On another post Anonymous wrote:
"School district salvages piece of teacher academy concept
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11159/1152320-100.stm#ixzz1OipAZEEH
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11159/1152320-100.stm "
June 8, 2011 5:24 PM
"Anonymous said...
Burning more money."
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http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_741255.html
"It will have a wider impact faster than the original plan," board President Sherry Hazuda said. "Rather than being focused on (the trainees), they'll be able to reach out into all of the schools."
Well then why was not that the first option Einstein? Covering epic failures by stating the (*emergency) plan will have more impact than the plan they mulled over for
months, spent millions of dollars on and now have opened
up a real possibility for the district looking at a class action lawsuit from 38 educated people that accepted positions in
the teacher academy.
*Save Gates fund...btw, which the district still owes a few million.
I am not good at math, but when a district is strapped adding the burden of 42 teachers getting 13k more a year for 3 years adds up. They are not on Gate's payroll, they are paid by PPS. I am not blaming the teachers, the administration KNEW huge cuts were on the way and didn't care or are seriously stupid.
This is not about the kids or Pittsburgh, it is about Roosevelt, Lane & company profiting from the dissaray. It is the ultimate shell game. I expect Lippert to replace Lopez.
I hope I am wrong.
The Education Meeting on Tuesday evening was very revealing. The Board and Administration have serious gaps in required (for the position) knowledge and the ability to answer questions. Linda Lane does her best to 'cover' the obvious lack of capacity to answer questions. Since public attendance is sparse, It is unfortunate that these meetings are not televised because the monthly Education Meetings is where we need to see the level of competence. It is too clear that NO ONE (Board or Administration) is equipped for leading a school district of this complexity. It truly puts ALL of our children "at risk."
I would hope the position is eliminated with the Lopez departure.
I hope other parents will chime in to agree that the one thing pps did do during the design of improving teacher effectiveness, even before getting Gates grant money, was keep parents clued in to the process. Dr. Lippert and Ms. Spolar presented at two or three parent meetings. Parents were given their say, but I can't be sure if the "say" changed anything. Parents wondered how a principal would find time in his day to supervise, evaluate, counsel, visit, etc. with all the teachers. Might these duties fall to the 42 certified clinicians before too long?
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11160/1152462-298.stm
From the article which use the word certify/certification multiple times:
“the new initiative ties up the loose ends of the 42 clinical resident instructors who were previously chosen to work with new teachers at the Pittsburgh Teacher Academy. The clinical resident instructors, who will be paid $13,300 per year above the normal teacher salary scale, will now be formally certified in assessing effective teaching in current teachers.”
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11160/1152462-298.stm#ixzz1Om7tCjj8
Just one question needs a detailed answer: WHO is “certifying” these teachers to train and evaluate others (teachers and principals) and by what authority, knowledge-base and process?
Does anyone know if a list of these clinical teachers is available?
Re: 6:51- but what parents were clued in and had a say about was a teachers' academy, right? The comments, concerns and suggestions about a teachers' academy might be very different from what responses might be to the new plan.
Administrators/presenters seem to have spent the most time on RISE. Parents had concerns about how the time spent on RISE would impact their kids. Would a teacher have less time to interact with students due to spending time doing RISE actions? That does not seem to have happened from observation. Less time was spend on academy topics. I would not be surprised if parents thought the academy would bring more national recognition.
The Board seems to consider national recognition very important. But does national recognition help our students in any way?
Why were 42 teachers hired to train 38 residents?
I was trained in undergraduate & my master's program. I am sick of all this crap, leave me alone. I was a better teacher before all this mularchy.
Sick of the Eli Broad/Bill Gates School of Thinking
If Bill gates realy wants to help the PPS students buy new computers and servers for the district then go away.
Amen Anon,
I am tired of it too. Why hire people if you constantly need to micro manage them. In what other job or profession does this occur? Now we are going to be evaluated even more by now our peers? And now what qualifies them to do so? Where in the conratct is this allowed? Our future is in the hands of people who were hired to train NEW teachers. Where is the UNION in all of this? And my vote will be for Mark when the elections come round!
Do you prefer training/eval by PELA principals, non-PELA principals or vps or by peers? I can see pros and cons.
Would tenured teachers, not on improvement plans need to even deal with these people if they didn't want to? The Teacher's Academy was also designed to work with currently working teachers -- not just new teachers, that part isn't new. My guess is that initially they'd have gone with volunteers to come to the Academy...but over time it would become something that everyone might be required to do.
Could it count for PD?
Could it end up having a reverse effect of what the district may hope?
This new plan basically admits that many principals, especially newer ones, are confused and overwhelmed by RISE and that the evaluations require far more time than there is in the meeting and paperwork filled days of a principal.
My solution might have been to go with something different than RISE, but...
Are principals in general becoming less visible, due to the paperwork, meetings and evaluations?
Remember how it was considered really important for the Board not to micromanage the administration; but at the same time the administration considers it important to micromanage teachers.
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