Living with accountability in education

There is no doubt that the job duties of a superintendent of schools must be vast. From the outside looking in we can clearly see a lot of time being spent on power plays backed up by polarizing posturing. From what we are finding out, we apparently elected a board of education that wanted a person with just the management style our current superintendent possesses.

The majority of the BOE has gone on record in support of such a management style and we just need to understand that what we may see as chaos and pain is all part of the "Strategic Plan." We don't have to like it, we don't have to love it, but we are being asked to "respect" the Machiavellian approach to turn around in education... after all, the ends justify the means.

"We're ready to make difficult and unpopular decisions because a good future demands it."    Board President, Reverend. Linda Butler

What exactly does the BOE support?

Constant turnover among employees at the school district; never ending bus driver issues; the potential cutting of the people who serve as aides, nurses, occupational, therapists, and school librarians (last year, 82 support staff were pink slipped); the yearly principal shuffles at high risk schools; employees being treated unprofessionally due to the emotional nature in which actions are brought to the board; late arrival of books; and oh yes, the annual practice of pink slipping teachers.

In the midst of spending time to manage constant turmoil/turnover (all in the name of “Accountability”), we are supposed to trust that there is still time left in the day to insure that children throughout the District are receiving a good education and that this chaos does not hinder that.

District 150 Board To Vote On Teacher Layoffs

Layoff notices will be going out next week for some Peoria District 150 employees.

District 150's school board will vote on Monday to pink slip first, second, and third-year teachers, as well as part-time teachers. Pink slips for less tenured teachers happen every year, but most teachers are eventually brought back to teach again in the fall. There is one change for this year. Some schools in District 150 will give out pink slips based on performance, not tenure.

If teachers are pink slipped in District 150 Public Schools this year, all will be handed out without regard for seniority. It's part of a new state law that's designed to give teachers chances to improve before being let go. Teachers faced a series of formal and informal observations by administrators throughout the school year. 

The district created a new evaluation tool to gauge teacher performance. This year, it will only be used at District 150 high schools and Sterling Middle School. All other schools will use an older evaluation model until next year.Source 

Take the time to learn about the school turn around process

Our community can't continue to be blind as to what is supposed to happen when you turn a school around. We must, at the very least, have a general understanding of what is supposed to happen, in order to insure that the correct processes are taking place.

While a lot of what we see happening in our schools these days may rub many the wrong way and/or sound ridiculous, it would be in all of our best interest to make an effort to try and understand what the requirements are under the School Improvement Grant and to become familiar with what a school in turnaround actually looks like.

In an effort to try and understand how the social giant they call school turn around will unfold, I have actually come across some pretty good information. I would recommend reading this paper: Innovative Designs for Persistently Low-Performing Schools: Transforming Failing Schools by Addressing Poverty-Related Barriers to Teaching and Learning

What we cannot deny:
A child growing up in poverty encounters individual, family and environmental risks that can undermine not only the ability to learn, but also the healthy development of character, motivation and persistence. These conditions all too frequently lead to behavioral problems and academic failure.

High-poverty schools experience the overwhelming needs of the children they serve, and the stresses of the community around them. High rates of joblessness, violence, racial tension, homelessness, and other factors are reflected in higher-than-average rates of untreated physical or mental illness, physical abuse and other problems for the students.

Even though these conditions are widespread, little in the experience of most teachers or school leaders has prepared them to address the many challenges these children encounter toward academic achievement.

Taken together, the obstacles the students must confront and the lack of preparedness on the part of schools and teachers often result in a negative school culture with low expectations for students. The following national statistics provide a dramatic snapshot of the challenge:

• The average student eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is two years of learning behind grade level.

• The dropout rate of students living in low-income families is more than four times the rate of students from high-income families.

• Only nine percent of freshmen in the nation’s 120 Tier I colleges are from the bottom half of the country’s income distribution.

These numbers point to the profound inadequacies of schools that serve poor kids and the failure of these schools to prepare students for post-secondary education and success. Source