Comments on: Imagining accountability in the “no excuses society” http://gothamschools.org/2008/08/22/imagining-accountability-in-the-no-excuses-society/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:03:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Norm http://gothamschools.org/2008/08/22/imagining-accountability-in-the-no-excuses-society/comment-page-1/#comment-59 Norm Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:44:41 +0000 http://gothamschools.org/?p=1187#comment-59 YES! Excellent points to finally raise 2-way accountability. While teachers in urban schools see there is a need for more resources, do they not teach to their best because of that? Yet somehow that is how they have been painted when they raise issues like class size and the health of their students. How many teachers have seen kids with asthma come in the morning tired from spending the night in the emergency room? Some teachers even get into those issues like fighting in the community for more for their kids. But teaching is hard enough without doing that. The 25 year old Nation at Risk - accountability - standards - movement has made this a one way deal and has led to a fear on the part of teacher unions that if they took a stand and put their efforts into a fight for full funding instead of trying to look "progressive" (we will help get rid of bad teachers - we want to be accountable) they would be charged with making excuses. Deals are made to pay merit bonuses based on the narrowest grounds. Thus, we are missing a major voice in a movement for 2 way accountabilty. It's nice to see that voice coming from here. YES! Excellent points to finally raise 2-way accountability. While teachers in urban schools see there is a need for more resources, do they not teach to their best because of that? Yet somehow that is how they have been painted when they raise issues like class size and the health of their students. How many teachers have seen kids with asthma come in the morning tired from spending the night in the emergency room? Some teachers even get into those issues like fighting in the community for more for their kids. But teaching is hard enough without doing that.

The 25 year old Nation at Risk – accountability – standards – movement has made this a one way deal and has led to a fear on the part of teacher unions that if they took a stand and put their efforts into a fight for full funding instead of trying to look “progressive” (we will help get rid of bad teachers – we want to be accountable) they would be charged with making excuses.

Deals are made to pay merit bonuses based on the narrowest grounds.

Thus, we are missing a major voice in a movement for 2 way accountabilty. It’s nice to see that voice coming from here.

]]> By: eduwonkette http://gothamschools.org/2008/08/22/imagining-accountability-in-the-no-excuses-society/comment-page-1/#comment-58 eduwonkette Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:27:17 +0000 http://gothamschools.org/?p=1187#comment-58 Nicely put, Kelly. Thanks for this post! Nicely put, Kelly. Thanks for this post!

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