A concept behind Westinghouse was that it would be staffed by teachers who were interested in single gender education and really wanted to be there, right? Kind of like how ALA's were to be staffed by teachers committed to the ALA concept.
Word is however that teaching slots are being filled with teachers displaced from Brashear, who have no particular interest in a single gender setting and/or would prefer not to teach under the new schedule with the school year beginning in the summer.
Meanwhile, long-term Westinghouse teachers who know the kids and are happy to be there are being assigned to other schools.
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Education Meeting
Tuesday, June 21
6:30PM
We must stop the this nonsense!
Come out let's get Organized!
It's a good thing that PPS hired The New Teacher Project (TNTP) at a cost of more than $1 million to help staff according to the Gates initiative plans.
Looks like it's working out real well for the district.
Who is conducting this meeting? Who will be present? What are the topics being presented or open for discussion?
To become organized, more details are needed.
I'm sure the displaced Brashear and Westinghouse teachers will embrace their new assignments!
Wait, wasn't the reason that they couldn't change the model at Westinghouse because it was already fully staffed with teachers who were just so excited about the new model?
Then again, it may be that some of them have to be furloughed...
So let's get this straight...and Questioner, verify all of this....
PPS decides it can't start up a new teachers center.
Numerous new teachers complain and bitch, and both The PG and Trib document their plight. (Odd that neither publication talked to actual Brashear teachers)
The board capitulates, no doubt fearing lawsuits.
They say they will still hire these 'new teachers' who complained loud and hard.
They'll "be trained" and then act as supervisors who go into the classrooms and deem a teacher "effective" or "not effective".
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
And real Brashear teachers are being shipped across the city?
ARE YOU JOKING?????
Lifelong teachers are going to be visited by this ilk, that will have learned what effectiveness is by sitting in a class for a couple of months????
I cannot wait until one of these young, inexperienced clowns tries to confront a real, bona fide teacher. Cannot wait.
DR.LANE, YOU HAVE PROVIDED NO CHANGE. WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS OUTRAGEOUS--AN ABSOLUTE JOKE THAT SEEKS TO SAVE FACE WHEN THE GAME IS UP.
Add to this that are no schools in which to place PELA's, so you are going to call them 'school directors'?
AT WHAT POINT WILL PARENTS DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY? Placing ANY PELA at the expense of true teachers is outrageous.
Anon 2:36 --
You've got a few things confused together!
The newly hired people (the majority of whom were NOT certified teachers) are gone. Never started in the first place.
The people hired as "CRIs" are teachers who are already teaching and went through an interview process etc., left their old teaching positions and came aboard to do TWO things at the now old news Teacher's Academies:
1) They were to train the newly hired (now gone) people
2) They were to work with current teachers on improving skills -- with the newly trained people going off to take over their classrooms while they were away.
(Stupid, stupid idea, but that was the plan. If you taught a subject that was tested on your grade level? You'd have to have been crazy to consider leaving your class(es) in the hands of people who had been teaching for less time than most people student teach)
At Westinghouse, Brashear (and King?) ALL teachers had to reapply for their jobs. Because, of course, the only reason anyone ever does badly in school is the teachers. (yes, that was sarcasm.)
At Brashear and I believe at W'house only about 30% of people kept their jobs and the others were coming in from other schools, having applied for the new positions.
Then at the job fairs and continuing through the summer, all the positions opened up by people moving to the CRI positions, and to Brashear and W'house, etc. are filled by the people who were bumped out at those schools and by people at closing schools and by people being bumped by more senior people.
But, there are NOT newly hired non-teachers being used.
Another outrage...the letters/notifications to students and parents on the topic of first day of school for Westinghouse had not been sent out as of agenda review on 6/15. Since that vote won't take place until the legislative meeting on 6/22, presumably the letters will go out then. I think it is an eight day earlier start date(?), wow.
At the meeting, admin commented that families pretty much knew about the schedule (implying that the letters are not a big deal).
I don't buy that, but if I did I still think that come those hot days in August, eight days before the start of school for other buildings, kids will be skipping days.
Was thinking the same thing- kids will skip those days- the main purpose is so PPS can say the school now has an extended year.
Anon at 3:11...
I believe the first anon poster is correct and that you missed the news flash that hit last week. The "new" teachers that were coming in from different parts of the country or other fields I believe are going to come into the program, and I will try to find a link to post. I too read this as a way to stay out of lawsuits, especially in light of the fact that repeated emails to the newly hired stated that no changes to the financial side of PPS would change their being hired.
That's why a number of people resigned jobs.
Unless I'm mistaken, these folks will be the ones doing the actual learning from CRI's--oh, them and those deemed in need of improvement via RISE--over at Brashear.
Again, I will look for the link, but I believe you are off base.
Here's a link, but it supports 3:11:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11159/1152320-100.stm
Thie PPS link says the program has been eliminated. Nice picture of PIttsburgh though.
http://teacheracademyresidency.ttrack.org/
One of the 38 here again. In response to some of the comments about the academy:
NO participants in the academy were hired under that program. The program was eliminated and none of us will be hired. A few may be picked up as substitute teachers with emergency certification, but NONE of us are going into the program as originally intended. We won't be studying under CRI, we won't be teaching this year, NOTHING.
I know at least one person is considering legal action, but the district has not offered any of us employment in order to avoid a lawsuit. (Technically, we were never offered a contract, so we don't have a leg to stand on.)
Anyone who says we're being hired for this or that has no idea what he/she is talking about. NONE of us have been hired as teachers, instructors, whatever under the original academy program or any version thereof. Anybody they're talking about are the instructors that would have trained us.
Thank you one of 38, was hoping you would update us.
Despite the lack of a contract- there could well be some legal issues to be addressed.
I understand that there was no contract. However, it is also my understanding that there were a lot of verbal agreements. I also thought that there were a lot of emails with information sent to the incoming residents.
Sad to say, but things happen for a reason and those 38 people are probably better off not coming into this mess. The way it happened was horrible. The fact that many quit jobs and began to relocate based on verbal agreements and emails should be enough to pursue some legal action for those expenses alone. PPS does not realize that they created yet another group of people that hate them now. I know hate is a strong word. However, I have spoken to one of the 38 and all she ever wanted to do was teach in the city. Now she says that they are liars and she doesn't care if they called her tomorrow and offered her a job, she wouldn't come.
The funny thing is that now the CRI's are going to mentor administrators instead of new teachers. That is a complete change. However, the PPS/PFT collaborative is trying to pass it off as virtually the same role. What a joke. I have never been surrounded by such lies and deception. That is this district - lies and deception.
Good luck to the 38 former residents- you are better off.
Good luck to the Brashear and Westinghouse teachers that have to trade places just so the district can say they restructured and start over again with AYP in those 2 schools. Lies and deception.
Wouldn't it be interesting if all groups pulled together and PPS got hit with multiple law suits - CRI's for changing their role and not allowing them to opt out; former resident teachers for the false advertisement of guaranteed 5 years job security; the Brashear and Westinghouse teachers that were forced into a move for no other reason than to say they restructured. It will never happen, but wouldn't it be interesting.
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