Fired DC Teachers: Which Schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Something much simpler,

then the main focus should be mentoring and professional development.

Take a look at other successful systems, where the administration and the teachers are satisfied with how it's working. get principals on board. Common sense stuff."

I don't disagree, but the fact is during certain periods DCPS had a pretty low bar for hiring teachers, and there was a group that needed to be weeded out (which is what Rhee was brought in to do). You do need to start with a certain base level of competence before you can raise the level of instruction.

Actually, many of the teachers that Rhee fired while chancellor were people that she recruited through her contract with DCPS prior to becoming chancellor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Something much simpler,

then the main focus should be mentoring and professional development.

Take a look at other successful systems, where the administration and the teachers are satisfied with how it's working. get principals on board. Common sense stuff."

I don't disagree, but the fact is during certain periods DCPS had a pretty low bar for hiring teachers, and there was a group that needed to be weeded out (which is what Rhee was brought in to do). You do need to start with a certain base level of competence before you can raise the level of instruction.

Actually, many of the teachers that Rhee fired while chancellor were people that she recruited through her contract with DCPS prior to becoming chancellor.

How do you know this? Never saw this written anywhere before. Pretty juicy, if true, but seems odd.

[Anonymous]

I know a bunch of the principals were Rhee hires and fires, but I don't think that applies to the teaching corp.

[Anonymous]

I work for DCPS and have always scored "highly effective". I plan on leaving the system very soon. I work very hard and I don't need to go in everyday with the fear of a "master" teacher rating my every word. IMPACT and all this paperwork and assessment has taken the creativity out of teaching. Not only do the teachers feel it but so do the students. The love of what I do is zipping away each day while working with DCPS. I am already looking elsewhere, where my hard work will benefit a system that supports me as a teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work for DCPS and have always scored "highly effective". I plan on leaving the system very soon. I work very hard and I don't need to go in everyday with the fear of a "master" teacher rating my every word. IMPACT and all this paperwork and assessment has taken the creativity out of teaching. Not only do the teachers feel it but so do the students. The love of what I do is zipping away each day while working with DCPS. I am already looking elsewhere, where my hard work will benefit a system that supports me as a teacher.

So, other than getting rid of IMPACT, what specifically would make you want to stay? What, again specifically, could other public or charter schools offer? I'm asking as a parent, I don't work for DCPS. Is it really IMPACT per se or are there other day to day things that can be addressed? I genuinely want to help. But I'm no expert and come from private sector where things are very different. How can parents help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work for DCPS and have always scored "highly effective". I plan on leaving the system very soon. I work very hard and I don't need to go in everyday with the fear of a "master" teacher rating my every word. IMPACT and all this paperwork and assessment has taken the creativity out of teaching. Not only do the teachers feel it but so do the students. The love of what I do is zipping away each day while working with DCPS. I am already looking elsewhere, where my hard work will benefit a system that supports me as a teacher.

So, other than getting rid of IMPACT, what specifically would make you want to stay? What, again specifically, could other public or charter schools offer? I'm asking as a parent, I don't work for DCPS. Is it really IMPACT per se or are there other day to day things that can be addressed? I genuinely want to help. But I'm no expert and come from private sector where things are very different. How can parents help?

As a parent, what could you do to help? Do you think if you went to DCPS leadership and told them you thought that IMPACT was sucking the creativity out of good teachers that they would pay attention to you?

Seriously, maybe you're sincere and trying to be hepful, but DCPS leadership has heard many many times from teachers just like the one above and are unmoved. If they cared about teacher creativity, they never would have initiated IMPACT-- but once they had and saw the results, they would have changed course instead of digging in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work for DCPS and have always scored "highly effective". I plan on leaving the system very soon. I work very hard and I don't need to go in everyday with the fear of a "master" teacher rating my every word. IMPACT and all this paperwork and assessment has taken the creativity out of teaching. Not only do the teachers feel it but so do the students. The love of what I do is zipping away each day while working with DCPS. I am already looking elsewhere, where my hard work will benefit a system that supports me as a teacher.

This is so depressing. This is also why my kid is going to a charter school next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Something much simpler,

then the main focus should be mentoring and professional development.

Take a look at other successful systems, where the administration and the teachers are satisfied with how it's working. get principals on board. Common sense stuff."

I don't disagree, but the fact is during certain periods DCPS had a pretty low bar for hiring teachers, and there was a group that needed to be weeded out (which is what Rhee was brought in to do). You do need to start with a certain base level of competence before you can raise the level of instruction.

Actually, many of the teachers that Rhee fired while chancellor were people that she recruited through her contract with DCPS prior to becoming chancellor.

How do you know this? Never saw this written anywhere before. Pretty juicy, if true, but seems odd.

Sounds like a good question for Bill Turque to investigate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they cared about teacher creativity, they never would have initiated IMPACT-- but once they had and saw the results, they would have changed course instead of digging in.

I read some WaPo piece recently saying that an overwhelming majority of DCPS teachers voted in favor of IMPACT when it was being implemented. Do you think that's inaccurate? Or do you think some teachers have now changed their minds? I'd be curious to see the results of an unbiased poll of DCPS teachers on what they currently think about IMPACT, and how they think it compares to PPEP. I certainly have seen some DCPS teachers claiming they hate it, and others claiming its a good thing. But it's all anecdotal reports. I have not seen anything that allows me to understand how the majority of DCPS's 3,500+ teachers feel about it.

Does anyone know of any poll results? It seems like that's something DCPS or WTU might have organized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they cared about teacher creativity, they never would have initiated IMPACT-- but once they had and saw the results, they would have changed course instead of digging in.

I read some WaPo piece recently saying that an overwhelming majority of DCPS teachers voted in favor of IMPACT when it was being implemented. Do you think that's inaccurate? Or do you think some teachers have now changed their minds? I'd be curious to see the results of an unbiased poll of DCPS teachers on what they currently think about IMPACT, and how they think it compares to PPEP. I certainly have seen some DCPS teachers claiming they hate it, and others claiming its a good thing. But it's all anecdotal reports. I have not seen anything that allows me to understand how the majority of DCPS's 3,500+ teachers feel about it.

Does anyone know of any poll results? It seems like that's something DCPS or WTU might have organized.

DCPS teachers never had the chance to vote on IMPACT. However, the current WTU contract was passed in a vote with historically low participation.

[Anonymous]

RIght - it was the contract that was voted for overwhelmingly - by a samll percentage of teachers.

IMPACT was not part of the contact. DCPS devised that on its own separated from the contract.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, the word IMPACT is referred to throughout the contract, implying tacit approval or acceptance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:RIght - it was the contract that was voted for overwhelmingly - by a samll percentage of teachers.

IMPACT was not part of the contact. DCPS devised that on its own separated from the contract.

So you think the WaPo piece I read was just plain false? I suppose I can try to find it and quote the language. Is there really truly no place that teachers ever were able to comment on IMPACT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately, the word IMPACT is referred to throughout the contract, implying tacit approval or acceptance.

16:30 again. Well, this is consistent with the WaPo piece. So, to recap, Washington teachers voted to approve a contract which refers repeatedly to IMPACT.

I'm not saying the teachers fully understood the impact of IMPACT when they voted in favor of it. And I'm also not saying they cannot change their minds about IMPACT later. But it does seem to take a little weight out of any opposition that they voted in favor of it.

Let me ask an earlier question again: Is anyone aware of any more recent polling or voting on what teachers think of IMPACT? I could envision DCPS sending out a survey to get feedback from its teachers. I also could envision WTU commissioning a poll in hopes of gathering evidence against IMPACT. Anyone know about this being done?

[Anonymous]

The contract had been stalled forever. Teachers wanted to demonstrate they were willing to 'come to the table' is my belief.