Monday, October 15, 2012

New student survey at approx $900k

On another post Anonymous wrote:

From the Board Action Information Sheet:

Did you know that the Pittsburgh Public Schools is paying $896,3000.00 to Cambridge Education, LLS to do the Tripod student survey that will be used to evaluate teachers.

This tab was submitted by Sam Franklin and Jerri Lippert and passed at the Legislative Meeting in September, 2012.

8 comments:

Questioner said...

Who did last year's student surveys, and how are the new surveys different?

Anonymous said...

$900,000?

That would pay something like:

22 new teachers, to reduce class size,
or
30 new security guards, to make the schools safer,
or
15000 new textbooks, to keep content current,
or
1 survey, to generate more graphs and data charts.

I not surprised that PPS chose the last option.

Questioner said...

Well usually they say expenditures are coming from targeted grant money. Of course behind closed doors PPS surely has a voice in what money will be targeted for. Did PPS pay for this "with its own money"?

Anonymous said...

PPS was required to match the Gates grant, they fell short and got an extension. How much do we owe them now?

Grants usually come with a price.

The Big Kaj said...

Anon 3:41 wrote

"Grants usually come with a price."

So very true!

I read somewhere that when an organization accepts a grant, 1% of the budget (the grant) often ends up controlling the rest of the organization's budget.

Pittsburgh is a perfect example of this.

Beware of granters bearing gifts!



Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

This includes the other survey . ..

And certainly, any teacher responding from a school computer could be immediately identified. Even though the codes for filling them out are (I think) randomly assigned, it wouldn't be hard at all for someone unscrupulous at the district to pinpoint specific teachers' responses.

So, yes, imagine how a teacher would fill this out if they had any suspicion that it might be traced back to them.

October 14, 2012 5:44 PM

Anonymous said...
9:14, you are correct, school improvement plans are due to the state each year. However, if a school rates itself low in the teaching and learning environment, they are rewarded with having to write another plan for how they will address their survey results in the upcoming year! These plans, are turned into some central office department (TLE team), who probably uses them to show the Broad and Gates foundations all that is being done to address the issues.

October 14, 2012 6:34 PM

Anonymous said...
It seems like people need a Masters degree in acronyms to understand school districts now! TLE, TFC, TFA, PELA, VAM and RISE are a few examples I can think of off the top of my head. I am not sure what they all are! I am a parent not a teacher or employee. PPS is putting too much pressure on teachers and has too many layers of idiotic "teams" that serve no purpose other than to keep themselves employed.

October 14, 2012 10:05 PM

Anonymous said...
The person in charge of the presentation of the survey results is Eddie Wilson the same gentleman in charge of Summers Dreamers Academy?

He was a great leader of the Summer Program. He is now Eddie Wilson, director of operations, student support services, for the district as listed in this article.

What does this mean?
No more Summer Dreamers Program-that my children loved?

Would Mr. Rautherkus have knowledge because he was a part of Dreamers as a Swim Director!

And was Eddie Wilson promoted to this new position due to the end of the program.
Mr. Wilson is a great down to earth person to make an important bridge for this new initiative to work regarding discipline.

I would like to have an answer if they are cutting Dreamers from PPS budget. And if Eddie Wilson was promoted to this new position?

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to agree with the post singing Eddie Willson's praises. He is honest, fair and forthright. Jeri's Kids on Bellefield could learn a lot from him. He is teacher-friendly and loves kids--a combination I was sure would see him to the unemployment line.

Anonymous said...

Also, I agree about Eddie Wilson.

Is this a new job for Eddie Wilson?
Is this the end of Summer Dreamers Academy?
Was he moved for reasons?

He definitely is needed at the Board to work with all.

But, was this past summer the last Summer Dreamers Program for our children?

Our children need Summer Dreamers more than ever now.