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How do you evaluate a teacher up for tenure in physical education? Do you have his/her kids run a mile and see if the time is decent or count how many sit-ups or push-ups a student can do? It is a JOKE!!!

At the end of the day prinicpals decide if you get tenure or not. Until that changes any “system” is irrelevant. If they want to keep you they’ll give you whatever rating they need to.

This whole thing is scary, particularly for the children involved. For instance, I know of a young teacher who was just thrown into resource room this year with no help and no traiining. He is not experienced and has no idea as to the needs and speical services his students should get. He is not being helped. The experienced teachers have been removed from this position. In other subjects, the young just don’t know what to emphasize and how to teach. They can only teach to the test, if they are lucky. Removing senior teachers is a death sentence to public education, but that is what Bloomberg and company want and what the rest of the country seems to be going along with. It is pathetic.

This whole debacle took place last year. Bloomie tried to get the state seniority law changed. He failed. He is trying again and will fail again. If seniority law is changed for teachers, it would also have to been changed for all civil service employees in NY. We are talking about a huge number of people. The state will not buckle on this no matter how hard His Holiness wants to see it fold. Lastly, I think Bloomie is bluffing again with his talk of layoffs. He knows that his precious TFA pets will be the first to go in the event of a citywide layoff situation. My bet is on a very long hiring freeze along with no new teacher contract for another year.

What I find most irritating is how BloomKlein opens its big ugly mouth and everyone in NYC takes what comes out of it as pure gospel. When will everyone get it through their heads that BloomKlein simply does not have the authority to make sweeping pronouncements and changes in this manner? I’m sick and tired of teacher-bashing and tenure-bashing. In every workplace, unionized and non-unionized alike, there is a certain proportion of workers that are lazy and do as little as possible. Yes, even in the teachers’ unions, and the firefighters’ unions, and the police unions, and the sanitation unions, and the transit unions. Of course, we all know this. But the protections of seniority and tenure protect all of us from collusion, discrimination, and capriciousness on the part of management. In order to protect the best, we have to protect everyone. The young, inexperienced, and as-yet untenured teachers don’t seem to realize that if tenure and seniority are abolished, some day THEY will be senior teachers without any job protections. That all being said, I must bid all of my colleagues in the school system a fond (and occasionally not so fond) adieu – I’m moving out and on. Some of my students are heartbroken, many of my colleagues and I will miss each other, both personally and professionally, but it’s time to move forward. I’m not leaving because I hate my job or because I’m burnt out – I’m damn good at what I do and I’m proud of my work with learning-disabled, physically-challenged, special needs, and mentally retarded children. Another opportunity presented itself and that’s the way the cookie bounces. Good luck, all.

Half of the current teaching force was hired under Klein, and can be dismissed “at will.” The new teacher evaluation system does not impact until the 11-12 school year, and must be negotiated with the union.

With current negotiations approaching a one year anniversary and fact-finding looming we may go a really, really long time without a contract.

70% of teachers teach courses not tested by State ELA/Math exams.

If there is one issue that galvinizes teacher support it is the tenure issue.

Ellen,

It would have potential ramifications for every municipal worker in NY state, not just NY city. LIFO was enacted through state legislation. If the wealthy, corporate interests could beat one union on seniority protection, it is likely that they would try to end seniority protection for all municipal workers.

It would be a catastrophic attack on thousands of middle class families in NY state.

Aerosmith wrote a song for the mayor, it’s called “Dream On.”

From email by Mulgrew:
“There’s less in the mayor’s proposals than meets the eye. The “automatic” tenure process that he complains about is automatic only if the administration allows it to be. The law is clear that tenure is supposed to be granted based upon a teacher’s work. Most teachers would welcome an objective tenure-granting process based upon their work.”

The last sentence bothers me b/c it implies we want a change in the current tenure policy. We already have tenure granted based upon a teacher’s work – which is evaluated no less than 6 times per year by APs and Principals during the minimum of three years of probation for new teachers. What more could they want?!?? Even after those three years the principal and administration can prolong the probation period if necessary. There is no “automatic” tenure at all. A probation teacher can be fired without reason in our current system.

So, what they really want is to eliminate tenure and be able to fire any teacher at any time for any reason. How is that fair?

TENURE – AUTOMATIC OR NOT

It is time to stop all of the attacks on tenure and take a closer look at the real issue which is observation and evaluation. First, it is important to understand the term “tenure” itself and clear up all of the misconceptions and confusion surrounding this issue. Tenure is a right of “due process” that is granted to an individual after a three year probationary period and governed by New York State Education Law. It is not automatic and has never had the meaning of job protection for life. There is a provision in the law, however, called tenure by estoppel that does grant tenure automatically if, and only if, the school district does not take negative action against that individual at the end of the three year period of probation. That is much different than giving the impression as the mayor currently does that tenure is a “rubber stamp” throughout the system. In the past, school districts have had the opportunity over a three year period to make tenure decisions based on observation and evaluation. The problem has not been with “tenure” but with the inability of the administration to properly observe, evaluate and provide the appropriate support and professional development needed to assist individual teachers develop the instructional strategies that will work and improve the quality of instruction. Maybe it is time to take a closer look at the quality of administration and their ability or inability to provide the support necessary for our classroom teachers to be successful. Today we have a window of opportunity that will eventually close if we continue to point fingers and play the blame game. Let us engage each other in a conversation to finally develop a meaningful system that will inform instruction and improve the quality of education in all of our schools. A meaningful discussion will result in a set of agreed upon standards that will be the foundation that will define public education for a new generation. But to move forward, we must all agree, on both sides, that the due process protections that exist and define tenure exist to protect not only individual teachers but also the very core of academic freedom and this is a good thing. What do you think?

WATCHDOG: wouldn’t your logic apply to all city employees seeking “tenure” or seniority rights? Why stop at schools?

   Since bloomturd,  chancellor slime and their corporate controlled media have nearly succeeded in making teachers out to be only one step above Al Queda, let’s all walk out of our classrooms together and see how these two liars teach the little dears the  ”right way”.

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.John F. Kennedy

Teacher of LD Kids-

I am sorry to hear that you have left the system for the sake of your students…undoubtedly, they have lost a good teacher. I’m sure many other quality educators have already, and I’m sure will continue to, leave the DOE enmass if things continue the way they are. Being fired arbitrarily and for reasons having nothing to do with quality become more and more likely (I’ve already seen it happen in my school) as BloomKlein continue with these unproven reforms, and any quality educator worth their salt are not going to gamle with their careers and will move on to greener pastures.

Unfortunately, droves of Americans are supporting these reforms, but I can’t necessarily blame them. The lies of the administration and biased reporting are the biggest culprit. Just this evening, NBC news showed a clip of Joel Klein arging against seniority-based layoffs because the city would lose “all the new high-quality math and science teachers it has hired recently.” Either Klein or news editing clearly left out the very pertinent fact that seniority-based layoffs are by liscence, and being that scienc and math are hard enought to fill, these teachers woul probably be among the last to go. Lies and biases by reform leaders and the mainstream media are the culprit here.

It’s ok teachers because in 10 years when all policy has changed for new hires in a civil service job….. The new mayor, all parents, and the govt will be crying “where are all the teachers no one wants to teach our youth????” be careful what you wish for govt as no college kid is going to spend thousands for a bachelors and a masters to make crap money until 20years, living in the most expensive city in the world…idiots

“Crackdown?” Egads.

Teaching.
It’s not a profession.
It’s the new Peace Corps.

Rectify children’s civil rights with an army of “One and done” college grads.
They come in idealistic. We’ll make sure they don’t leave that way.

BTW, is there ANY evidence to suggest inexperienced rookies make the best teachers? Is THAT what your local PTA insiders advise?

If Boomberg wanted to look like El Presidente, the least he could have done was hold a press conference — not an infomercial for educational viagra. I didn’t notice the (MS)NBC disclaimers that “the following are paid endorsements.”

Michael:

there are a number of studies that claim that teacher “value added” increases for the first five years of employment, and then levels off, therefore, why give yearly salary increments if they are not associated with pupil achievement gain? A fallacy is that non-cognitive attributes, difficult to measure, are probably more important than easily measureable test scores.

Also, a widely respected study that correlates higher scores on preservice exams and pupil achievement … therefore a justification for hiring TFAers, even if for two or three years.
A key question for principals: Is a twenty-five year teacher, who earns twice what a new teacher earns, twice as effective?

Bad and lazy teachers did not start out that way. “No one goes into teaching for the money….”. Teachers turn bad and lazy for reasons that are not addressed. That will never change until those reasons are addressed. Bloomberg needs to focus on what makes teachers go bad and lazy because all teachers are subjected to the same reasons. The process of becoming bad and lazy will never change until those reaons are addressed. The bad and lazy teachers are red flags. By firing them Bloomberg and all of his bandwagon followers will only be shelving the problem. Most teachers at sometime in their teaching careers face no support from administration, parents and society, lack of materials, low pay, managing more than just their students and lack of professional support. Year after year these reasons can burn anyone out. Some will say that those bad and lazy teachers should leave when they get burned out, well that is obviously not going to change the reasons why they are bad and lazy. We all have to remember that the problems trickle down to students.

I hope that “Karen Matthews” actually works for the Associated Press. She could very well be a spy from the DOE Gestapo looking for inside mud on particular teachers, principals, and schools. Just because you are paranoid does not mean that they are not out to get ya’!

Re KM’s request above:

http (colon) //ednotesonline (dot) blogspot (dot) com/2009/06/aps-karen-matthews-distorts-rubber-room (dot) html

Taking the current spin as a starting point passes for journalism these days?

Most members have to realize by now that the current work rules are much better than anything we would get in a new contract under current DOE leadership. The economy is horrible, and will likely remain so for the next few years.

I’m willing to work without a contract for a few more years rather than vote for anything which would further erode tenure, or seniority rights. If anyone thinks otherwise, just look at what happened to the teachers in Washington DC, They traded a raise for job security, and Michelle Rhee set out to fire all of them.

I know she only fired 200 this past year, but was set on firing another 700 this school year. If Fenty hadn’t lost she would have fired every teacher in DC within 5 years.

This movement is NOT about education reform. It is about union busting, and a further prosecution of the war on the middle class in this country.

Paris

The NYS constitution provides that, “no pension benefit may be reduced or impaired.” The constitution can only be amended through a complex process, the last time a constitutional convention convened was 1939, although both Paladino and Cuomo favor calling for a convention, it requires the approval of the legilature and a referendum.

Here is an interesting idea: Bloomie decides to actually layoff 3000 untenured teachers this coming June after his second failed attempt at getting seniority law changed. He does this as a massive PR ploy to show that he could not fire all of the “unmotivated, lazy, tenured teachers” who he hates so much. Bloomie fires the 3000 teachers to get the public as well as the state legislature so riled up that they actually contemplate changing seniority law in New York State. Far fetched? Yes. Possible, oh heck yes!

Bloomklein will find a way to get rid of teachers with seniority. They will find a way to get principals to give teachers with years of seniority the toughest classes possible so they can give the teachers an unsatisfactory rating or the teachers will burn out and leave. He is threatening layoffs for next year already. With all the money the DOE is get from grants lately, they could put this money in the classrooms where it belongs, but the DOE just creates new positions which are high salary positions, such as mentor principals, turnaround teachers, talent coaches. They want to run out of money so they would have to layoff DOE employees. Obama wants a longer school year. Bloomberg wants to get rid of senior teachers. Klein doesn’t want to lose teachers he hired. Not one of them is really talking about what the kids really need. The IBM school sounds great, but will it really happen? Why don’t they create schools that will give students the skills to get jobs, such as automotive or refrigeration, the way they did years and years ago. Not every student is cut out for college. Why don’t they listen to kids? Why doesn’t MSNBC have some high school students on the show this week about education and ask them what they need and want? Why doesn’t Bloomberg go to one of the bad schools in Washington DC and teach for a year. Why doesn’t Klein spend some time in the classroom? Obama should spend some time teaching in the DC schools that he said can’t teach his kids what they need. After a year in the classroom in a tough school come back and say it’s the teachers that have to go. They should really be concentrating on dealing with the kids with problems. The kids that don’t want to go to school. The kids that refuse to do the work in the classroom or the homework assigned to them. Teachers can try everything possible, but there are kids that just can’t be reached in a regular school. They need to build schools where these students can learn skills that will get them a job. Businesses that donate money to schools should make sure that the money goes into the classrooms. The standards on the reading and math tests were conveniently raised so the scores would produce the results that Bloomberg needs to promote his agenda with tenure and seniority layoffs.

An Effective Teacher:

U are mistaken … 20% of teacher evaluation is based on a growth model … how much did your kids improve over the year, whether level 1 or level 4, u are compared with other teachers teaching similar kids. The second 20% is negotiated with the local bargaining unit under PERB rules, no agreement, no plan. 60% supervisory judgment, resulting in a numerical score.