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Recent fiqures of the teacher turnover statistics over the past ten years reveal that under the Mayor’s leadership the DOE has had the opportunity to choose more than 80% of all the newly hired teachers. Remember, beginning with the Mayor’s first four years, the blame for students not performing well on state tests fell upon the veteran teachers in the system. Now, most are long gone. Yet, recent student test results show no improvement across the board. What this is revealing is that, maybe, the fault for poor student performance has less to do with teachers after all. Why are the Mayor and DOE complaining about teacher quality when they have had the power to hire and hand pick the best (80% of the teaching staff) over the last ten years?Perhaps we are going at this from the wrong angle? Rather than focus on teachers already in the system for many years, the focus ought to be on the hiring process from the very beginning. Additionally, why quickly toss into the classroom newly hired teachers who have no exposure to teaching in a highly diverse environment where they soon become frustrated when confronted with the realities of a very challenging career. Therefore, it may be a consideration of the DOE to implement some type of 1-2 years of on the job training for newly hired teachers. This could be more helpful in the long run for these well educated, energetic, idealistic, teachers who leave the system within a few years due to the “sink or swim” circumstances in which they find themselves confronted with. We cannot continue to lose these teachers when they are beginning to blossom.
The turnover rate is too high. This, in a poor hiring climate. What will the turnover rate be when the economy and the job market improves? Which is more costly for us – needing to search for a constant stream of new teachers, or preparing well the newly hired in an effort to keep them working for us?

Lastly, the Mayor and the DOE need to come to the realization that those principals, associate principals, and teachers that have lasted more than 10 years within the system are a special breed of New Yorkers that can deal with the daily challenges that the occupation in this city require. They are a dedicated group that have already given much in the way of blood, sweat, and tears.
It does little good to berate, insult, and tear apart the very folks who have done their best for their students. If there is eventually going to be any significant progress in our organization the Mayor, DOE, and the UFT will need to sit down in a room for how ever many days (weeks) it takes and and make peace. We all must work as a team. This nonsense has got to stop. Really, gentlemen, it has got to stop!

You’re  missing  the  point.  The  goal  of  education  “reform”  is  high  teacher  turnover.  They  don’t  want  teachers  to  teach  in  any  school  system  for  a  long  period  of  time.  If  they  can  keep the  turnover  rates  high,  they  can  keep  labor  costs  down.  Very  few  of  the  teachers  would  last  long  enough  to  vest  in  the  pension  plan,  or  earn  healthcare  benefits  in  retirement.  The money  saved  on  labor  costs  could  then  go  to  consultants,  publishers,  and  technology  companies.  The  private  sector  financiers  that  fund  the  education  “reform”  agenda.  For  them  its  not  about  “the  children,”  it’s  about  MONEY!

When they came to my class to give out these letters I was visably angry. Imagine trying to teach after giving out a letter that basically tells the students most of their teachers are bad. I also found it interested that no where in the letter did it say 50% or more of teachers will be fire, rather it just mentions replacing ineffective ones. Of course this is a lie to get parent support. Most parents reading this will think, ok just a few bad teachers will be removed, that sounds good for my child. Meanwhile in reality their schools will be completely gutted and put in a position of no recovery. It will be to late to stop it by the time the parents realize what is really happening.

It’s about money for everybody except the children and their parents. If the pensions and benefits weren’t so bloated, there would be far less incentive to lower costs through turnover.  

My first year on the job  was at Grover Cleveland – I graduated from that school.  While I was a sub in 1996, I told the then AP of ELA  who I knew from student teaching at The High School for Environmental Studies in Manhattan that I would be great for a job here.  I knew the kids, I knew the neighborhood - what better else can one ask for.  I am so glad that the most

notorious principal in NYC history Myron Liebrader just did not like me.  To this day I swear he made the decision to excess me when I relplied, “This is school,” when he asked me in a post observation the question  ”Why did you have your students write the introduction to the essay in class when they could have written it at home?”  Anyway,  I left and  I found a job in another high school in Queens where I have thrived.     What is happening to schools like Cleveland and the other 32 is tragic.  I feel for my fellow teachers who are but pawns in a game where the powers that be lack the balls to tell the truth.  I’ll say it again – they lack the balls to tell the truth.  This goes for the mayor, the politicians, mulgrew and everyone one of you who do not realize that it is the STUDENT and the home the most directly fosters the education of the child.  My father recieved a fifth grade education – he is an

immigrant from Northern Italy.  He didn’t know an A was 95 – 100 – he just knew the basics that an A was good and a F was bad and if my sister and I ever brought back an F he would just show us his fist.  I’m serious, he would show us his fist, mutter something in Italian and that ensured we would not bring home something like that again  – which points directly to the idea that the reason I passed my courses had as much to do with my father’s fist and my mother’s constant help as it did with my wonderful teachers.  But as a 15 year veteran of mostly Special Education students, I can honestly say my father’s “fist” is gone.  I have student’s who do no homework, who are not asked by their parents about homework.  Parents, when I speak to them, never even saw the repot cards,  They fail to return phone calls – my goodness some don’t even speak english.  And the teacher is to blame for that.  How said and tragic!   I often here people in the private sector say how easy we teachers have it.  I am sure to tell them that the private sector would never allow them to have outdated computers or technology that is flawed.  They have nothing to say after that.  When is the truth going  to be told?  When is someone going to show the balls to express what the problem really is all about?

depends on which end the smoke screens is coming out of.
Sorry these schools produced some very bright people who would take exception to your no nothing comment

As long as you pay no mind to juking the stats, watering down the tests, paying no attention to attendance or disciplinary issues, hiring new teachers who leave after two years as part of a planned exodus, send children out of their neighborhoods all over the city, have a college-ready percent at 13%, create a dwindling number of intel science competition participants, and draw a stagnant growth on NAEP scores…

You’re right…it’s not a disaster.

Today was a great day for two reasons
1. Little field as usual showed he knows nothing
2. The Giants won

What a day