Typical Four Schools

PLC Likes and Dislikes

7 Ways to Change Someone’s Mind

Can We Make the Change?

Posted in Administration, Graduation, Meetings, Study

Gift Wrapped Credits & Diplomas

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:54:51 GMT

A while back I had a student, Davy, reach the final week of his final semester in high school, and he had a 40% in my senior Mythology course while maintaining an attendance rate of 60% (and I think a blood-alcohol level of 2.0 most of the semester). I wouldn’t budge on giving “extra credit” [...]