|
|
9486 in the collection
All children deserve only the best teachers
Ohanian Comment: You can read about Ackerman's record in D. C. schools and in San Francisco in Why is Corporate America Bashing Our Public Schools? by Kathy Emery and Susan Ohanian.
But let's hear from some Philadelphia people:
by Magistra 06:45 AM, 06/14/2009
OMG!!!!!!Here we go again. This is my favorite line in this whole pile of manure:"If we are committed to student success, then it is up to all of us - teachers, administrators, parents, policymakers, and legislators - to make a commitment that all of our teachers will have the skills they need to be successful educators and that all will be equitably placed where their talents are most needed." Imagine that. It is up to ALL of us to make sure the TEACHERS do their job. This is unbelievable, except it does echo the words of Arne Duncan, who uses the exact same buzzwords. Is it just me or is the only group in Ackerman's list that is accountable for student achievement....the TEACHERS. And it is up to ALL of the rest of us to make sure that THEY do their jobS. Because of course they won't unless they are threatened with carrots and sticks. The carrot of course is the infamous "merit pay" and the stick is the "unsatisfactory rating." So don't worry, moms and dads, YOU are off the hook. If youR kids don't SPEAK ENGLISH, or have temper tantrums, or wet themselves in class, or come to class armed,stoned, drunk or maybe not at all....don't sweat it....you can always BLAME THE TEACHER. This is so outrageous, I am now struck dumb.
by aliveandwell 08:14 AM, 06/14/2009
Nice PR piece by Dr. A. and very strategically planned. The teachers know why her planted articles are so timely. Just as the mantra "all the children deserve only the best teachers", all the teachers deserve only the best administrators. There's no evidence of that in the school district. The lack of support for teachers is a serious issue that is ignored while the witch hunt continues.
by hornist 08:32 AM, 06/14/2009
She took a long time, using every hot button phrase to get to the point... "our district needs greater flexibility to assign staff to schools that best match the talents of teachers with regard to subject, site, and area needs." The PFT contract extension expires this summer. Here we go again. Seniority, tenure, transfer rights, faculty stability are all in jeopardy. Once again, she is targeting teachers. Lets, involuntarily move teachers, harass them and eventually fire a whole bunch of them. Anyone think this will improve the School District of Philadelphia? The Queen of Hearts strikes again! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!
by mindstorms 11:56 AM, 06/14/2009
Not only do all students deserve the best and brightest teachers but there are a lot of other things they deserve. They deserve a stable family environment. They deserve adequate health services. They deserve a crime free environment to live in. They deserve libraries in all the schools and neighborhoods. They deserve a clean and healthy environment to grow up in. There is a heck of a lot more they deserve then merely hoping that somehow the best and brightest teachers can overcome an environment that puts them miles behind others to begin with and expect them to catch up and compete.
And lots more comments at the Philadelphia Inquirer website, none favorable to Ackerman.
Arlene C. Ackerman
Teachers are the bedrock of our schools and the single most important key to student success. To achieve great results, every student needs a great teacher, and every teacher deserves a fair and accurate evaluation that enhances their capacity to grow and improve without fear that the process will threaten their position or their professional standing.
To put the best interests of our children front and center, the School District of Philadelphia is determined to do everything in its power to recruit the best, brightest, and most dedicated teachers; to encourage, reward, and retain our highest performers; to provide meaningful assistance and support for teachers who are struggling to be successful and effective; and to create a comprehensive system that provides all instructional staff with ongoing opportunities for career and talent development.
We stand with President Obama and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan in placing an aggressive and unrelenting focus on teacher effectiveness as a critical factor in creating better public schools. If we are committed to student success, then it is up to all of us - teachers, administrators, parents, policymakers, and legislators - to make a commitment that all of our teachers will have the skills they need to be successful educators and that all will be equitably placed where their talents are most needed.
We are morally obligated and collectively responsible to ensure that anyone entrusted with the education of our children is capable of doing a great job, is recognized for the excellence of their performance, and is justly rewarded for results. If we care about the success of our students, we must also care about the success of their teachers and treat them as the professionals they are.
Recently, the New Teacher Project released a report on "the nation's failure to assess teacher effectiveness, treating teachers as interchangeable parts." The two-year study describes a "widget effect" that has prevented schools and school districts from "recognizing excellence, providing support, or removing ineffective teachers."
The study, available at www.widgeteffect.org, describes a "national failure to acknowledge and act on differences in teacher effectiveness" and faults teacher-evaluation systems that codify the "widget effect" by allowing excellence to go unrecognized and the need for improvement to go unaddressed. The authors noted that less than 1 percent of 40,000 teachers in the study were ever rated unsatisfactory.
The Philadelphia story is no different. Out of a teaching force of more than 10,000 in the district, only 13 received unsatisfactory ratings, and only five were removed from the classroom. Because struggling teachers who are performing below an acceptable level of effectiveness were not identified, they could not be appropriately assisted and supported and given an opportunity to improve.
We cannot hope to close the opportunity and achievement gap that exists in our school district, help students from all backgrounds achieve at high standards, and realize the goals of our district's Imagine 2014 strategic plan without putting great teachers in the places where students need them the most. To meet the needs of children and schools fairly, our district needs greater flexibility to assign staff to schools that best match the talents of teachers with regard to subject, site, and area needs.
Some Philadelphia public school students do have access to great teachers, effective principals, and excellent programs. However, "some but not all" is not an acceptable standard. All of Philadelphia's children deserve a chance to dream and succeed, and all need skillful classroom teachers able to provide them with love and limits as they strive to learn.
As we end this school year and prepare for the next, let us commit that our school district staff, parents, and community leaders will work together to guarantee that neither students nor teachers will suffer from a "widget effect" in Philadelphia's public schools.
Arlene C. Ackerman is superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia.
E-mail Arlene C. Ackerman at superintendent@philasd.org.
— Arlene C. Ackerman
Philadelphia Inquirer
2009-06-06
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/48013457.html
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
[1] 2 3 4 5 6 Next >> Last >>
|
