No child left behind except the poor

Parent Cafe
1

<p>"States shirking order to distribute qualified teachers</p>

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) – Most states have shirked the law by failing to ensure that poor and minority students get their fair share of qualified teachers, a new analysis contends.</p>

<p>The No Child Left Behind law says underprivileged and minority kids should not have a larger share of teachers who are unqualified, inexperienced or teaching unfamiliar topics.</p>

<p>It puts the responsibility on states to figure out how to do that.</p>

<p>States are falling far short on the promise, according to a study released Thursday by The Education Trust, a group that advocates for poor and minority kids. It is based on a review of new plans from every state and the District of Columbia…</p>

<p>The report contends that states handed in vastly incomplete data, weak strategies for fixing inequities across schools, and goals so vague they can’t even be measured…</p>

<p>Only three states reported complete data on the quality of teachers assigned to poor and minority kids. They are Ohio, Nevada and Tennessee. The report commends those states for steps they take to get quality, experienced teachers into at-risk schools.</p>

<p>The report recommends that the Education Department reject the majority of the state plans, issue clearer guidance and order the states to start over…"
<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/08/11/teacher.quality.ap/index.html[/url]”>http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/08/11/teacher.quality.ap/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

2

<p>Talk to the teacher’s unions.</p>

3

<p>How do the states “distribute” teachers in a fair manner when the teachers have the contractual right to determine their placement based on seniority?</p>

4

<p>Bonuses could help entice teachers to go to the areas where they are needed most.</p>

5

<p>And why shouldn’t a teacher decide where he or she wants to work. If the state want’s to “distribute” teachers to a particular location it’s easy; offer higher salaries or other incentives at that location.</p>

6

<p>“How do the states “distribute” teachers in a fair manner when the teachers have the contractual right to determine their placement based on seniority?”</p>

<p>Actually in our system placement is not at all based upon seniority. The only protection seniority gives you is when it comes to involuntary transfers. Voluntary transfers are open and competitive. You must interview at the school you want to transfer to and it is the principal’s decision entirely as to whether or not they take you.</p>

7

<p>How some places are attracting teachers:</p>

<p>" some states have raised salaries across the board or offered increased salaries to beginning teachers …States also increasingly offer scholarships and loan-forgiveness programs to new teachers, as well as cash bonus incentives… </p>

<p>Critics argue that these approaches may fail to draw teachers to areas where they are most needed. Many believe that districts should offer additional compensation to those who teach hard-to-staff subjects, such as science and math, as well as to “those willing to work in hard-to-staff schools or districts; those who graduate from better colleges or post higher test scores; and those who possess greater knowledge and skills or raise student achievement” … Some states have begun addressing these concerns and “are offering signing bonuses, housing assistance, free graduate courses and other incentives to attract teachers to the hardest to staff areas” …</p>

<p>a recent study indicates that teachers from nontraditional backgrounds, such as paraprofessionals, uncertified teachers, Peace Corps alumni, and others, are often “eager but overlooked prospects” …Once certified, however, they “outperform their colleagues. . . and stay longer in teaching positions than their peers” … Researchers found both larger and more racially diverse groups of potential recruits than they had expected, and found the individuals to be of exceptionally high caliber …Similar programs allowing prospective teachers to pursue alternative routes to teaching have also shown promise in attracting more “minority teachers, math and science teachers, and candidates willing to work in urban schools’”
<a href=“http://eric.uoregon.edu/trends_issues/instpers/index.html[/url]”>http://eric.uoregon.edu/trends_issues/instpers/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>What happens when district dollars are spent on instruction in schools that have a very high proportion of undocumented immigrants and English is not the native tongue? Oregon Resident.</p>

9

<p>we have weighted student formula-& site based management in our district</p>

<p>students with more need- bilingual-low income etc bring more money to the school- both from the district and state level ( and marginally federal)
Thats why, you can look at a district like Seattle & see that they are actually recieving & spending more per student, than a suburban district like Bellevue.</p>

<p>Currently- schools are free to hire whatever teachers they want- even though a teacher with 15 years experience, is going to be more expensive than a teacher with 2 years experience</p>

<p>However salaries are paid through the district.
A school with 300 high need kids, is actually going to be bringing in a higher amount per student, than a school with 300 upper income kids, but since the salaries dont come out of the schools budget, a school with 300 upper income kids, actually comes out ahead, because teachers with tenure more often want to teach where they know the kids will be able to come to school ready to learn, where the parents will help out in and out of the classroom & what may be seen as a “prestigous” position.</p>

<p>So the kids that most need experienced teachers, are getting teachers who are new, sometimes brand new, or teachers who arent able to transfer to those more plum jobs.</p>

<p>I would suggest, that in this case, schools be aware of teacher expense, and if a swanky neighborhood school wants to spend a larger chunk of their budget on salaries, then they could be able, but then at the same time, the school that isn’t in such a swanky neighborhood, who has more high need kids, should be able to recieve for their budget, the extra dollars that those kids bring with them, as well as ability to spend those dollars on more experienced teachers if they see fit, or to use that money on other programs</p>

10

<p>Northstarmom - I don’t know enough about this topic to offer an opinion, or even to ask an intelligent question. </p>

<p>But I want to thank you for your post; which, along with the follow-up posts, was very interesting. It sounds like an area that warrants more attention from all of us. So thanks.</p>

11

<p>Northstarmom, getting qualified teachers for disadvantaged schools is a difficult task because of the danger involved with the job. The stats for physical assault, vandalism, other undesirable things are substantially higher, not to mention the neighborhoods where many of these schools are. the burnout rate is also high in these schools. Here in our area, the wait list for teachers to teach in the suburban schools is way, way long. Even with incentives and loosening of standards ( hiring non certified teachers), It is difficult to adequately staff the schools that are considered “dangerous”. I know a number of teachers who just will not teach at those schools for any amount of money, and are working in private schools at half the pay, some waiting for a spot to open up in a higher paying public school that is in a “good” area. I think that part of the reason for busing kids is an attempt to, not only integrate the disadvantaged kids with the ones in better neighborhoods, but to also get those kids into a safer, better environment. That includes better teachers. In this area, busing failed dismally or was not even attempted. Most of the city public highschools are filled with disadvantaged URMs. This is even with a system that attempt to distribute the kids evenly among all of the schools. A family with the money and the wherewithal to do so, will pull a child who is gets assigned to an unfavorable school. What ends up left in those schools are kids whose parents do not have the money and/or cannot advocate for their children because their own lives are so challenging. Most proposals for lotteries and school choice hurts the most disadvantaged children. And that is just not fair.<br>
I guess the pay has to be greatly increased, generous bonuses given in order to attract teachers to the poorer areas since the current level is insufficient. It comes down to more money for those districts which does not happen. Many of those schools are deficient in other things that, books, supplies, classrooms. The most important things: hygiene, safety, facilities in good repair are also in short supply. Who on earth would send their kids to these hell holes unless they were unable for whatever reason, to get their kids out of that district.</p>

12

<p>Ok I am curious how many districts are considered dangerous for the students and employees?
Our city is about 8% Africian American, 73 % Caucasian,13% Asian,5% Hispanic-
the school district is 25% African American, 41% Caucasian, 23% Asian,11% Latino
The percentage or free/reduced lunch is 44%.
So the district is considerably more diverse, with more challenges than the demographics of the city would suggest.
Our districts boundaries, mirror the city boundaries, which I know is different from other areas, and it makes it a large district to manage.</p>

<p>However, I don’t consider the district or the city dangerous.
Yes my daughters school had to run on the sidewalks for track practice, because there had been more gunfire than the principal felt comfortable with where they had formerly been training, but I never thought about having her drop the team or change schools.</p>

<p>Our city doesn’t have really an inner city, the way I think of in Detroit, or Philidelphia. I know I refer to her school as an inner city, because that is always what it has been characterized as, but the threat is from people coming into the neighborhood, not from the students in teh school.( I mean where the violence comes from, I don’t think of the neighborhood as violent)</p>

<p>I couldnt begin to address the problems of districts where the students live in slums and the teachers are afraid.</p>

<p>But I think that in districts like ours, there is still a lot of disparity in how schools are regarded, in what programs are supported and how much support they need and get from the community and the district.
That needs to change, instead of focusing on how to keep buildings open, we need to focus on how to serve the students</p>