Secret recording exposes teacher pressure to 'pass and promote' students; DCPS

[Anonymous]

I'm so disgusted with all of it. I say remove schools from the mayor's responsibility and let Congress oversee. DCPS has a history of not firing administrators, but rather recalling them to central office. They clearly took a page out of the Catholic playbook. But now that people are actually losing their jobs and being named in news stories, they are willing to blow whistles. Keep it up!

[Anonymous]

Congressional oversight is definitely not the answer.

Members of Congress rightly care about their own constituents, not DC. The only time they mess in DC things is when they have some pilot project to try out that they can't get support for back home.

Here's a question for the reporter. Are there ANY urban school districts, with demographics roughly equivalent to DCPS, that are succeeding in both 1) raising achievement among poor students and 2) increasing graduation rates.

Let's find someplace that has done it -- if there is one -- and emulate it.

[Anonymous]

I think many current and former DCPS teachers all have secret recordings they might be willing to share with certain assurances. I have one.

[Anonymous]

This happens in hundreds of districts across America. Teachers and admins are judged by how many kids pass, so pass every one you possibly can.

They are not judged by how ready their students are.

-teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This happens in hundreds of districts across America. Teachers and admins are judged by how many kids pass, so pass every one you possibly can.

They are not judged by how ready their students are.

-teacher

This is what we should be talking about more. We need better measures that students know the right stuff before leaving the city's schools. This is what we as parents should be pushing for - maybe this is an opportunity to get on a better track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think many current and former DCPS teachers all have secret recordings they might be willing to share with certain assurances. I have one.

Please share with a reporter. They should be able to give the right assurances. As a parent, I want to know what is going on.

[Anonymous]

NathanBacaABC7 wrote:I'm the reporter that aired the story on the Roosevelt STAY recordings. I'll try and answer any questions you have.

Good job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This happens in hundreds of districts across America. Teachers and admins are judged by how many kids pass, so pass every one you possibly can.

They are not judged by how ready their students are.

-teacher

This is what we should be talking about more. We need better measures that students know the right stuff before leaving the city's schools. This is what we as parents should be pushing for - maybe this is an opportunity to get on a better track.

dp: Well, that's the Holy Grail of education. Education is not just "knowing stuff" -- being a critical thinker and knowing how to learn are the most important outcomes of a good education, and those things are hard to test for. In the old days, teacher performance was assessed subjectively by the principals. That model has flaws. Recently, ed reformers have been trying to use more objective testing to assess teachers. That model has flaws.

It's a tough problem. Clearly, setting unrealistic goals is not the answer. But finding an answer that can be systematically implemented, without flaws, is an enormous (impossible?) challenge.

[NathanBacaABC7]

Anonymous wrote:I think many current and former DCPS teachers all have secret recordings they might be willing to share with certain assurances. I have one.

Please email me at [e-mail]. You can remain anonymous. Please provide as many details about the place/time/people involved.

[NathanBacaABC7]

Anonymous wrote:Congressional oversight is definitely not the answer.

Members of Congress rightly care about their own constituents, not DC. The only time they mess in DC things is when they have some pilot project to try out that they can't get support for back home.

Here's a question for the reporter. Are there ANY urban school districts, with demographics roughly equivalent to DCPS, that are succeeding in both 1) raising achievement among poor students and 2) increasing graduation rates.

Let's find someplace that has done it -- if there is one -- and emulate it.

That is a good question and one I do not yet have an answer for. I need to find out. If you hear of any school districts you believe may fit that bill, let me know. I've previously looked into Columbus Ohio Schools and Clark County School District in Las Vegas. Both had their share of problems that many would not like to emulate.

[Anonymous]

This is happening in Montgomery County too. I personally know of 2 cases where the kids where graduated despite never going to school and failing classes.

[NathanBacaABC7]

Anonymous wrote:This is happening in Montgomery County too. I personally know of 2 cases where the kids where graduated despite never going to school and failing classes.

Please email me at [e-mail]. You can remain anonymous.

[Anonymous]

NathanBacaABC7 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is happening in Montgomery County too. I personally know of 2 cases where the kids where graduated despite never going to school and failing classes.

Please email me at [e-mail]. You can remain anonymous.

Anonymous to you or to the story?

[Anonymous]

NathanBacaABC7 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Congressional oversight is definitely not the answer.

Members of Congress rightly care about their own constituents, not DC. The only time they mess in DC things is when they have some pilot project to try out that they can't get support for back home.

Here's a question for the reporter. Are there ANY urban school districts, with demographics roughly equivalent to DCPS, that are succeeding in both 1) raising achievement among poor students and 2) increasing graduation rates.

Let's find someplace that has done it -- if there is one -- and emulate it.

That is a good question and one I do not yet have an answer for. I need to find out. If you hear of any school districts you believe may fit that bill, let me know. I've previously looked into Columbus Ohio Schools and Clark County School District in Las Vegas. Both had their share of problems that many would not like to emulate.

There are so many studies on this. But short of ending poverty and forced busing, almost impossible. You can move the needle a bit here and there, but real change is not about schools; it's about societies and culture.

[Anonymous]

The article does not identify any person from Central Office (other than Kaya Henderson, who it says was at the meeting) who was pressuring principals to pass and graduate students. Does the recording identify any persons other than Henderson who were applying the pressure?