Even as CPS opens more new schools, children with special needs have a tougher time finding options. Placements in private therapeutic schools are scarce, and some charters are reluctant to enroll them.
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It's All About Talent
By: Alexander Russo / March 20, 2009
I hate the term Human Resources almost as much as its predecessor, Personnel. Human capital? Not much better. No matter, CPS and other big districts are going to be at a big HR conference next week
"Chicago Public Schools is participating in a conference in Chicago
next week to be trained on practices to overhaul its HR system—the way
schools recruit, train, retain and reward top-teacher and administrator
talent. The conference, which is hosted by Strategic Management of Human
Capital (SMHC), will include about 20 teams of urban districts looking to revamp
their HR practices."
Apparently there's also a report (PDF) about CPS HR practices from a few months ago.
Chicago Public Schools is participating in a conference in Chicago
next week to be trained on practices to overhaul its HR system—the way
schools recruit, train, retain and reward top-teacher and administrator
talent. The conference, which is hosted by Strategic Management of Human
Capital (SMHC), will include about 20 teams of urban districts looking to revamp
their HR practices.
Chicago is sending a team of staff from the district’s
HR, Teaching and Learning, and Recruitment and Workforce planning offices. CPS
has been a focus of SMHC. Back in November SMHC released a case study that
analyzes CPS’s HR practices, along with case studies on six other urban districts.http://www.smhc-cpre.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/chicago-case-oct-08-final.pdf
More information, including location and agenda, is
below. Please let me know if you have any questions. If you’re
going to be in Chicago next week, we’d love for you to attend.
Thanks,
Sara Lense
202.667.0901 ext.113
SMHC District Reform Network Invitational Conference
March 24-25, 2009
Westin O'Hare
1600 River Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
(847) 698-6000
Agenda: http://cpre.wceruw.org/conference/mar09/agenda%20mar09.pdf
Offered by SMHC-CPRE, UW-Madison www.smhc-cpre.org
The Strategic
Management of Human Capital in Education project (SMHC) at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison is offering an invitational conference to teams of education
leaders from some of the largest and most urban school districts across the
country. At this meeting we will launch the beginning of an SMHC district
reform network focused on a variety of issues related to recruiting, developing
and retaining top teacher and principal talent in large, urban districts.
It's All About Talent
I just finished student teaching in a west side CPS. Gun education is not the answer. In and of itself it is not bad, but it is not what's wrong. What's wrong is the legacy of racism which is alive and well and still oppressing many in Chicago. Where and when does that end? In my opinion with you, and me, and "the talent". Don't expect much help from the powers that be in Chicago or from any HR conference that CPS sends a handful of people to. Someday, concerned citizens will have to insist on better for all children and see that it is delivered.
It's All About Talent
Does SMHC offer quick evaluations of the administrative teams sent by CPS? Are they adequate? Up to snuff? Not likely? The essential question for SMHC is whether the leadership in the areas of HR, Teaching and Learning, and Recruitment and Workforce planning offices meet the minimum requirements to lead? SMHC, who holds these administrators accountable? Sounds like SMHC is led by folks who know the right people, say the right words of the moment and keep themselves employed. More smoke and mirrors?
It's All About Talent
Visited the site of this organization that is about HR and school reform. http://www.smhc-cpre.org/
Read a post on their blog that said repeated the same drivel that Arne Duncan engaged his teachers. Truth be told, he ran away from from his rank and file and ran to the charter school operators. Duncan and Daley, truth be told are cowards!
It's All About Talent
Down south the gun classes are to hunt animals not people. Also you said the magic word "FATHERS." Most who will be taught this gun safety in CPS which I don't think will ever happen don't have FATHERS. I am all for gun safety but teaching students about guns will not stop the violence anymore than drug awareness stops drug use. Parenting is what needs to be taught. If you are not afraid to go out and play, go out to the heart of Englewood and I hope your gun safety classes protect you.
It's All About Talent
Lexie writes: [i] i just saw on channel 32 that a state representative wants CPS students to get gun education. That will be the day that I do take my kids out of CPS for sure.[/i]
I come from the rural south, where every boy has a gun. Fathers teach their sons (and daughters) how to use the guns, or they attend hunter safety or gun safety training classes.
In spite of the prevalence of guns, I never heard anyone afraid to go out and play for fear of getting shot. Until I moved here, that is.
Frankly, Lexie, it's people like you who make this city so unsafe.
It's All About Talent
Prentice Hall literature series for 6-8 Great literature series
It's All About Talent
If you have been education a while, you know that the administrators are so far removed from the classroom that they make bad decisions. They either propose terrible mandated scripted curriculum programs or close down very good ones. Reading Recovery was a very good reading intervention program. The problem is that the bean counter administrators didn't want to pay for that intervention. By not taking care of the problems early the children and society may pay the cost of such closed thinking! Pox on those administrators!
It's All About Talent
If Chicago is going to have a gun education curriculum ,why not
continue to bump up some sort of early reading program designed by teachers who work with these types of students who do fall between the cracks in the early grades and can potentially end up
in a potentially dangerous outcome,specifically- methodology of what works and what doesn't work in so far as classroom teaching methods as well as the obvious,decreasing class size,and increasing parent involvement and really looking at city -wide volunteer programs in order to give teachers what they truly need
which is help and support. I truly believe teachers put their heart and soul into what they are working with.
It's All About Talent
here's a list of who from CPS is going to be there:
Xavier Botana, IDA, CPS
Sheri Frost Leo, Manager, Human Resources, CPS
Hill Hammock, Chief Administrative Officer, Administrative Office, CPS
Michael Lach, Officer, High School Teaching & Learning, CPS
Monica Rosen, Principal/Central Office Talent Management, HR, Office of Principal Preparation, CPS
Nancy Slavin, Office of Recruitment & Workforce Planning, CPS
Veenu Verma, Officer, HR Employee Services, CPS
Carolyn Haslet, Consultant, Capital H Group
Keith Swensen, Managing Partner, Capital H Group
Deane Mariotti, Program Investments, Chicago Public Education Fund
Sarah Mayeda, Program Investments, Chicago Public Education Fund
Sunita Mohanty, Program Investments, Chicago Public Education Fund
/ alexander
It's All About Talent
When will the madness stop ? Why should my children who go to CPS in a non violent neighborhood be taught gun control because parents in certain neighborhoods don't know how to parent? How about educating those parents on how to raise their children. How to see the obvious signs that your child is a gang banger. How to make the light bulb go on when 14 year old Johnny is out on the street at 1am? I am sick and tired of the normal parents having to pick up the slack for the bad parents. Deal with those who need the help and don't classify all CPS families as a whole. What is next? Target practice so they can at least hit the intended target and not another CPS honor roll student who was just about to turn his life around?
It's All About Talent
Gun education? I think too many students have too much gun knowledge as it is. Does the representative also want the students to be able to get gun permits as a part of graduation from the course? If the purpose is to stop gun violence then I think violence prevention classes would be much more effective.
It's All About Talent
Does Whitney or CPS for that matter have a zero tolerance on underage drinking ? If they do and it is not applied, let the lawsuits begin for those who have been thrown out in the past.
It's All About Talent
i just saw on channel 32 that a state representative wants CPS students to get gun education. That will be the day that I do take my kids out of CPS for sure.
It's All About Talent
If the students involved at Whitney don't have Chicago addresses then they should be paying out-of-district tuition or removed from the school. I don't care whose child it is. Chicago is claiming a deficit so they can't afford to allow suburban students to attend without charging them. Suburbs would charge Chicago parents.
Also, if students were involved in a fight that involved injury then they should be off the team and not allowed to participate next year but if they are talented schools won't do that and jeopardize their chances of winning.
It's All About Talent
Michelle Rhee is a Vice Chair of the Task Force at Strategic Management of Human Capital (SMHC) Another lazy administrator who uses smoke and mirrors instead of rolling up her sleeves and working with her teachers, runs away and hires charter school operators!
It's All About Talent
Like michael Jordans son?
It's All About Talent
"Police say the teens are all students at Whitney Young High School, but a Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman said today that officials had yet to confirm if those arrested, a few of whom had addresses outside Chicago*, were CPS students." - from WBBM
* Maybe the students w/o Chicago addresses live in a suburb?
It's All About Talent
I wonder if Michael Jordan's son was one of them.
It's All About Talent
be treated like any other CPS students, not from a selective enrollment school, if they are guilty? Will it be covered up? Where were the chapperones? I hope the press stays on this. they make the regular public school suffer==WYHS==should be trated just like them.
It's All About Talent
From channel 7
The Whitney Young high school basketball team was back in Chicago Sunday celebrating this weekend's win to take the state 4A Championship.
However, the alleged actions of some students are marring the win. Early Saturday morning, the Illinois State Police reports it cited several Whitney Young students for underage drinking.
Chicago Public Schools spokesperson Monique Bond released a statement that read:
"Any allegations that Whitney Young students may have been involved in inappropriate behavior will need further investigation. Until we are able to confirm if CPS students were involved, it would be inappropriate to comment at this time."
It's All About Talent
CTU used to be able to keep king daley in line--there are no other organizations to do this. The aldermen will not, the state reps cannot, the reverends cannot, community organizations--daley has too much power. It is all a done deal and as long as willing and unknowing teachers continue to flood CPS with applications--there will be no end to this.
What daley wants, daley gets; anytime, anywhere, anyway!
It's All About Talent
Does anyone know this organization, Strategic Management of Human Capital (SMHC), who invited CPS and other large school districts? if they know CPS they need to school these folks. If it is about talent, how about top administrative talent! In Chicago, we need administrators, starting at the top who really understand school reform and developing teacher leadership capacity at each school. The district is dysfunctional because the administrators make decisions without any real engagement with the professionals in the classroom. How about teaching Huberman how to get top administrators who get it and lived school reform! Teach Huberman that his job is to relocate money to support our neediest schools with more time, staff and regular planning time for effective collaboration and evaluation of classroom and school wide practices. Looking from the outside in, it is evident that Daley, by his own nature, keeps CPS dysfunctional. Cheating our children by bringing in less than stellar managers and administrators is unthinkable. It is unhealthy and unethical. No way to run such an important organization that is in charge of teaching our children!
It's All About Talent
And NO ONE holds Daley and his flunkys accountable. No one.
It's All About Talent
they want tenured teachers out.
It's All About Talent
It only shows how out of touch with reality Daley and his CPS administrators are! As some have mentioned on this thread, important decisions are made with out the very people who are in the classroom. To me it makes common sense to engage teachers on these important questions regarding curriculum and making structural and relocation of money to support neighborhood schools. Why is it that the rank and file only know what is happening in CPS by reading the newspaper. It not normal nor healthy for the organization to keep your workers totally in the dark!
It's All About Talent
and went and got a graduate degree in educational psychology--thought it would round me out better as a teachert and it did. Now, it is basically worthless since I need to get this endorsement. I will have to take new classes and get the endorsements by next year--or I am out or I have to become a TAT. (I think you have to take a basic skills test as well and the endorsement tests.) My students will miss me much and I am concerned for their contunued progress they have made. Where is the CTU offereing classes instead of that NBC stuff. I guess they do not want us to continue a caring and productive teachers. Sad.
It's All About Talent
Will the CPS Budget Office actually provide at least four positions for every school with grades 6-8 (reading, math, science and social studies), or will they fudge this through some formula that requires that teachers have multiple middle school endorsements? Will self-contained teachers then be expected to have all four endorsements? One more burden placed on teachers in the most demanding schools.
Will charter schools be held to the same Middle School endorsement standard? Or, will the charter schools at least be expected to report the data to Huberman for inclusion in the report on Middle Grades Content Area Specialist? If the charter schools are models of instructional excellence, shouldn't the CPS neighborhood schools have endorsement requirements that match those of the charters?
It's All About Talent
This all sounds like a very complicated mess and it is beginning to make sense to me why people are saying that they seem to want the older, more expensive teachers out and this is one way they are doing this. Will most elementary schools now be going through classroom assignment changes in the fall? This seems like a chaotic upheavel to an already overburdened school system. When will the teachers need to prove that they are endorsed? Will they actually be given time to complete the requirements or will they just be moved in the fall?
It's All About Talent
Prior to NCLB a teacher graduated with a degree in elementary education grades 3-8 or Early Childhood AKA Kindergarten-Primary Ages 3-8 which covered pre-school through Grade 3.
The teachers with the 3-8 degrees could teach self-contained general education or in a departmentalized setting. Endorsements existed but most teachers I know decided to get masters' degrees instead of taking 18 hours, now 24 hours, just to get an endorsement.
Some of the new teachers are graduating without getting any endorsements because they do not ever want to teach above 5th grade. Differentiated instruction doesn't seem to work as well with upper grade students as primary students.
Be aware, that unlike the suburbs which have elaborate middle schools set up like high schools we generally do not have expensive middle schools (upper grade centers are no more), because of the gang issues involved in drawing students from several grammar schools. Seventh and eighth grade gang members are very difficult to control (there are no metal detectors in the grammar schools nor do we have CPD officers) In some schools the children are so undisciplined that departmentalization is just a dream. The teachers teach all subjects.
It's All About Talent
How do the teachers demonstrate that they have the knowledge if they do not have the coursework? It is minimal coursework that is required to get an endorsement, so what did the teachers that do not have the endorsements need to do beforehand to show their competencies? Do they need to pass a test to teach a certain subject area in the middle grades?
middles school
I have an LBS1 for special education. I traditionally teach middle school students who read at a lst or 2nd grade level. If I want to continue to teach middle school self contained, I need a middle school endorsement, and an endorsement in math, reading, science, and social studies. Obviously they are trying to get rid of older teachers and self contained teachers
It's All About Talent
This is a relatively new requirement under NCLB. Many teachers in the upper grades who are older and considered good with classroom management were placed by principals with the upper grade students. Just because they do not have the specific coursework does not mean they do not know their subject matter.
CPS does not offer tuition reimbursement as other districts do and many of these teachers have already paid for masters' degrees. CPS needs to reimburse teachers for coursework to keep these teachers in their current grades.
This is what will happen and is already happening at some schools.Teachers who are not endorsed in the upper grades will be moved to the lower grades and any teacher who has a middle school endorsement (most of the younger teachers have this as a university requirement) will be moved to the upper grades. This is why we pay almost a thousand dollars a year in dues-seniority....
It's All About Talent
What is your point?
It's All About Talent
NCLB has mandated that all teachers have had to go back to class to up their skills.
It's All About Talent
Scott Foresman has an excellent reading series but it is expensive if you buy all of the components. It teaches spelling, reading, vocabulary and english in all in one series. It also has different basals hard, medium and easy of the same story so teachers can easily differentate instruction. My children go to two different schools and I wish my oldest child's school would switch to this series.
It's All About Talent
SAXON math and science texts are gems. Junior Great Books and a plethora of novels is what works for elementary and intermediate students that I teach.
It's All About Talent
Please help me to understand how additional coursework in a subject area and in adolescent psychology will not help a middle school teacher teach in a more effective way. I do understand the leadership and collaboration issue, but it seems to me that individual teachers, who have bothered to become truly educated in the subjects that they teach are more knowledgeable, enthusiastic, respected by their students and interested than others. And they seem to be more dedicated to creating environments that help students learn. I am a proponent of life long education in all fields. It helps older teachers retain respect in their profession if the younger teachers see them continuously learning about their field.
It's All About Talent
As a CPS parent, I have been so unimpressed with my children's textbooks (except the Saxon math program). These textbooks are crap. Criminal. Are there any excellent textbooks out there that teachers really respect and find useful and effective??? We're still in primary grades, and we're hoping that perhaps later there will be better texts. I'm not commenting on the teaching, just the texts themselves. They're like turkeys stuffed with "standards" and no method of conveying the information or learning experience. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITES?
It's All About Talent
Want boring! Scripted curriculum packages. CPS makes deals and buys into scripted curriculum packages for the neediest schools. The neediest schools must choose between the less of various evils! Such programs then are mandated to be taught. That is where dumbing down the curriculum happens by mandate. In the Daley way, these decisions are made behind closed doors with the text book publishers. The professionals in the front line are never consulted in a meaningful way! For some reason CPS administrators don't want to engage the people in the classroom, the professionals. I wonder why? It is less messy to consult the professionals in the field. Teachers are not respected after all is said and done!
It's All About Talent
I totally agree with it's all about the service. Anyone with a speckle of HR knowledge knows that HR is there for the employees--they are the servicedepartment to the employees. Also, they are suppose to be a neutral department and NOT always side with administrators as issues arise with tainted actions of principals. Employees should feel free to contact HR when they have problems and know that HR is behind them, things investigated, and problems with receiving accurate pay is handled immediately. For example about 6 weeks ago, i was on HOLD for over 20 MINUTES TRYING TO GET THROUGH TO PAYROLL REGARDING A MISTAKE FROM MY PRINCIPAL. I suggest that they (CPS HR) visit prominent successful HR departments and see how they are operated.
It's All About Talent
Immediately following his appointment, Solis filed city and county ethics statements that detailed his income for 1995. Both listed UNO, where he earned an annual salary of $72,207; and the Regional Transportation Authority, where he was a paid board member, records show.
But Solis’ statements for 1996 are inconsistent and contradictory. His city statement, filed May 1, 1997, lists UNO but doesn’t mention the RTA, even though he earned $6,586 from the transit agency between Jan. 1 and March 5, 1996. Two county ethics statements, one dated Dec. 12, 1996 and the other filed May 1, 1997, don’t list income from either source.
In numerous telephone interviews, Solis offered no clear explanation for the discrepancies. "Maybe I thought the first one was all I had to fill out. I don’t remember filling out the second one," Solis said. "I’m not getting paid from anywhere else other than my aldermanic income. I took a $25,000 pay cut to become alderman because I wanted to do a good job."
It's All About Talent
Clout and Influence
Daniel S. Solis was appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley in 1996, replacing Ambrosio Medrano who was convicted for accepting bribes as part of the federal Silver Shovel Investigation. He is the brother of Patti Solis Doyle, Senator Hillary Clinton's former presidential campaign manager. Alderman Solis was a member of Senator Hillary Clinton's Illinois Steering Committee during her failed 2008 Presidential bid.
Solis has been a unwaivering ally of Mayor Richard M. Daley and in 2001 was appointed President Pro Tempore of the City Council, allowing him to oversee Council proceedings in the Mayor’s absence.
Solis' tight alliance with Mayor Daley has not necessarily made his reelection easy. In his 2007 reelection, eight 25th Ward voters filed a lawsuit alleging that Chicago election officials should have tallied their votes for former alderman Ambrosio Medrano. The voters were attempting to force a runoff between incumbent Alderman Solis and challenger Cuahutemoc Morfin. Morfin, an avowed Solis opponent, was endorsed by Medrano. The 178 cancelled votes for Medrano would have brought Solis' vote total to 49.95%, forcing a runoff election. As a result of the suit, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Medrano was disqualified from being eligible to run for Chicago alderman because he was a convicted politician. Chicago election officials then reported a six-vote majority in the election for Solis and negating a runoff election.
It's All About Talent
By the same token, shouldn't the administrators be qualified to lead their departments and run them so they are not so out of touch with reality. For example, has Chief Officer of Instructional Design and Assessment Xavier Botana been a successful classroom teacher and/or successful school administrator? NO! The point is that having folks so far away from the classroom and classroom teachers, the front lines, makes for making bonehead decisions that effect the classroom teachers. This career is hard and demanding, and classroom teachers need a saner environment to work in.
It's All About Talent
he even allows businesse to close in his area--way before this recession. he is good at closing the neighborhood schools and threatening them, since he wants UNO to keep opening charters. UNO supports him big time. he is the one in power, but his community is unhappy with him and continue to organize against him. it is just that UNO is too strong and has Daley with them.
It's All About Talent
Two points,
I was listening to a radio station where a spokesman for the KIPP charter schools was talking about the time they have to collaborate and look at student work. I know the teachers at my neighborhood school have wanted a longer instructional day with regular time to meet to collaboratively plan and evaluate our practice using an established successful model of teacher leadership development. Huberman should reallocate funds to support neighborhood schools become high performing schools. Why would there be a need for charter schools if Duncan and now Huberman wanted to really help neighborhood schools improve by extending our day and providing REGULAR meeting time to collaborate. Our hands are tied by the folks who have no clue and only wish we fail. Where is the TIFF money going? Has your alderman asked for TIF money to build additions for your school to lower the number of students in your school? I know alderman Solis has not done anything for the schools in his area. The present Juarez High School addition was granted with the help of the alderman before Solis. Solis gets an F.
It's All About Talent
"Maybe it would have made my eight graders middle school years experience at his IB school a much less boring time had this been in place a few years ago. It is ridiculous to me how many worksheets and textbook assignments he has had to suffer through instead of getting a real, hands-on education."
This is NOT a college course or endorsement problem--it is an individual teacher problem and a leadership issue. You think that the extra courses would have made your IB teacher use less worksheets? We used collaboration at our school and aligned our professional development to GET away from worksheets. You do not realize that 125 throws more requirments at teachers, but does not follow up with support and input. THAT alon, woul dhave made your expereince better. You were mislead on your IB program.
It's All About Talent
Why would the incompetence and incorrect judgement of the CPS leaders make people make choices that affect their daily practice. If you have the opportunity to enrich your own learning by taking additional coursework that will also enrich the lives of your students, why not take it. I am in strong favor of teachers being certified to teach the areas that they choose to teach in, regardless of the amount of students that they have or the hours of the social worker. I really do not see the connection between the two. One cannot teach effectively what one does not know about. I believe that the CPS 125 crew is quite correct in this endorsement issue. Maybe it would have made my eight graders middle school years experience at his IB school a much less boring time had this been in place a few years ago. It is ridiculous to me how many worksheets and textbook assignments he has had to suffer through instead of getting a real, hands-on education.
It's All About Talent
CPS wants them young and cheap! I work with 4 newly hired middle school teachers from outside of IL. They NEVER had more than 20 students in their classes before they got to CPS! 20! They are dying in their inner-city classroom and falling apart. One is hopeing to get married soon to get away from Chicago. These are teachers our students need? please. They are idiots at 125.
It's All About Talent
you are in favor of the endoresment, but there are 33 students in 6-7-8th grade classes. There is no collaboration stime! We should know more about this age group, but we get a social worked for the whole school 1/2 a day per week. What classes has huberman taken in EDUCATION to know what he is doing? hey, when is the last time the CEDO took a class? teachers area always told take this to that and pay for it yourself. Then there is no support for you AND they send programs in and MAKE you do them, even when the education you have tells you this programis no good. better teachers yes, but not with out better conditions.
It's All About Talent
"They should get administrators who can turn around schools because they themselves know how to engage a staff and provide necessary resources."
It goes beyond top admins without the experience needed to be successful in their roles. The new principal in place to "turnaround" Bethune on the west side comes from failure from an "easy" school and she doesn't have the experience needed for this "tough" school. Should be interesting to watch. Not good for the school community to live through, however.