I have worked for years in a well-regarded school in a well-regarded school district, in a role that is not classroom teacher. I have concluded that while everything OP says is true it is also true that parents seem to assume that if the school is "good" then the administration, staff, curriculum and programs are all good.

In reality, if the demographics are good it's the students, and by default their parents, who make the school good. Their test scores, pass rates, etc. are the data people make decisions on, and those kids would likely do as well in any school, good teaching, admins, programs or not.

As Great Schools has also concluded, it's the ability of a school or school district to educate the subgroups (special ed, English language learners, economically challenged) well that tells you how good the school is.

Many "good" schools choose to ride on their reputation, with an SOL pass rate in the 90% range, rather than do the hard work of educating the subgroups successfully, consistently.

I have a lot of respect for those who choose to work in schools with demographics that make it much more challenging (and also rewarding!) to educate all the kids successfully. A 60 or 70% pass rate in some schools represents a lot more good work by the school than the much higher pass rates at other schools.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. No there are no special credentials beyond what you are teaching. SPED teachers need their credentials. ESOL is the same. But the K-6 folks, a license is a license. And the talk about special credentials or whatever is nonsense. We are the same.

I know there is a lot of saying well those parents aren't as great so your parents who do all of this are just better unless you believe poor people or non-native English speaks will never catch up (spoiler alert -- they can).

It's the wrong tack. You are being screwed wealthy parents. The SOL scores, the great school scores, the whole these kids all do well "Lake Webgone mentality is so, so problematic because we just push everything to you. You will get the tutor. Unless you complain, no one is calling an IEP meeting (this is the thing that makes me the most crazy). I hate this. I hate that advocating is second because the data says we are the best of the best.

Yes, you are correct on the teachers and principal, but I think most parents in our area know this, accept this and prefer the competition and safe neighborhood and peer group to better teachers. The prefer to subsidize the poor rather than live around them. The ones who can afford better go private so they can have it all. But there are issues with private too even if you take out the cost. There's something unique about attending your neighborhood school compared to other schools that pull from a larger area.

Our principal recently said to a bunch of parents that all these title 1 teachers come up to her and remark how it must be so easy at our school because our kids are so prepared, but how they didn't know how bad it was to deal with the parents. She said this to us and then in an article spoke about how the parents made our school so great. No mention of how much slack the parents are picking up despite the fact that the IEP push off is a regular thing among other issues. Last year the I-ready scores came back worse at the end of the year than at the beginning.

Class size matters.

Anonymous wrote:I agree 100%. It's completely ironic that the teachers in the "good" schools are showered with gifts and the PTA pays for everything, while the teachers in the "bad" schools work a thousand times harder and without all the fanfare and recognition.

The most frustrating part for me is when I have a student who needs to go to screening and eventually testing because it's clear they have a learning disability after years (yes years) of being told you need to just provide more interventions, but even when you fight tooth and nail it doesn't happen. The parents don't even show up to the meetings most of the time. In my child's school 4 miles down the road the parents come with their private testing results and their advocates and the parents make sure their child gets services and accommodations. The playing field is certainly not level.

Plus the teachers in the "bad" schools are paying for most of it out of their own pockets. The sign up geniuses for my kids' Halloween parties are insane. And it's all run by and funded by parent volunteers. That was completely foreign to me when I learned that after working in a focus school for 15 years. I'm meeting with my team tomorrow afternoon to plan our own classroom parties, and then we'll all contribute our own money to pay the team member who is doing the shopping for all 4 classes. We tried soliciting money and supplies from parents for a few years--some classes got literally nothing and others got a bag of chips and a box of cookies for the whole class. The kids look forward to these parties so much. If we want them to have the experience, then we are the ones who plan and subsidize.

My friend works at a "good" school in the same county as my school and when we compare stories you would swear we teach in completely different school systems, and not in schools a few miles away from each other.

Anonymous wrote:True, but how much time then in a Title 1 school should I reasonably expect my 2nd grader to get from the teacher (either individually or small group) during the LA segment per week (for a near the top reader)?

Probably once a week if he is a high reader as the teacher will be focused on the masses at the bottom.

I agree 100%. It's completely ironic that the teachers in the "good" schools are showered with gifts and the PTA pays for everything, while the teachers in the "bad" schools work a thousand times harder and without all the fanfare and recognition.

The most frustrating part for me is when I have a student who needs to go to screening and eventually testing because it's clear they have a learning disability after years (yes years) of being told you need to just provide more interventions, but even when you fight tooth and nail it doesn't happen. The parents don't even show up to the meetings most of the time. In my child's school 4 miles down the road the parents come with their private testing results and their advocates and the parents make sure their child gets services and accommodations. The playing field is certainly not level.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After our school became Title 1, some teachers left because they did not have the special credentials to teach at a Title 1 school. I believe it's up to the teachers to obtain the credentials themselves. Year after year, when the gap students would not score well, the teachers had to go through more training. Wash, rinse, repeat. At least Title 1 funding paid for that. I'm surprised you didn't get burned out, OP.

When my youngest was in lower ES, the teacher needed volunteers to read to the children. When I arrived, I was told it was for those who didn't have native English at home. And, if a student had native English (smaller %age of the class), I was told to read just a little, then "send them on their way". I wondered if this was the case when I was not there - just focus the attention where it was needed and send the rest on their way!

Yes, that is the other side of the coin, even if it’s not the narrative that OP is trying to spin. I doubt she’s convinced any parent in a good pyramid to reconsider their decision.

Everyone in these districts knows this to be true. Yet we still choose to be in the best pyramids because that is where the best cohorts are.

True, but how much time then in a Title 1 school should I reasonably expect my 2nd grader to get from the teacher (either individually or small group) during the LA segment per week (for a near the top reader)?

After our school became Title 1, some teachers left because they did not have the special credentials to teach at a Title 1 school. I believe it's up to the teachers to obtain the credentials themselves. Year after year, when the gap students would not score well, the teachers had to go through more training. Wash, rinse, repeat. At least Title 1 funding paid for that. I'm surprised you didn't get burned out, OP.

Never ever heard this before. Please tell me what those "special credentials" are. signed: veteran teacher at a Title I school.

OP here. No there are no special credentials beyond what you are teaching. SPED teachers need their credentials. ESOL is the same. But the K-6 folks, a license is a license. And the talk about special credentials or whatever is nonsense. We are the same.

I know there is a lot of saying well those parents aren't as great so your parents who do all of this are just better unless you believe poor people or non-native English speaks will never catch up (spoiler alert -- they can).

It's the wrong tack. You are being screwed wealthy parents. The SOL scores, the great school scores, the whole these kids all do well "Lake Webgone mentality is so, so problematic because we just push everything to you. You will get the tutor. Unless you complain, no one is calling an IEP meeting (this is the thing that makes me the most crazy). I hate this. I hate that advocating is second because the data says we are the best of the best.

I teach in a Title One school and I had no idea you needed special credentials to teach in one. Maybe it is state by state (I teach in MD). Teaching in a Title One school is exhausting. So much effort goes into what we do and since parents don't do much of anything, we get 100% of the blame. It never seems to occur to them that it could be due to a crappy curriculum (yes, we have been telling you that for years. No need to wait for an outside audit to say the same thing). They have replaced it with another vigorous curriculum that is way over most of our students' heads. I would like to stick to the basics and if students meet them, use this rigorous curriculum for those kids. Kids who don't speak English and don't know how to write their name or know any letters, sounds, numbers, etc shouldn't be wasting time evaluating text evidence in kindergarten.

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why but my point seems to be falling flat here.

Yes, the parents will pick up the slack. Yes, they will send materials, money or supplement. My school's attitude is always to push to the parents. A kid needs speech. Tell the parents and they'll get a private eval and services. A kid has ADHD issues possibly? No, we don't do Kid Watch if a kid is going well and meeting standards. Mom and Dad will step in.

When I worked in a Title I school, we were all about getting the kids the supports they needed. Now, it's the opposite.

And the kids doing well? Needing extensions? Well... (to semi-out myself) that's the whole AAP push. If you want that service, you better qualify. Otherwise, it's more of the same.

I love teaching. I love working less and getting outstanding reviews. But there is a part of me that thinks we are doing everything wrong.

I don't have a lot of experience in a good school, only a few years, since my kids are in 3rd and K. But I've been surprised and dismayed at how my older DS's teachers have been unable to deal with him. These are experienced, veteran teachers, and they seem to be flummoxed by him. Is he truly unique? Or are they not doing enough for him?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After our school became Title 1, some teachers left because they did not have the special credentials to teach at a Title 1 school. I believe it's up to the teachers to obtain the credentials themselves. Year after year, when the gap students would not score well, the teachers had to go through more training. Wash, rinse, repeat. At least Title 1 funding paid for that. I'm surprised you didn't get burned out, OP.

When my youngest was in lower ES, the teacher needed volunteers to read to the children. When I arrived, I was told it was for those who didn't have native English at home. And, if a student had native English (smaller %age of the class), I was told to read just a little, then "send them on their way". I wondered if this was the case when I was not there - just focus the attention where it was needed and send the rest on their way!

Yes, that is the other side of the coin, even if it’s not the narrative that OP is trying to spin. I doubt she’s convinced any parent in a good pyramid to reconsider their decision.

“ I spent a fortune on my Langley pyramid. My choices are superior and I’ll not be persuaded otherwise”

I appreciate OP's honesty.

Anonymous wrote:After our school became Title 1, some teachers left because they did not have the special credentials to teach at a Title 1 school. I believe it's up to the teachers to obtain the credentials themselves. Year after year, when the gap students would not score well, the teachers had to go through more training. Wash, rinse, repeat. At least Title 1 funding paid for that. I'm surprised you didn't get burned out, OP.

When my youngest was in lower ES, the teacher needed volunteers to read to the children. When I arrived, I was told it was for those who didn't have native English at home. And, if a student had native English (smaller %age of the class), I was told to read just a little, then "send them on their way". I wondered if this was the case when I was not there - just focus the attention where it was needed and send the rest on their way!

Yes, that is the other side of the coin, even if it’s not the narrative that OP is trying to spin. I doubt she’s convinced any parent in a good pyramid to reconsider their decision.