As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.
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In the News: Like Daley, Emanuel had to compromise
By: Cassandra West / July 31, 2012
As Mayor Daley did nine years ago, Mayor Emanuel realized he had to compromise with the Chicago Teachers Union in an effort to avert a strike. Whether it worked, we won't know for a few more weeks.
A new study finds that urban schools are systematically neglecting their best teachers, losing tens of thousands every year even as they keep many of their lowest-performing teachers indefinitely—with disastrous consequences for students, schools, and the teaching profession. The study by The New Teacher Project, a national nonprofit, documents the real teacher retention crisis in America’s schools: not only a failure to retain enough teachers, but a failure to retain the right teachers. Read the report here.
MORE ON THE STUDY: School districts need to get smarter about retention strategies because the strongest teachers are just as likely as weak teachers are to leave their schools after five years, according to a study by the New Teacher Project. (The New York Times)
AND: TNTP report also focuses on how districts can hold on to teachers determined to be the best. Districts don’t make a special effort to keep those teachers, termed “Irreplaceables” in the report, and when they leave, schools are highly unlikely to hire teachers who are anywhere near as strong, the report concludes. Some of the report’s findings represent low-cost, easy-to-implement alternatives to some of the other policies TNTP has pushed, including firing teachers who don’t have permanent positions and doing away with seniority-based layoffs. (Gotham Schools)
Essentially, the report blames principals for dropping the ball on teacher retention, according to Education Week.
IN THE STATE
The Pekin Community High School teachers’ labor contract expires Wednesday with no agreement yet reached between the teachers union and the administration, but both sides of the negotiations say there is nothing for parents to worry about and that the start of school will not be interrupted. (Peoria Journal Star)
IN THE NATION
Grand Rapids high school students will encounter stronger, more specific attendance rules this school year, a necessary step school leaders say if teachers are to be judged on their performance. (MLive.com)
An environmental science program run by the Nature Conservancy seeks to create scientists and engineers who do not look like most already in the field. Students in the program are mostly from middle-class Hispanic, black or Asian families. All live in large cities and have high GPAs at high schools whose curriculums center on the environment. (The New York Times)
Problem with the TNTP report
I believe that the TNTP report made a major analytic error. Even if we assume that value added measurement is the best way to identify high performing teachers, those deemed in the report to be "irreplaceable," the analysis of why these teachers leave their urban schools is too broad. In particular the report wants to save the 50% of the supposedly irreplaceable teachers who do pack it in that said they planned either to continue teaching at a nearby school or continue working in K-12 education.
The survey question used was too broad (the question appears on page 43), because it does not get to the question if some, many, or almost all of these teachers are moving to new schools, whether or not urban, where the new students come from families with higher socio-economic status than those at the school they are leaving and who are likely based on most research to be simply easier or less stressful to teach.
Rod Estvan
I found the comment in the WBEZ story by UNO charter school in
relation to its leasing of St. Scholastica to be strange. Mr. Rangel was quoted as stating "St. Scholastica was built because of German immigrants that came and they provided a school for girls in that period. In some ways, I think UNO creates that tie, but it’s also the handing over the torch to a new generation of immigrants in that community.”
Based on the 2010 census data for Rogers Park there has been a huge decline in it's Hispanic population. In 2000 there were 17,639 residents identifying as Hispanic, by 2010 that number declined to 13,434. The most dramatic decline in Hispanic population in Chicago was in Logan Square, where the non-Hispanic white population grew by 7,000, while the number of Hispanics dropped by 16,000. Most of the new residents are affluent white singles. That pattern of gentrification can also be seen in Humboldt Park, Uptown, Rogers Park, North Center and Lakeview. The total population decline in Rogers Park from 2000 to 2010 was13.4% or 8,493 people. About half of that loss was Hispanics.
Larger Hispanic families with lower incomes are being priced out of Rogers Park along with Edgewater and there is no evidence that is going to change in the next ten years. The reality is that if UNO wants to fill the St. Scholastica building with Hispanic students they are going to have to travel to that school from outside of the Rogers Park community or UNO is going to have to take Hispanic students who would have attended already existing charter schools in the community.
The reason St. Scholastica closed wasn't just based on the inability of families to pay tuition, it was also based on the fact families with higher incomes that have moved into both Edgewater and Rogers Park want higher end private co-educational options than St. Scholastica could provide. Hence we have seen an expansion of high end private schools on the north side ranging from the British School, Chicago Waldorf School,Near North Montessori, to Rogers Park Montessori School and on and on.
The future for UNO is the suburbs, not the north side of the city.
Rod Estvan
Blame principals all they want--they are leaving CPS too!
CPS is a bad place to work for teachers or principals unless you are in a magnet-selective enrollment school. Worse, Chicago is a violent horrible place to live in; a corrupt city of politicians and state reps. Can you blame educators for leaving?
Attack on the best teachers
If you look in ALL school doors; all you see are young teachers. Not a lot of them are African Americans. Get over older teachers. Let the young ones in. Older but wiser. Full of wisdom. Dedicated to the core. Very watchful and considerate of the children. Young is just that. Just a job I can brag on; a new account at the dealership. Anchor charts on the walls. That's about it. Teaching is traditional. And someone came up with bright ideas to keep on changing things. Well. A rolling stone gathers no moss. The ponds have been restocked. But now those children will be growing up right along with those young fish. And now. Discipline is going to be a big problem. But all Chicago schools are going to come off probation. I don't think so. We shall see. Scores certainly should be perfect now. But don't forget. The children are the same children. How to you change that? Throwing away old teachers is a disgrace. Older teachers deserve the greatest if honors; for a job well done. One day; the same doers are going to be old too. Then they will feel the effect placed up on those teachers who were thrown out with the wash. Just shouldn't do people wrong; in this not promising economy.
TNTP Report question answered
I agree with you. I can relate, however, with those who deem themselves "irreplaceable" for several reasons, and I am considering leaving the urban public school in which I currently teach....but not because of the poor working conditions. My school is comprised of well-behaved students with educated parents who have high socio-economic backgrounds. It used to feel like a utopia until our current administrator was hired. Now, it feels like "paradise lost". I have consistently helped my students (in a benchmark grade) to meet and exceed standards on achievement tests, I have implemented new programs involving parents, and helped establish a professional learning community in my school. I see these things as positives, but my principal would rather appoint teachers who are obviously less qualified (and committed) to ALL of the leadership positions in the school. There is little or no recognition of the work that goes above and beyond what is expected of teachers in the building (including a teacher who won a $20,000 grant for the school or several teachers, including myself, who have received National Board Certification). The public blames teachers for all that is ailing the schools. I say we need to make school administrators responsible as well.
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