On another post Anonymous wrote:
New topic-- Teach for America
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2013/11/09/Pittsburgh-schools-may-hire-from-Teach-for-America.html
Can
anything be done to stop this obvious last minute stab to sabotage our
schools? I know our colleagues at YINZERCATION posed some great
questions to ask the board about it-- but no one is saying this is a
pathetic death blow to public education in yet another city. How can we
stop these lame ducks? Hey Dr. Lane we dont want to be Philly! Hey Mr.
Peduto-- while closing schools is bad, it is also a distraction -- so
they can pull an end run and do their final dirt. The least we can do is
call them on the dirty game plan.
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19 comments:
Will this be the time we get some real data before a decision is made? If a major incentive is attracting more African American teachers, and PPS is looking to hire in the high schools, can we have some data on what percentage of TofA teachers working in high schools are AA and what percentage of the current applicant pool is AA; what percentage of TofA HS science teachers are AA? And if the problem is attracting qualified science teachers, why not offer a competitive salary? It seems there are many good adjunct college professors trying to scrape up a living; some of them might be very happy to teach high school science.
What a great idea! Most adjuncts have shown a real commitment to education,not just the 2 year resume building. They are not opportunists but experienced teachers who have worked with young men and women.
But competitive salaries? The whole point of TFA is that the venture philanthropists are footing the bill to sabotage public education. So TFA is a cheap fix for urban schools with budget issues. Except it isnt cheap or a fix
http://garyrubinstein.teachforus.org/2011/10/31/why-i-did-tfa-and-why-you-shouldnt/
Note that most did not return. ALL teachers have a first year-- and most say they learned more than the students. And in the past, they paid back the system by serving in a career in education. This program is not for the dedicated career teachers. Great they go on to law school. Meanwhile in colleges all over PENNSYLVANIA-- i.e. not carpet baggers-- there are education majors who really want to be teachers. And other states recruit here for our education graduates. Our system IS working. Maybe they should recruit more AA. But remember, as opportunities opened up for African Americans, teaching was not their first choice as a profession.
Another source for teachers: what about all those excellent low seniority teachers the district very regretfully had to furlough? Why not at least ask if some of them would be interested in being retooled for science? Probably an arrangement could be worked out with one of the local colleges, for less money than T of A on an ongoing basis will cost. How many additional HS science teachers are needed, anyway?
I continue to be simply stunned at the depth to which this board and superintendent will go to place personal friends into positions of power. This is an example of white privilege that your African American superintendent is only too happy to take on as her own as part of her own climb into the 1% ranks. TFA seeks to have a founding Executive Director on the ground in Pittsburgh. That person would be Cate Reed, the Broad Resident who abandoned the unspeakable mess she created with the Envisioning Project, not to mention the mess she created with her leadership of UPrep planning, magnets, and everything else she touched while here. She left to go back to TFA and now undoubtedly can't keep up with the scheduling etc given that she has two young children under the age of five here in the City. It is totally unconscionable for this board to make a decision like this, too, in such an aggressive way against its longtime workforce that is the only thing holding these schools together in the face of the completely incompetent central admin leaders. Further, it would not surprise me at all to see this voted in with a proviso that TFA hires are exempt for two years or more from the current Gates inspired EET teacher evaluations, as not a one of the TFAs could hope to evidence quality performance on that 50 page rubric. Pittsburgh you must act and take back your schools from these shameful people whose only concern is their own place in history. You must end this horrifically selfish and ridiculous behavior. These people do not care about your children. They care about prevailing and getting their own way. Elementary teachers, you cannot continue to hide in your classrooms. You are at risk now, too, because TFAs can glide through in elementary placements. Do not make the mistake of believing what Linda lane says here about TFA only being for high schools. No. This is ruthless behavior Pittsburgh, spurred on by the unethical and arrogant central leaders who cannot believe the federation has filed a lawsuit against these EET evaluations. How dare anyone question pps in its vast actions against education? Call everyone. Act. Move. Shout. Stand. You will not have a city when this school system collapses, and it will if you do not act. Call the ACLU, call your state and local reps, stand in the pps board room, make yourself felt, lean on them. Shameful cloak and dagger behavior like this last minute announcement that the board will vote TFA in is the sign of a true scoundrel, which is apparently this board's last knife in the side to e incoming board members. Nice work, cripple everyone with even more unskilled, untrained staff so that the district fails and falls to an even greater level. Wow. How can pps claim "education is the civil rights battle of our time" when it continues to take such simplistically ruthless and aggressive actions against children in classrooms, moving the locus of attention from learning to instead punishing adults and children until they are so compliant they just sit there and let those in the 1% rake in all the cash and opportunities they can find. Your children should not be the test tube experiments they are currently. This is wrong.Linda lane, bill isler, Teresa Colaizzi,and shareen shealey should hang their head in shame for what they've allowed to happen here in this district. Even hell won't have them now.
Linda Lane is not a big thinker. I can guarantee you this TFA solution is just the simplest solution for her yo return a favor, boe to dome political pressure, get a quick solution to making the union quake and sit back down in its chair. She has no capacity to think about how her daily decisions affect long term results.
Mayor elect Peduto has asked the outgoing administration not to enter into or extend contracts. Isn't there an analogous situation with a new Board arriving in December? What we have seen in the past is the opposite, a rush to enter into new agreements before new Board members arrive.
Maybe for each position where T of A is being considered the Board can require PPS to first show vigorous efforts to recruit qualified certified candidates and that no such candidates are available, and overall to provide information on the diversity of the applicant pool.
Broad supports TFA in many cities. Lane is a Broadee, as is Reed. She surely is behind this to create herself a safe, more flexible position.
10:00 am, I don't understand. It looks to me like this is a rush to approve a TFA contact in November before the new board takes hold in December. The item for the vote this month -- is it to approve some type of agreement or contract with TFA?
Remember that two of the new Board Members to take a seat were both strong PFT members. Wilson retired after years of serving the teachers at the PFT Admin building. Carolyn Klug was a school building rep for years. That's why Lane brought this up for a vote prior to the new Board members swearing in. Certainly, they would never support TFA as a possible solution for PPS in acquiring any teachers.
Let's also remember that so many of those who served as TFA teachers, left the career path as disgruntled. TFA is not the answer. All that is being done by big corporate money donors is the destruction of public education in America for the benefit of big business. Those at the top reap salaries and benefits as corporate managers while worker turnover is commonplace. Teach a few years at minimum salaries and benefits then off they go to another field of work which will become a career. If the current Board Members vote yeah to this request, then they failed to serve the children of PPS with integrity.
Key comments in the P-G article: *TFA has been advertising since spring...laying groundwork - sounds to me like a backroom deal has already been done.
*Our district is supposedly going broke, but we will pay a fee of $3,000-$5,000 per member.
*TFA members make a two-year commitment. That's not very long considering we want long-term commitment and continuity in the best interests of our students.
*Lane slammed traditional teacher preparation institutions by saying, "are not being very successful in preparing African-American teachers." What is she basing that comment on?
*Solicitor Weiss and the Board met in a private session with TFA reps. "closed because legal and labor contract issues were involved." This is more lack of transparency from PPS.
*Putting this issue on the agenda BEFORE the new members are sworn in, demonstrates more administrative duplicity.
*Lane is using diversity as an excuse to bring in another outside
business.
Will these corps members also get health care with our tax dollars?
What big idea will our administration come up with next?
People - You all live in a fantasy world if you think an adjunct college professor could come in and teach at a Pittsburgh City High School. By my estimate any professor from academia would last 2-3 days at 80% of all Pittsburgh High schools. The total chaos, the constant threat of student on student violence, and the all too real chance of a teacher assault are the realities of todays inner city educators. The constant filthy language that is echoed throughout the halls and directed straight at teachers and administrators, the outrages disrespect shown to all adults not just teachers is not just out of control, but to a point that kids just laugh when any repercussion is threatened. These kids come from homes and environments, and bring so many issues, academics is the last thing they are concerned about. When kids don't eat, don't have clean clothes, don't have a couple dollars to attend the school dance, or attend a pep rally. In your face immediate needs are thrown at kids who just have no hope and are too embarrassed to ask for help.
Instead of throwing all the REFORM money after incentives that have no chance of changing anything,(and has been proven to have no affect on academic improvement and proven not to work) all that money should be aimed at pre-school programs, pre-mom mentoring that teach young soon to be parents how to parent, life skills programs that teach everyday skills needed to meet demands of motherhood. Tutoring sessions for moms who cant read but are able to pick up a few skills which will enable the mom to read to her infant(an activity that is proven will prepare baby with needed identification of letter activities that help kids become school ready.) Bringing in TFA (Teach for America )is all part of the GATES REFORM that includes the incentive to move 15% of older upper salary earning teachers out of employment through the RISE EVALUATION tool that GATES developed. The contract reads that to secure more monies for Pittsburgh Schools, this purging of experienced teachers is a large part of their agenda. They do not want smart, know what's going on professionals who will question and resists the nonsense. Ms. Lane and her henchman will try to suffocate you and prevent you from knowing what the real plan is. Charter schools with teachers earning $25.000 a year.
There is probably a range of adjuncts out there, some pretty tough. And not all Pps classrooms are that rough. Teachers could be placed accordingly.
Questioner,
"And not all Pps classrooms are that rough."
Except for CAPA, the high schools, in general, are rough. You might have great honors students, but good luck in the hallways or covering a class for an absent teacher.
"Teachers could be placed accordingly."
Huh? Sorry Questioner, but I must respectfully disagree.
You cannot say to one teacher "You are tough, so you'll be getting all the bad classes and all the hallway duties."
And then say to another teacher, "You are not so tough, in fact you are quite delicate. You will be getting only the best assignments. Someone else will be covering the bad assignments for you."
See what I mean?
By the way, I agree with you when you said that some adjuncts are pretty tough. But one thing is for sure. Every last one of them will get an unpleasant surprise if they take on a PPS teaching schedule. It sure ain't college.
And only the tough ones will still be there when the school year is out.
A few things come to mind concerning the TFA's Will the Department of Education give waivers or just grant them a teaching certificate? Without a certificate, will they need to collect 180 hours of professional development? Will they be eligible to join the union? Will they pay fair share dues if they are not eligible?
If DOE does grant waivers, the PFT will blame it on the Republicans who are "union busting, hate organized labor, have a hatred for education"
If they do not, L. Lane and the others at Bellefield will Blame the Republicans because they "Hate education, just trying to protect colleges and teacher education programs"
We had a similar program in 89-90, and 90-91. Under Wallace, industry people with a math background and science majors were involved in a program to get more math and science teachers. They spent 1/2 day in a school and 1/2 day in a program. (CMU comes to mind) These teachers actually took the place of a teacher of a teacher on Maternity leave at Perry. Rather than hire a replacement. Bu doing so, they earned a certificate and were guaranteed a job. Those who successfully completed the program were hired before people who were already on the eligibility list. A few were subbing several years and were passed over.
A reminder to all teachers. Your new PFT card will arrive in the mail soon. You are entitled to a refund of #10.00 for political action. You must fill out the enclosed form and send it in by the due date. It is usually hidden in with the junk you would otherwise throw away.
Speaking of the PFT Union, they already rolled over and played dead for Bellefield in the past which is a major reason PPS is in such a mess. If they allow Lane and her cohorts to bring in TFA, get the shovels out to bury the Union once and for all. It will be dead and gone for good. Why pay dues?
Will they have to go through RISE? I'd be much more productive if I didn't have to deal with that hassle!
Hmm, does this sound familiar? I think it does: The Teaching Academy II. The first one worked out really well. Maybe the geniuses at PFT will create another RISE for these teachers to be, or not to be. Maybe the new breed can opt out of their own Tripod. I think a tripod should be done on the heads of the PFT: on try for each pod.
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