MCPS is the employer. It should be placing its high-performing teachers in our low performing schools, not just , as reported in the Bethesda Beat, incentivizing them to go there. If the Apple contract lets the teachers call the shots and lets them override the needs of our children in determining at which particular schools they teach, then that provides a disservice to our county and our children. This would be discrimination against the most disadvantaged students, and I suspect that it would violation of the Civil Rights of the African American and Latino students who disproportionately attend those lowest-performing schools.
What makes a teacher high-performing versus low-performing? What makes a student high-performing versus low-performing? Can a high-performing teacher affect the performance of a low-performing student? Can a low-performing teacher affect the performance of a high-performance student?
To hear the Education Reform crowd tell it, a high-performing teacher is one whose students get high test scores (and are therefore themselves high-performing).
They also believe that an "excellent" teacher will not only inspire all students to excel (aka Get High Test Scores) despite any number of mitigating circumstances, but will do so no matter how large the class or how poor or unmotivated the students or how severe the out-of-school circumstances.
They reside in ivory towers and write wonky blogs about How To Fix Schools (The staff of Fordham Institute, which resembles a large mushroom factory in all the important ways as far as I can make out, is a prime example) even though few if any are or ever have been teachers.
The Chief Of Them All works at and runs The Department of Education despite no education coursework, no teaching experience, and having gone to *private* school - the trifecta of qualifications to run US public education, apparently.
MCPS' own data show that the schools classified by the OLO as "consortia and consortia-like schools" have lower percentages of classes taught by what MCPS calls "its highly qualified teachers" than the "W schools."
MCPS is the employer. It should be placing its high-performing teachers in our low performing schools, not just , as reported in the Bethesda Beat, incentivizing them to go there. If the Apple contract lets the teachers call the shots and lets them override the needs of our children in determining at which particular schools they teach, then that provides a disservice to our county and our children. This would be discrimination against the most disadvantaged students, and I suspect that it would violation of the Civil Rights of the African American and Latino students who disproportionately attend those lowest-performing schools.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes a teacher high-performing versus low-performing?
ReplyDeleteWhat makes a student high-performing versus low-performing?
Can a high-performing teacher affect the performance of a low-performing student?
Can a low-performing teacher affect the performance of a high-performance student?
To hear the Education Reform crowd tell it, a high-performing teacher is one whose students get high test scores (and are therefore themselves high-performing).
DeleteThey also believe that an "excellent" teacher will not only inspire all students to excel (aka Get High Test Scores) despite any number of mitigating circumstances, but will do so no matter how large the class or how poor or unmotivated the students or how severe the out-of-school circumstances.
Sadly, I'm not making this up. *sigh*
It sounds like the "Education Reform" crowd resides in a mushroom factory.
DeleteThe sad part is that the truly believe it...without psychotropic drugs or DC's weed.
DeleteThey reside in ivory towers and write wonky blogs about How To Fix Schools (The staff of Fordham Institute, which resembles a large mushroom factory in all the important ways as far as I can make out, is a prime example) even though few if any are or ever have been teachers.
DeleteThe Chief Of Them All works at and runs The Department of Education despite no education coursework, no teaching experience, and having gone to *private* school - the trifecta of qualifications to run US public education, apparently.
MCPS' own data show that the schools classified by the OLO as "consortia and consortia-like schools" have lower percentages of classes taught by what MCPS calls "its highly qualified teachers" than the "W schools."
ReplyDeleteDo they read their own data?
Delete