I heard some talk yesterday that we are afraid of competition. IPS B.S. thinks we can compete with anyone if we had an administration that was worth anything.
I am in the dark about what actually happened with the Board and Dr. White's threat to leave. Did they make changes that he agreed with? How do the salaries paid to principals, department heads, etc. compare with other school districts does anyone know? Also, what does an administrator on special assignment, e.g. Angie Peterson do?
Isn't it a conflict of interest when a school board member (i.e Michael Brown) gets the superintendant and the Board to change a reccommendation based on person interest? Look at the special called meeting agenda: Neither Otis Curry or Francine Morris is leaving NHS now.
Anyone who wants to know what happened between Brown and White need look no further than the AD positions at Northwest and Tech. If White moves the AD from Tech to Northwest, odds are Brown's son will not play basketball for Northwest. (He's mediocre at best). Brown is able to bully the current NHS AD. Not so with the AD from Tech.
White agrees NOT to switch the AD's from Tech and Northwest, and BINGO, the deal is made. The bobbleheads agree to White's plan and life in IPS continues as usual....corrupt.
Getting back to the question at hand: Can you compete?
Absolutely. I think all public schools can compete. But, the competition needs to be on a level playing field:
A. Private and charter schools can pick and keep which students they want...Public schools don't have that option.
B. Which is related to "A", parents in charter and private schools are typically more involved...can not be said about many public schools.
C. Get rid of so many of the silly regulations and stupid paperwork- let teachers do what they do well- TEACH.
D. Reduce administration. Too many chiefs, not enough Indians.
E. Bring back more electives: Art, music, drafting, gym, etc. These are the things that allow kids to excel, express themselves, and use what they've learned in their core classes. This is a huge weakness in charter schools, too.
F. Get rid of bad teachers. Don't let one bad apple ruin the whole fruit salad.
I've worked in and with charter, private, and public schools. I have always found that the public school teachers are the best, most creative teachers around. So, yes, you can compete- if you are on the same field with the same rules.
Here is what I struggle with... How can teachers be held accountable when the provided scripts for teaching don't work? This kind of failure did not happen once upon a time when seasoned teachers were allowed to be creative with their teaching. I do not believe it would happen now if new teachers were allowed to use statistically proven teaching strategies either. Why are we targeting teachers rather than the scripts?
Are you talking about IPS scripts, or the new teacher rubric? I think the new teacher rubric is actually trying to address your concern, but I assume you don't agree since you didn't mention it?
I am talking about the reading scripts that we must follow at the elementary level. The grammar scripts, the math scripts. The new adoptions that we have for textbooks which tell us what we are to say as teachers. I try to differentiate my lessons according to the needs of my students and I try to provide extra support for students based on their needs, however, we all know, students have different needs and they cannot all be accommodated by the same script or the same tests.
What does an administrator on special assignment do; not just Angie Peterson. She was mentioned because that was her assignment. Does that mean they are acting principals, floating principals, Deans, assistant principals who move from school to school, or are they administrators who are mentors to other administrators?
Angie Peterson worked at Arlington last school year and really tried to make a difference. I have a lot of respect for her efforts and work. She was also a strong voice in IEA, and I wonder if the move to administration was just a move to silence her.
Having worked with both Michael Sullivan and Angie Peterson at different times, I wager that Peterson finally met up with the 'wrong' person who would not put up with her 'know-it-all attitude'. Two strong personalities are never a good mix.
For those who think Charter schools are the answer here is an interesting article about Imagine Schools out of Ft. Wayne. Pay close attention to the real story which is in the forum. Even though the leader tries to paint a rosy picture the parents respond to the truth in the forum http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/education/head-of-imagine-defends-charter-schools
I don't think charter schools are the answer. I think competition and choice are the answer. If this charter school is inferior to other schools, it will eventually lose its charter and/or lose its student population to other available options. If this charter school isn't meeting the demand of parents, students, or teachers, another school will.
It's easier to nonrenew a really, really bad charter than it is to shut down a really, really bad district school. At least with charter schools, they can't continue to operate unless families continue to choose them. Nobody gets assigned to a bad charter school, and all funding is based on enrollment.
If a public charter school can be closed for failure to perform, then why shouldn't a traditional public school be closed for failure to perform? There's always talk about this or that IPS high school that's gonna be closed, but I've heard that for years, as an IPS teacher, and nothing ever happens to close the bad high schools. These bad high schools have been reformed, reconstituted, and reinvented more than once. There's nothing left to tweak or retweak in Arlington, Northwest, Manual, or Marshall.
Did you see who the new football coach at Broad Ripple is going to be? Anthony Law. As in the brother of the current Broad Ripple assistant principal, Stan Law. I guess Dr. White didn't want to recommend any of his own relatives for the position.
I wondered why a head football coach would step down from his position after two successful years, only to become an assistant at another high school. Looks like he "resigned" his coaching position "for personal reasons," but retained his teaching position, following a season that included a one-game suspension from his school for a "sidelines incident."
Two Metro football coaches, Whites Creek's Anthony Law and Hillwood's Mose Phillips, have resigned their positions.
The announcements come just days after the head coach at Battle Ground Academy resigned his [1] post.
Law announced his resignation as head football coach on Tuesday.
“It’s due to personal reasons, which I’d rather not get into,’’ Law told The City Paper on Wednesday. Law will continue to teach at the school.
He had a 29-29 record in his five seasons with the Cobras, taking three of the five teams to the playoffs, including the last two. But his tenure put him at both ends of the coaching spectrum — his first team in 2005 went 11-2, but his '07 team finished 0-10.
His best finish was this past season when he took his team to the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs before losing to Greenville, finished 9-5 and was named The City Paper's co-coach of the year in Nashville.
Law was suspended by the school for one game in October for a sidelines incident during the Cobras game with Pearl-Cohn. Law however would not elaborate on whether that incident in any way contributed to his resignation.
Oh, you silly, silly people! You're assuming that we're going to give the new Broad Ripple football coach a TEACHING job! Why would we do that when we can just create another $65,000 "Director of Something-or-Other" position where he can sit in the building and do nothing all day??? Look at Scott Hicks, the basketball coach and unlicensed "Dean of Middle School Activities" who just does bus duty, cafeteria duty, and takes two-hour lunch breaks out of the building every day. He hasn't coordinated a single "middle school activity" all year. Sounds like he might need a $65,000 assistant to help him out with that part of his job since it's apparently way too challenging for him. Anthony Law anyone???
I wonder if brother Law is like his brother Stan who loves to have the girls hang on him. Oh, and let's not forget his"affair". Do you suppose his lighthouses are still shinning?
Can we compete? Heck yeah we can. IPS has the best teachers in the state. Do a one year staff exchange with an IPS school and a similar sized Hamilton-Southeastern school. See which group would have the highest test score improvement at the end of one year. Then try blaming it on the teachers.
I agree with this proposal. I think teachers already realize that students shouldn't be passed on without having a certain level of reading comprehension, but our administrators don't allow us to retain the students. It doesn't help a child's self esteem one bit if he/she can't read and looks around the classroom and sees that the other students can read. I would not want my child 'passed' to 4th grade if he couldn't read or hadn't mastered 3rd grade concepts, would you?
Sorry I disagree. No student should be held back after first grade. If an older student can't read then we need a program to address this problem. And the program needs to have phonetic multisensory approach. Of course, many students are set up for failure because they start school way to early. Too many children who have problems are the youngest in the class.
I agree with retention as well. I'm a middle school science teacher, and my biggest problems stem from children not being able to read the text. I simply avoided teaching from the textbook for awhile (and had the most engaged, well behaved students I've ever had) but then the literacy police put a stop to that and started having us incorporate literacy teaching into my science classes.
or better yet, send Eugene White to Hamilton Southeaster along with his relatives and friends and the relatives of his friends and see how they do. See how long the parents of HSE would allow Eugene to pull his bullshit there.
@or better yet, send Eugene White to Hamilton Southeaster along with his relatives and friends and the relatives of his friends and see how they do. See how long the parents of HSE would allow Eugene to pull his bullshit there.
_____________________________________________
Hot damn! You're so on target! The folks in HSE would have Arne Duncan involved if needed. They wouldn't put up with Eugene White, Willie Giles, Jane Kendricks, Jackie Greenwood, Prudence Bridgwaters, Dexter Suggs, etc. for one semester! IPS central office folks remain in their positions ONLY because the demographics of the school population are largely an uneducated group of people (not dumb, but uneducated to the ways of fast-talking administrators). Many (not all) IPS parents are intimidated by IPS administrators.
Stop talking your B.S. about Law's brother. I understand the man is VERY qualified. He is a coach evidently hired to replace the one who retired. You people need to give it a rest sometime! No one at Broad Ripple is upset, so why are you?
A quarter of all IPS teachers could likely lose their current jobs as state intervention takes effect. Almost half of secondary teachers (449) in the district are employed in schools identified for takeover. At least half of the teachers in each of these schools could be dismissed from those schools in the coming months.
As IPS loses authority over such a large portion of its schools and their budgets, it cannot be expected to maintain positions for all teachers dismissed from those schools.
Don't think for a minute they won't do it. They can do whatever they want to schools that are on the takeover list. Including hiring new teachers after a massive riffing. They will interview you, say whatever reason they want for not re-hiring you and bring in new hires to the district. They will tell you that you will be called back, not by seniority but by need but guess what--there won't be any jobs left to be called back to because they will be hired by personnel outside the district. Just make sure they don't wait til summer to do this because jobs will already be filled in other corporations and you will spend next year on unemployment. It won't matter if you are in the union or not, they won't do a thing Sad situation for our IPS teachers
I will not lay off of "Law's brother". I am not attacking him personally in MY posts. I simply asked how we can hire from outside of the district with there is an upcoming RIF within the district. You are trying to tell me that we do not have someone ALREADY in the district that can do as good of a job as him?
I've had enough, screw this I'm Done! I am going to resign my position at IPS after this school year is over, and I DO NOT care if I get hired somewhere else. The corruption is terrible and I'm tired of picking up the pieces where admin leave them. BYE BYE!
The corruption and the dysfunction in the high schools is why a state takeover would not be a bad idea. Honestly I think there's more corruption and nepotism at the secondary level than at the elementary level.
@ The corruption and the dysfunction in the high schools..
You must be an elementary teacher, and an uninformed one. The corruption and neopotism is through our the district, not just in the secondary. Stop trying to make yourself look good!
I have never posted here, only read. I'm just a parent. But the person who says "you must be so-and-so" every time someone posts something they disagree with is beyond insane. You make yourself look bad. Stop it. Either argue your point or don't.
Dear parent directly above me, I want to thank you for your statement. I have felt this way since the inception of the blog. I have opinions of how I believe my classroom should run, and if I happen to stand up for an administrator or anyone else for that matter, I am accused of being part of a lesbian mafia or something ridiculous. I believe we are entitled to our own thoughts without belittling others for their physical unpleasantries (i.e. give it up on calling out the overweight, as well as picking on dr. white for his lisp - that cannot be helped!). Although I don't particularly care for his attire either, I find that it is FAR more pleasant to see than many of the outfits fellow teachers wear. Some of our teachers come dressed as if they will be spending time working out in the yard and others dress as if they are going to work the street corner. I would much rather see my superintendent wear red shoes than have to consistently let my students know that I am preparing them for life beyond school where you will likely have to conform to a dress code or uniform in many occupations while my fellow teachers dress in a very inappropriate manner.
Again - thank you for calling that to attention! I am with you all the way! Our battle is to educate our students, as well as lift their self value, because so many come in feeling worthless. If we maintain this lousy talk everyone down, our students won't believe me and other positive "glass is half-full" teachers that our students can overcome the mean comments that hurt.
Back on topic, can we compete? Maybe. I agree with someone who posted above; if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. If you stink as a teacher, find something else to do. I admit, this economy isn't helping, but you might not have a choice if you are a secondary person in a turn around school.
AMEN! I think our students deserve the very BEST we can give. If that means things have changed and our seasoned teachers cannot make that happen, they need to find their new calling. I do happen to know of a few (very few) seasoned teachers (in the elementary level, that is) that are still as awesome now as they were in their younger days, but I know of several who are still stuck in the good ol' day mentality, and are afraid of change. We need to prepare our students for their future and that is scary for many. They know what they were taught in the 70's, 80's, and early 90's and don't adapt well to change. The sad truth is we have made many changes since they came out of college, and to prepare students for their futures, we need to look to the future ourselves. This is lost on many of those protected by the union. They seem to be of an older age and time. I hate to think that this is possibly their demise, but keep up or get out!
ok - the above poster - what are you smoking/drinking? you really tried to make a point, but wtf?! I know it's saturday night - have your fun and then pass the ____ out. don't get on here and post almost for the good; but not quite there nonsense! Go sleep and post again when you are coherent. I'm sure you mean well but you sound ignorant!
My experience is similar to AMEN. You can see evidence of it all through this blog. Older generation teachers who don't like change -- change in society, change in public education, change in global economics and competition, etc. They are offended by the mere suggestion that things could be better. Can you imagine that in any other industry? Any other science? If everyone just stopped trying to innovate or improve because it offended the people who were used to doing things the old way? The thing is, this is really a big deal. If we can't improve the way we educate such a large percentage of our students, our entire country will suffer and within a generation, maybe two, we will no longer be a first world country. You think you don't like change NOW??!!!
Age discrimination is as bad as any other kind. Trust me, the older teachers who are not good, were not good when they were younger. The young ones who are not good will probably not improve either. If you are so biased against any group based on race, religion, gender, sexual preference or whatever, you should probably not be a teacher.
I suppose I count as an older teacher (40's). But I can't see any of the plans that actually offer reforms. It's all about punishing teachers because students don't perform well on tests.
I can't believe that it all rests on the teachers. It's a partnership. Students have to listen and make an attempt to learn. If all you do is sit in a chair like a lump and refuse to even write your name on a paper how can you learn? A teacher can only do so much, and to tie test scores to teacher evaluations is ridiculous. Even the best students have a bad day or get test anxiety.
The way to ensure students do better is to make class sizes less and hire instructional assistants. Then students can get one on one help.
I have nothing but good things to say about the staff at Arlington Woods. To improve things that drastically in a single year is spectacular, and they deserve every bit of praise anyone can think of. Reform isn't about "blame." It's about doing what others say can't be done!!
I'm confused. School 69 isn't listed as a turnaround school on the DOE website. The only reason I checked is because it shouldn't be possible for a turnaround school to have improved 10.2% in one year.
I am in the dark about what actually happened with the Board and Dr. White's threat to leave. Did they make changes that he agreed with? How do the salaries paid to principals, department heads, etc. compare with other school districts does anyone know? Also, what does an administrator on special assignment, e.g. Angie Peterson do?
ReplyDeleteSorry, there should have been a ; before "does anyone know?"
ReplyDeleteIsn't it a conflict of interest when a school board member (i.e Michael Brown) gets the superintendant and the Board to change a reccommendation based on person interest? Look at the special called meeting agenda: Neither Otis Curry or Francine Morris is leaving NHS now.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who wants to know what happened between Brown and White need look no further than the AD positions at Northwest and Tech.
ReplyDeleteIf White moves the AD from Tech to Northwest, odds are Brown's son will not play basketball for Northwest. (He's mediocre at best). Brown is able to bully the current NHS AD. Not so with the AD from Tech.
White agrees NOT to switch the AD's from Tech and Northwest, and BINGO, the deal is made. The bobbleheads agree to White's plan and life in IPS continues as usual....corrupt.
That makes a person want to throw rotten eggs and rotten tomatoes at Michael Brown. What a douche bag.
ReplyDeleteThe burning question, did Brown's changing his voting cause Curry his increase in pay or not?
ReplyDeleteMichael Brown is an idiot.....
ReplyDeleteGetting back to the question at hand: Can you compete?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. I think all public schools can compete. But, the competition needs to be on a level playing field:
A. Private and charter schools can pick and keep which students they want...Public schools don't have that option.
B. Which is related to "A", parents in charter and private schools are typically more involved...can not be said about many public schools.
C. Get rid of so many of the silly regulations and stupid paperwork- let teachers do what they do well- TEACH.
D. Reduce administration. Too many chiefs, not enough Indians.
E. Bring back more electives: Art, music, drafting, gym, etc. These are the things that allow kids to excel, express themselves, and use what they've learned in their core classes. This is a huge weakness in charter schools, too.
F. Get rid of bad teachers. Don't let one bad apple ruin the whole fruit salad.
I've worked in and with charter, private, and public schools. I have always found that the public school teachers are the best, most creative teachers around. So, yes, you can compete- if you are on the same field with the same rules.
@ what does Angie Peterson do?
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you ask her personally?
Here is what I struggle with... How can teachers be held accountable when the provided scripts for teaching don't work? This kind of failure did not happen once upon a time when seasoned teachers were allowed to be creative with their teaching. I do not believe it would happen now if new teachers were allowed to use statistically proven teaching strategies either. Why are we targeting teachers rather than the scripts?
ReplyDeleteAre you talking about IPS scripts, or the new teacher rubric? I think the new teacher rubric is actually trying to address your concern, but I assume you don't agree since you didn't mention it?
ReplyDeleteI am talking about the reading scripts that we must follow at the elementary level. The grammar scripts, the math scripts. The new adoptions that we have for textbooks which tell us what we are to say as teachers. I try to differentiate my lessons according to the needs of my students and I try to provide extra support for students based on their needs, however, we all know, students have different needs and they cannot all be accommodated by the same script or the same tests.
ReplyDeleteWhat does an administrator on special assignment do; not just Angie Peterson. She was mentioned because that was her assignment. Does that mean they are acting principals, floating principals, Deans, assistant principals who move from school to school, or are they administrators who are mentors to other administrators?
ReplyDeleteAngie Peterson was the AD at John Marshall last semester and was relieved of her duties in December due to poor performance.
ReplyDeleteAngie Peterson worked at Arlington last school year and really tried to make a difference. I have a lot of respect for her efforts and work. She was also a strong voice in IEA, and I wonder if the move to administration was just a move to silence her.
ReplyDeleteHaving worked with both Michael Sullivan and Angie Peterson at different times, I wager that Peterson finally met up with the 'wrong' person who would not put up with her 'know-it-all attitude'. Two strong personalities are never a good mix.
ReplyDeleteI guess IPS can compete for Best at Shootings
ReplyDeletefrom Channel 13
Indianapolis - IPS officials are investigating what happened to a girl who claims she was shot in the leg at Thomas Howe community High School.
The girl's injuries were minor. The girl was taken away by ambulance to a local hospital.
School officials say it didn't happen on campus. They also say the girl didn't report the incident for at least an hour.
_____________________________________________
Notice how quickly IPS responded to tell everyone it did not happen on school property, but yet the shooting is reported at Howe.
For those who think Charter schools are the answer here is an interesting article about Imagine Schools out of Ft. Wayne. Pay close attention to the real story which is in the forum. Even though the leader tries to paint a rosy picture the parents respond to the truth in the forum
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wane.com/dpp/news/education/head-of-imagine-defends-charter-schools
I don't think charter schools are the answer. I think competition and choice are the answer. If this charter school is inferior to other schools, it will eventually lose its charter and/or lose its student population to other available options. If this charter school isn't meeting the demand of parents, students, or teachers, another school will.
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems with charter schools is that when they are really really bad, they just continue to operate.
ReplyDeleteIt's easier to nonrenew a really, really bad charter than it is to shut down a really, really bad district school. At least with charter schools, they can't continue to operate unless families continue to choose them. Nobody gets assigned to a bad charter school, and all funding is based on enrollment.
ReplyDeleteIf a public charter school can be closed for failure to perform, then why shouldn't a traditional public school be closed for failure to perform? There's always talk about this or that IPS high school that's gonna be closed, but I've heard that for years, as an IPS teacher, and nothing ever happens to close the bad high schools. These bad high schools have been reformed, reconstituted, and reinvented more than once. There's nothing left to tweak or retweak in Arlington, Northwest, Manual, or Marshall.
ReplyDeleteDid you see who the new football coach at Broad Ripple is going to be? Anthony Law. As in the brother of the current Broad Ripple assistant principal, Stan Law. I guess Dr. White didn't want to recommend any of his own relatives for the position.
ReplyDeleteI wondered why a head football coach would step down from his position after two successful years, only to become an assistant at another high school. Looks like he "resigned" his coaching position "for personal reasons," but retained his teaching position, following a season that included a one-game suspension from his school for a "sidelines incident."
ReplyDeletehttp://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/sports/pair-metro-football-coaches-stepping-down
Is this guy REALLY the best candidate for the job?
Dumb question...how do we hire from out of the district (e.g. Anthony Law) when there are talks of an upcoming RIF?
ReplyDeletePublished on Nashville City Paper (http://nashvillecitypaper.com)
ReplyDelete--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pair of Metro football coaches stepping down
Created 01/06/2010 - 3:53pm
Two Metro football coaches, Whites Creek's Anthony Law and Hillwood's Mose Phillips, have resigned their positions.
The announcements come just days after the head coach at Battle Ground Academy resigned his [1] post.
Law announced his resignation as head football coach on Tuesday.
“It’s due to personal reasons, which I’d rather not get into,’’ Law told The City Paper on Wednesday. Law will continue to teach at the school.
He had a 29-29 record in his five seasons with the Cobras, taking three of the five teams to the playoffs, including the last two. But his tenure put him at both ends of the coaching spectrum — his first team in 2005 went 11-2, but his '07 team finished 0-10.
His best finish was this past season when he took his team to the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs before losing to Greenville, finished 9-5 and was named The City Paper's co-coach of the year in Nashville.
Law was suspended by the school for one game in October for a sidelines incident during the Cobras game with Pearl-Cohn. Law however would not elaborate on whether that incident in any way contributed to his resignation.
Yeah, how CAN they hire a football coach and give him a teaching position when they are talking RIF? IPS gets more bogus on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteDr. White is in it for as much money as he can bleed from our system. Then once he's sucked it dry and ruined it beyond all salvation, he'll leave.
ReplyDeleteIt can't happen soon enough.
ReplyDeleteOh, you silly, silly people! You're assuming that we're going to give the new Broad Ripple football coach a TEACHING job! Why would we do that when we can just create another $65,000 "Director of Something-or-Other" position where he can sit in the building and do nothing all day??? Look at Scott Hicks, the basketball coach and unlicensed "Dean of Middle School Activities" who just does bus duty, cafeteria duty, and takes two-hour lunch breaks out of the building every day. He hasn't coordinated a single "middle school activity" all year. Sounds like he might need a $65,000 assistant to help him out with that part of his job since it's apparently way too challenging for him. Anthony Law anyone???
ReplyDelete"One of the problems with charter schools is that when they are really really bad, they just continue to operate."
ReplyDeleteUuuummmm...you mean just like IPS?
What's with the suits from the ed center visiting buildings to give ISTEP pep talks to the students? Is that strategy supported by data?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if brother Law is like his brother Stan who loves to have the girls hang on him. Oh, and let's not forget his"affair". Do you suppose his lighthouses are still shinning?
ReplyDeleteAnother Bennett "success:"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wthr.com/story/13998020/third-graders-to-be-held-back-if-they-cant-read
Can we compete? Heck yeah we can. IPS has the best teachers in the state. Do a one year staff exchange with an IPS school and a similar sized Hamilton-Southeastern school. See which group would have the highest test score improvement at the end of one year. Then try blaming it on the teachers.
ReplyDeleteRe: third-graders-to-be-held-back-if-they-cant-read
ReplyDeleteI agree with this proposal. I think teachers already realize that students shouldn't be passed on without having a certain level of reading comprehension, but our administrators don't allow us to retain the students. It doesn't help a child's self esteem one bit if he/she can't read and looks around the classroom and sees that the other students can read. I would not want my child 'passed' to 4th grade if he couldn't read or hadn't mastered 3rd grade concepts, would you?
Sorry I disagree. No student should be held back after first grade. If an older student can't read then we need a program to address this problem. And the program needs to have phonetic multisensory approach. Of course, many students are set up for failure because they start school way to early. Too many children who have problems are the youngest in the class.
ReplyDeleteI agree with retention as well. I'm a middle school science teacher, and my biggest problems stem from children not being able to read the text. I simply avoided teaching from the textbook for awhile (and had the most engaged, well behaved students I've ever had) but then the literacy police put a stop to that and started having us incorporate literacy teaching into my science classes.
ReplyDeleteor better yet, send Eugene White to Hamilton Southeaster along with his relatives and friends and the relatives of his friends and see how they do. See how long the parents of HSE would allow Eugene to pull his bullshit there.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but I've lost track reading through the responses. What was the orignal question?
ReplyDelete@or better yet, send Eugene White to Hamilton Southeaster along with his relatives and friends and the relatives of his friends and see how they do. See how long the parents of HSE would allow Eugene to pull his bullshit there.
ReplyDelete_____________________________________________
Hot damn! You're so on target! The folks in HSE would have Arne Duncan involved if needed. They wouldn't put up with Eugene White, Willie Giles, Jane Kendricks, Jackie Greenwood, Prudence Bridgwaters, Dexter Suggs, etc. for one semester! IPS central office folks remain in their positions ONLY because the demographics of the school population are largely an uneducated group of people (not dumb, but uneducated to the ways of fast-talking administrators). Many (not all) IPS parents are intimidated by IPS administrators.
Stop talking your B.S. about Law's brother. I understand the man is VERY qualified. He is a coach evidently hired to replace the one who retired. You people need to give it a rest sometime! No one at Broad Ripple is upset, so why are you?
ReplyDeleteA quarter of all IPS teachers could likely lose their current jobs as state intervention takes effect. Almost half of secondary teachers (449) in the district are employed in schools identified for takeover. At least half of the teachers in each of these schools could be dismissed from those schools in the coming months.
ReplyDeleteAs IPS loses authority over such a large portion of its schools and their budgets, it cannot be expected to maintain positions for all teachers dismissed from those schools.
Source:
http://www.teachplus.org/uploads/Documents/1297365387_TheDominoEffect.pdf
Don't think for a minute they won't do it.
ReplyDeleteThey can do whatever they want to schools that are on the takeover list. Including hiring new teachers after a massive riffing.
They will interview you, say whatever reason they want for not re-hiring you and bring in new hires to the district. They will tell you that you will be called back, not by seniority but by need but guess what--there won't be any jobs left to be called back to because they will be hired by personnel outside the district.
Just make sure they don't wait til summer to do this because jobs will already be filled in other corporations and you will spend next year on unemployment. It won't matter if you are in the union or not, they won't do a thing
Sad situation for our IPS teachers
Bring on the takeovers!
ReplyDeleteI will not lay off of "Law's brother". I am not attacking him personally in MY posts. I simply asked how we can hire from outside of the district with there is an upcoming RIF within the district. You are trying to tell me that we do not have someone ALREADY in the district that can do as good of a job as him?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you.
ReplyDeleteI've had enough, screw this I'm Done! I am going to resign my position at IPS after this school year is over, and I DO NOT care if I get hired somewhere else. The corruption is terrible and I'm tired of picking up the pieces where admin leave them.
ReplyDeleteBYE BYE!
The corruption and the dysfunction in the high schools is why a state takeover would not be a bad idea. Honestly I think there's more corruption and nepotism at the secondary level than at the elementary level.
ReplyDeleteTech has had 8 ro 10 false fire alarms this week. Do you think Principal Sarah Bogard knows or cares? My guess is that she does not have a clue.
ReplyDeleteThat many false alarms? Think of the amount of instructional time wasted.
ReplyDelete@ The corruption and the dysfunction in the high schools..
ReplyDeleteYou must be an elementary teacher, and an uninformed one. The corruption and neopotism is through our the district, not just in the secondary. Stop trying to make yourself look good!
I have never posted here, only read. I'm just a parent. But the person who says "you must be so-and-so" every time someone posts something they disagree with is beyond insane. You make yourself look bad. Stop it. Either argue your point or don't.
ReplyDeleteDear parent directly above me,
ReplyDeleteI want to thank you for your statement. I have felt this way since the inception of the blog. I have opinions of how I believe my classroom should run, and if I happen to stand up for an administrator or anyone else for that matter, I am accused of being part of a lesbian mafia or something ridiculous. I believe we are entitled to our own thoughts without belittling others for their physical unpleasantries (i.e. give it up on calling out the overweight, as well as picking on dr. white for his lisp - that cannot be helped!). Although I don't particularly care for his attire either, I find that it is FAR more pleasant to see than many of the outfits fellow teachers wear. Some of our teachers come dressed as if they will be spending time working out in the yard and others dress as if they are going to work the street corner. I would much rather see my superintendent wear red shoes than have to consistently let my students know that I am preparing them for life beyond school where you will likely have to conform to a dress code or uniform in many occupations while my fellow teachers dress in a very inappropriate manner.
Again - thank you for calling that to attention! I am with you all the way! Our battle is to educate our students, as well as lift their self value, because so many come in feeling worthless. If we maintain this lousy talk everyone down, our students won't believe me and other positive "glass is half-full" teachers that our students can overcome the mean comments that hurt.
Aren't we supposed to be the grown ups here?
Back on topic, can we compete? Maybe. I agree with someone who posted above; if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. If you stink as a teacher, find something else to do. I admit, this economy isn't helping, but you might not have a choice if you are a secondary person in a turn around school.
ReplyDeleteAMEN! I think our students deserve the very BEST we can give. If that means things have changed and our seasoned teachers cannot make that happen, they need to find their new calling. I do happen to know of a few (very few) seasoned teachers (in the elementary level, that is) that are still as awesome now as they were in their younger days, but I know of several who are still stuck in the good ol' day mentality, and are afraid of change. We need to prepare our students for their future and that is scary for many. They know what they were taught in the 70's, 80's, and early 90's and don't adapt well to change. The sad truth is we have made many changes since they came out of college, and to prepare students for their futures, we need to look to the future ourselves. This is lost on many of those protected by the union. They seem to be of an older age and time. I hate to think that this is possibly their demise, but keep up or get out!
ReplyDeleteok - the above poster - what are you smoking/drinking? you really tried to make a point, but wtf?! I know it's saturday night - have your fun and then pass the ____ out. don't get on here and post almost for the good; but not quite there nonsense! Go sleep and post again when you are coherent. I'm sure you mean well but you sound ignorant!
ReplyDeleteMy experience is similar to AMEN. You can see evidence of it all through this blog. Older generation teachers who don't like change -- change in society, change in public education, change in global economics and competition, etc. They are offended by the mere suggestion that things could be better. Can you imagine that in any other industry? Any other science? If everyone just stopped trying to innovate or improve because it offended the people who were used to doing things the old way? The thing is, this is really a big deal. If we can't improve the way we educate such a large percentage of our students, our entire country will suffer and within a generation, maybe two, we will no longer be a first world country. You think you don't like change NOW??!!!
ReplyDeleteAge discrimination is as bad as any other kind. Trust me, the older teachers who are not good, were not good when they were younger. The young ones who are not good will probably not improve either. If you are so biased against any group based on race, religion, gender, sexual preference or whatever, you should probably not be a teacher.
ReplyDeleteIt's not age discrimination, it's attitude. But its an attitude most prevalent among older teachers.
ReplyDeleteI suppose I count as an older teacher (40's). But I can't see any of the plans that actually offer reforms. It's all about punishing teachers because students don't perform well on tests.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that it all rests on the teachers. It's a partnership. Students have to listen and make an attempt to learn. If all you do is sit in a chair like a lump and refuse to even write your name on a paper how can you learn? A teacher can only do so much, and to tie test scores to teacher evaluations is ridiculous. Even the best students have a bad day or get test anxiety.
The way to ensure students do better is to make class sizes less and hire instructional assistants. Then students can get one on one help.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20110213/LOCAL18/102130364/IPS-elementary-school-making-every-minute-count?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|IndyStar.com
ReplyDeleteISTEP scores went up 22% in one year at Arlington Woods? That is unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteI have nothing but good things to say about the staff at Arlington Woods. To improve things that drastically in a single year is spectacular, and they deserve every bit of praise anyone can think of. Reform isn't about "blame." It's about doing what others say can't be done!!
ReplyDeleteScores went up 10.2 % at school 69 in one year and it has been selected to be a turn-around school by the state. It's for the children ???.
ReplyDeleteI'm confused. School 69 isn't listed as a turnaround school on the DOE website. The only reason I checked is because it shouldn't be possible for a turnaround school to have improved 10.2% in one year.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the above poster has it wrong. The state doesn't have anything to do with the changes at 69. That's an IPS thing.
ReplyDeleteTo above, better ask the staff at #69, which 49% gets to stay as a result of the turnaround!
ReplyDelete