Two of DCPS's biggest challenges going forward

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the challenges are:
1. The teachers union- they rather flex their muscle to keep the status quo than focus on educating the kids. Teachers can come in late and sleep during class and you can't get rid of them. Charters don't tolerate this BS.

Not true. DCPS teachers work hard to compensate for the next 3 items which are things that charters don't have to deal with.

2. Indifferent parents. This label is applicable to single moms from the hood and/or affluent gentrifiers who don't get involved.

Very true

3.Lackluster blase' programs. I want dual language expeditionary learning. A charter offers this and a dual-by-default Tools of the Mind afterthought can't compete.

Very true

4. Too many kids that need extra- poor SES that need extra services to get them up to basic par, too many kids that need ESOL, too many kids that need IEPs etc... We didn't have all of this baloney back in the day. Everyone's "right" to everything for free is collapsing the system.

Very, very true.
People need to get honest and/or wake up.

And for better or for worse the IMPACT system for teacher evaluation negates #1 -- it's real easy to fire teachers these days and still achievement hasn't improved for those who need the most help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One word for the biggest problem facing DCPS: Poverty.

But this isn't the only school district with a large portion of high poverty students.

Show me one with good results.

Show me one with worse results!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The challenge that no developing school can get traction if its best students are clawing to escape for options in Ward 3.

This, except add "or charter schools."

I acknowledge the benefits of charter schools, but its foolish to ignore the key negative factor - they draw the most connected and dedicated families away from their neighborhood schools. That's no big deal if a school - like the Ward 3 schools - is already strong. But it's very harmful to schools in transition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One word for the biggest problem facing DCPS: Poverty.

But this isn't the only school district with a large portion of high poverty students.

Show me one with good results.

Show me one with worse results!

I think Detroit is worse - but unlike DC, that whole city is failing, not just the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One word for the biggest problem facing DCPS: Poverty.

But this isn't the only school district with a large portion of high poverty students.

Show me one with good results.

Show me one with worse results!

Philadelphia

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One word for the biggest problem facing DCPS: Poverty.

But this isn't the only school district with a large portion of high poverty students.

Show me one with good results.

Show me one with worse results!

Philadelphia

There are a whole host of not great systems out there - St. Louis has not been accredited for years, Cleveland is a mess, no one is rushing to Newark, Chicago and LA and San Fran like DC only viable in selected areas. Honestly this is an urban problem of entrenched inequality exacerbated by generational poverty, made worse by curriculum that attempts to condescend.

[Anonymous]

1) Poor performers at Central Office and at the Principal's level in many schools.

2) The teachers union.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1) Poor performers at Central Office and at the Principal's level in many schools.

2) The teachers union.

Oh good grief. What is your proof that the teachers union is to blame for anything. WTU is such a weak union. We don't have tenure. We have the most punitive evaluation system in the country. We have very little due process, if any. And DCPS fires hundreds of teachers each year. What are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) Poor performers at Central Office and at the Principal's level in many schools.

2) The teachers union.

Oh good grief. What is your proof that the teachers union is to blame for anything. WTU is such a weak union. We don't have tenure. We have the most punitive evaluation system in the country. We have very little due process, if any. And DCPS fires hundreds of teachers each year. What are you talking about?

I'm not the PP you're responding to, but the more accurate statement would be that historically the WTU was the biggest obstacle. There is no disputing that fact! Many things have changed in the last few years so it's weaker now, but it's still more of an obstacle to improving schools than a positive factor.

[Anonymous]

how so?

[Anonymous]

and by the way, teachers were fired for cause prior to the current contract.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) Poor performers at Central Office and at the Principal's level in many schools.

2) The teachers union.

Oh good grief. What is your proof that the teachers union is to blame for anything. WTU is such a weak union. We don't have tenure. We have the most punitive evaluation system in the country. We have very little due process, if any. And DCPS fires hundreds of teachers each year. What are you talking about?

It's so bizarre to me that anyone anywhere ever thought tenure was a good idea for teachers. Teachers complaining about not having tenure is like me complaining about not being able to get drunk at lunch. Of course you don't have tenure. Why would you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) Poor performers at Central Office and at the Principal's level in many schools.

2) The teachers union.

Oh good grief. What is your proof that the teachers union is to blame for anything. WTU is such a weak union. We don't have tenure. We have the most punitive evaluation system in the country. We have very little due process, if any. And DCPS fires hundreds of teachers each year. What are you talking about?

It's so bizarre to me that anyone anywhere ever thought tenure was a good idea for teachers. Teachers complaining about not having tenure is like me complaining about not being able to get drunk at lunch. Of course you don't have tenure. Why would you?

Actually, we never did have tenure. Tenure is something that some college professors have. Teachers could always be fired for cause. All we had was some due process. Now that has been eroded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) Poor performers at Central Office and at the Principal's level in many schools.

2) The teachers union.

Oh good grief. What is your proof that the teachers union is to blame for anything. WTU is such a weak union. We don't have tenure. We have the most punitive evaluation system in the country. We have very little due process, if any. And DCPS fires hundreds of teachers each year. What are you talking about?

It's so bizarre to me that anyone anywhere ever thought tenure was a good idea for teachers. Teachers complaining about not having tenure is like me complaining about not being able to get drunk at lunch. Of course you don't have tenure. Why would you?

It is bizarre to me that people are still blaming WTU for all the real and imaginary faults of DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) Poor performers at Central Office and at the Principal's level in many schools.

2) The teachers union.

Oh good grief. What is your proof that the teachers union is to blame for anything. WTU is such a weak union. We don't have tenure. We have the most punitive evaluation system in the country. We have very little due process, if any. And DCPS fires hundreds of teachers each year. What are you talking about?

It's so bizarre to me that anyone anywhere ever thought tenure was a good idea for teachers. Teachers complaining about not having tenure is like me complaining about not being able to get drunk at lunch. Of course you don't have tenure. Why would you?

Actually, we never did have tenure. Tenure is something that some college professors have. Teachers could always be fired for cause. All we had was some due process. Now that has been eroded.

True, DCPS teachers never had that kind of tenure. But it was NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE to *actually* get bad teachers out of schools that year after year showed awful results. Guess who was protecting them and making it difficult for Principal after Principal and Chancellor after Chancellor to fire them? WTU. What you refer to as "some due process" actually protected a crazy number of truly horrible teachers. Without WTU, there would probably not be more than a handful of charters in DC, although now that the charter train is out of the station, even IMPACT and other ways of moving out poorly performing teachers are not slowing the charter ride down.