Turnaround schools: Teachers look in mirror rather than out window
When principal Terri Tomlinson took over the failing George Hall Elementary School in Mobile in 2004, she found a trashed building with no bulletin boards, 500 books that had never been taken out of boxes, and less than half the 540 students performing at grade level.
She also encountered hostility from a poor black community frustrated to see the entire school staff sent packing and a new team, led by a white principal, put in place. Because George Hall was one of the worst performing schools in Alabama, Tomlinson was able to remake the school from scratch, keeping only four of the staff, including two cafeteria workers.
The Mobile system offered teachers signing bonuses to move to George Hall. A longtime employee of the Mobile schools, Tomlinson knew the system’s best teachers and pursued them.
She had one rule: “If they mentioned that they really wanted that sign-up bonus, there were struck off the list immediately. This was not a job about the money; this was about a passion for children. They had to share the vision that all children would learn and at high levels.”
Tomlinson told her staff, “Whatever your expectations are for these kids, triple them today. They’re not high enough.”
Her teachers agreed to five weeks of professional development over the summer. They studied books about how to most effectively teach poor children. Tomlinson built in collaborative planning time and treated her teachers as a brain trust to problem-solve. And there were plenty of problems that first year.
To win over the wary community, Tomlinson and her assistant principal made 356 home visits in the first year. She learned that her students, all of whom walked home, threw rocks and stole from neighborhood stores on the way.
“Now, we walk every child every afternoon from the school to the housing project where they live,” she says.
She brought in a group and an individual therapist weekly to work with her students, 11 percent of whom were homeless. She opened the library to parents as part of an adult literacy push.
Six years later, George Hall is one of Alabama’s highest performing schools, earning recognition as a turnaround success by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan who has visited the school.
Today, more than 95 percent of students are meeting standards in reading and math. The school has managed to engage parents, some of whom are in high school, all of whom are poor.
The 99 percent African-American school now enrolls 1 percent white students, the children of teachers who want their kids at George Hall, a sign of just how far the school has progressed, says Tomlinson.
At a national conference in Washington sponsored by the Education Trust, Tomlinson was one of several educators Thursday sharing their success strategies for closing the achievement gap.
Whether the school was in Alabama or New Mexico, whether the children were African-American or Latino, the stories were remarkably similar: The transformation began with strong leaders able to assemble their own teams.
“One of the reasons these poor schools are so low performing is that they have been serving as dumping grounds for teachers no one else wanted,” says Daria Hall, director of k-12 policy development for the Education Trust.
Once good leaders had their teams assembled, the central offices gave them autonomy and support.
“The high school curriculum in the district may be wonderful but if a principal is looking at a ninth grade class reading on a fourth grade level, they have to do something different,” says Hall. “Give them the challenge but give them the ability to meet it.”
And perhaps the most important commonality among schools defying the odds, everyone in the building shares the belief that the children can succeed.
“When people tell us that we can’t tell fix public schools until we fix poverty, we should tell them that they have it backwards,” says Kati Haycock, president of the Education Trust. “We cannot fix poverty until we fix our public schools.”
A thread throughout this conference is that schools and teachers will not succeed if they waste time blaming the underperformance of poor students on factors beyond their control, hapless parents, dangerous neighborhoods, chaotic living situations.
Haycock quoted a Washington, D.C., principal, Adelaide Flamer, who recently told the Washington Post that there are two kinds of educators – those who look out the window and those who look in the mirror.
The principals and teachers who change lives are the ones who look in the mirror for direction and solutions.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
88 comments Add your comment
Bruce Kendall
November 5th, 2010
1:54 am
There is a lesson to be learned here.
Tweets that mention Turnaround schools: Teachers look in mirror rather than out window | Get Schooled -- Topsy.com
November 5th, 2010
2:40 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Amy Bakari, Maureen Downey. Maureen Downey said: Turnaround schools: Teachers look in mirror rather than out window http://bit.ly/b1ait7 [...]
lt
November 5th, 2010
6:13 am
gee, no binding teacher contracts in Alabama which allowed a headstrong, brilliant principal to do what he needed to do, wipe the slate clean and get rid of everyone. he never could have done that with binding contracts (i.e. teacher’s unions).
catlady
November 5th, 2010
6:44 am
I would like to see the budget the school operates under, as opposed to others in its district.
Good for the students and teachers at that school that they are succeeding and being given the resources they need.
Shannon
November 5th, 2010
6:48 am
Is anybody else struck a little by the assertion that one can’t desire to make a decent living *and* really care about students? I’m stunned. What if a teacher said this: “Am I a little wary of coming over here? Of course. This is a terrible situation, these kids are very behind, and the work is going to be far more intense than I’m used to. I won’t lie–the bonus drew my attention to this opportunity, and it would be quite helpful to my family this year, especially since the district froze salaries two years ago and nobody has seen a raise.” According to Tomlinson, no matter what else, that teacher wasn’t considered.
It’s kind of like pastors, hmm? Some people think that because the work is a calling, the pay doesn’t matter.
I suppose that’s true for those teachers who are making a comparable salary to others with similar years of experience and education. What, you don’t know any of those? Me, either.
I love teaching. This kind of thing is why I do it at the college level. Amazingly enough, nobody is surprised that I prefer to be paid to do it.
K teachers
November 5th, 2010
6:53 am
Great story.
It-If you will reread the article you will find that the principal is actually a woman.
sissyuga
November 5th, 2010
7:29 am
The lesson here is that it takes the whole school with ACTIVE participation, not mandates, from administration.
APS Teacher
November 5th, 2010
7:30 am
If the bonus wasn’t allowed to be a motivating force, why did they offer it?
If in fact this story is an accurate portrayal of what happened at this school, it is indeed great news and a tribute to a team of wonderful teachers and administrators. However, based on what I know about schools, education, and media reporting (and all those amazing test score gains in APS), I just don’t really buy it. Maybe it is sad to be that skeptical, but my experience tells me that this kind of thing just doesn’t actually happen in the real world.
Pennski
November 5th, 2010
7:35 am
That would have never happened under Roy Barnes, the teachers union candidate.
Jordan Kohanim
November 5th, 2010
7:43 am
I am disturbed by the lack of respect for teachers found in the subtext of this story. I have two major problems with the implied arguments set forth here. One, I do not feel teachers today need to martyr themselves. In fact, it is morally unjust to ask teachers to do so (and ultimately such people do not last long and therefore do not benefit the kids). Two, this is another example of the educational double speak teachers are receiving from some educational reformists and it clouds the waters of real reform.
I agree with you, Shannon. The implication of this article is that in order for me to be an agent of change inside the vehicle of education, I must surrender to complete selflessness. I need not value money–even though school systems across this nation are notorious for withholding it from teachers, especially teachers in low-achieving areas. I disagree with that thinking. Is it so bad for teachers to want to have the financial stability to raise children of their own? Considering the hardships some teachers have seen their students go through because their parents did not have this foresight, one would think teachers would be applauded. Instead, they are told they are selfish for thinking of someone other than the children of the families with whom they work.
Secondly, why did those teachers have to be fired? Would have been so very hard to do the same professional development with those already vested in that community? I hear a great deal of this administrative double speak in these educational reform times. On one hand, teachers are told to “build relationships,” “authentically care,” and “cross cultural boundaries.” On the other hand, we are told to “keep standards high and unbending,” “examine only the data to direct the instruction,” and “maintain strict ethical, moral, and disciplinary benchmarks.” Can a balance be found amongst all of these? Yes. Is effective to send entire school staff packing? Is it necessary to disenfranchise an entire school and thus the community surrounding it in order to achieve balance and stability for our schools? No. That thinking is reactionary.
The bottom line? Most teachers will tell you they do not leave the profession because there was little money or time left over at the end of the day. Most do not enter it because they are seeking glamour and power. All most teachers need in order to get them and keep them in education is respect of their community. This article implies that such respect is arbitrary. It suggests teachers should not be respected as professionals who deserved to be paid as professionals. It also echoes the lack of respect that some educational reformists have for teachers– teachers can build relationships and have strict standards, but need the freedom and professional development to do so.
Other leaders have wiped out communities and called it reform too. It doesn’t mean it is beneficial.
Enough!
November 5th, 2010
7:47 am
Good lord for the LAST TIME, there is nothing even CLOSE to a teachers union in Georgia. This misconception has GOT to stop. Yes, this could have happened here. In fact, teachers could have been involuntarily transferred to that school and not offered a signing bonus. Stop spreading lies.
Dan
November 5th, 2010
7:50 am
Can someone email this article to all Clayton County school administration?
ladilovely
November 5th, 2010
7:50 am
It will never happen under Deal either. This situation gives you hope. Teachers today are passionate about their job. Many think they can teach a child in Bankhead after doing student teaching in Buckhead. It will not work. If you want to teach poverty kids, you have to come with the knowledge that many of these kids will not have supplies. Many of them are taking care of themselves. Many of them of are from a family that has not graduate from high school. Many of them has near seen outside of their community. Many of them do not have anyone to help with their homework even if they wanted to do it. They only see destruction so its no wonder they are heading that way. They have to fight to be able to go to school. They have to fight to be able to learn. Many of these kids get tired of fighting so they just give in to the destruction of the community and become an active member. Teachers must know this when they saw they want to teach poverty strickens kids. Teachers must be able to keep their attention above the daily destruction they see. So if teachers are not willing to give their all, its an endless battle.
Bill
November 5th, 2010
7:51 am
It,
You might also note that Georgia, and most of the states with that rank near the bottom in public education do not have teachers unions. Many of the states the perform near the top have strong unions. Unions can be an obstacle, but they are not the problem. And, indications are that teachers unions are starting to get it.
Bill
November 5th, 2010
7:58 am
Jordan,
I agree with much of what you say, particularly that teachers are deserving or professional pay and respect.
You make one statement that puzzles me: “On one hand, teachers are told to “build relationships,” “authentically care,” and “cross cultural boundaries.” On the other hand, we are told to “keep standards high and unbending,” “examine only the data to direct the instruction,” and “maintain strict ethical, moral, and disciplinary benchmarks.” Can a balance be found amongst all of these? Yes.”
I don’t see the need to seek balance here, because I do not see any conflict in these values. Are you suggesting that one cannot care, and cross cultural boundaries and still maintain high standards? I don’t think you mean this. But, as long as we see these ideas as being in conflict, we will not solve the problem.
Fred
November 5th, 2010
8:02 am
They were fired Jordan because they SUCKED. They had 500 books that they never bothered to take out of boxes. They had a building that they allowed to get trashed. Less than HALF the kids were up to grade level. In short Jordan, those that were fired WERE the problem. They weren’t teaching. ANd by the condition of the building, they weren’t even baby sitting. Quit making excuses for duds. They got the total amount of respect that they earned and deserved. None.
I agree with your post Shannon. The very same thing struck me. If I were made King, I would triple the salary of all teachers. But at the same time I would have them take competency tests and fire the duds. Well maybe not triple. the average salary for teachers in Georgia is 48K (according to teacher portal, http://teacherportal.com/salary/Georgia-teacher-salary ). I would bump it up to $100,000.
Larry
November 5th, 2010
8:03 am
While it is true that teachers need to step up to the plate, the most important element is that the parents need to be partners and help in the process. That is where too little time and effort is spent to make parents understand their role. Until we address that, education will always go downhill.
ladilovely
November 5th, 2010
8:07 am
Yes teachers want to be paid salaries compable to other counties or states but if teaching is your passion, you will be okay. Throughout my life, I have meet many teachers who gave their last dime for a student who was having financial problems. In my opinion, teachers gets satisfaction when they are invited to high school, college or even doctoral graduations. They beam with pride when they see their hard work walk across that stage when everybody said it was not possible. Where are those teachs now. Many teachers these days refuse to stay afterschool and tutor. Many refuse to call the home and talk to the parents. Many refuse to acknowledge there is a problem. My sister is a teacher and I remember the endless nights she would sit up calling parents of all her students. Everywhere she goes, her students remember her and thank her. She beams with pride when they thank her for caring.
ladilovely
November 5th, 2010
8:09 am
Larry, many parents need an extra push because they have been told they were nothing so they kids will be nothing. We have to break the cycle of destruction
Dr NO
November 5th, 2010
8:10 am
Perhaps Clayton, Dekalb, South Fulton and APS might take a lesson here.
Probably not because their heads are so far up their behinds, but worth a try.
williebkind
November 5th, 2010
8:13 am
Did they do this without a pay raise? Really, did the 5 week course give them a higher teacher’s credential and must be followed by a higher pay scale? At least the teachers got it together and improved the school environment for better learning. Do they teach that at the university?
justjanny
November 5th, 2010
8:13 am
Go and see “Waiting for Superman” for more insight.
Dr NO
November 5th, 2010
8:15 am
Thats is some pretty well thought-out mumbo jumbo there Jordan Kohanim. Nice diatribe that basically has about as much meaning as two dead flies.
Bottom line, and this applies across the occupational board…sorry lazy employees should be fired.
A
November 5th, 2010
8:18 am
Georgia does not have a teachers union. 1. In states with a union, there is one union. Not many different organizations that represent teachers (GAE, PAGE, etc.) 2. Unions have collective bargaining power, i.e., they develop a contract that must be followed by both management and members (this does not happen in Georgia).
Teachers are told what to do by administrators; administrators can make rules and policies that would NEVER work in the business world (i.e., requiring employees to attend trainings and workshops after work hours without compensation).
That being said, this probably has little to do with unions and more to do with “No Child Left Behind”. Under that law, schools who are consistently failing will be required to remove the entire staff and start over. I think this is a great success story. However, there are a lot of people who need to recognize that children are children no matter where they come from. Sure there are some that have significant issues in their background but there are too many teachers and outsiders who want to write kids off because of where they are from/how they grew up. Keeping expectations high for all children will allow them to learn. I’ve taught “difficult” populations my entire career but in the end they are all able to learn. I’m not saying that every child will be on grade level by the end of the school year but it is possible to have all students make strong gains toward meeting grade level expectations.
Bill
November 5th, 2010
8:18 am
Larry,
If uninvolved parents are the problem, what is the solution? We can only fix what we have control over. That includes the building, the curriculum and the teachers. Schools can and must reach out to involve parents and the community, but they can’t fix that.
We still seem to be looking for a silver bullet when we say that one thing or another is the problem. The fact is it is a very complex problem which is not fixed by simple one size fits all solutions.
I do not like the idea of firing the entire school, but sometimes it is necessary to wipe the slate clean. Incremental change cannot always overcome inertia. I know there is a lot of research out there, and cases like this, and the Georgia teachers who recently received $25,000 grants are getting attention. I would like to know that Education Trust, or the Dept of Education are trying to systematize this so it can be transferred and scaled up. It is possible as we have seen in the past to build a great school on the power of a personality (principal). However, that is not sustainable or scalable.
Real World
November 5th, 2010
8:23 am
Teaching can be a passion without being a “social cause.” These teachers deserve every extra nickel they received. While they work the extra hours what happens to their own families? I’m happy for the students, the families and the community but this could not happen just anywhere. What is asked of these people goes way beyond the job description and what most people should be, asked to do. I applaud the efforts but this could not be used for a model for all impoverished communities.
I am a career educator who has worked in impoverished communities where many of the same things were attempted. Some were successful and some not. Our teachers received no extra pay.
abc
November 5th, 2010
8:26 am
I love that the teachers on here became instantly defensive and blamed the parents. This is why I lost respect for teachers years ago and became a home schooling mom. Whenever I spoke with my children’s teachers it was instantly MY fault. Hmmmm…..
Bill
November 5th, 2010
8:32 am
abc,
If you spoke to the teachers, you are probably not one of the “problem” parents. The problem parents never talk to teachers, never come to school, and do not reinforce the importance of school at home.
It is also true that many of these same parents may be financially strapped, working two or three part time jobs to try to make ends meet, and have minimal education themselves. Their absence is understandable, but still a problem. We need to learn ways to compensate for this in order to break the cycle.
Bill
November 5th, 2010
8:33 am
abc,
It is also worth noting the number of parents and other community members who “instantly” blame the teachers.
V for Vendetta
November 5th, 2010
8:34 am
I agree with what many of you have said. As a teacher, I expect to be justly compensated for my time.
This has never happened.
If we were to take the positive ideas for reform out of this article, combine it with a proper paycheck, and maintain high standards with a strong focus on community, then success would not be far on the horizon. Another comment in the article struck me as relevant: “The transformation began with strong leaders able to assemble their own teams.”
Too bad that will never happen.
Maureen Downey
November 5th, 2010
8:34 am
@APS Teacher, You ought to take a look at the stories on this school. There are many. The principal is an impressive woman — and she had an assistant with whom she shared trust and goals.
Jordan, I think there are some schools that require teachers who, in fact, are willing to sacrifice a lot of their time. The principal of a high school being honored at this conference for closing the achievement gap says her staff works 24/7. I think that is true in virtually any job where you are coming in under dire conditions and trying to save a sinking ship.
Not every school, not every student needs that level of time and focus.
But some do.
Maureen
teacher&mom
November 5th, 2010
8:43 am
Place a knowledgeable leader in any school who is willing to…
WORK with the teachers to bring about change
SUPPORT the teachers
UNDERSTAND education/pedagogy/curriculum/instruction
Place HIGH EXPECTATIONS for themselves first, then their teachers, and finally their students
…and you will get results. Place those same outstanding teachers in a building with a weak, ineffective leader and within five years the school will be struggling.
DeKalb Educated
November 5th, 2010
8:51 am
“Once good leaders had their teams assembled, the central offices gave them autonomy and support.” In every motivational study from teaching to investment services – people value autonomy over money in many cases. Think about how you live. Would you rather earn an extra $10,000 and have your every move micro-managed or have the autonomy to guide your life, your job and your students based upon your own expectations. In DeKalb County every bit of autonomy is sucked out of the teachers and individual schools by the admin at the Central Office who barely have fourth grade reading levels. Some of you speak of teachers having the same motivation as pastors – that pastor wouldn’t be Eddie Long or Joel Osteen who preach about money and power over values and service? There are many teachers who are rewarded by seeing students achieve. It makes them feel they have done a job worth doing. I would love for a program such as the one in Mobile to come to DeKalb County. A program which would encourage autonomy and strive for excellence. How wonderful for principals to be given the decision to hire the best teachers for their schools and not be told they had to hire the friend or family member of a Board Member. It would be a blessed day for sure! Students’ needs over personal, self-promoting needs – rare thing here in DeKalb.
Jordan Kohanim
November 5th, 2010
8:52 am
Maureen,
Perhaps I am naive, but I think most teachers sacrifice a lot of their time. Holding up the “lazy teachers = fault of education” misconception is irresponsible.
hmmm?
November 5th, 2010
8:52 am
The principal in the article; said she assembled a TEAM; to give credit to only one person is wrong. What I am more interested in; What are the graduation tracks in AL? Did they take advantage of the tracks to get students interested in school? What are the graduation requirements in AL?
No doubt they have done a great job; you try to teach a group of project kids and see how well that goes.
BlackGirl
November 5th, 2010
8:52 am
This is a great story, however the reason it worked is because the principal was given the autonomy to develop a plan for her school. I work in a school in APS that demands that every teacher (including co-curricula classes) teach SFA (a scripted reading program) and ProjectGrad Math. The principal doesn’t have a choice lest she risk losing her job. We constantly have “professionals” in the school building monitoring teachers, ensuring that the script is being followed. Deviations from the script are not allowed. This is mandated by the area superintendent. As a result, co-curricula classes are used as babysitting time. Students go to “specials” one day a week, and move from class to class in a two hour block with no transition time built in. Imagine, if P.E. begins at 9, then it ends at 9:30, but your next class which is art will begin at 9:30. Confusing?! You bet, so the kids get nothing more than 20 minutes of class from each area. What can one do in 20 minutes once a week and benefit from. The purpose of this schedule to “fit specials in” so that the 90 minute blocks of SFA and ProjectGrad Math are met. The whole child is ignored because students must pass the test. We shut down in January and there is no movement to any class. They are forced to sit in classes at 6 years old and focus on testing. This means that there are no breaks for teachers. They literally hold themselves until their 20 minute lunch (yes, it’s only 20 minutes because they spend 5 taking the kids to lunch and 5 picking them up). Planning no longer exists, so you’re expected to stay after school and get it done.
I could go on and on about how ridiculous education has become in our state. I agree with an earlier post that stated we might be better off as a union state. If we did, teachers would have better working conditions. They wouldn’t be forced to tutor after school without pay. No matter what anyone thinks, teachers don’t go into for the money, but we do work FOR money. I have a family and I would like to be able to provide for them on a decent salary. This isn’t asking much. However society has decided that we should do it as a “calling” and accept whatever comes our way. This is the very reason many are ready to leave this profession.
There is no simple solution to solving the problems in our schools. I work in a school similar to the one in this article. I give them my best, however my hands are often tied. This is the reality of many schools across the state. Even principals can’t make decisions regarding their schools. This is why I have no desire to become one.
EnoughAlready
November 5th, 2010
9:01 am
Now that is the kind of person I want teaching all of our children. Maureen, I’m assuming she is still at the school; if so let me know, because I want to send her a thank you note.
November 2nd Has Come And Gone
November 5th, 2010
9:04 am
Oh, Maureen, thank goodness you’re back…..I was having withdrawal pains…..I was afraid you weren’t coming back because of all us loonies. You know, this is a great story and I’d like to believe it; however, I tend to place it in there alongside the hare and tortoise fable……sounds like something those democrats would make up. I know, you’re trying to fire up the APS and the DCSS to do something similar but, It’ll never happen (I hate being a pessimist; however, it’s hard not to if you look around and see the dysfunctional BOE’s in those two systems)…..they’ll do good to survive given their current investigational status. The best thing the APS can do is split into two separate systems……SAPS, those schools in south Atlanta and NAPS, those in north Atlanta. It’s going to become a reality, maybe not exactly, oneday. Wait and see
Springdale Park Elementary Parent
November 5th, 2010
9:07 am
I’ve often said the most important person in our community is our elementary school principal. We send our children through those school doors at age 5 or 6 praying they’ll emerge with the beginnings of a fine education but also with a love of learning and a respect for the process.
When it came time to choose a principal for our lovely new elementary school, SPARK, 3 years ago, we could have had anyone in the country. Beautiful school, affluent neighborhood, tremendous potential. But our parent leaders (over my strong vocal objection) allowed Bev Hall to transfer to us the principal from the closing CW Hill elementary. Bev told us CW Hill’s CRCT scores under this woman’s direction were extraordinary. But we now know those scores to be fraudulent.
So we were sold a new principal on the basis of fraudulent test scores. The fact that this new principal may not have known about widespread cheating in her school (One CW Hill classroom had more than 20 wrong-to-right erasures per classroom; you can read all the sordid details at
http://vahiblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/whore-you-gonna-believe-me-or-your-own.html )
–or that she, personally, was not among the cheaters, is not the point. What matters is that instead of getting the world-class principal our school could have gotten, we got someone whose professional accomplishments and awards all resulted from a fraud.
(Again, the possibility that she didn’t knowingly perpetrate this fraud does not make her resume less fraudulent).
Our school is still a success in comparison to most in Georgia, thanks to some outstanding teachers and a strong parent group, and despite some extremely questionable conduct by our “superstar” principal. But how much better could SPARK be now if our parent group had not been cowed by Bev Hall three years ago?
This story posted by Maureen only proves my point: your child’s principal is one of the most important figures in your life. Choose wisely. Play a role in the decision. Don’t let your district’s superintendent ram their own protege down your throat using a super-secret process that doesn’t give you a vote. (A chance to “comment” on nominees is not the same thing as a vote).
These schools belong to you. Exercise your ownership privileges.
Bill
November 5th, 2010
9:21 am
November,
Why exactly do you think it would be a good thing to split APS? I am especially curious why North and South. Why not East and West?
Teacher, Too
November 5th, 2010
9:30 am
I have to say that I am conflicted with this story. I have to wonder– is the administration concerned about essentional questions being posted on the board, data notebooks,a set lesson plan format being followed (that are two pages long), nit-picky stuff like that, or are they allowing the teachers to determine what they need to do to be successful?
Education is so prescribed today– everything from the top down, limiting the teachers in what they can actually do. We spend all of our time doing tedious, mind-numbing minutia that in no way enhances our ability to teach. We’re told to handle any discipline problems creatively, we’re told to do this and that and the other– leaving no time for us to handle our actual teaching duties. I spend over ten hours a week working for free- no bonus, no overtime, no compensation, except nasty e-mails from parents.
Oh, and when we try to set the high expectations, parents complain that we’re making their children work too hard. Okay- do we want an educated populace, or a further dumbed-down populace?
Too many administrators who are sitting in their offices figuring out more work for the teachers to try to implement.
I wonder, is this the kind of school that the principal in the story is running? If not, then she is truly bucking the system. A collaborative school where teachers have an actual voice, without fear or repercussion? A school where teachers can actually teach? Where the decisions are made with teacher input, instead of just a phony, fake, “Oh we want to hear your ideas,” and then when ideas are suggested, shot down with, “No, that’s not an option.”
Maybe that school should be a model– if, and only if, the administrators truly value the teachers’ voices, and respect the teachers’ opinions.
Vince
November 5th, 2010
9:31 am
They have made great strides at George Hall….no doubt about it. It would be great to actually have the autonomy to choose your own staff!
What happened to all of the special ed kids at George Hall? Back when they weren’t making AYP, the percentage of students with disabilities was around 20% in the AYP grade levels. Now it is only about 5%?
Where did they go?
Jan
November 5th, 2010
9:43 am
There are an awful lot of people out there who love sound bites: unions, abortion, drugs, gays, sex. All they need is these one-liners to “form” (and ventilate) their “opinion.” These individuals don’t seem to have the brainpower to think through complex problems, therefore, they need to resort to simple answers to complex problems. If they continue to dominate the discussion the outcome will not be very helpful.
Nobody ever claims that (some or maybe a lot of) teachers are not part of the problem. Everybody involved in the educational system may be part of the problem; it would be more productive to research why it is that poorly educated teachers end up in front of the classroom and then do something about it! It is, therefore, so important to take these shining examples and study them, determine where the thinking outside of the box occurred. It may actually be very helpful to ask the people who made this turnaround happen to educate us!
To simply rant on teachers who did not unpack boxes is to completely ignore the fact that even good people get discouraged when they are put in the middle of a mess. That may have been (part of) the (real) problem. I said it before and I say it again: why is it so shocking when a teacher wants to get fairly compensated for his or her work? Every other employee in this country goes to work for exactly that. Do you really think that only teachers need passion to perform in their profession? Absolutely not! Everybody doing a job needs passion to do that job well, if you are helping customers in a retail store or producing an elaborate piece of software, it does not matter, you need passion.
Without ignoring all the other aspects of the problem (school boards, teachers, administrators, academics, athletics, parents, government, politics, real estate, etc.) a good start of a meaningful discussion may be to define what we want our public school system to produce. We may want to set as a goal to determine the most narrow definition of public education. We may need to go back to the basics: academics. Then determine the most narrow definition of the set of essential parameters to reach that goal. Leave it to the parents to raise their children. Leave it to sports organizations to train students physically. Leave it to social work to put out domestic fires. Leave it to parents to transport their children to and from school. Leave it to cultural organizations to organize community events.
The system needs to be financed since we now realize that it is profitable (I would actually state: essential) to all of us to surround us with thinking individuals who can form an original thought. The union of all Americans (those who elect people into office) needs to agree on the importance of education by allocating a realistic budget to this task and the elected official needs to be held responsible for the system to produce within a very narrow mandate. Since this oversight is essentially political, we don’t want any politically elected officials in the system.
What if
November 5th, 2010
9:44 am
Jordan: Bravo, bravo, bravo. Maureen: Most teachers DO sacrifice themselves and their time. While there no doubt are 30-hour slackers, there are also the ones I know who spend 70 and 80 hours a week being teacher. Every week. AND they have to eat and feed their families, yet we accuse them of being selfish for wanting to love their own kids. Wrong.
David Sims
November 5th, 2010
9:49 am
I appreciate your bringing George Hall Elementary School to my attention. It is a curious case in which almost all students perform perfectly on the ARMT, which is Alabama’s version of the CRCT. However, you seem to have been too quick to take George Hall’s self-reported record at face value. It might be what it appears, perhaps, which would be the first school anywhere to completely close the black-white racial gap in academic achievement, without cheating on the test scores or cherrypicking over the enrollment. On the other hand, George Hall might be Alabama’s “Deerwood Academy.”
http://www.greatschools.org/alabama/mobile/1067-George-Hall-Elementary-School/
George Hall Elementary School
PK-Grade 5
1108 Antwerp Street – Mobile, AL 36605
Mobile County School District
539 students: 99% black, 1% white.
Greatschools rating: 10.
Spending per pupil: $8417 (state average $8395)
ARMT scores, 2008-9, Grade 3. Reading: 100% Math: 99%
ARMT scores, 2008-9, Grade 4. Reading: 100% Math: 100%
ARMT scores, 2008-9, Grade 5. Reading: 98% Math: 100%
And there are no racial gaps. These perfect scores were ostensibly earned by Black elementary school students.
Those test scores look firewalled. It is possible that the ARMT is far too easy a test. It is possible that there was cheating of the same kind that occurred in Atlanta. It’s even possible that Alabama has scoured its every county, selected its very smartest black students, and sent them to fill George Hall’s classrooms, in order to manufacture “a miracle” that it could brag about and submit as a sign of worthiness for grant and award money.
Of course, perhaps George Hall Elementary is just what you took it for: a successful turnaround school. But you lack a proper degree of suspicion, I think. Just keep in mind that we had this same sort of apparent success in Atlanta, and in New York City, and in Florida, and each time it turned out that the gains were phony, the result of fraud or procedural gimmickry. Each time the falseness of the previous “success story” is exposed, up pops a new one, and once more all the leftists forget history, lose their faculty of critical assessment again, and start praising their new social intervention “miracle” to the heavens.
What if
November 5th, 2010
9:53 am
And bravo, Jan. Don’t forget, though, that one of the major purposes of public education is (okay, was) to enable the continuation of the democratic society by inculcating those ideals. The “back to basics” movement now being forced on the society first by Bush and now, sigh, Obama and crew — and the super-rich who simply want obedient workers who can read their rules — appears to want nothing of higher-order reasoning. If they succeed, I do NOT want to know what this country will look like in 50 years.
I Report/You Decide
November 5th, 2010
9:55 am
“The 99 percent African-American school now enrolls 1 percent white students, the children of teachers who want their kids at George Hall, a sign of just how far the school has progressed, says Tomlinson.”
You’re aware that 1 percent of 500 is only 5, right? Those 5 probably come because it’s convenient for the teacher-parent from a transportation perspective, no other reason.
Bill
November 5th, 2010
10:10 am
I report,
5 is way more than 0.
I am impressed with your ability to enter the mind of someone you have never met and lives in a different state, and discern their motives.
MLM
November 5th, 2010
10:13 am
Hi, Bill. I just wanted to help clarify some of the terms that Ms. Kohanim was using.
In educrat-speak, “cross cultural boundaries” and “build relationships” mean “don’t hold all students accountable for behavior that could be considered inappropriate in some contexts but not in others” or “if a student uses profanity or abusive langauge in class, try to ascertain why she is doing this and whether or not there is a standard cultural understanding of such language.” (Ms. Kohanim is the furthest thing from an educrat, by the way, but she gets to deal with them even more than most of us regular teachers, so she has had to learn the jargon.)
One can argue that these ideas are indeed important; I am very interested in discovering the factors that motivate a student to behave in ways that deviate so much from expectations. That said, teachers are also told to “keep standards high and unbending.” This is where the conflict comes in.
Striking a balance between recognizing and understanding the huge range of student behavior and preparation and holding all students accountable for the same level of academic and behavioral performance is indeed challenging.
These ideas are not mutually exclusive, to be sure. But at the moment, the zero-sum world of education reform has created a damned if you do, damned if you don’t dilemma for teachers.
Dr NO
November 5th, 2010
10:19 am
Bill
November 5th, 2010
9:21 am
Just a guess here but the North has their agenda and the South has their agenda. The two do not intersect nor should they.
Cmon…its a racial thing. You know that.