Sounds like perhaps the parents are finally starting to ask questions. The sad thing is that there are likely tons of other things covered up that they have yet to ask about, judging from the last story about this. The community needs to mobilize and get organized even more than this first attempt. The board likely doesn't know them either.5 months ago
Hans...I had actually heard A LOT about that issue. I have always wondered why the community-at-large allows things to be swept under the rug like that. If I had kids in the district, I'd want to know that kind of information!6 months ago
While I applaud Dr. K's allegiance to a district that has paid him more than a teacher's annual salary for a few months "consulting" work, I think I will listen to those that are just a BIT less biased.6 months ago
Yeah...I usually defend public education to the end, as I used to be there. Something doesn't add up here--at all. But thinking you'll ever know the cover-ups that occur is foolhardy. Usually (and I am not stating this about this district, because I don't know) when something like this happens, there's been a myriad of larger issues covered up as well.6 months ago
Read the article, jjones. This would replace the late starts, which were evidently a bust at the elementary level.Apr 23, 2012
TheYemen:
Not to mention, it's "principal"--unless, of course, he's saying each school should only have 2 important things to focus on. :)Mar 13, 2012
Uhhh...Hans...read a little more carefully. VanLeer was "happy." Frank Wood, the principal, who is going to be the head cheerleader as he should be, was "thrilled." If you're going to blast someone, be accurate.Aug 23, 2011
SteveG: Calm down. Wow...you're being grossly misinformed on the "failed" school system. What if I told you that the achievement of the general population of kids in the United States far surpasses that of most other countries? The US educates ALL kids, not just the top and brightest. Not just the rich and middle-class, as in most other countries.
What if I told you that a school is deemed "failing" by the media (not necessarily this site, they are usually quite fair) if the mentally retarded children in the school don't pass a test written for average-to-above-average students their age? Seems like a crock, doesn't it?
What if I told you that comparing the cost of living to teacher pay in the United States to other countries, it falls far short? Wouldn't you want the best and brightest people being the ones that educate our children? Seems to me that paying a competitive wage would lure more of our gifted college students into the profession, rather than away from it.
Oh, and if you look at the district's test scores, they actually HAVE increased achievement by 3.5%. Whoops. Guess you missed that, huh?
I am a supporter of education, and if raising our teachers' pay by 3.5% will keep the good ones here rather than leaving for higher paying districts, I am all for it.Jun 14, 2011
Ah, stc, the battle cry of the ignorant. "No Child Left Behind" leaves every child and school behind. Stc, do you know any of the facts of this document? A school is called "failing" if more than a handful of kids tests at a certain level. This test is taken by the mentally retarded, the children with severe disabilities such as autism, and children dealing with wondering whether or not they have enough to eat. I am certainly not a flag-waving public school defender, but NCLB is the most ludicrous attempt at regulating public education by people with little education that I have ever witnessed. (Oh, and for the record, private schools are exempt from this law, as well as the intense pressure that it carries with it--did you ever think maybe parents are tired of their kids being stressed out by a test?) Perhaps you should become more educated yourself on this, rather than using Google as your fact-finding resource. Pathetic. Apr 14, 2011
Logically: I would agree with your statement, but not with this bill--and not with teacher's pay based solely--or even 50%--on student test scores. First of all, China and Japan do not teach all students. We do. Comparing us to them is apples and oranges. Second, if you have never been in a classroom, there are some kids who don't give a rip about their education, and many more are so against the standardized tests shoved down their throats by the state that they don't even TRY--they know it has no effect on their grades. So that is how you want to rank a teacher? I think not.
To get back to your statement, teachers SHOULD be evaluated based on their students--but the measurement should not be meaningless, fact-based tests. They should be based on multiple evaluations by a trained supervisor who knows what student engagement looks like, along with student portfolios that measure growth over the entire school year--not just one test that is a huge question mark to all educators and kids.
One thing we CAN agree on--it should be much easier to get rid of teachers that are not teaching. I wholeheartedly agree with you there.
And no, I am not a teacher. Because of bills like this, and government entities thinking they know more about education than educators, I got out.Mar 11, 2011
