Teachers hostage to 'success' (NYC)

NY Post ^ | May 29, 2011 | Michael Goodwin

[neverdem]

The e-mail box runneth over with bad tidings. Teachers are reporting that cheating is rampant in New York City schools -- and they claim principals are the culprits.

The reports are responding to my column that many schools are denying students the freedom to fail in a misguided bid to help them. To judge from the response, the problem is worse than I feared. Much worse.

First, a professional in a Manhattan high school wrote to say that teachers in her school are "encouraged" to pass 80 percent of students, no matter their grades or attendance. She offered student writing samples filled with glaring errors of spelling and grammar to prove that "social promotion is alive and well."

Now others are revealing shocking examples from their schools about how unprepared kids are being pushed along to the next grade and out the door with a sham diploma. Their disheartening tales deserve attention.

"Our mandated passing rate is 60 percent," one wrote. "We need to explain in detail why this student failed, what methods were used to get him to pass, how much home contact was made.

"The one group that is not called in for interrogation is the students themselves. No blame falls on them . . . The students know what..."

--snip--

Obviously, city officials don't take the issue seriously. Cheating allegations were raised against the principal by students and teachers at Lehman HS in The Bronx. City Hall announced a probe, even though the principal got a $25,000 bonus for the school's progress.

That was in 2009, and the probe is still not finished. Meanwhile, Lehman was recently selected for the federal "restart" program, which will mean more money and a nonprofit partner to help teachers -- and the same principal.

So, for some, cheating pays...

[neverdem]

Close the federal Dept. of Education. I doubt that such corruption is unique to NYC.

[GeronL]

social promotion.

the failures way out.

we don’t need a federal department for this.

[freedumb2003]

>>Close the federal Dept. of Education.<<

90% of all federal offices should be closed. NEA, HUD, and so many others should not exist.

The 9th and 10th Amendments were pretty clear: these things should be left to the States.

[bravo whiskey]

“social promotion.

the failures way out.

we don’t need a federal department for this.”

this is how barry graduated from harvard and became president,

[pnh102]

Social promotion sucks but I believe that when it was suspended in NYC you ended up having kids fighting for student parking at elementary schools.

I agree that the feds need to get out of the education racket but from a practical perspective what is an effective alternative to social promotion?

[GeronL]

trade school

[GenXteacher]

“I agree that the feds need to get out of the education racket but from a practical perspective what is an effective alternative to social promotion? “

This is an across-the-board evil. Social promotion is a pernicious practice- it basically creates more of a need for itself by promoting students who never learn to do for themselves. It is part of the rot of our society. The alternative is having rigorous schools, alternative trade school/vocational education for the unscholarly, and expecting and getting near-absolute standards that have to be met before promotion- standards that require a student prove worthy of promotion to the next level by actually performing acceptably.

As far as administrators having to deal with older kids in a school than should be there, that should be no problem- if they give any trouble, expel them.