Don Roach: Deborah Gist, You Go Girl!
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Teachers, or more appropriately, teachers’ unions have not been happy with Gist as she has sought stricter graduation requirements, performance-based teacher evaluations (novel concept, right?), and lifting the cap on charter schools amongst other “radical” ideas.
I’m not trying to say that Gist is perfect, but as a parent I’m glad that she is looking at students, teachers, administrators, and parents and saying one word, “more”. Students must do more to demonstrate their educational proficiency. Is this simply because Gist sits on a high hill somewhere looking to demoralize students? Oh contraire my friends, in my opinion she’s pushing such strict requirements to ensure our kids aren’t left behind in an increasingly competitive job market.
Teachers must do more to ensure that students are prepared for the real world and cannot simply rely on seniority to get the most coveted classroom assignments. If you’re a teacher and you’re reading this, can you please explain to me why it is better for children to be taught by teachers who have seniority but may not have the best skills to teach a particular class? Seriously, what’s wrong with the concept with best person does the job? Obviously, we’re not a perfectly meritocratic society but in concept, what do RI teachers have against a system where the best teachers get their first choice of jobs not those who have the advantage of being born a bit earlier than some of the others?
Gist also won $125 million in federal funding as part of the federal government’s Race to the Top program and $125 million is nothing to sneeze at in Rhode Island. What I like about Gist is that she is focused on educating students and not unwilling to take risks to rankle teachers or students or parents in the pursuit of ensuring that her department educates as many Rhode Island children as possible.
We need more people in power with this type of attitude. We need more people who are more interested in taking a stand for what they believe to be right then beholden to whatever lobby that put them in power or is helping them maintain power. Speaking of…
A few years ago I posed a question to NEA RI Executive Director, Bob Walsh, “Do you support greater accountability for teachers' performance? Why or why not?” His simple answer was “I support accountability for teachers.” He then went onto to talk about how evaluations weren’t standardized across districts and that, “I do remain highly skeptical of the use of student test scores in individual teacher evaluations, and believe that concept will fall under its own weight.”
After posting that article, Walsh told me, paraphrasing, he didn’t like how I interpreted his comments but to me the teacher’s lobby has consistently been unwilling to budge and try new things from what I’ve seen and read from them over the years. What appears paramount to them is keeping their benefits and their jobs, the students always seem secondary. Listen, I have children in the school system so don’t take my comments as casting a wide swath at teachers, I’m not. What I am saying is that teacher reps and stories seem to almost always center around contract disputes, railing against stricter standards, and the like.
And should the teachers’ union in this state wish to continue to play that game, then I’m glad we have a champion in the form of Deborah Gist who will continue to fight for the future of students.
You go, girl!
Don Roach can be reached at don@donroach.org.
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Comments:
Ed Jucation
11:51am on Wednesday, June 19, 2013
It's obvious Mr. Roach has not been in an urban classroom in a long time. He doesn't understand that the real problem in education lies with the parents, students, administration and a culture dependent on public assistance. Is it the teachers' fault that a huge number of students were absent over 40 days this year? Does he know that attendance is directly related to achievement? Does he know that chronic absenteeism is against state law? (RIGL 16.19.1) Does he know that the state REFUSED to enforce this mandatory attendance law? Does he know that there is a law (RIGL 16.19.6) that allows the state to declare chronically misbehaving students as "wayward" and can remove them from the school? Does he know that NO STUDENT has ever been declared wayward and removed so others could learn? What does he think about the Providence teacher who was repeatedly assaulted by students, who was body slammed to the ground while 6 months pregnant?
Does he know the school department never called the police and the teacher was assaulted again in a different school? I suggest you research and observe actual classrooms Mr. Roach before you bash teachers. Absolutely no clue.
Mike Govern
12:01pm on Wednesday, June 19, 2013
RI's need to look past what the unions say, but what the results are. They say it's for the kids, but from the results, it isn't.
In most school budgets, over 92% of the cost teachers salaries and benefits. As these costs increase (mandatory "step increases, medical costs, etc...), the administrations will cut the fluff--band, athletics, and so forth--and keep staff and bloated salaries/benefits untouched. So, who is it about again?
Mike Govern
12:06pm on Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Yes Ed--and what is your gutless "progressive" administration doing to correct the problems you state? Or do you accept the status quo as it gives ineffective teachers cover and an excuse for higher pay?
Ed Jucation
12:45pm on Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Are you serious Mike? What can teachers do to force the city or state to enforce the law? Also, teachers have NO say in what the administration chooses to do or not do. Teachers do what the administration tells them. As for ineffective teachers, Gist's new $35 million dollar teacher evaluation will weed them out. And you know what? I'll bet 99% of the teachers evaluated will receive an "effective" rating or above. I hope RIDE provides those numbers. When a vast majority of RI teachers are deemed "effective" who will you blame? The ignorance of people on this topic amazes me, especially when most have not been inside a school since they graduated.
Donn Roach
1:27pm on Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Ed, the last time I was in an urban classroom is a long...say circa 2004/5 when I taught an after school educational program in Providence. A few years before that I did my student teaching at Central High School. What I didn't like there was teachers and mostly administration seemed to be giving students a pass. They didn't expect them to succeed and it was evident. I had conversations with my students about that subject, so I'm definitely not ignorant to what is going on in schools.
Your comment implies that teachers are absolved of responsibility and instead lays blame on the environment or the student. I heard this a lot while teaching at Central and especially during my time teaching the after school program.
I think its bullocks. Teachers, parents, administrators, and students have responsibility and I’ll acknowledge that I believe the former three have more responsibility than young kids who are being led by parents, teachers, and administrators. I see Gist as a voice in the darkness that is a culture of “don’t hold teachers and administrators accountable”. You can call me ignorant, ill-informed, but when Gist raises the level of expectation for teachers and students I don’t see the downside unless you don’t have a belief that the students and teachers can rise to the challenge.
In the afterschool program, I taught a number of kids who had been in school for 3+ years but had zero command of the English language. Zero. I wondered about my own schooling and how I’d ever be able to pass a grade but not be able to put a sentence together? It would not have happened. We’re failing to educate many children based upon the statistics, and I’m not saying its 100% the fault of teachers. What I am saying is the same old rhetoric like your isn’t going to increase the educational performance of our children. Gist is trying a different way and I like that it rankles some, with my hope being that it causes us to raise the bar for all kids in the system.