Closing the achievement gap (Schools must deploy the best teachers to minorities)

LA Times ^ | 2 December 2007 | Staff

[shrinkermd]

The LA times has been running a series on education. This is the opening paragraph of their commentary:

It's sad but true, as pretty much any parent can tell you, that white, middle-class schoolchildren are more likely to be taught by experienced, highly paid teachers. And it's particularly true in ethnically diverse districts such as L.A.'s. This is a predictable convergence, but one with dismaying implications for the "achievement gap" between white and Asian students and their black and Latino counterparts. Indeed, the achievement gap is at least in part the result of an "instruction gap," and closing it will require re-imagining the ways we evaluate, reward and deploy teachers...

...Finally, it's time for everyone -- unions, teachers, administrators and parents -- to acknowledge that districts must be allowed to reassign good teachers to low-performing schools. Wise administrators, of course, would avoid forcing teachers into schools where they would be unhappy or resentful -- and thus ineffective. But districts should have the option of sending their best teachers where they are most badly needed -- something that's now almost impossible under union rules. Police departments do this all the time. Crime spikes up in one area, and officers are deployed to that location.

[shrinkermd]

The underlying premise of all of these egalitarian, utopian visions is that education can overcome innate differences in ability. On the face of it, they are doomed to failure; however, for those Marxists and others who believe the "blank slate" is the nature of man this utopian effort is both necessary and valid.

One also has to wonder whether the teachers and their unions will accept this. Asking, teachers to sacrifice their careers and abilities on the vain hope of achieving a classless society may not be to their liking even though it is a bedrock value in contemporary pedagogy and government union belief.

Finally, we have come through a multi-decade effort based on the premise that Black students could not learn without a certain percentage of White students. This effort has failed. Seemingly, this "closing the gap" effort is a similar effort but this time it is Black students need White teachers if they are to learn.

The music varies, but the dance remains the same.

[AZLiberty]

The underlying premise of all of these egalitarian, utopian visions is that education can overcome innate differences in ability.

The other underlying premise of these utopian visions is that good teachers can survive the organizational hell that constitutes today's school systems. Just as good nurses are abandoning health care, so are good teachers abandoning our daytime child detention centers.

[Starwolf]

Union vs Liberal Aristocracy...this could be good. I’ve got some good beer and popcorn ready.

[sinanju]

Well the main quandary here is that the Teacher’s Unions, however lockstep liberal will never allow their power—in this case, their work rules—to be impinged upon in any way shape or form whatsoever.

[Fee]

These education theorist types forget that good cops re assigned to bad high crime areas are authorized to protect themselves when attacked. The main reason no teacher wants to go to bad school district is crime and personal safety. So the articles logic of using the police personnel assignment model is not valid.

[edcoil]

White children take books not guns to school and their parents work.

[MarkT]

This reminds me of the story of life in pre-Thatcher Britain. Two boys, one American and one British are riding their bikes down a street in London. A Cadillac limo goes by and the American boy waves and says, "One day I'll have a couple of those." A few minutes later, a Rolls-Royce limo goes gliding by and the British boy shakes his fist and says, "One day you'll be riding a bike like me."

The California moral is "Do not do the best you can, make sure everyone is at the same low level as the least among us." It is a pitiful world view.

[RegulatorCountry]

Quite the recipe for losing their “best” teachers, throwing them into what is often tantamount to a war zone. Get the discipline under control, isolate and even remove the disruptive presence, and then learning can commence once again, but not until then.

[businessprofessor]

The reality of many LAUSD schools is ugly. Strict military discipline is the only hope for many of these schools. These schools are violent, dangerous places for everyone, including teachers. No learning can occur in these situations. The ugly truth must be confronted. Martial law needs to be imposed in these schools.

[tennteacher]

This is bull. I worked for years to earn a transfer to my neighborhood school. I would resent being sent to another school with its requisite daily commute just to satisfy yet another social experiment.

The first and most important prerequisite to educational success for a student is his desire to learn. With that lacking, no teacher can create miracles, no matter how talented and qualified.

[bannie]

... districts must be allowed to reassign good teachers to low-performing schools. Wise administrators, of course, would avoid forcing teachers into schools where they would be unhappy or resentful...

Nice pair o' docs!

[A_Former_Democrat]

How naive of the LAT. I know enough teachers to realize that the best teachers will quit if reassigned. Teachers get treated like crap in minority schools. Outrageous behavior, namecalling, blaming race for everything.

The best teachers will merely seek employment elsewhere. And the suburbs will gladly take them in.

And as pointed out in other posts, you can’t teach someone who doesn’t want to learn, whose culture isn’t about education and achievement.

The stupidity of the Times continues to amaze.

[yoe]

To All:

With Nancy Pelosi decrying the English only rule that would help all new Americans, you can expect failure for those who do not see the neccessity of one language - the teacher's are against the wall on this one. Here is the Pelosi stance: (Pelosi)

(more Pelosi)

(Pelosi is stupid)

[CondorFlight]

“...you can’t teach someone who doesn’t want to learn, whose culture isn’t about education and achievement.”

Ditto.

When a culture says that learning is ‘race treason’; when black educators call for ebonics because standard English is too difficult; when districts in Florida tell teachers not to correct students’ grammar because doing so is ‘racist’—

then you’re not going to have students who learn.

And no amount of additional money or better teachers is going to help in that situation.

[umgud]

We have a certain percentage of students in schools who will never be properly educated, regardless of the amount of money spent, quality of teachers or facilities.

The students I speak of and their parent(s?) just don’t value a education.

[RKV]

Martial law? How about the free market. De-fund public schools, refund the taxes to the tax payers, and you get what you pay for. Parents who paid for the children’s education would have a choice, and a stake in how little Johnny/Janie actually performed.

[basil]

Until the parents take responsibility for their children, there is no cure for this mess.

[bannie]

Exactly! All of these new laws of “enforced results” are baffling!

Give the teacher a widget, and you can justly use exact criteria to judge the abilities of the teacher.

Give the teacher a room full of unique individuals, and you cannot.

[CGTRWK]

Indeed, the achievement gap is at least in part the result of an "instruction gap," and closing it will require re-imagining the ways we evaluate, reward and deploy teachers

By extension, students in the same classroom receiving the same instruction must be achieving equally. Why bother to even grade them?

[UCFRoadWarrior]

Good points raised by all...our schools are a mess and we will never fix the problem until we stop catering to the lazy

We value the rights of the underachiever over the rights of those desirous to benefit themselves. This needs to change