What Kind of Recruitment for NYC Public School Teachers?
I was on the campus where I adjunct after graduation. I heard “hello, jd!” and turned to see a former student , berobed (?) bedecked (?) seated among a group of people without regalia. I walked over and was quickly introduced to Rosa’s husband, kids, siblings, and mother. I congratulated each, and asked Rosa about her plans. I knew she intended to teach, but would she start in September?
Rosa’s about 40, New York Puerto Rican, works on campus (service job of some sort). She’s the last person that TFA or the Teaching Fellows would take, and for good reason.
So I ask, and she tells me. She’s just earned the BA, but is getting the masters before she starts teaching. ESL, or if the credits don’t work, or the certification gets snagged, Spanish.
Rosa wasn’t a great student, math didn’t come easy. But she worked at it, got better, came for help when she had to. She was also pleasant, didn’t get frustrated, and was quick with a smile or a thank you. She passed the course just fine, and then passed two more. Same thing, each time, she struggled, she worked, she passed.
She’s already got the LAST (NY general knowledge test for teachers), but there are other requirements she hasn’t yet met. She’s got a timetable laid out – she’ll start teaching in September 2010, fully certified.
Think about that. Wants to teach. Ties to the City. Willing to patiently meet requirements, even though she sees others getting into schools faster. She plans to make a career of this, right? Not 2 years and out, 3 years and out. Something could go wrong, but her mindset is clearly directed to the next 15, 20, 25 years.
Teaching Fellows often have degrees from fancier colleges. TFA? Forget about it. But does that trump dedication and experience? That stupid NC study says yes, but barely. The study is wrong.
Rosa has a good chance to get to know her school, well. She will have senior teachers as resources for her, and she herself will become a resource for newer teachers. She’ll know her way around the building, know which APs to avoid, know which secretaries can help get things done faster. And she’ll know the other teachers. And she’ll know the kids.
For four years that a kid is in high school, wouldn’t it be nice if that kid could see, more or less, most of the same teachers each year? With Rosa, they might… What’s that worth?
Carnival of Mathematics #34
Carnival of Mathematics #34 is now up at 360.
Even if you don’t normally like clicking math links, read the amusing banter. She’s turned “34” into an object of amusement.
For example, my post about the NYC Schools Chancellor using a misleading graphic to confuse statistics is introduced as:
There were 34 States in the US at the start of the American Civil War. This kind of information is often represented with a map, which is a kind of graphic. And if you’re going to include graphics in any sort of presentation, you would do well to make them accurate and not slyly misrepresent the data. jd2718 shares this exact kind of situation in Lying with graphics at NYCDOE Central.
Go read all ten! (and click on some links, if you like the math…)
316
Lying with graphics at NYCDOE Central
[Graphic problem resolved]
A few weeks ago New York City public school teachers started getting a weekly e-mail bulletin from the Chancellor. I would have shut it off, except maybe, at some point, something interesting? I don’t know.
Anyhow, today’s arrives, with a contorted lying explanation of why school budgets got cut so hard (from 1.4 to 6% he says, but the high end is actually a bit higher).
Watch this. He says that since 2002 DoE budgets have risen 79% while the rest of the City spending has increased 43% (there is lots of hemming and hawing about which funds and which agencies are included. The truth is out there. But not in the e-mail).
But here’s the good part. This is their graphic:
See those arrows? Most people will visually measure the shaft part, and ignore the “roof.” The base of the left arrow is wider than the base of the right arrow (I get 1.9cm vs 1.7cm), not wide enough for most people to consciously notice, but wide enough to make an impression. The shaft’s are 2.4cm vs 1.0cm, far more than double the length (and that’s what people will notice, or rather, that’s what people will visually measure). The base of the roof is again wider: 3.8cm vs 3.3 cm. Only the height of the roofs tilt to the smaller.
There is something dishonest about comparing percentages anyhow: most people don’t really “get” them.
But 79 is 88% more than 42. The length of the part of the arrows that people visually read? 140% more. The areas of the parts up to the numbers? 168% more.
And these numbers are one-dimensional objects. If we want a good visual comparison, a bar graph with negligible thickness is the way to go. Area confuses people, and DoE Central is staffed by people who know that.
Surprise Meetings
Earlier this month, the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education called a meeting for principals. He was going to deliver news about the budget cuts. He gave them two days notice for a 7 AM meeting.
Principals have schools to run. And understand that being there or not being there would not change the news. Enough said, no thanks, we’re not coming, that the Chancellor canceled the meeting. And the rest of us noticed how embarrassing it was for him to reverse himself, but also how demeaning, insulting it was in the first place for him to demand “Show up, I’ll tell you why when you get here.”
…important citywide chapter leader meeting … on June 9. Please make every effort to attend… [schedule] a chapter meeting in your school on June 10, 11 or 12. Randi will explain why June 9
Fast forward to this past Friday. The school-based leaders of the United Federation of Teachers received this in their e-mail:
Important citywide chapter leader meeting on June 9
The UFT is holding an important citywide chapter leader meeting at the Brooklyn Marriott Hotel on Monday, June 9. Please make every effort to attend. If you can not attend, please ask a delegate from your school to attend in your stead. Also, it would be helpful if you scheduled a chapter meeting in your school on June 10, 11 or 12. Randi will explain why at the June 9 meeting at the Marriott. The June Delegate Assembly has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 18, at 52 Broadway.
Chapter Leaders really must go. I assume that there will be an important announcement, that it will involve us in a major way, that our presence is important. Everyone who is supposed to attend must attend.
But it is depressing that UFT Central treats us so disrespectfully. We mocked the Chancellor for demanding his principals’ presence, and then smirked when they had the guts to tell him no. So why is Central demanding our presence without telling us what is going on?
Priorities: There is dissonance between priorities from Central and priorities in the schools. Just about now, my members are looking at our raises and preparing for Regents and summer vacation (or summer school). I’m worried about ATRs and the rapidly-becoming-transparently-discriminatory “Open Market Transfer” plan, but that’s just me and a few others. Central’s priorities are stuck on the budget, the chancellor, and Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential bid.
Come back to us at the end of August, and our priorities may have realigned.
Service: I serve my members. I answer to my DR, and she answers to me and the other chapter leaders. Central doesn’t get it. Badly. As I wrote last Spring: UFT Central exists to serve the members and the Chapters, not the other way around. But sometimes Central forgets
I was generous.
430
Work scared, work stupid
Bronx Science filed ed neglect charges against parents of a high school senior even though they very plainly had not neglected the education of their son.
The Post (sorry, there was no alternate) goes on to say that after Nixmary Brown was killed, school officials have been much quicker to file charges. But this has nothing to do with the welfare of any child.
Story: this kid was out 8 days, sickness, and death in the family.
More back story: earlier this spring Bronx Science mailed letters to the parents of hundreds of kids whose attendance was below average for the school. Truants and those in danger of failing or dropping out? Nah, everyone. Kids with 91% attendance. Half the school.
What’s going on? Progress reports. Progress reports count attendance rates against principals. Progress reports count graduation rates against principals.
Almost no one understands 100% of the Progress Reports, adding uncertainty. Almost no one can predict in advance what “score” will be needed, because there is no standard to be measured against, just the scores of other schools.
Bloomberg and his Chancellor breed this uncertainty, this fear. It gets principals behaving servilely. They have no use for administrators who are not afraid. (That is, my guess, why they looked for wrongdoing at Lehman High School).
So Bronx Science official behave stupidly because they are scared, but it’s not really a problem for Bloomberg.
Too bad for the kids.
h/t to nyc ed for linking the post article.
Vacation approaching, but…
The summer’s fast approaching, and for the first time in the last few years, Europe’s a a pass. Airfares are high. Ok, That’s just one large ticket. But with the dollar weak, everywhere is going to cost a lot more. Certainly true in the EU, but the numbers look similar for neighboring countries as well. Meals and lodging are the deal-breakers.
To do? Visit Alaska? Visit the west? Explore NYC? Spend time in Connecticut and New Jersey? A little the-atre?
Start swimming again? Bicycling? I should get some work done in the apartment.
Saturday I got an informal invite to do some guest lecturing. For $$$. If I’m around, I might… but it feels a little like working, which I’ve decided I won’t do in the Summer. If I’m going to be a teacher, I’d damn well better enjoy one of the real benefits.
In the meantime, blogging has gotten crowded out by teaching and grading and scheduling… and other school activities… I’ll get back, both to reading and writing. In the meantime, my reader is overflowing. I’ll update the count of the unread:
576
Signing up members for COPE
COPE is the United Federation of Teachers political action fund. Contributions are voluntary. Members sign up (if they choose) to have a small amount deducted from their checks.
I contribute to COPE. As the Chapter Leader in a small, newish school, I have over the last few years, signed up, dribs and drabs, about half the UFT staff. I use the “C” cards without an amount written in, so that members can choose their own amount. (I also make a voluntary contribution to the political action fund of my other AFT local, the PSC – CUNY’s Professional Staff Congress).
Anyway, the drives to sign people up are usually in the Fall. But us chapter leaders just got asked to run a drive now. *
Tell you what. I’m going to hold off on distributing cards until I know that the UFT is no longer pouring cash into the Clinton primary campaign. I know, I know. There was an endorsement. But the campaign is over. It’s time to say so. And publicly
How can I campaign for COPE when COPE is throwing away members’ contributions?
— — —
* This is the text from the latest Chapter Leaders Update (5/23/08):
Though our COPE fund has given us the political influence to increase state education aid to the city, enact the long-desired 55/25 pension plan, and defeat the mayor and chancellor in their attempt to condition tenure on test scores, our political lobbying must continue unabated to defeat the budget cuts. Now more than ever your members can see what COPE does. Now is the time to distribute COPE cards to any members who are not already signed up, and make COPE an even more potent force to defend both educators and the kids.
Information on 55/25
All arguments about good deal, bad deal, mediocre deal (1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6) aside, many New York City teachers have not yet decided whether or not to opt in to 25/55.
The deadline is August 25, 2008, and many teachers have still not made up their minds. Read the FAQ. Attend informational meetings. Inform yourself so you can make the decision that is best for you.
Summary: For a 1.85% payroll contribution from this point forward, you’ll be eligible to retire at full pension at age 55 with 25 years. You do not have to do this. But if you don’t, you won’t be able to retire at full pension until 30 years or age 62 (and there are details here that I am missing. The big picture is ok, but you need to ask elsewhere for important details).
New hires in September 2008 will automatically be part of this, but it will be 27/55. Given today’s retention rates, it may not matter to many of us.
The UFT has an FAQ sheet. Lots of good information. It’s unfortunate that they are trying to convince as many teachers as possible to opt in. It’s as if they have an interest in the highest possible participation rate, rather than in getting members the best, most even-handed advice possible for difficult decision-making.
Borough Information Meetings:
BRONX – Tuesday, May 27, 4-6 p.m. – Bronx UFT Borough Office – 2500 Halsey St
BROOKLYN – Tuesday, May 27, 4-6 p.m. – Lafayette HS – 2630 Benson Avenue
QUEENS – Tuesday, May 27, 4-6 p.m. – Long Island City HS – 14-30 Broadway – Long Island City
STATEN ISLAND – Tuesday, May 27, 4-6 p.m. – Intermediate School 72 – 33 Ferndale Avenue – Staten Island
BROOKLYN – Wednesday, May 28, 4-6 p.m. – Canarsie HS -1600 Rockaway Pkwy
QUEENS – Wednesday, May 28, 4-6 p.m. – Francis Lewis HS – 58-20 Utopia Pkwy – Flushing
BRONX – Tuesday, May 29, 4-6 p.m. – Bronx UFT Borough Office – 2500 Halsey St
QUEENS – Thursday, May 29, 4-6 p.m. – August Martin HS – 156-10 Baisley Blvd – Jamaica
MANHATTAN – Monday, June 2, 4-6 p.m. – Julia Richman Complex – 300 East 68th Street
MANHATTAN – Wednesday, June 4, 4-6 p.m. – High School Fashion Industries – 225 West 24th Street
BROOKLYN – Thursday, June 5, 4-6 p.m. – Brooklyn Tech HS – 29 Fort Greene Pl
Me: I still don’t know what I will do. Probably won’t opt in. That will be a decision that is based on my particular situation. I am making no grand statement. That time is not now. I will simply be doing what is best for me, individually.
Carnival of Math #33
is up. It is the “rushed” edition, because it was thrown together quickly. But it doesn’t show.
There are a dozen links, including to some major sites, which submitted (the host solicited, which is what I do…).
The post about
is wonderful.
And I like the links to puzzles and challenges.
Carnival of Math #33 is over at Walking Randomly.
Teacher turnover, ATRs
At one level, high rates of teacher turnover reflect changes in society and the job market as a whole. But at another, conscious level, high turnover is a carefully cultivated policy practiced by districts, especially urban districts, throughout the country.
We understand. The DoE can’t keep the new teachers it hires.
Older and younger teachers in neighboring classrooms? Sure, it would be good for education. But it would be bad for the DoE’s campaign of control through fear and intimidation.
But now we’re starting to get it. The DoE has no intention of keeping most of them, right from the start.
The ATRs are part of this. A good chunk of them came from District 79. Extracontractually, unilaterally reorganized. Violated excessing rules. Who got nailed? A whole pile of teachers with lots and lots of years.
They are churning the workforce. They are turning teachers over as quickly as they can.
(more beneath the fold) –> Read more…
Words are risky things
Fred Klonsky (aka PREAPrez) wrote a nice piece on A Nation at Risk that didn’t get run over at the CEA blog…
Our once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world.
-A Nation at Risk, 1983
I entered my first classroom one year after the publication of A Nation at Risk. I was thirty-five years old.
I have been a teacher for almost a quarter of a century. I have heard and read lots of people using metaphors to describe what I do. In fact, I have probably heard and read them all.
Frequently they are war metaphors. They are metaphors to make us fear global enemies. They are the education equivalent of WMDs.
They are lies.
(continues below the fold) –> Read more…
200,000…
visitors to this blog, as of May 6. And 300,000 page views a few days earlier, May 1.
It’s been two years I’ve been blogging here. It’s gratifying to think that some of the stuff really was worth reading.
Thanks for stopping by.
A comment on ATRs and the New Teacher Project
A week ago Eduwonkette posted about the New Teacher Project, “Why You Should Read the Fine Print in the New Teacher Project Report,” and I left a comment. I liked it, and reprint it here:
I think we have more than the evidence we need to conclude that the Department of Education has structured hiring to be discriminatory.
The “open market” may have had some features of “mutual consent,” but between a principal with a several-million budget, staff of dozens or hundreds, and the ability to slosh some cash around, and a teacher-applicant with an electronic resume, the inequality places a huge question mark over the idea of anything being genuinely mutual.
But now, “Fair Student Funding” destroys the last vestige.
The DoE will pay the salaries of all teachers in the system. That doesn’t change. Principals do not pay salaries. They allocate internal funding.
So the DoE saves no money through FSF. But by giving principals control over local allocation, the Dept encourages them to pass over senior teachers.
(continues beneath the fold)–> Read more…
Brief Comment on ATRs and New Teacher Project
ATRs. Attendance Teachers in Reserve. Teachers without jobs.
There’s been a bunch of stuff written about ATRs in the last week and a half. I’ve read E–d–w–i–z–e (6 posts, five ours, the last is a must-read, and the “i” is by the NTP) and Eduwonkette (that’s 3 by E-kette + 1 guest by the NTP) and a few other blogs.
Thoughts in short: ATRs include a handful of U’ed teachers. The sample is small enough that it is not statistically meaningful. But ATRs include lots and lots of senior teachers. And now the New Teacher Project wants to get them fired. They sound oh so reasonable when they make clear that the firing wouldn’t start. Yet.
Let there be no doubt that these people and the DoE that pays them have no interest in teachers, students, or the quality of education. They do have an interest in reducing workers’ rights, reducing services (in this case, education) for the poor, the Black, and the Hispanic.
Some say this is about reducing payroll. Bah. It’s about power.
Confronting high turnover among teachers: options?
(apologies for my absence. The Real World intervenes without asking permission, without conducting a study…)
Turnover among teachers in New York, especially new teachers, is high. It’s a long time we’ve been saying median years of service is 5, or under 5. I doubt it’s that high systemwide, and at many schools it’s far, far less than that.
Options, real and otherwise:
High turnover means fewer teachers (and administrators) have the personal authority that comes from experience that allows us to challenge Tweeds blatantly stupid, destructive, anti-teacher, anti-child policies. They love high turnover. We should hate it.
1. Figure out what’s making the job so hard to stay in, and address those issues, policy level.
- note: women have more options in the workplace than 30 years ago – teaching for many was once the only option, no longer.
- note: school system doesn’t seem especially concerned with low performance from poorer and darker precincts, except when that makes headlines – cf their little gifted and talented steal from the poor to give to nobody routine.
- note: unstable, ungrounded, unskilled, insecure admin corps makes institutional change tough to envision being carried out.
- note: there should be about 20 more notes)
1. Change Ed policy and practice to address turnover, or 2. Use union (collective) power to confront turnover, or 3. use democratic practice and shared decision making to keep some teachers around longer or 4. celebrate turnover, the schools and the kids be damned. The DoE likes #4.
2. Figure out what’s making the job tough to stay in, and use the power of the union to confront those issues. My approach, and to a lesser extent, my union’s approach. Class size. Protecting teacher rights. Supporting new teachers. — in order to extend careers. To do this we need to (you’ve read it all here before) shift resources to field staff, build chapters, ensure that they meet. Empower the chapter ahead of other school-based institutions etc etc.
(continues beneath fold) –> Read more…
More about me
Got tagged by Joel (who is not a math teacher)
The rules:
- The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
- Each player answers the questions about themselves.
- At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
- Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.
Got it.
1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
May 1998. Completing my first year of teaching. I had just returned from a one week trip to Turkey, where I felt the second earthquake of my life, and where I was briefly xxxxxxed due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
My life was a mess, dominated by lesson planning and grading. I no longer answered phone calls or went out, except to just unload on people who were willing to support new, nearly hopeless teachers.
2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
(I’m giving tomorrow morning’s list)
- Fix up grade book for 2nd marking period so I can calculate grades and grade some tests
- Bring in Loch Ness souvenirs for kids (as prizes for winning games)
- Make calendars for kids (with topics and homework assignments)
- Fill in per session sheets
- Go to exec board meeting
- Laundry (ugh, should have done it today)
3) Snacks I enjoy:
Everything. A weakness. Except dip. Don’t like most dips.
more below fold –> Read more…
Puzzle – area of polygon with known coordinates
Over at his blog, Dave Marain asked for the fourth coordinate, along with (a,b), (0,0) and (b,a) to give a parallelogram. And then he asked for the area (in at least five ways!)
Later, Dave clarified that he wanted (a+b,a+b). IOW, the origin was to be the second coordinate. And, WLOG assuming b > a > 0, the area of the parallelogram (actually a rhombus) is 
However, without specifying the order of the coordinates, we could have used (a-b, b-a) for the missing coordinate. Can we find the area of this parallelogram?
Can we find the area of any triangle from just its coordinates (0,0), (a,b), (c,d) ? Any arbitrary quadrilateral? I think translating to get one point at the origin is ok, but rotating is not…
Rating teachers on use of data. Huh?
A few weeks ago the New York State Legislature passed, as part of a funding law, a restriction (for a few years?) that bars school districts from using student test scores in making tenure decisions. However, districts are allowed to evaluate how well teachers use student data.
Districts are allowed to evaluate how well teachers use student data in making tenure decisions. Huh???
Who cares about that? Does that let the data in through the back door?
My union, the UFT, cares how teachers use data. I don’t know why. Silly concession to Bloomberg and his chancellor? An attempt to look “reasonable”? As some sort of half-witted attempted to nudge us towards partial-self-management system in our schools? I just don’t know. Anyway,
in one of the discussions on Edwize, the UFT’s blog, I asked my questions and made my points. (reproduced at the bottom of this post). My biggest question was essentially:
is anyone foolish enough to consider a teacher’s ability to use data in making hiring decisions?
The post’s author never responded to any of my points or questions. But eventually I found my answer. It is yes.
Who considers a teacher’s ability to use data in making hiring decisions? The UFT Charter School.
Ouch. Read it here, boys and girls. I wouldn’t make this shit up. Wanna teach math for them? English? Music? Anything except para or school aide. Better show you are proficient in use of data. Hey, I wonder if that favors younger teachers? But I wonder more, why do this? What was gained? Maybe trying to set a precedent? Create a positive model? (assuming good faith, whoever put this in had to believe that it was of value, right?) Ouch.
Proficiency in formal and informal assessments and the use of quantitative and qualitative student achievement data to drive decision-making;
Below the fold’s my full comment from Edwize –> Read more…
Back
From a little blogging break. I was away, grading, trip-planning, just busy busy busy. This weekend, as I take breaks from walking and grading, I will start reading some of the 250 posts in my reader, and clearing the backlog. Possible posts for the next few days include:
- Photos and stories from Scotland
- Kid level proof about how we test divisibility by 3 (and 9)
- Some neat set theory I did with some 9th graders
- Teacher pay scales (Chicago next)
- A meme from Joel (who is not a math teacher, need to fix that)
- A rah-rah, demonstrate Tuesday morning against the budget cuts, even if for only five minutes…
- An adjustment to my “math ed manifesto”
- Tenure and data
- Green Dot in the Bronx
- The 2007 UFT contract negotiations
- Indiana, North Carolina, and the Democratic nomination
We’ll see. I’ll probably get to 2 or 3 of them.
Challenge: Explain why the divisibility rule for 3 works
Little challenge for some of you. On my return from Scotland, I will write up an explanation of why the divisibility rule for 3 works. I will try to make it accessible to kids.
Do you have ideas? Suggestions? My target date to post the result is no later than Monday evening.
Outline: use base 10 numbers to model something that looks like adding remainders. (maybe 2 or 3 examples with real numbers, then a “challenge,” then one abstract line about base 10. Then generalize to “other bases” (just for an instant) then reapply to modulo 3 with examples with numbers, and then abstract to “the rule”
If you have other ideas, or modifications, or warnings about terminology, or really anything to say at all, please, do.
A little break
Feels different when it happens to you
I attended last week’s Delegate Assembly recovering from a nasty cold. I have to say, it’s still not entirely gone. Today I yawned, wide, and I think my ears opened for the first time since they popped leaving Harriman State Park a week and two days ago.
I find the DA’s frustrating these days, but maybe I am just listening more. Anyhow, there was good. Mulgrew motivated a very strong resolution on continuing to oppose the budget cuts (I would link it. There’s now a link for all DA resolutions, but it lags. I also put it in my blogroll.)
And later Dave Gurowsky presented a strong motion on closing schools. And then something surprising happened: James Eterno offered a lousy amendment.
Background. James is a leader of ICE, and the Chapter Leader at Jamaica HS. I don’t support ICE. They are an opposition caucus in the UFT. ICE captures some of the anger and resentment that the membership feels. There are reasons for this anger – many of them, probably the vast majority, valid. But ICE channels this anger in a non-productive way – they snipe at the UFT’s leaders over everything and anything, they get very loud. I call them the Loud Angry Caucus, which wouldn’t be awful, except, strip away the shouting, as a caucus they don’t do much if anything useful.
As individuals though, different story. Many are union activists, building the union in their own schools, supporting other members against administration, supporting and attending citywide events. In particular, everything I hear says that James is a good Chapter Leader (not an easy responsibility), an active Chapter Leader, and that he successfully involves a chunk of his membership in union activities.
(continues below the fold –>) Read more…
JD2718 