Bell Multicultural High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, check out another website about another former teacher that worked at CHEC; again, not a pretty picture about CHEC, in fact it is quite disturbing. However, it is a great website for information about education at http://anurbanteacherseducation.com and shows that he is an intelligent thinker not a pro-union DCPS crazy teacher!!!

So you label any active WTU member to be unintelligent and crazy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because the students are all recent, poor immigrants with parents who have a 5th grade education and aren't home to model an academic atmosphere, since they are working 4 low-wage jobs. That's why.

So let me try to understand this.

If the administrator has juice and has received loads of laudatory praise from journalists like Jay Mathews,
and that administrator has fired a large percentage of teachers annually,
and the scores are still low,
it's because of low SES students, not the teachers?

Doesn't this fly into the face of our whole reform philosophy, that DCPS is a lousy school system because of bad union teachers that are difficulty to fire?

[Anonymous]

Yes but DCPS reform philosophy is wrong as you've implied with your question.

[Anonymous]

One comparison that might be illuminating is between the outcomes at Bell and at Cap City's high school. Test data, graduation rates, college attendance and the like.

I've been inside Cap City HS a lot (as a vendor) and it seems to me that the demographics are the same at the two schools, from the same neighborhoods more or less. I know that's not the case for elementary at CC - things change in HS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because the students are all recent, poor immigrants with parents who have a 5th grade education and aren't home to model an academic atmosphere, since they are working 4 low-wage jobs. That's why.

So let me try to understand this.

If the administrator has juice and has received loads of laudatory praise from journalists like Jay Mathews,
and that administrator has fired a large percentage of teachers annually,
and the scores are still low,
it's because of low SES students, not the teachers?

Doesn't this fly into the face of our whole reform philosophy, that DCPS is a lousy school system because of bad union teachers that are difficulty to fire?

DCPS isn't a lousy school system because of bad union teachers who can't be fired. It's the poverty. At the same time, there are a handful of shitty teachers who need to be fired. Why the strange notion that it's either or?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because the students are all recent, poor immigrants with parents who have a 5th grade education and aren't home to model an academic atmosphere, since they are working 4 low-wage jobs. That's why.

So let me try to understand this.

If the administrator has juice and has received loads of laudatory praise from journalists like Jay Mathews,
and that administrator has fired a large percentage of teachers annually,
and the scores are still low,
it's because of low SES students, not the teachers?

Doesn't this fly into the face of our whole reform philosophy, that DCPS is a lousy school system because of bad union teachers that are difficulty to fire?

DCPS isn't a lousy school system because of bad union teachers who can't be fired. It's the poverty. At the same time, there are a handful of shitty teachers who need to be fired. Why the strange notion that it's either or?

Not my notion, but over and over again posters on this forum describe DCPS as being lousy, crappy, a miserable failure, etc. based on test scores.

What if we judged schools, private, charter, and DCPS, on the basis of the quality of educational opportunities offered in the building rather than the "performance" of students on standardized tests? Would DCPS still be described as "lousy"?

[Anonymous]

CHEC is basically a de facto charter school. Bell HS was started as a GED-vocational program for immigrants and refugees from conflict areas in the 80s. Most of the students were older than traditional HS and limited English. It has a nonprofit fundraising arm, privately funded daycare, and that amazing building. Tukeva worked with the students nobody else in DC wanted to deal with. This does not make her a saint. Far from it. But it was always her fiefdom and never really comparable to DCPS schools.

It became CHEC by adding Lincoln Middle School nearby. It was literally a disaster of a building and sorry excuse for an education. It's horrible to think what those kids went through. Our volunteer organization had to leave due for safety reasons.

I don't know all the machinations that went on during CHEC's evolution, but I've heard from staff that it's pretty rough but some families say they feel protected and understood.

It's complicated. But Tukeva's reign has got to end at some point. It might be time to convert it to a charter and call it a day.

Jay Mathews love fest with CHEC AP offering justifies his whole "challenge index". He wouldn't criticize Tukeva (or KIPP or any of his pet projects) if you paid him.

[Anonymous]

Remember CHEC was deemed a drop out factory by Washpost and recognized by US News as a top notch the same school year. So who was right or wrong? Tukeva is teflon nothing bad will stick to her at CHEC. Again Henderson and Tukeva tolerate each other like in-laws. There's no love between those two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Remember CHEC was deemed a drop out factory by Washpost and recognized by US News as a top notch the same school year. So who was right or wrong? Tukeva is teflon nothing bad will stick to her at CHEC. Again Henderson and Tukeva tolerate each other like in-laws. There's no love between those two.

True.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There have also been stories of teachers having inappropriate relationships/having children with students. According to first hand eyewitnesses, the principal protected the real culprits by finding scapegoat teachers, accusing them of the crime and firing them.

She made sure DCPS and the union did not get involved in it so that the truth would not come out.

Teachers who tried to protect the scapegoat teachers were terminated too. About 12 years ago a group of teachers tried to get the story to the press, at no avail. They tried to get a probono lawyer but were unsuccessful.

it

Very true.
One was a PE teacher, the other a Spanish teacher, a personal friend of Tukeva who was hired as an aid but was working as a teacher. The first one was transferred to another DCPS school, the second one ws given a free ride after she came up with a bizarre excuse when busted about paying the student's rent for over 6 months.

[Anonymous]

There are a couple of blogs written by former teachers at this school that consistently bash the administrators. I know these persons may have an ax to grind but the administrators sound like scary individuals.

[Anonymous]

The teflon theory is evident. But how did she prevent employees from seeking out union representation? The WTU a decade ago was going through a transition, so many issues got lost in the sauce. I know the issue by far is deeper than can be explained through this blog.

[Anonymous]

Because the WTU is weak, unlike the myths on this site they have little power. As is evident from a number of recent posts principals and DCPS can do what they want. Teachers are at their mercy, though you wouldn't think it from reading the press. The blame the teacher mantra has stuck.

[Anonymous]

Bump

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LINCOLN- BELL has a very large ESL population, yet the principal keeps on terminating the best and most popular teachers.

It is a DCPS school but is run like a charter or private.

The principal of this school is one of the most feared principals in DCPS. She routinely fires scores of teachers each year. According to the current public school reform philosophy, with all these firings, this should be one of the best school s in the country.

You mean they QUIT in droves!!!!