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Monday, August 25, 2008
IFT Pulls Out Of New Teacher Project Project

Thanks to the reader who sent me a copy of this letter from the IFT to the New Teacher Project about its decision to pull out of an advisory panel process. I don't know any of the context here -- please fill us in if you know -- but TNTP (formerly headed by Michelle Rhee) did go public last spring to report on the millions being spent in New York City to pay teachers who'd been removed from their classrooms -- and assigned into so-called rubber rooms. So maybe this is some sort of payback for the bad press that the UFT and AFT got as a result of that. I don't know.

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Mon Aug 25, 2008 at 6:35 AMBy: George N. Schmidt IFT Pulls Out Of New Teacher Project Project It's nice to see that Ed Geppert and the IFT are paying attention to these Business Roundtable teacher bashing scams. Now if the Washington D.C. union would just find its ability to challenge Ms. Rhee and her colleagues on the whole thing, we could all start adding to the mix, each from our own place.

This entire thing has been predicated on the assumption that veteran teachers are the problem and that FNGs are the solution. It only works in rhetoric, and especially among those who already are bashing public schools, public school teachers, and unions.

Rhee would still be learning how to teach if this "project" weren't such a big fashion among those who want to privatize public education, break public school unions, and drag us all back to the "free market" days of the 1890s.

Mon Aug 25, 2008 at 7:07 AMBy: Teacher Eval IFT Pulls Out Of New Teacher Project Project If I remember correctly, this is the project to redo the teacher evaluation process. Namely, the antiquated form that administrators are required to use when they observe and evaluate teachers. While I understand there is legislation regarding teacher dismissal, I think it would have benefited all sides to have a say in the observation expectations and requirements.

The way the observation form is currently, is basically useless. There are a lot of seemingly arbitrary criteria (participates in the schools anti-graffiti program comes to mind) and very few that have anything to do with teaching.

Mon Aug 25, 2008 at 7:15 AMBy: Bullet Point #3 IFT Pulls Out Of New Teacher Project Project I think it would have benefited all sides to have a say in the observation expectations and requirements.

Merely having a say is not enough for teachers when the process essentially permits privatization and pro-corporate voices to determine the final product.

Bullet #3 speaks directly to this issue:
None of the stakeholder groups will have the opportunity to play a role in the writing and editing of the final report.

Mon Aug 25, 2008 at 8:02 AMBy: Marricat IFT Pulls Out Of New Teacher Project Project It will be interesting to see if the new process allows principals to be more arbitrary or less arbitrary. Teachers should have had input and it should have provided for teachers to evaluate teachers as part of the process. Often in the past, the principal has come in your room (or not) and filled out the form. Frequently, there was no room to argue or defend things that you didn't feel were fair. CTU would say that they could argue process only not content. The new process needs to be more objective.

Tue Aug 26, 2008 at 4:12 PMBy: Go IFT! I like being pleasantly surprised IFT Pulls Out Of New Teacher Project Project These snake-oil salesmen do this all the time. They give some nominal input to unions/community groups to give credibility to their flavor-of-the-week proposal.

Anyone who has read the High School Transformation project booklet has seen our fearless leader, Chairman Stewart, singing the praises of the program.

Now it appears that "we" support scripted curriculum.

The IFT must have actually used critical thinking in rejecting this proposal.

This gives me great hope!

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