Nationally, $1.7 billion is spent annually on standardized testing; some say it’s not enough. (HuffPo)
NYU pulled the plug on a Harlem Children’s Zone-like initiative to help Newark schools. (Hechinger)
A teacher’s open question: “How do you combat (and … change) low teacher morale?” (B Niche)
Chicago teachers say they’re hopeful but not confident about performance tasks in evaluation. (Catalyst)
A map of charter school penetration by city shows that New York is not close to the lead. (Flypaper)
John Liu visited his alma mater, Queens’ P.S. 203, and met a younger version of himself. (YouTube)
Rick Hess: Thinking the Common Core will change everything suddenly is a mistake. (Straight Up)
A critic of the state’s strategy for counting student growth pans Merryl Tisch’s op/ed. (School Finance 101)
A teacher riffs off questions about Joel Klein’s life story to ask questions about her impact. (SchoolBook)
The second-term exodus from the U.S. Department is underway — at the press office. (Politics K-12)
http://nyceducator.com/ NYC Educator
Hmmm…three years without a contract, four without a raise, facing evaluation by junk science, and the question is how we improve teacher morale. Let me think on it.
Qr43
It is hard to improve teacher morale without knowing why it is low. Otherwise you are treating the symptom not the disease.
http://twitter.com/BNiche B
To combine a response to both comments, the evaluation system isn’t conversation within my school, though I do bring it up to let my colleagues know what’s potentially coming down the pipeline.
Much of what is killing morale at my school are what is going on in many schools from what I’ve discovered in many conversations and blog posts:
* immense pressure coming from the higher ups to change curriculum on a dime to fit both the times we’re dealing with and the Common Core (a “mandatory” unit about the Constitution thrown at us a week before it needs to be done)* numerous staff members being asked to cover positions that take away their time from working with their students, with major budget cuts being the main reason why classroom teachers are covering for other positions that are all basically gone or not concerned “important” (many excessed school aides with no replacements)* utter confusion in regards to the new Special Education reforms and what that means for teachers like myself and what providing them a “comparable service” actually means, compared to the actual service needed (i.e. a student who requires a 12:1:1 mono setting, but can’t in the school)
* also, confusion coming about the Common Core in regards to the new tests, length of passages and the substance of the tests changing every year, it seems. This requires more money to be used to buy test prep books and not for other enrichment activities, etc.
And of course the usual: lack of support from all sides of the equation, growing class sizes, inconsistency from John King/DOE down, and blame against us (teachers) for numerous things not under our control (documents needed to be signed, homework needed to be completed, etc).I can go on and on, but that’s just a snapshot. I don’t think it’s anything special compared to what many schools deal with on a daily basis, but the revolve of the senior teachers I’ve worked with my last four years as well as some of the teachers within my years of experiences has been decreasing rapidly and more so this year than years past; hence, that leads me to asking the question I asked.
Some may say that’s what Bloomberg wants (confusion, great dissension, frustration, etc) and all that. I just want suggestions on what I can do as a teacher to help my other colleagues out and lift spirits as we have 15 days before our next break.
I hope this helps clear things up a bit.
http://twitter.com/nycdoenuts nycdoenuts
I’ll repeat this simple advice: Take your colleagues out drinking. Not to gripe and complain, but to talk about the better parts of your job, hold case conference about your students, share ideas about planning and grading and to just generally remind yourselves that you’re part of the greatest profession on Earth -despite what’s happening to it.
And the griping and complaining isn’t going to hurt.
Whendotheyleave
$1.7 billion on testing would pay for about 28,000 additional teachers (at $60K each). Hmmm…I guess the standardized testing industrial complex wouldn’t like that…
Tim
$60K each? In the Dakotas or West Virginia, maybe. (you forgot about the ‘fringe’ benefits.)
I don’t like the impact of testing, but let’s keep it in perspective and not allow the 1.7 billion to become an absurd bugaboo as has happened with the $80 million expense for ARIS. There are 3.3 million K-12 public school teachers in the US–28,000 is a rounding error. And with about 49,000,000 public school kids, the testing costs about $35/kid. This isn’t a lot of money in the big picture.
Mr. Flerporillo
Seriously. You want to add teachers on that cost structure, cut the BS and become a charter booster.
Whendotheyleave
Point is, Tim. $1.7 bil is a waste if spent on testing and the money goes to the testing industry. BTW, check the starting salary (incl fringe) for teachers in NYC…well below $60K
Nel
You know how much we should be spending nationally on standardized testing? $0.
http://twitter.com/nycdoenuts nycdoenuts
Exactly why are we spending $35 per every student in the United States on tests again?
Tim
We test them because it’s the law to test them–it has been, to one extent or another, since 1965.
Why does it cost $35 per kid on average, as opposed to 50 cents or $500? That I don’t know. $35 strikes me as a pretty reasonable number–I’m sure that Sidwell Friends type schools spend a lot more on their annual assessments, and that religious schools probably spend less. The law requires testing, and 1.7 billion is literally a drop in a $600+ billion dollar ocean.
http://twitter.com/nycdoenuts nycdoenuts
To be clear: It has not been the law to test every child in the United States since 1965. It isn’t even the law to test every student in the US today. You’re a smart guy. I’m sure you knew that.
And I’m sure you know that you haven’t got the slightest idea what Sidwell spends (or doesn’t spend) on assessments. So let’s do keep things in some perspective.Like the perspective that $35 per every student in the United States (to be spent on a lot less students than every student in the US) is an eye popping amount of money.
LYP
LYP-日本でのNO.1人気あるダウンジャケットブランド—-モンクレール！冬の日本、一番はやってるクリスマスプレゼントはもちろんモンクレール ダウンです。モンクレール アウトレットの店はさまざまなデザインがあり、値段安いし質も保証あります。さらに今、Moncler アウトレットの店は運賃なしです！クレジットカ—ドで注文したら、十日内には注文した商品は必ず届けます。こんなに安くて便利なショッピング、迷わず買いましょう！ Louis Vuitton Bags is the history of France’s most outstanding leather,in Paris in 1854 opened the first suitcase louis vuitton sale shop name in its own brand.Over the past century has been to advocate refined,quality,comfortable “travel philosophy”,starting as a design basis.louis vuitton outlet the name has now spread throughout Europe,became a symbol of the finest travel products.louis vuitton bags outlet store’s goods sold to all over the world,quality is guaranteed,and the audience free postage.If you do not want a good Christmas gift,then hurry to the louis vuitton bags on sale store to order it. Moncler Outlet enduring mid-renovation and refurbishment,the set dressing style people prefer leisure,moncler jackets will always be the best choice.Design without too pompous,or to totally practical concise styleattractive,neat concise leisure wind consumers can not miss the moncler.In the cold winter,if you do not have a favorite down jacket,moncler outlet store will certainly be your favorite style.
Are you ready to send what gift in this Christmas?Maybe we can give you some advice.louis vuitton outlet are amazing shopping site in this world,because through it,you can bought the louis vuitton bags in an incredible price,maybe a new way to get Louis Vuitton Handbag,that is louis vuitton online store,as I understand they take the bag from Louis vuitton factory,no tax,no house rent,no compete,these make the price lower then louis vuitton shop,so why not shop the louis vuitton online,amazing Louis Vuitton handbag are belong to you.
If you are worried for Christmas gift,hermes bags may be a good choice,as the world’s most expensive brand,if you have one, that must stand that you are a good station person in your country, Hermes is famous of it’s hermes handbags,as the hermes handbag’s high qulity and best design, maybe the price is the best in the world.Two series of hermes is popular,that is hermes kelly bags,and hermes birkin bags,this two series make Hermes more popular, so visit our site to get your love.
What should you send gift in christmas?hermes handbags is waiting for you.Maybe Hermes Handbags is very expensive,but you will be interisted in our replica hermes handbags,we have hermes birkin bags,Hermes Kelly Bags and so on,all of them is quality assured and beautiful,so buy hermes bags on our site,amazing surprise is waiting for you.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.