Richmonder here - tell me about Jason Kamras

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blanket statement. How do you support that claim? Are you in one of the 40/40 schools?

Anonymous wrote:Schools are better period! Being a former student of multiple DCPS schools and now being a teacher, I can attest to the fact that things are better. Things are not as well as some may say and def not as bad a critics would have you believe. I think IMPACT is still necessary considering we have tons of teachers who would relax if not for the evaluations and the known fact that they can be removed if they aren't doing what's expected. LEAP on the other hand is a MISS! It needs to be redone to support all teachers and not just new teachers or struggling teachers. I think Jason did a solid job and he has good intentions. Good luck with him!

It's all smoke and mirrors, just an illusion. Gentrification has accounted for the jump in test scores, which are wholly still in the toilet. It's looks all shiny and good on the outside but the inside is rotten; however, a lot of folks jump started their careers and got rich (downtown) off of the backs of our children. At lets not even talk about the cheating scandals, what happened to those kids in the schools were cheating occurred. They were never offered intense remediation to makeup for the fact that they weren't truthfully at the level their test scores said they were, and as for the teachers who got those children next year - were they told? They were probably fired because they couldn't show growth. Nice buildings EOTP but half full, overcrowding elsewhere!

Yes I actually am at a 40/40 school. The school has made great gains over the years and is similar to many schools in NW, and believe me it has nothing to do with gentrification.

If you knew what went on at the schools in NW you'd know it is nothing to gloat about!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers generally loathe him. That may or may not be fair--I think some things have been blown out of proportion--but he definitely has some PR problems with them.

They hated Rhee too. But our schools are better now than they were before her. You can question the causation, but not correlation.

Anthony Williams is responsible for any positives in schools now. He's the one who started fixing deteriorating school buildings, making infrastructure changes so gentrifiers would move into DC, and ensuring books actually arrived when the school year started.
Impact "pass" is not a mark of an effective teacher. I know one teacher with great ratings who cannot actually communicate subject content, and doesn't care a bit. She'll be in the system another 5 yrs doing nothing positive.

[Anonymous]

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers generally loathe him. That may or may not be fair--I think some things have been blown out of proportion--but he definitely has some PR problems with them.

They hated Rhee too. But our schools are better now than they were before her. You can question the causation, but not correlation.

Anthony Williams is responsible for any positives in schools now. He's the one who started fixing deteriorating school buildings, making infrastructure changes so gentrifiers would move into DC, and ensuring books actually arrived when the school year started.
Impact "pass" is not a mark of an effective teacher. I know one teacher with great ratings who cannot actually communicate subject content, and doesn't care a bit. She'll be in the system another 5 yrs doing nothing positive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools are better period! Being a former student of multiple DCPS schools and now being a teacher, I can attest to the fact that things are better. Things are not as well as some may say and def not as bad a critics would have you believe. I think IMPACT is still necessary considering we have tons of teachers who would relax if not for the evaluations and the known fact that they can be removed if they aren't doing what's expected. LEAP on the other hand is a MISS! It needs to be redone to support all teachers and not just new teachers or struggling teachers. I think Jason did a solid job and he has good intentions. Good luck with him!

NP, really appreciate your words PP! But my main question would be, how much did Kamras have to do with the improvements you're citing? Those I know at your agency say the ideas are great, but the follow through & actual implementation is usually problematic under him. What is your experience specifically with his leadership, or what do people you work with say?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools are better period! Being a former student of multiple DCPS schools and now being a teacher, I can attest to the fact that things are better. Things are not as well as some may say and def not as bad a critics would have you believe. I think IMPACT is still necessary considering we have tons of teachers who would relax if not for the evaluations and the known fact that they can be removed if they aren't doing what's expected. LEAP on the other hand is a MISS! It needs to be redone to support all teachers and not just new teachers or struggling teachers. I think Jason did a solid job and he has good intentions. Good luck with him!

NP, really appreciate your words PP! But my main question would be, how much did Kamras have to do with the improvements you're citing? Those I know at your agency say the ideas are great, but the follow through & actual implementation is usually problematic under him. What is your experience specifically with his leadership, or what do people you work with say?

Bump

[Anonymous]

It's his way or the highway. As previously stated: Rhee = Henderson = Jason. They are all the same! They lie and inflate numbers so they can continue moving their careers along. They leave a mess behind for others to clean up. Certain schools in Richmond will improve, while others will absolutely fall apart. As also previously said, he has THEORY, and little actual hands-on experience to understand the impracticality of the theories. It will be his way or the highway. He will not ask for or receive any feedback from the Teachers on the ground floor actually doing the work, unless they are willing to blindly agree with him. He will bring in young people with NO TEACHING EXPERIENCE and appoint them in high ranking positions where they will impose their thoughts and beliefs about how the jobs should be done, with little supporting data or evidence. He will last about five years and there will be little actual improvement to show for it. Also expect him to bring along some of his DCPS friends who are at-risk of being fired because of DCPS' new Chancellor. And his friends are just as messy. I don't think he's fair and objective, but he's an excellent politician and salesman. As also previously stated, KEEP HIM!!! And this is from a DCPS insider!!!

NP, really appreciate your words PP! But my main question would be, how much did Kamras have to do with the improvements you're citing? Those I know at your agency say the ideas are great, but the follow through & actual implementation is usually problematic under him. What is your experience specifically with his leadership, or what do people you work with say?

[Anonymous]

This is what you need the straight story on: https://wamu.org/story/17/11/28/really-happened-ballou-d-c-high-school-every-senior-got-college/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what you need the straight story on: https://wamu.org/story/17/11/28/really-happened-ballou-d-c-high-school-every-senior-got-college/

What does Jason have to say bout this one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers generally loathe him. That may or may not be fair--I think some things have been blown out of proportion--but he definitely has some PR problems with them.

They hated Rhee too. But our schools are better now than they were before her. You can question the causation, but not correlation.

No the schools ar not.

The PR is.

Until it isn’t.

See the fallout of Ballou’s ‘All of our kids were accepted at college’.

[Anonymous]

Teacher here. Keep him and good luck. He has horrible rapport with teachers. We bleed good teachers. It’s not worth it and his LeAP is a joke. It was something he created because they could no longer afford master educators. Our math specialists are no longer teaching kids but are LEAP leaders. Thanks Jason! Bye bye!

[Anonymous]

Yes, he should take LEAP, IMPACT, and every other failed initiative with him.

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. Keep him and good luck. He has horrible rapport with teachers. We bleed good teachers. It’s not worth it and his LeAP is a joke. It was something he created because they could no longer afford master educators. Our math specialists are no longer teaching kids but are LEAP leaders. Thanks Jason! Bye bye!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, he should take LEAP, IMPACT, and every other failed initiative with him.

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. Keep him and good luck. He has horrible rapport with teachers. We bleed good teachers. It’s not worth it and his LeAP is a joke. It was something he created because they could no longer afford master educators. Our math specialists are no longer teaching kids but are LEAP leaders. Thanks Jason! Bye bye!

And his superior attitude! Teacher of the year, hmmmm less said about that the better but can research if you want! Happy Holidays to you all and enjoy your early present!