Staff shakeups at city schools are really teacher shuffles around the district
Today we had a story that described a lively debate among Baltimore city school board members about the future of the district, as more schools become destined for staff or curriculum overhauls because they fail to make adequate yearly progress (AYP)--measured by federally mandated academic targets required under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Four of five schools--including some that have made notable progress, but not AYP-- were recommended Tuesday for "strategic staff replacement" if their MSA scores don't improve this year. A fifth school would reopen as a public charter, most likely with new staff as well.
Frustrations flared as school leaders spoke of how one of the schools, City Springs Elementary/Middle, has seen drastic gains in test scores, attendance rates and climate. Patterson High was another school on list, but has a high graduation rate and low dropout rate-- top priorities for the district.
In a rare and refreshing move, school board members approved the recommendations, but not without speaking their minds.
As AYP targets continue to rise, some members said, a parade of schools will be coming before the board dreading the turmoil that comes with failing to meet unrealistic goals that are based almost solely on a set of test scores.
Another board member expressed a strong concern about the climates of schools deteriorating, as teachers become more focused on losing their jobs, and less focused on teaching students.
But city school officials had an interesting response that took the conversation in another direction: The teachers won't necessarily lose their jobs. They'll just be sent to other schools--in what essentially is a teacher shuffle around the district.
The staff replacements are designed to help schools sort out what teachers (and principals) contributed to their failure to make AYP. But school leaders admitted that those teachers may very well be the reason that another school fails to make its targets.
City schools CEO Andres Alonso took the opportunity to emphasize that the shuffling around of teachers underscores the need for districts to be able to fire teachers based on "ineffectiveness," which is currently not a condition for dismissal under state law. The schools chief has testified in favor of legislation that would allow such dismissals.
Baltimoresun.com's 
Comments
And the dance of the lemons continues. As well as the shell game called school reform. Will the Board show some backbone and resist that mandates of NCLB or RTT? I doubt it, as the system has become addicted to private and federal grant money that push unproven programs.
Posted by: OverTheTop | March 10, 2011 6:20 AM
Ah, another attack on teachers. Yes, we are the reason for poor test scores. Get rid of "ineffective" teachers and test scores will soar.
Is anyone else tired of this mentality? Does anyone else realize how complex the issue of student achievement (or lack thereof) is? We need to stop the finger pointing and start looking at the real issues, the MANY real issues. Only then can we hope to make changes that will impact student success (oh, and more testing is not the solution. Sorry, ETS!)
Posted by: avalon | March 10, 2011 7:05 AM
Closing schools and replacing staff only succeed at opening an already-gaping wound. We need to stop blaming students and teachers for what is a societal problem hundreds of years in the making. That being said, Patterson's graduation rate and dropout rate are illusions. Any teacher at Patterson will tell you that graduating is a joke. Last year, students who didn't attend a day of class miraculously graduated. Dropout rates remain low thanks to the creative definitions and accounting of "dropouts" and the fact that Patterson allows non-participating students to haunt the building like dirty-little-secret phantoms. Occasionally the principal will put on a show about everyone needing to be in class, but that's just so she can leave evidence that she tried. Without schools like Patterson, where are we going to put all the kids who get kicked out of the "good" schools?
Posted by: Another Scapegoat | March 10, 2011 8:29 AM
@ BS Paper 2011 Education Bills From State Circle
"MARYLAND PARENTS/STAKEHOLDERS ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION."
EDUCATION
As of March 7, committee action has been taken on only one of the Senate or House K-12 education bills. This is partially because hearings on many of the bills are scheduled during the first two weeks of March. House Bill HB 525, which would have added ineffectiveness as a reason for dismissal of teachers, received an unfavorable vote in the W&M Committee aka (Ways and Means Committee.) Ask new Baltimore City State Sen. Bill Ferguson office for more detail. A former BCPSS staff assistant to CEO AAA is the sponsor of the cross filed Senate Bill (SB).
Posted by: Interested & Engaged Parent of City Schools | March 10, 2011 10:08 AM
The problem with moving teachers is not just that they go somewhere else but that no one knows where they are going until the last minute. Uncertainty breeds low morale and no desire to work effectively especially under the conditions that are in some of these schools. @Scapegoat--there will always be schools where students are dumped. Unfortunate, but true.
Posted by: vetern teacher | March 14, 2011 6:28 AM