"Faison has been historically low-performing despite all our interventions, our coaching model, our aligned curriculum, our response to intervention model," said Jeannine French, district chief of school performance.
So the district is trying something it hasn't tried at the other schools: It is restaffing the school and giving the selected teachers say over how the program will be redesigned."
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11083/1134369-53.stm#ixzz1HWPJjgIf
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11083/1134369-53.stm
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11 comments:
Giving teachers a say makes a lot of sense. Could this have happened when MR was superintendent?
Also the move to K-5 will probably make things more manageable, although it's too bad that the options for 6-8 students aren't better. Was Faison one of those originally a K-5 that went to K-8 when the middle schools were closed?
Sort of! Faison was built under Thompson. The building itself is well-designed as a school. I believe it initially had an arts focus with some clear sort of community arts program connections.
Then, it was turned into a K-8, with the old Crescent building as its 6-8 site. That was the school from which a bunch of kids were taken to Westinghouse because the behavior at Faison was so out of control.
It is kind of ironic that they only ask for teacher support when every single thing they've done has failed. I'm sure there were suggestions, requests and pleas that have been ignored all this time.
Slowly and quietly but surely, almost all of Mark Roosevelt's changes will be reversed.
"a principal and a vice principal, but the grant money will pay for a director"
Wow. Three administrators for a school that might have up to about 450 kids? That's a lot. Do any other just elementary schools (not K-8s) have both a principal and a vice principal, even?
It doesn't say, but one would assume that those positions will hold new people as well? Will they be filled by PELA principals and if so, how will they be able to handle the contradiction between all that they've been taught (the curriculum is gold, must be adhered to at all costs) and the thinking behind this "new" model?
Faison will likely have no problem attracting quality teachers now.
Well, it will be interesting at least. I hope they do get an energetic batch who haven't been beaten down by the system for too long!
One period a day is...honestly? Nothing. Maybe if they were paying them to work over the summer, too, talking with ALL the teachers, not just the 12 special teachers, I'd be more hopeful that they can start in the fall with a working plan.
Who are the principals in Faison, now and in the past? Names? Who gets the job in the future too? Will Faison's principal -- or others on that school staff -- migrate to Westinghouse along with the present 6,7 and 8th graders?
Wondering.
It's telling that Faison isn't being converted to an ALA.
Also, if the school was historically low performing, why wasn't it made an ALA back when the ALA program began?
No one is "migrating" to Westinghouse as far as I know. They are able to choose from anyone. You know, just like they did to such great success at UPrep. There are teachers from Faison and Lincoln applying, I'm sure, but it sure looks like there will be far fewer kids at W'house in 6-8 than there were in those two schools at the same grade level.
Please excuse the laughter. I find it hilarious that Ms.French, a school psychologist by trade, would profess to know anything at all--anything--about effective teaching. She woujld not know an effective teacher if one bit her in the backside.
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