Deborah Gist & Pamela Reinsel Cotter:
Deborah Gist: Chasm: Seniority is no longer a way in which teachers will be selected and assigned in our state. I sent a letter to all superintendents last fall to remind them that the Basic Education Program Regulation in going in effect this summer, and seniority policies would be inconsistent with that regulation. Unfortunately, state statute requires that layoffs be done on a “first in, first out” policy. Legislation would be required to change that, and I would wholeheartedly support it if it were introduced. I will do whatever is necessary to ensure that the very highest quality teacher is in every classroom in our state.
Deborah Gist: I can’t imagine how any district or school leader could interpret my words or actions to be anything other than ensuring the top quality, so “change for change’s sake” would be contradictory to that.
Bob: Please run for governor. I love your go getter attitude!
Deborah Gist: I appreciate your support very much. Make sure to keep watching and hold me accountable for results!
Parent: As a parent of 2 children, I know how crucial parent involvement is. Has anyone looked at educating the parents of the kids of these failing schools? You can replace the teachers….and you can give new teachers incentives to change things around. But this is a band aid. Teachers are blamed for too many problems. They can’t be expected to solve the problems of society. Teachers have many many challenges these days- more so than 25 years ago. Kis and parents need to take responsibility for on education. Just look at math grades around the state. Kids don’t know how to deal with fractions because they don’t know how to tell time on an analgoue clock. But the teachers are blamed. Let’s take a look at the real problems. Educate the kids – the parents- look around the country at other programs. Please don’t make this mistake.
Deborah Gist: Parent involvement is important, and supportive, engaged parents are important partners in a child’s education. Fortunately, we know that great teaching can overcome those instances when children have parents who are unable to provide that level of support. I don’t blame teachers, but I do hold them accountable for results. I also hold myself and everyone on my team accountable.
Matt: Will you apologize for repeatedly saying that “we recruit the majority of our teachers from the bottom third of high school students going to college”? The studies that you cite do not back this up.
Deborah Gist: Matt: As a traditionally trained teacher, I know this is difficult to hear. I don’t like it either. Unfortunately, it is true. While there are many extraordinarily intelligent educators throughout Rhode Island and our country, the US–unlike other high performing countries–recruits our teachers from the lowest performers in our secondary schools based on SAT scores and other performance data.
Deborah Gist: If you have a source that shows otherwise, I’d love to see that. I’m always open to learning new resources. So, I’d be happy for you to share that.
Clusty Search: Deborah Gist. Deborah Gist’s website and Twitter account.
A must read.
“While there are many extraordinarily intelligent educators throughout Rhode Island and our country, the US–unlike other high performing countries–recruits our teachers from the lowest performers in our secondary schools based on SAT scores and other performance data.”
What a damning statement to come from a former classroom teacher, and one that has serious implications for the future of education in this country. I can’t help but wonder how the ACT scores of our UW Ed School graduates compare to the rest of the programs on campus.
Jeff:
Or you could go down the College of Engineering, or the BioChem building, or any of the hard science and math departments at the UW — which attract some of the very brightest of the university’s undergraduates (already the cream of the crop of Wisconsin high school graduates) — and ask how many plan on becoming public school teachers. If you find one, let me know.
I am a teacher in Tennessee and I respect decisions to keep teachers based on those who are showing results and not on seniority. However, there are a lot of factors pertaining to what makes a teacher effective vs. one who does not and serious guidelines need to be outlined for what indicates a “good teacher.” Also, how do you filter a principal who now has the opportunity to keep teachers they like and are friendly with vs. those who are effective? For example, if two teachers have similar levels of effectiveness, have great evaluations, and are considered “good teachers,” but one has been there 1 year and one 3, how do you choose who gets to stay if not by seniority? Does the principal get to decide who she likes better? That has happened and principals need to be filtered too. Also, you wrote, “state statute requires that layoffs be done on a “first in, first out” policy.” Are there similar laws about this in all states? If so, where could I read that information for Tennessee? Thanks for you help. Christen