State approves class size waivers again. Larger classes and fewer teachers reflect financial free fall.
The AJC is reporting that the state school board waived class size requirements yet again, expecting that next school year may be the worst yet for financially strapped local systems.
A combination of state cuts, $1 billion this year, and plummeting property taxes, ongoing fallout from the housing collapse, will add to the financial stresses facing systems next year.
According to the AJC: This is an excerpt. Please read entire story.
On Thursday, the state school board unanimously approved extending the waiver for larger classes through the next school year. For students and parents, this could mean more students in some classrooms and fewer teachers.
Maximum class size requirements vary. For instance, state law says a regular kindergarten class should have no more than 18 students, while a fine arts or foreign language class in grades 6-8 can have 33 students. In addition to the state waiver, school systems also have permission from lawmakers to establish class size averages, meaning they can take an English class with 30 students and one with 10 for an average class size of 20.
“They don’t want to do this. They don’t have a choice,” said Garry McGiboney, associate state school superintendent for policy and charter schools. “For some systems, their solvency is going to depend on things like this.”
Cobb County is adding two students per classroom at all grade levels, a move that will allow the school system to cut 250 teaching jobs. Studies and common sense suggest that classrooms with fewer students are better learning environments, said Cobb school district spokesman Jay Dillon.
“Unfortunately, the economic reality is that we are facing a $62 million deficit, and 90 percent of our operating budget is committed to payroll,” Dillon said.
The state has been giving school systems blanket waivers from mandatory class sizes since the 2009-2010 school year. Other requirements have been relaxed. Most notably, school systems have been allowed to abandon the traditional 180-day calendar, which two-thirds have done to save money, even though they’re required to maintain the same hours of instruction.
Metro area districts have seen property values and taxes drop significantly and have been told they’re not yet at the bottom. McGiboney said staff at the state Department of Education has been concerned about the potential impact on student achievement, but doesn’t have enough data yet to draw any firm conclusions.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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83 comments Add your comment
I'm a teacher
February 18th, 2012
10:04 am
Ron the difference is now we have to spend time documenting every little detail about how we are differentiating instead of spending the considerable time it takes to plan and prepare all the material it takes to provide the varied approaches.
Beverly Fraud
February 18th, 2012
10:31 am
I wonder what percentage of teachers out there have been to “differentiated instruction workshops” where the presenters THEMSELVES differentiated the instruction during the workshop ITSELF in order to “best meet the needs of the staff”?
I mean if it’s all THAT and a bag of chips…
Ron F.
February 18th, 2012
11:56 am
Beverly- LOLOL!! They’re only paid to tell US how to do it, not to do it themselves!
I’m a teacher- totally agree with you on the documentation. I spend more time just trying to make what I’m doing fit the paperwork requirement than I do actually teaching it. I’m to the point that I make the lesson plan look right and then teach what the kids need me to teach- funny, but I’ve never had an evaluator mention the difference.
I'm a teacher
February 18th, 2012
12:15 pm
Beverly – I totally agree – it is like when all the district office people kept spouting “Best Practices” at us but didn’t use any of those “best practices” in their presentations.
Ron – that’s because they never look at the lesson plans except to make sure they are on the correct form – then they are filed away never to see the light of day again. So much of what I have to do now days is just a waste of time – time I could be using to on my students
Ole Guy
February 18th, 2012
4:01 pm
Look folks, one needn’t have burned one’s hand to realize that placing hand on hot stove will surely result in burned hands. Many of you seem to feel that “pointed words”, from non-educators, are to be relegated to the dust bin of suggestions. However, judging from the “educational products”…hs/college grads (those who actually manage to graduate)…we, the non-educators out there see every day, it becomes painfully obvious that the job, for which you have contracted, is not being accomplished. This is either because you are not prepared; not qualified for the job…OR…maybe, just maybe the working conditions in which you find yourselves are not conducive to the job. I don’t know how simpler I can pose this question; this issue. If your employers, the states ed systems, are not providing the necessary materials (copy paper for example); if those employers are demanding too much in the way of extraneous taskings which place your teaching duties in jeapardy, etc, it is up to YOU to do something about it. Your complaints; your detailed descriptions of the time-consuming duties which are cast upon you while drowning out teaching time…these are things which…while the public is extremely sympathetic…YOU must tackle. I realize the very real job threats which are ever-present…been there/done that.
I don’t have the “procedures” in my hip pocket. All I can offer is…do what must be done.
cobbteacher
February 18th, 2012
5:34 pm
I had one of the county “specialists” come to my classroom last week to demonstrate a technique that is being hailed as the greatest innovation in education. It was a complete failure. She had no idea how to communicate with my students, she never smiled and her tone was foreboding, they were terrified of her. After the demonstration she actually said that I should teach it to the “higher” kids in my class and then have them teach it to the rest since they didn’t understand it. Of course they didn’t, over half my class receives special education services and she was asking them to do higher order thinking at the drop of a hat, she gave no explanation of what she was doing she just bombarded them with questions. Her tone indicated that they were wrong even when they were on the right track. BTW she is paid over $100,000 a year for this. I make less now than I did when I began teaching over a decade ago but she just received a payraise.
Anonmom
February 19th, 2012
12:14 am
I think the studies show that “high level 3s” can shut down level 1s and 2s when they are grouped together and they themselves are bored to tears (these are the ‘truly gifted kids’ — e.g. the ones who can shut down if they are bored or who will make the class really interesting for themselves if they are not kept “engaged” by the teacher) — if you have a 1st grader doing multiplication and division and writing in paragraphs with other children who can’t read and do basic math, there are going to be issues (I’ve been there… it’s painful). The level 2s can assist the level 1s and feel good about themselves and reinforce lessons without shutting down themselves….. I’ve had trouble with my “low level 3″ — not extraordinarily gifted but gifted — not able to keep up with the truly gifted but always in class with them — now that he’s in college I “replay” some of those decisions. It might have been better for him to have spent more time with level 2s so he could have had a chance to get a “reality” check on how smart he is instead of always trying to ‘catch up’ to the “high level 3s” so there’s more to this than just sticking them all in the same room and differentiating. In some of the situations it’s not fair to the child or their peers (knowing what I know now, I probably should have pulled my “high level 3″ out of public school much sooner than end of 8th grade).
I'm a teacher
February 19th, 2012
12:57 am
Ole Guy – you say it is up to us to change the situation we find ourselves in – anytime a teacher tries to point out these waste of time tactics we are accused of not wanting to be held accountable and not caring about providing a good education for children. I am a member of GAE (mainly for the liability insurance) and have tried to work within that organization in my district and got nowhere. I have been in education for over 20 years and I know ways of working smarter not harder and have shared some of these with newer teachers. The point is – to really change education so that children get what they need there needs to be a partnership between parents and teachers.
Group By Ability
February 19th, 2012
8:42 am
The new “reality” teachers are facing is more students per class. While that’s a shame and I totally disagree with it, it appears that reality is here to stay. So, what can we do to make it just a tad easier for the teachers to TEACH? I will say it again… researchers for many years have supported three or less academic cohorts per class. Students must be of similar levels in order to reduce the teachers workload and increase their comprehension. Differentiated instruction to a class of 4 or more cohorts does NOT work! I’ll even go so far to say that differentiated instruction is a stupid idea whose 15 minutes of fame should be up.
I believe it was Janet who was lamenting about her child becoming the parapro for the class. I’ve been there and this is what any parent in that situation needs to do. Get your kid evaluated for full-grade acceleration. All three of mine took the Iowa Acceleration Scale tests and went up a grade. They are now in classrooms more attuned to THEIR abilities, although my eldest could have probably jumped another grade. Be warned, however. I had to argue like crazy to make this happen, and in my eldest son’s case, threaten to sue the school system. When his IAS scores came back, they finally stopped arguing with me and his teacher became the biggest supporter of his acceleration. As a second grader, it showed that he was reading on the 6th grade level and doing 8th grade math.
Yes, some kids are truly gifted and leaving them with their chronological-age peers should be a crime. And to the naysayers that will berate me by saying they can’t be mature enough to move up a grade, I say, “Hogwash!” In fact, I just subbed in my daughter’s 4th grade class. A group of 6 kids (my daughter included) had no problems focusing on the lesson and sitting quietly doing their own work. The other 15? Not so focused.
Janet: get your kid tested NOW before she learns it is acceptable to do the minimum and she tunes out. Researchers have also pointed out that kids disengage from school around 3rd grade. I know this b/c I did a lot of work with the gifted community. Do 8it now, or you will regret it.
Anonmom
February 19th, 2012
10:06 am
Beware of grade acceleration too far beyond age though (I agree with the necessity for academic purposes) — when they are elementary school aged (and younger) it makes beautiful sense — it gets dicey in middle and high school — which is why we did not consider this with our middle guy. My mother and mother-in-law both “accelerated” and both graduated high school at age 16 (they made my mother repeat 8th grade because she was too young for 9th…..) — one from NY and one from Miami and they started college at 16. I had a college roommate at 16. My son, with a June birthday (the oldest) was the 3rd youngest in his class — the one skipped up — was 6 months younger and my youngest, with an August birthday is the youngest in his class. It is hard when you get to high school and college and everyone is doing everything that you aren’t interested in and/or able to do (e.g. driving or dating). If you have the resources or are “poor enough” pull the high level 3 kids private as soon as you can… the programs are vastly different and there is aid available. There is a lot of unknown aid available for minorities particularly at the “strong” private schools. The opportunities for your child will be very different and you’ll be amazed. We had our heads in the sand; we were very committed to public school and wouldn’t consider it until our oldest was almost on a ledge and we were forced to wake up and really see what was happening and to stop making excuses. We waited too long. It’s been eye opening.
Anonmom
February 19th, 2012
10:08 am
FYI – the Goizetta foundation has put money out there for Latinos at some of the private schools and other funds exist for other minorities. Like college, don’t assume you won’t be able to afford it — it’s those in the middle and upper middle who struggle with it the most.
Dr. Monica Henson
February 19th, 2012
7:08 pm
@cranky_yankee and i’m a teacher: I have no problem with teachers implementing peer tutoring & coaching as part of a research-based instructional strategy in the classroom. What frustrated APS mom describes does not sound like anything of the sort, but rather a teacher who is abdicating responsibility for instruction. If a teacher is forcing advanced students to sit with hands folded and wait on slower peers to finish work, then I strongly doubt that any peer tutoring that is going on is part of a research-based design.
I have posted previously that class size linked to safety issues, such as lab-based science courses, is a legitimate reason for keeping the numbers lower. This is a marked distinction from the “lower class sizes = better teaching, more individualized attention, higher student achievement outcomes” argument that is trotted out so frequenty by CSR proponents, and which is not supported by the research base, except in cases of primary grades classrooms and high-risk classrooms for older students.
Dr. Monica Henson
February 19th, 2012
7:29 pm
@cranky_yankee, who posted, “If I follow you, 1) the “good” students will get the “good” teachers. Who is responsible for that? Maybe the administrators? Put the blame where it belongs. Don’t pan a legitimate question about a delivery modality by glossing over an administrative failure. Yes, 2) cooperative learning & differentiation are proven modalities. Just don’t try to bolster #2 with the administrative failure of #1.”
You are exactly correct, and the research base shows that administrators will generally place the “best” teachers with the “best” kids. I agree that this is a failure to provide instructional leadership as well as a failure of basic morality. Nevertheless, the squeaky wheels get the grease, and there is no squeakier wheel than the parent of the privileged high-achiever. If we could guarantee that ability-grouped classes would not result in ghettos of low-achievers consigned to the least accomplished teachers, I’d have no problem with it. Official state policy of the GaDOE now recommends that administrators place the most accomplished teachers with the children who need them the most.
Dr. Monica Henson
February 19th, 2012
7:37 pm
@Beverly Fraud & Ron F: I have actually attended some great differentiated instruction workshops where the presenters differentiated their presentations for the participants to model best practice. Elementary school teachers differentiate every day in very effective manners, and I learned a lot while teaching 7th and 8th grade in a K-8 school where I had the opportunity to visit K-2 classrooms during my planning time to observe how they used learning centers and other techniques. There is a substantial research base to support that differentiated instruction improves student achievement outcomes.
Dr. Monica Henson
February 19th, 2012
7:51 pm
@Group By Ability posted, “Yes, some kids are truly gifted and leaving them with their chronological-age peers should be a crime. And to the naysayers that will berate me by saying they can’t be mature enough to move up a grade, I say, ‘Hogwash!’”
I couldn’t agree more! The concept of an age-based cohort is ludicrous and is a construct designed for adults to be able to manage groups of children comfortably for the ADULTS, not because it is a sound educational practice. As a school principal, I encountered extreme resistance by teachers when I supported parents whose gifted children needed to be accelerated. The ridiculous argument that it is socially destructive to allow academically precocious children to move ahead is NOT supported in the least by any of the research base.
Another peeve I have is when children test into gifted programs, and their regular education teachers punish them by insisting that they have to complete every single assignment that they miss when they are with the gifted teacher. I did not permit this practice when I was a school principal. Regular ed teachers were required to collaborate with the gifted teacher, who advised whether assignments were appropriate & necessary. I did this in order to stem the desertion of many kids from the gifted program because they were inundated with busywork from their regular ed teachers and felt, rightfully so, that they were being punished for being bright enough to be pulled out for enrichment activities.
On the other hand, I also advocate strongly the approach of the Accelerate Schools Project at the University of Connecticut that teaching strategies ordinarily reserved for gifted children be made available in the regular education classroom for all students. I practiced this myself whenever I taught at-risk kids or heterogeneously grouped classes. It’s criminal to relegate the low-skilled kids to worksheets & kill-&-drill while the high-skilled kids are allowed to participate in fun, engaging, higher-order thinking activities.
This is actually the essence of differentiated instruction: “fair” does not necessarily mean that everyone does the same thing at the same time. And there are many ways to be gifted and talented. And all children deserve great teaching.
ScienceTeacher671
February 19th, 2012
8:13 pm
I’ll agree with the posts by I’m a Teacher and Beverly Fraud, and add that most of the people I’ve seen who say class size doesn’t matter taught large groups of higher SES, higher level kids in schools with well-behaved students and strong administrators, and/or have been out of the classroom for 10 years or more.
In my district, the county office administrators/trainers who are telling us “how to teach” have never used the strategies they are suggesting that we use, particularly not with large classes.
frustrated APS mom
February 19th, 2012
9:46 pm
Interesting to read all the posts from teachers that are against differentiated instruction. I will say that my 11 year old is very gifted and we have been dealing with the peer tutoring since he started school. Back then he would read the AR quizzes to the kids that couldn’t read well. Fine. The AR thing became a babysitter for him in first grade when his teacher didn’t really know what else to do with him. She would let him read and quiz and read and quiz. He got a trophy that year for earning more AR points than anyone in the elementary school had ever earned. He was 7.
Each year we have had to deal with this in varying degrees and some teachers have handled it better than others. His third and fourth grade teachers were wonderful and we finally started to relax. His teacher this year makes me angriest of all – they have had 3 big group projects already and she paired him with the 3 lowest achieving kids in the class. Guess who did ALL the work. It was such a joke. They just started their IB Exhibition work and she paired him with 2 of these kids again, plus the kid with major behavior disorders that spends most of the day pulled out of class. They don’t even try! My son says it is easier to just do it himself than it is to try to get them involved. We are pulling him after this year and he will be going to private school. Enough is enough. I just hate that my little one seems to be headed down the same path. Hopefully we will be able to afford to get him out sooner than later, but the older one has to take priority. I am a former teacher and I know what is going on. I’m not just some mom that thinks her kids are geniuses.
Anonmom
February 19th, 2012
10:26 pm
On the bright side, leaving the level 3s in the classrooms as “peer tutors” so long as they can cope does give them the “advantage” of learning coping skills and learning about kids from all sorts of backgrounds…. You just don’t want to lose them. It’s a tough road to walk. They really will have a hard time staying out of trouble if they are bored.
Beverly Fraud
February 20th, 2012
5:05 am
More from Schmoker, whose ideas are also supported by a substantial research base.
Research on the effectiveness of differentiation is difficult to do because it involves the use of many different strategies at once (click here to see “Differentiation Model,”). Because of such uncertainties, Schmoker, a former school administrator, believes teachers should forget creating different versions of lessons and plan just one—a really, really good one. “Good lessons start with a clear, curriculum-based objective and assessment, followed by multiple cycles of instruction, guided practice, checks for understanding (the soul of a good lesson), and ongoing adjustments to instruction,” Schmoker wrote in Education Week.
What Schmoker’s approach also seems to appreciate is that teachers are FINITE beings with FINITE time constraints.
And do we dare ponder, as Dr. John Trotter has, how much farther along we would be if developed policies that supported the teacher to put the ONUS of learning on the STUDENT, and not the teacher to find which of an INFINITE number of psychological buttons to push to get Johnny to read?
Maybe what we need more of is CONSISTENT consequences for non performing, rather than expecting teachers whose authority has been consistently cut off at the knees, to continue to perform miracles.
But then again, if we made education that simple, “experts” couldn’t GET PAID to tell teachers what to do, could they? (Not that ALL “experts” are useless, mind you)
Beverly Fraud
February 20th, 2012
6:13 am
“It’s criminal to relegate the low-skilled kids to worksheets & kill-&-drill while the high-skilled kids are allowed to participate in fun, engaging, higher-order thinking activities.”
Agreed it is “criminal” to relegate or limit a child to SOLELY working in that way.
Having said that…
I pose the question, is this one of the ways that education, in its rush to be “innovative” is actually MYOPIC and being myopic actually does a disservice to children?
Meaning, does the possibility NOT exists that some children at times, actually ENJOY worksheets?
Because they are a TANGIBLE task, with a CLEAR expectation, and can offer IMMEDIATE feedback? And that some students might actually be TOTALLY FRUSTRATED with a self-perceived “vagueness” of some “higher ordered activities”?
Oh my God, did I just commit educational heresy for DARING to not follow in lockstep with EDUCATIONAL dogma?
Don’t get me wrong-I am NOT arguing for worksheets to be the SOLE ORDER OF THE DAY. And not arguing against giving EVERY child a chance to engage in ALL manner and levels of thinking.
But is it not true that educrats have a tendency to DEMONIZE some methods, if for no other apparent reason that they are SIMPLE to implement, actually are more cost effective, in terms of time for the teacher and the students and…don’t rely on PAYING someone from the educational industrial complex HUGE sums of money on “expert training”
Beverly Fraud
February 20th, 2012
6:34 am
“Interesting to read all the posts from teachers that are against differentiated instruction.”
Frustrated APS mom not so much a matter of being “against” as it is not accepting it as IMMUTABLE DOGMA, and recognizing that there are some very respected people out there who are asking FAIR and LEGITIMATE questions about it.
“His teacher this year makes me angriest of all – they have had 3 big group projects already and she paired him with the 3 lowest achieving kids in the class.”
“Group projects” Another thing that has been accepted as EDUCATIONAL DOGMA. Not that there CAN’T be benefits, but again there can be DETRIMENTS which many administrators are loathe to admit because it’s become DOGMA.
What can one say to Frustrated APS mom-giving your son a chance to work with TOTALLY DYSFUNCTIONAL students is some sort of “life-lesson”? What about giving the TOTALLY DYSFUNCTIONAL student the “life-lesson” as in “if you ACT in totally dysfunctional ways, you’ll get REMOVED from the learning environment”? Sounds like a MUCH better life lesson to learn than “I can ACT in a disruptive manner, and someone ELSE will pick up my slack.” Is that REALLY the lesson we want to teach?
I feel your pain Frustrated APS mom. Not sure Errol Davis and the rest of APS brass do, so you MAY have to do what Fled did to Georgia. FLEE APS. Which, since APS likes to be so “data driven” begs the question, what percentage of parents who pull their children out of APS schools feel happier for doing so?
Bet you don’t need any ERASERS to make that a high number LOL
ScienceTeacher671
February 20th, 2012
8:11 am
Beverly Fraud, I also take exception to the phrase “drill and kill,” especially as used in the elementary school environment. The idea is that drilling to mastery will kill the joy of learning.
I would suggest that this mentality is part of the reason education is lagging in Georgia. Students actually need some of that drilling in order to be successful later on – for instance, math facts should be automatic in the upper grades, and students should not need to have calculators to add, subtract, multiply and divide single digits.
Also, students (and people in general) need to learn that not everything we need to do is “fun”, and they needn’t expect to be entertained 24/7.
Beverly Fraud
February 20th, 2012
9:09 am
Beverly Fraud, I also take exception to the phrase “drill and kill,” especially as used in the elementary school environment. The idea is that drilling to mastery will kill the joy of learning.
Good point. I imagine the child who EXPERIENCES SUCCESS doesn’t call it “drill and kill”.
Joanne Taylor
February 20th, 2012
11:12 am
This is to carlosgvvv, back in the 40’s and 50’s the children were respectful to other children and adults. I am in an elementary school and I have no problems, but once they get to middle and high school that respect goes out the window. I can’t imagine that many children in one classroom. It is sad, always goes back to money.
Bama Girl
February 20th, 2012
10:04 pm
I was accelerated as a child by one grade, when the school asked to accelerate me an additional two grades my parents said no because of the age difference. Socially it would have been a nightmare, it was bad enough being a year behind my classmates with dating and driving, being three years behind and I never would have left home. I had very understanding elementary teachers, I only spent half the day in my classes, the other half I was a library volunteer or I went into the lower grade levels and worked with students teaching them to read. Unfortunately peer tutors aren’t utilized this way now. I fear it is due to the different social approaches. My mother would have spanked me and washed my mouth out with soap if I had said anything about another student having difficulties. Today it is standard practice for students to denigrate the struggling students. Parents encourage this behavior and pat their children on the back for doing it. Both my children are well above average and both have been taught to help people in need, they are harassed for this but stand their ground. If other students would follow suit perhaps the larger class size wouldn’t be such an issue.
Entitlement Society
February 21st, 2012
10:39 am
25 in my child’s APS Kindergarten classroom last year was enough for us to pull him out and send him to private school. If you child is at the top of the class, trust me, s/he is the one that suffers from a large class size. One behavior problem in the class ruins it for everyone, not even taking into account the “slow” learners. This was at one of the “very good” Buckhead elementary schools, so don’t think that you’re fine just because you’re in a good school district. These APS teachers aren’t trained to handle the varied personalities and learning abilities of 25+ different children. If you care about your children, you’ll find an alternative to keep them challenged and engaged in learning, rather than serving as a peer tutor. Speaking from experience, class size IS an issue. Why do you think private school have much smaller student/teacher ratios? If it wasn’t effective why would they allocate budget dollars to teacher salaries?
Group By Ability
February 21st, 2012
12:32 pm
@ ScienceTeacher671: very well said. The current differentiation model plus spiraling concepts from grade to grade drive me absolutely nuts. I have noticed that a concept is introduced, worked on for a couple days, and then shelved for a couple weeks until it rears its head again. Because of this, I work extra hard in the afternoon to ensure that my ES student has “mastered” a skill. I’m even going beyond the curriculum and teaching her to diagram sentences now. I think that half-way through 4th grade is long enough for my kid to be able to identify the parts of speech. What I have found is that she can do this with any consistency.
Group By Ability
February 21st, 2012
1:52 pm
Oops… should have said she can NOT do this with any consistency. Then, I should add the word YET.
DeKalbite@Dr. Monica Henson
February 21st, 2012
4:39 pm
“the studies that suggest, quite strongly, that in the primary grades and in classes composed of high-risk students at older grade levels, should be limited in order to create maximum impact on student achievement outcomes”
I would imagine that that is the case for most Title 1 low income schools. They have a disproportionate amount of high risk students. Can you cite any affluent schools with a high risk population? Affluent schools generally send students to school with skills that are necessary for school success, volunteer for clerical duties to offset many paperwork and non teaching activities teachers are engaged in, buy the extra supplies needed for larger class sizes, and in certain instances simply hire extra teachers. Their scores are generally good no matter what the teaching conditions. It’s in the high risk schools that student achievement is MOST impacted by the students’ environment and of course the quality of the teacher as you pointed out.
Do you know how many low income Title 1 schools there are in Georgia? Most of the metro area school systems are either mainly Title 1 or are entirely Title 1. It is in those situations that high quality teaching and class size matters. Aren’t those the very ones in which we are having such difficulty getting most students to master content? The student achievement data says that the low income Title 1 schools master content at a lower rate than the non Title 1 more affluent schools in Georgia.
How do you propose to attract and retain excellent teachers to low income schools that have a large percentage of their student population achieving below grade level? Do you suppose you will attract these wonderful teachers by larger class sizes, increased paperwork, longer hours, more difficult classroom management challenges, and greater stress? Having five children, iI’m sure you realize that most excellent teachers have personal lives with friends, spouses, and children. They even like being involved in some volunteer work for their churches, synagogues or community organizations.
I see you taught English. Did you have safety issues? Did you know that lab accidents for students rise sharply in excess of 24 students iabstinence lab? is it appropriate for science teachers to run labs with this data at hand? Research studies have shown students master more science content at a deeper level with laboratory experiments and observations that closely mimic the scientific method. Science and math are two of the weakest subject for our nation as we compete in a world where the jobs are moving into those very areas. Here is a link to the NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) educational research studies with the data regarding student lab safety in relation to class sizes and the importance of laboratory experiences for students:
http://www.nsta.org/about/positions/liability.aspx
Excellent teachers are like top notch professionals in every field. They can get jobs relatively easily. Most of them evaluate if the school will allow them to teach to high standards, give them an environment that contributes to the maximum chance of success with students, and in addition allows them to give abundant time to their own children. If anyone knows the importance of a good education for their own children, it’s excellent teachers.
This is the reality of the job market anywhere for high quality employees. Why would you think it is different for teachers? While I applaud your ability to raise children and be an outstanding teacher, not every excellent teacher has that stamina. I’ve know quite a few excellent teachers who left their jobs to raise their children and then came back to the field. It did not make them less excellent teachers. They felt it made them better parents.
Please state your ideas for how you would attract and retain excellent teachers to the hundreds of low income public schools in Georgia that are having such difficulty ensuring students are achieving on grade level? Since teacher attrition is such a detriment to these students, how would you retain these excellent teachers in the regular education classroom for 15 or 20 years?
ScienceTeacher671
February 21st, 2012
7:12 pm
Dekalbite, excellent post.
Anonmom
February 21st, 2012
10:35 pm
Bama Girl — our DCSS Elementary School “entertained” our middle son similarly — in 1st-3rd grade he was the “monitor” for his diabetic friend — every day, same hour he and his friend would go to check his friend’s blood sugar levels; each year he was “assigned downwards” to help another child with math or reading for tutoring (even at his high-end private high school he was asked to tutor math as a sophomore when that’s usually just for juniors and seniors); Then there was an assistant principal who worked with some of the kids as “special projects” some hours during the week in 4th-6th grade and they did research work and built things –he was amazing with him and his friend. The built things from scratch and research everything that went into it. In the meantime, he learned 2 or 3 different languages (just cursory, as none were part of the curriculum). So they supplemented well — and they still had “discovery” pull out with a good teacher. Even so, he had 2 years with teachers who could not handle him — he butted heads with them. He began 1st grade reading and comprehending on a 5th grade level and finished in the same place — no progress made — zero – zip (my oldest did very well with this same teacher — it was a bust for the other child). I think I lost him as a reader that year… she had the whole class of 6 year olds listening to Potter … they were too young for it and it scared him. He butted heads again with a 5th grade teacher and he was very bored in her English/Language Arts class. He would take these opportunities to make things interesting for himself. He entertained himself and those around him. This is the child who just got the 800 on math on the SAT…. I’m not sure private elementary would have been better but it might have been. But, this was at a time of smaller class sizes under Gov. Barnes….
Anonmom
February 21st, 2012
10:36 pm
Ooops — special projects was 3rd-5th grade — 6th grade was a different school — really bad year for him… perpetual butting of heads (great math teacher though!).
ScienceTeacher671
February 23rd, 2012
6:10 am
@Group by Ability – she’ll get it! We used to spend a lot of commute time practicing multiplication tables.