BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013

[Anonymous]

Has Mary Siddall ever been a head of school? A teacher? Will she have a co-head? Look it up where?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has Mary Siddall ever been a head of school? A teacher? Will she have a co-head? Look it up where?

Charter school application I guess has names and bio sketches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yes. It because DC charter schools are allowed to hire uncertified teachers. this is not the case in every state. From what I gather, a major thrust of Basis is that they hire their teachers based on their teaching ability AND their depth of expertise in their particular subject. Anyone who looks Round can see pretty quickly that certified teachers are not often also the highest caliber in their subject area ( chemistry, math, world history, journalism, us government etc.) I am a certified teacher and can tell you that the ridiculously irrelevant course of study and subsequent bureaucracy to become a certified teacher drives away anyone slightly sane who.doesn't want their time wasted.

I doubt the writer is a certified teacher -- it's more likely a plant and one too dumb to realize that certified teachers would be unlikely to put themselves down so willingly in at attempt to show how useless certification is. Apparently the writer doesn't fit into the "slightly sane" category of people described who are driven away from becoming a certified teacher.

I hope the proponents of BASIS don't use this kind of dishonest tactic to try to lure people into their school.

[Anonymous]

Certification in DC is a bureaucratic nightmare. Lots of certified teachers have talent. Many talented teachers are denied certification for arbitrary reasons. It is a national problem, but DC is particularly bad. They are very unwilling to credit education/experience that is not one of their approved 'pipelines' - like TFA or UDC or AU (good school, produces good teachers--intimate relationship with licensing).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Certification in DC is a bureaucratic nightmare. Lots of certified teachers have talent. Many talented teachers are denied certification for arbitrary reasons. It is a national problem, but DC is particularly bad. They are very unwilling to credit education/experience that is not one of their approved 'pipelines' - like TFA or UDC or AU (good school, produces good teachers--intimate relationship with licensing).

The certification process in DC may need vast improvement - I don't know. I do know that it would be underhanded to portray certified teachers as a group as inferior to the uncertified teachers that BASIS would hire. It would also be stupid for an enterprise that is trying to gain citizens' confidence to lead with deceit.

[Anonymous]

...so....I take all the back and forth to mean that the answer is no, Mary Siddall has never been a principal or even a teacher, and moreover doesn't need some silly certification. So if those credentials are cast aside regarding who will head our new DC-taxpayer funded charter school, what are the future head's credentials?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...so....I take all the back and forth to mean that the answer is no, Mary Siddall has never been a principal or even a teacher, and moreover doesn't need some silly certification. So if those credentials are cast aside regarding who will head our new DC-taxpayer funded charter school, what are the future head's credentials?

When Mary Siddall, 39, of Northwest learned of the principal vacancy at Ross Elementary School, she e-mailed several people whom she knew from her former work promoting education policy and got a recommendation for one candidate, who was included in the candidate pool.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/28/AR2007072801158.html

[Anonymous]

Certification in DC is a bureaucratic nightmare. Lots of certified teachers have talent. Many talented teachers are denied certification for arbitrary reasons. It is a national problem, but DC is particularly bad. They are very unwilling to credit education/experience that is not one of their approved 'pipelines' - like TFA or UDC or AU (good school, produces good teachers--intimate relationship with licensing).

Yes and no.

Yes, certification is a bureaucratic nightmare. Too much redundancy in the process and way, way too many pieces of paper.

No, teachers are not denied certification for arbitrary reasons. They are denied certification if they haven't completed coursework in an accredited program.

Yes, they (OSSE) should be unwilling to credit education/experience that is not one of their approved pipelines. Otherwise, they are being irresponsible in granting certification. Just because you spent a few weeks in an intensive science camp doesn't mean you are a qualified science teacher, and just because you went to school doesn't make you a certified teacher.

The issues of school quality are only tangentially related to the certification process. The problem is not actually the traditional certification process; the issue is the alternative certification process (TFA being the most obvious problem) and its false sense of school improvement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:...so....I take all the back and forth to mean that the answer is no, Mary Siddall has never been a principal or even a teacher, and moreover doesn't need some silly certification. So if those credentials are cast aside regarding who will head our new DC-taxpayer funded charter school, what are the future head's credentials?

When Mary Siddall, 39, of Northwest learned of the principal vacancy at Ross Elementary School, she e-mailed several people whom she knew from her former work promoting education policy and got a recommendation for one candidate, who was included in the candidate pool.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/28/AR2007072801158.html

More from Washington Post:

"I want someone who has high expectations for their students and someone who's a master teacher," said Siddall

Siddall, who interviewed the Ross candidates, e-mailed Rhee that she thinks the selection process should be improved. For example, Siddall said, the panelists should get copies of all résumés in advance and have more give-and-take with candidates during the interview.

"We should be able to have a conversation," she said. "We should be able to ask questions based on their individual résumés, and we should be able to follow up. Instead, it's completely one-sided and flat."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...so....I take all the back and forth to mean that the answer is no, Mary Siddall has never been a principal or even a teacher, and moreover doesn't need some silly certification. So if those credentials are cast aside regarding who will head our new DC-taxpayer funded charter school, what are the future head's credentials?

Astute interpretation.

As time goes on, look for more sophisticated attempts to convince parents of high-achieving students that the staff of BASIS is inherently superior to any other school even though or even because the staff lacks previous teaching experience or credentials. Don't be surprised if the BASIS interviewing process is held up as highly competitive and vastly superior to anything in the public or private domain.

The point is to fill the applicant pool with students who are already thriving in school and have strong parental support. This would be a good outcome for any school, but shouldn't be done using falsehoods and fear tactics. Exclusionary practices have no place in a public school

[Anonymous]

The BASIS in Arizona doesn't seem to have the family issues our neediest DC students have, watch them take their show somewhere less challenging. Are we waiting for Spiderman now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Certification in DC is a bureaucratic nightmare. Lots of certified teachers have talent. Many talented teachers are denied certification for arbitrary reasons. It is a national problem, but DC is particularly bad. They are very unwilling to credit education/experience that is not one of their approved 'pipelines' - like TFA or UDC or AU (good school, produces good teachers--intimate relationship with licensing).

Hah! That's funny.

UDC isn't a good school. It isn't even a decent school. It is a shitpile without certification!

The only joke more pertinent and less inflammatory is that if you live in DC, this is what your taxes are paying to support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Certification in DC is a bureaucratic nightmare. Lots of certified teachers have talent. Many talented teachers are denied certification for arbitrary reasons. It is a national problem, but DC is particularly bad. They are very unwilling to credit education/experience that is not one of their approved 'pipelines' - like TFA or UDC or AU (good school, produces good teachers--intimate relationship with licensing).

Yes and no.

Yes, certification is a bureaucratic nightmare. Too much redundancy in the process and way, way too many pieces of paper.

No, teachers are not denied certification for arbitrary reasons. They are denied certification if they haven't completed coursework in an accredited program.

Yes, they (OSSE) should be unwilling to credit education/experience that is not one of their approved pipelines. Otherwise, they are being irresponsible in granting certification. Just because you spent a few weeks in an intensive science camp doesn't mean you are a qualified science teacher, and just because you went to school doesn't make you a certified teacher.

The issues of school quality are only tangentially related to the certification process. The problem is not actually the traditional certification process; the issue is the alternative certification process (TFA being the most obvious problem) and its false sense of school improvement.

OTOH, just because you got your degree from a meager institution such as Mr. Jefferson's University of Virginia, as opposed to the world-renowned landing-ground of wealthy, hard-partying Columbian nationals at AU, is this really something we want to penalize?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:...so....I take all the back and forth to mean that the answer is no, Mary Siddall has never been a principal or even a teacher, and moreover doesn't need some silly certification. So if those credentials are cast aside regarding who will head our new DC-taxpayer funded charter school, what are the future head's credentials?

Astute interpretation.

As time goes on, look for more sophisticated attempts to convince parents of high-achieving students that the staff of BASIS is inherently superior to any other school even though or even because the staff lacks previous teaching experience or credentials. Don't be surprised if the BASIS interviewing process is held up as highly competitive and vastly superior to anything in the public or private domain.

The point is to fill the applicant pool with students who are already thriving in school and have strong parental support. This would be a good outcome for any school, but shouldn't be done using falsehoods and fear tactics. Exclusionary practices have no place in a public school

So, in other words, you are a parent at either Deal or Hardy and are already overwhelmed by Washington Latin. The last thing you want is BASIS to come in and further dumb down your talent pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes. It because DC charter schools are allowed to hire uncertified teachers. this is not the case in every state. From what I gather, a major thrust of Basis is that they hire their teachers based on their teaching ability AND their depth of expertise in their particular subject. Anyone who looks Round can see pretty quickly that certified teachers are not often also the highest caliber in their subject area ( chemistry, math, world history, journalism, us government etc.) I am a certified teacher and can tell you that the ridiculously irrelevant course of study and subsequent bureaucracy to become a certified teacher drives away anyone slightly sane who.doesn't want their time wasted.

I doubt the writer is a certified teacher -- it's more likely a plant and one too dumb to realize that certified teachers would be unlikely to put themselves down so willingly in at attempt to show how useless certification is. Apparently the writer doesn't fit into the "slightly sane" category of people described who are driven away from becoming a certified teacher.

I hope the proponents of BASIS don't use this kind of dishonest tactic to try to lure people into their school.

I am the pp and assure you that I am a certified teacher in DC. And I do consider myself and many of my colleagues slightly insane to go through the craziness we do. Believe me when I tell you that the certification circus does filter out many good teachers. Guess where they teach? PRIVATE SCHOOLS that also don't require certification. Now are you going to argue that private school teachers are inferior because they didn't get certified?