There are a lot of strong feelings about the governor’s education reform plan. One thing seems clear — both sides must do a better job of listening to each other.
Here are some responses I received after yesterday’s column about teacher anger over the proposal:
My school has been cited for not making Adequate Yearly Progress. Does that make me a bad teacher? My principal told me recently that my students’ test scores are consistently excellent. Does that make me a good teacher?
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My first-period class resembled more an empty train-station hangar. Hardly any kids bothered to show up on time. And why should they? In spite of serious-sounding rules for breaking the tardy policy, the kids treated them with derision , flaunting them as they knew that no matter how late they arrived at school they would be admitted, and that in a few more hours they would go home without paying for their having disrespected the rules.
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… the Governor’s earlier statements directed toward the teaching industry as a whole, has done nothing but further discourage the teaching profession who now are forced to teach to the “test”. Increased discouragement will have good teachers, nearing retirement, opt for retirement instead of continuing their careers. Additionally, this policy will certainly discourage our brightest high school students from considering the teaching career, which is already filled with obstacles. As a result, in a few short years, we will be struggling to alleviate a shortage of teaching positions, and our education system will suffer again … Secondly, you sort of brushed over the issue of socioeconomics and its effect on test scores. This must be addressed! Other than providing another 500 children with early childhood education, I don’t see where the new education program improves socioeconomics.
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You are way off base if you seriously think teacher tenure changes proposed by Gov. Molly will correct urban children problems. Teachers in Simsbury and Hartford have the same tenure. So, why arn’t the test scores the same? You and I both know it’s because the children don’t enter at the same skill level.
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They are selfish, and ultimately could care less about the welfare of the students, as I have said before and I will say it again, TEACHING is a part time job, they are paid extremely well for PART TIME WORK, they have unbelievable benefits, sick time, vacation time, personal time, that we in the private sector will never get or see.
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I’d like to see Malloy change the paradigm and shift the emphasis on the children without alienating teachers being stirred up by their unions.
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You are missing the point! Teachers want real reform; attacking tenure is simply not going to achieve that goal! Attacking tenure to student is not going to achieve that goal! The only reason to attack tenure is to enable administrators to get rid of expensive, experience teachers!
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Tenure in public education only means that we have the right to due process before being terminated. Non-tenured teachers are “at-will” employees. Governor Malloy has been misrepresenting the tenure process and the role of tenure in the termination process.
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I have been teaching in Connecticut for 24 years and I agree with your position. From what I have witnessed firsthand, there is a small group of extremely vocal teachers who are against changing anything. Why do they speak up and not the “silent majority”? Because we have to work with them. The majority of people spend their time in school doing what they love to do and do best, teach. They prepare lessons, reflect on what worked or what did not work in the classroom and think about necessary adjustments. They have neither time to get involved in the fray nor the desire to be denigrated by some of their coworkers for speaking their mind. Of the 14,000+ teachers in Connecticut, only about 148 had participated in the writing campaign suggested by the union to complain about the proposed changes. Do the math, that is about 1%. If the anti-change position is so prevalent, where are the other 99% of the teachers? Are we lazy, apathetic, or just too busy doing our jobs the right way? From what I have witnessed in the past few years, it is the latter. I could be wrong, but I choose to believe that the silent majority want to concentrate on being professional rather than being political.
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11 Responses to Teachers, Reform and Tenure: The Experts Weigh In
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I am the consumer of the education system so I know I will be attacked for my views as the “less knowing” PARENT but here goes… First, I agree the Governor could have done a better job of balancing the messaging of SB 24. He has put much emphasis on teachers but look at the “Union Machine” you make lawmakers hide under their desk and throw children under the bus because of their FEAR of the Union machine especially during election time.
Kudos – Teacher Unions handle their “organizing” business well. But quite frankly the anger displayed by some teachers at the Town Hall meetings should make parents a little afraid for their children in the classroom. Remember teachers are human too and can be subject to mental break downs just like the private sector.
I know it’s a tough job being a teacher, principal and administrator and my hat is off to all the effective ones but as a parent, like many of you teachers, principals and administrators, I ask you to put yourself in the shoes of the parents of the students that are in your class, especially urban, poor and rural districts.
If a 1/3 of CT elementary teachers can’t pass the reading test…should you be allowed to teach reading? If 58% of 4th graders are reading below grade level, if a child is poor, or comes from a troubled home should you not be held accountable for what you were hired to do “teach effectively”…How is it that some models of schools can educate very successfully the same child you called poor and unable to make it because they are poor…you can blame parents and students all day everyday for poor parenting, being a poor student but at least now you know how it feels to be labeled.
YOU have controlled legislatures for YEARS we all can watch CTN to prove it! Some of these treads blame the students, parents are ALWAYS blamed but you MUST understand and accept CT cannot afford to NOT hold people accountable in the areas of what they were hired to DO. Yes, you want to blame the poor but did you know 30% of minority businesses get 1% of state contracts, did you know that those “poor” communities who try to get jobs etc…many are the same ones YOU EDUCATORS/Principals, Administrators graduated knowing they were functioning illiterate…do you not feel some responsibility for allowing this business practice. Come on, welcome to real life with real people, like you, like me, facing tough times and tough decisions.
CT has some GREAT Teachers, Principals, and Administrators their reputations precedes them and they will do fine and probably get merit pay. There are some teachers, principals and administrators that need some help. They will get extra tax payers dollars to get the help they need to be more effective and then there are those that should have been GONE a long time ago…DCF/child welfare intervenes when they feel parents are bad parents well the State is intervening to help tax payers, parents and students when there are bad teachers, principals and administrators…I am sorry if you feel attacked but welcome to MY world as a parent, especially if you are a parent of color and POOR you will be under attacked by many. I applaud your fight but welcome to the world of RBA—results based accountability…You still have it good because you don’t face arrest or possibly having your child removed because of your socio-economics, color of skin or value system. May 9th will tell if LAWMAKERS will protect ALL constituents or just a select few…we shall see!
Gwen, How many of those parents are reading to their own children before they enter school? Will it be the teacher’s fault if parents can’t do the most basic things with their own kids.
I just wish you would direct your energy toward fixing the real problems and not being a tool of the business sector trying to destroy public education.
AM, more parents are reading to their child then you think. Many of the communities that need access to resources to support their children more effectively are denied access or are very limited due to poor fiscaland management oversight of tax payers dollars. There are some effective community programs that engage and teach parents and guardians on the importance of Reading, Talking and Playing in the early years then when kids hit k-12 systems parents are on their on battling politics. We also need to be creative and think family engagement…suppose the parents has limited reading abilities, do we pass judgement on the parent or offer support, penalize the child or find a support within the family or community to help meet that reading and homework need. We don’t need to blame or find scapegoats we just need to be willing to accept that there is a challenge, intervene early, find the best practice, implement it cost effectively and keep it moving because many children succeed even with parents of limited reading abilities, round the clock work schedules and facing life issues that may create barriers to learning but its not the end of the story. Trust me AM I am reassessing some strategies and rethinking some partnerships but make no mistake about it I am addressing the problem and I am being retaliated against for helping parents help themselves. When I was a young parent I did not know programs like Head Start when I was an “older parent” Head Start helped me understand the importance of early childhood development and we all know parenthood is on the job training. As I got older I began to apply those self help strategies, went back to college at 40
and the rest is history so before we give up on the poor its more cost effective to help create tax payers then tax burdens with over reliance on safety nets…so I am not trying to privatize education I am trying to ensure that Parents have access to high quality educational options because one type of school may work well for some and not others and clearly the achievement gap better known as the knowledge skill and opportunity gap shows that. Trust me the standardized test is the least of the worries for people of color and poor communities…Assumptions and stero types are doing more harm than testing…sad but true
Gwen, Thank you for getting back to me. I apologize that this is late but being a mom, my life is probably as insane as your’s right now
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I wholeheartedly agree that some parents need help navigating the education system and parenting in general. While I believe there are plenty of resources out there, not enough take advantage of them. Why not tie public assistance, food stamps, HUSKY to mandatory parent education, nutrition classes, school readiness learning, and job training? I do disagree that someone can’t be held responsible for a job they weren’t hired for. If someone had a baby, then they are responsible for nurturing everything in that child’s life including education.
Honestly, if you educated the parents about the programs they have access to, you’d solve a lot of the problem. Regardless, all parents still have to work at home with their kids. We actually have a “parent mentor” program in our middle class school system that is used by many. People do have to want to do it though.
While you may not be trying to privatize schools, the organizations you are tied to are. They have a greedy agenda and are exploiting parents in this debate.
Let’s get into the history of testing. Testing evolved to prevent social promotion and passing the buck–two of the factors cited in the high dropout rates in 9th and 10th grade.
I remember teaching Business Math when 25% of the class was deficient in ratios and fractions and percentages. OK this was somewhat normal and some remediation beyond the review chapters was expected for socially-promoted 8th graders.
Then there was the 20% coming in who could not divide or carry numbers. Students with spotty 5th grade skills promoted to 9th grade. A much bigger problem.
In theory Mastery-type testing identifies these kids before they ever get into the High School classroom.
Testing evolved as a means to keep teachers honest with each other. Not that teachers ever would game a Mastery test or socially promote the inept when under pressure
Now testing is used to identify teachers who consistently fail to improve upon baseline expectations. Students can be grouped by common demographics–race, language, poverty, sex, and geographic location to compare teaching results with Federal, State, Regional and District results.
We know the poverty argument. Sure its valid. It’s important that baselines are fairly drawn based on similar demographic profiles.
Baselines for each cohort can be established easily. The bottom 10% of teachers can be identified. Teachers who consistently underperform can be targeted and yes, teachers who consistently outperform their peers when measured against the same demographic cohort of students get awarded.
Sure taxpayers hope testing is used for more and used to leverage the right resources at the right time to the right students and improves outcomes. That is a separate discussion.
Check out my editorial in the CTPost today, Saturday. Sorry Rick, you can feel free to reprint it if you think you readers would like to get a BPT. middle school teacher’s perspective on the Governor and his advisors. Just say, “NO”, to Rheeform. Peace and Love.
http://www.change.org/petitions/gov-dannel-malloy-redesign-sb-24-to-improve-education-in-ct
First, we are all consumers of education. Teacher or parent, we are all affected. So, I don’t much accept this view that I am objective since I “only” had children in the system (I taught in the system for 35 years and had children in another system for 20 plus years). So, let’s get rid of the pretense that because I was not paid by the system means that I speak impartial truth.
Secondly, let’s get rid of the hero worship of reform that dictates that some personal, silver-tongued or anger generating “I have the answer” pedagogue has any real long term answer: Rhee and Adamowski will simply be replaced by the next set of “original” innovators, leaving inner-cities with the same long-term problems.
Thirdly, let’s acknowledge that the claimed link between teacher tenure and student failure is a post hoc fallacy. Let’s admit that the desire to strip teachers of tenure law is scapegoating, and even a desire to bring down teacher salaries and security.
These are my observations: changes need to generate from those who deal with the problem daily, meaning teachers. Cynicism dominates teachers thinking because few control figures listen to them. Teacher conferences on change produces nothing. Teachers view “educational work groups” as time wasting. Some avenue of imput has to be established that bypasses administration. Examples for why: in the 90s when EHTFD high school was becoming inner city…and the standards were slipping, I was told that I could not include in my student grading student attendance, nor could I require students to come in after school to make up missed work. In fact when I told the Assistant Superintendenbt that most of my Freshman failures were because of homework lapses he told me directly “Don’t assign homework.” Administrators are facilatators who survive based on the perception that all is well. Oh, and I was told by a well respected administrators that the only thing he had ever heard about goals from the BofED for EHTFD education were “economy and discipline.” Yeah, and when I had a totally off the wall sociopath that was between school and Court and who only came to my class to disrupt, I was told that guidance has cleared him and therefore I had to accept him..until his whole family got caught in a bust.
Lastly, the education that inner cities are getting reflect the neglect of the lives of those who live there. Life there has been bad since the 60s but no one of importance cared until…it became political? As in the increase in crime? As in white flight? As in explaining why corporation abandon inner cities?
As in finding someone to explain a Federal deficit?
Richard, I agree with you that much of the communal angst would evaporate if this society created the job opportunities that make responsible behavior more attractive than drifting. Sadly, I don’t see that happening because the establish communities would rather cast these people off as “hopeless.” The political cynicism is in the rejection that educational reform is a reform of the economic structure.
I object somewhat to the notion that teachers are frozen out of these conversations. The teachers have one of the most influential unions in the State of CT and lost few meaningful battles up to now.
If teachers don’t like the way their union presents themselves and the wrong message is getting out there (inflexible money grubbers unconcerned about quality control and accountability and outcomes) then change your leadership and their mission statements and change their message.
The teachers unions have had plenty of chances to create a proof-of-concept environment that addresses the salient issues. The problem: the union is a collective bargaining unit with a limited agenda of salaries, pensions, benefits, and work conditions. Student outcomes is not part of their fiduciary duty. Yet they remain the teachers spokesperson. Their public face. Their messenger.
What should really bother teachers are the number of ex-teachers and reformers involved in the reform movement and submitting Charter proposals. They want to run non-union shops and be held accountable for what they do.
Springfield Mass was awarded a Charter this year for the BayState Academy that is a partnership between Baystate Hospital/Health and Springfield Technical Community College. Baystate targets a diverse group from honor students ready for Community College Courses while in High School to the older returning population: single mothers, or drop outs, or remedial. It includes a varied array of special education services. It’s non-union. Non-corporate. And a Charter.
I cant quite express my disgust that the teachers in CT block these types of schools or that the head pf the teachers unions in CT don’t see themselves as part of the problem and fighting some possible solutions and innovative models.
We could get into a whole thread as to why the Community Colleges want to get their hands on these kids quicker. The amount of remediation and transition is far smoother than today’s ‘social promotion’ remediation disaster in the Community Colleges.
Might as well start working with them as Freshmen and Sophomores and have them graduate with 9 to 30 or more college credits and admission guaranteed to STCC and then to the UMass system after successful completion of a STCC 60-credit degree.
Is there a slap in the face there somewhere?
Brutus pretty much said it all. But I can also say the every teacher who isn’t up for retirement was also for loosening up the union (being allowed to fund their own retirement especially). However, this dangerous bill has only made them aware of why the union is needed.
Many CT public school districts are run by managers who are interested in preserving their jobs, salaries, and pensions.
Many local teacher’s unions are in bed with their local administrators to make sure the status quo is preserved including what incremental reforms are deemed consistent with accountability going anywhere except to the top of the hierarchy.
Parents, especially inner city parents, are suspicious of teachers because they rightly sense the cultural insensitivity of some teachers and make the mistake of blaming them for their children’s lack of progress. (I should tell you I am a minority teacher.)
Administrators, especially inner city managers, are loathe to alienate parents because of the reality of lawsuits and therefore encourage the scapegoating of teachers to draw attention away from their administrative failure.
(a note to “Gwen:” You need to put the fire to the feet of administrators because they are the ones who should be held accountable for all you think is the teacher’s fault. Why? Because it is their job to set and implement policy–it is the job of the teacher to teach within the reality set by local politicians, local BOEs, and local school district administrators under the supposed watch of the CTSDE. Teachers are not the problem!)
Where teachers as a group have gone wrong is that they have allowed their unions to fool them into thinking that their union leadership represents them in both as a firewall against administrative arbitrariness and as an advocate to improve teacher input into greater student outcomes.
So now, as the “long hanging fruit,” we teachers find ourselves about to be sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.
Time for teachers to take back our classrooms, school buildings, and unions.
Before it is too late.