Comments for GothamSchools

Comment on Advocates say draft discipline code is a letdown after last year by InvictusVerus

InvictusVerus — Sat, 25 May 2013 13:04:00 +0000

Try to measure be just with every single individual violation or violator and I will see in what sort of academic world we will wind up. The fact is that there are many, many different measures you can use to judge how discipline should be meted out. But, what do you do about students who have horrible attendance in general because they inhabit the hallways instead of classes, to even think that their academic attendance will improve with more individually tailor fitted outcomes, does that even make that much of a difference?

When there is just a handful of violators in a large school, this sort of system works but when these few inspire scores of imitators, you either nip the problem in the root or else, you will have a closing building.

Discipline often enforced in school is discipline that has been non existence for decades. If you are looking for a root cause, go home and see what has not been taking place or have been allowed to festered.

Comment on City aims to help principals understand teachers’ exit patterns by InvictusVerus

InvictusVerus — Sat, 25 May 2013 12:58:00 +0000

Stop using the typical repeated responses of pseudo social justice advocates about the poor deserving the best teachers.

Some of the often, poorest students by Federal guideline measures (Food coupon/poverty line thresholds), go to what is considered the finest schools in the City. Perhaps they go to the best outfitted buildings or to the schools with the “best” teachers but if your logic is true, then we can swap those poor students out from that building and put your “poor” students there and see whether those teachers, in that building are the best.

Comment on City aims to help principals understand teachers’ exit patterns by Norm Scott

Norm Scott — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:11:00 +0000

Don’t tell me you take Kitchen Sink seriously. A failed 4 year teacher who jumped ship from 2 public schools to open his own charter — after 4 years of failed teaching experience. I haven’t checked lately but word was that his charter wasn’t doing as well as the local competing charters. Maybe he should sell out to Success and Democracy Prep who can raise lots of money in one evening.

Comment on City aims to help principals understand teachers’ exit patterns by Norm Scott

Norm Scott — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:07:00 +0000

Poor kids only deserve teachers from TFA and e4e. And all those teachers in charter schools whose ratings will never be made public. Remind me if the ratings/turnover rate etc of teachers in your charter school are public knowledge. If not why don’t you leave that info here?

Comment on City aims to help principals understand teachers’ exit patterns by NYC Educator

NYC Educator — Sat, 25 May 2013 10:34:00 +0000

Nice to hear that Walcott is inspired by TNTP, which is of course an unbiased organization founded by level-minded Michelle Rhee. I don’t suppose it’s crossed his mind that a decade of vilifying teachers and subjecting them to untested and unproven reformy nonsense might be discouraging. Of course, he doesn’t work in a school and can’t be bothered finding out what non-E4E members think. After all, how would examining reality rather than TNTP pipe dreams advance Mayor Bloomberg’s agenda? And why should a chancellor worry about what’s good for teachers or kids when he serves at the pleasure of a billionaire with BFFs to keep happy?

Comment on Advocates say draft discipline code is a letdown after last year by Chris Fazio

Chris Fazio — Sat, 25 May 2013 03:49:00 +0000

I think the reason that a system-wide discipline code is difficult to draft is that the causes of misbehavior are so varied. One student’s insubordination might stem from family issues (requiring guidance intervention) while another’s may just be from academic stress (requiring a conversation after school). The same response would not necessarily fit the same misbehavior.

A lot of teachers I talk to want consistent consequences for misbehavior, which makes sense at first blush (fairness, transparency, etc.), but falls apart when you realize that a one-size-fits-all approach just treats the “symptoms” of misbehavior, and not the root problems causing the issue.

There’s a clear parallel here with our country’s obsession with punishment over remediation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate) which is failing us on a larger scale in the war on drugs and, in a nasty positive feedback loop, increasing the instability of our poorest neighborhoods/schools.

Comment on Advocates say draft discipline code is a letdown after last year by Francesco Portelos

Francesco Portelos — Sat, 25 May 2013 03:43:00 +0000

Speaking to my chapter, the educators don’t want to be punching bags for assault or verbal abuse. Put that in the code. Also enforce reporting as my school has been hiding a bunch. Also YouTube “Student harassess s teacher.”

Comment on Advocates say draft discipline code is a letdown after last year by Tommy Calderon

Tommy Calderon — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:50:00 +0000

I think an appropriate response to these “advocates” of a softer discipline code is one often used by these poor student “victims” of “antiquated” disciplinary policies: “F&%K YOU”

Comment on Remainders: Philly latest district to get ‘community schools’ bug by pissedoffteacher

pissedoffteacher — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:42:00 +0000

You want proof, ask any teacher why graduation rates are up and they will tell you boot camp, credit recovery and seat time. Look at the 27 out of 89 points needed to pass an algebra regents or step inside any community college classroom and see how ill prepared the students are. Education is at an all time low in this city.

Comment on Remainders: Success Academy Network gala nets $7 million by bee

bee — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:09:00 +0000

Bully for them. They should be able to afford their own building and forgo our tax dollars. Let the billionaires pay for their own hobbies.

Comment on City aims to help principals understand teachers’ exit patterns by I noticed that...

I noticed that... — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:58:00 +0000

Do you think special needs, ELL and behaviorally challenged students should not be kicked or counseled out from charter schools?
Do you truly understand what the best teachers would have under their belt?

Comment on City aims to help principals understand teachers’ exit patterns by Les Vegas

Les Vegas — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:23:00 +0000

Wow, you’re a charter school leader and that’s what your reading comprehension got out of vanna’s statement? Scary.

Comment on City aims to help principals understand teachers’ exit patterns by Tommy Calderon

Tommy Calderon — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:04:00 +0000

Nooo, vanna is saying that low SES students are the victims of political shenanigans that have been practiced since the dawn of government. Since people in poverty tend to have little or no political influence their children are at the bottom of the list of priorities. Many, like TFA, E$E, and the Deformers pay lip service but in the end money and resources are funneled to wealthy white districts. They use this issue as a weapon to try and dismantle the teacher’s unions, the only true support found in poorer districts. As a result, students, teachers and schools in poorer districts suffer.

Comment on City aims to help principals understand teachers’ exit patterns by KitchenSink

KitchenSink — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:56:00 +0000

Are you saying poor kids don’t deserve to have the best teachers? I think you are.

Comment on UFT endorses 13 City Council candidates, including a teacher by vanna

vanna — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:16:00 +0000

bloomberg now being sued by taxi commision…ive never seen a mayor in so many court battles in my entire life living in nyc….i mean this man is always fighting in court and then loses…and then appeals… and then loses again…

Comment on City aims to help principals understand teachers’ exit patterns by vanna

vanna — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:13:00 +0000

more bogus bs from the people who absolutely know nothing about education but keep pounding on the same issue day after day trying to find some other way but it does nothing to solve the problem of poverty….which is the prime factor why the south bronx schools fail regarding academic achievement….can’t walcott even come up with something on his own for once??? It seems like everything he does is a bloomberg driven idea with walcotts face on the package

Comment on Remainders: Success Academy Network gala nets $7 million by Conflicted

Conflicted — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:03:00 +0000

The Harlem Village Academy fundraiser is even more
ostentatious. Like HSA’s fundraiser it was also honored the gifts from another
billionaire named Dan. Daniel Och was the guest of honor at Harlem Village
academy’s fundraiser, it was MCed by Hugh Jackman and Katie Couric. Musical
guests included Jason Mraz, Amber Riley and The Roots. I forget how much
Wolverine said they raised that night, but it was over $10 million.

Comment on Remainders: Success Academy Network gala nets $7 million by Conflicted

Conflicted — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:01:00 +0000

Did Tisch pay for her seat at the HSA fundraiser? If she didn’t, it is a clear conflict of interest to be accepting gifts from a school which she is responsible for overseeing. It also seems like a conflict of interest if she is financially supporting schools that she overseas. Presumably HSA will claim that someone else paid for her seat.

Comment on Remainders: Success Academy Network gala nets $7 million by Les Vegas

Les Vegas — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:29:00 +0000

So you MORE guys ran someone with one year of union activism for UFT VP? It would be funny if it wasn’t true.

By the way, still no Julie sighting at the DA, does this mean she’s now missed nearly every DA this year? You MORE people sure know how to pick your candidates!

Comment on Rise & Shine: State recruiting students to pilot GED replacement by Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:24:00 +0000

Here is the Census Bureau Release.

http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/governments/cb13-92.html

Anyone who doesn’t trust my tabulation of the data can go to “Saying the Unsaid In New York,” in “The Latest Public Finance Spreadsheets” tab, go down to the education finance MS word document and find out exactly where I get it and how I compile it, and do it themselves.