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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I worked in DC for a charter and teach at a Title I school in FCPS after working at a Title I school in DCPS (I left DCPS because the commute was killing me).

I went to a charter as a last minute hire (licensed teacher from a different state who relocated to DC with spouse). The charter paid more than the DC scale for my experience, but it also provided less. Less resources for the classroom. Less support from the admins for students with disabilities and emotional disturbance issues. Less collaboration (I don't think I ever meaningfully collaborated with any other teacher during the two years I was there.). Finally, the teachers were young, eager and completely clueless when it comes to classroom management and executing lessons. Admin did not meaningfully address safety and discipline issues and we were encouraged to "write down" discipline unofficially so the school's data looked better.

The school played fast and loose in assigning teachers. I saw an English teacher suddenly become a calculus teacher without any real training or a math degree or even a STEM degree. Teachers were also fired if there wasn't enough students (we were pressured to sit at Metro stations "recruiting" students to keep our jobs. I didn't, but others did hustle. Unpaid, btw). You were pressured and punished for taking sick days because they couldn't get subs.

The hours were way worse. We had the expectation of working extended days. On a per hour pay scale, I actually make more working for DCPS. There wasn't administrative support for compliance if that makes sense. They skirted the disability and ESL rules regarding service and the students got a lot less than they would in a public setting (where I teach now). Sometimes, they would flat out deny services when it was obvious a student needed it. They would go out of their way to avoid identifying students. The parents were often low information parents and did not know what they were entitled to for their children. I'd try to advocate, but basically was told if I told the parents to push, I'd be fired (did you know that there's no law against retaliation for advocating for disability services? There isn't).

I don't see how that would fly in FCPS unless the charter went out of its way to only work in a poorer pyramid. Where I live for instance (McLean), parents would be at the school with torches if the school tried to pull the nonsense the charter did.

There was a massive amount of money spent on branding. School name crap was everywhere. But we didn't have money for books or learning resources. I spent nearly 2K that year on learning resources.

I left and went to DCPS and now work in FCPS. I'm happier because I think we are providing better services to students and supported/treated like professionals.[/quote]

Charters are known for not being labor friendly.[/quote]

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