Posted on 03/07/2008 7:48:16 PM PST by Amelia
A New York City charter school set to open in 2009 in Washington Heights will test one of the most fundamental questions in education: Whether significantly higher pay for teachers is the key to improving schools.
The school, which will run from fifth to eighth grades, is promising to pay teachers $125,000, plus a potential bonus based on schoolwide performance. That is nearly twice as much as the average New York City public school teacher earns, roughly two and a half times the national average teacher salary and higher than the base salary of all but the most senior teachers in the most generous districts nationwide.
The school’s creator and first principal, Zeke M. Vanderhoek, contends that high salaries will lure the best teachers. He says he wants to put into practice the conclusion reached by a growing body of research: that teacher quality — not star principals, laptop computers or abundant electives — is the crucial ingredient for success.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Oh for Gods sake, they compare a teacher wages to an orthodontist?
Surely they aren't trying to make us feel sorry for the teachers are they? No one who has two brain cells buys that kind of comparison.
And then, they are going to select their raw materials based on skin color?
NOT ONE, I REPEAT, NOT ONE private sector industry would risk a 'new', expensive, venture on such an foolish model. But then, this is 'new' only in the sense that they can sell it as such.
Some articles don't need to be read, you can sense the idiocy in the excerpt.
Thank you! So true...and since I spend much of my time undoing all the garbage that liberals have been feeding them about US Gov’t and US History, I am truly earning my keep...and putting in many hours on nights and weekends grading, tutoring, and planning my class sessions.
BTW, I get paid less than a third of what this guy is offering...I’m in my 50s...
Let’s look at this way...who brings more value to our world...a good teacher or a bad lawyer? Now which one gets paid more.
The defense rests.
But they ARE being paid what they are worth.
If they want more money, go to the private sector and earn your worth there.
Our Founding Fathers set up an unbiased system to measure our value to the country. As a teacher, you should know that.
“PRIVATIZE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. GET THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF THE EDUCATION BUSINESS.”
That deserves to be in caps.
BTW, I had a career in the private sector for years...this is a second career...I’ve never made as little unless you count my first job, and have never felt what I was doing was more important.
We all know there are lousy workers out there, and of course the NEA has been protecting the bad ones for ages. Many of us go into a private school...not because the money is better (most of the time, it isn’t...no tax money, and no union) but because we believe what we are doing is critical for the world.
Now, I don’t know how this guy is going to measure “success”, but if he is going to apply the capitalist idea of better pay for better performance, this forum should support this. What we are ALL skeptical about is whether they will properly assess “work performance.”
As for privatizing...GOOD teachers love merit pay...for the public schools, the unions will NEVER allow it.
Hopefully, my private school will implement a master teacher program next year.
Time for the "I have a Dream..." speech.
Seriously though, I know that the government run school system is a sacred cow - but if we just got the government out of the schools we'd improve the product. The consumers would talk with their wallets. Good teachers would get rewarded, students that wanted to learn would be in schools with other students who wanted to learn.
Other ancillary benefits: In California we spend $38 Billion a year on the K-12 school system. Cut that out of the budget, and we could zero out the property taxes -- so that people could really own their property and not be serfs to the state (i.e, obliged to the state to pay taxes or lose their homes)...
And here is the way to do it - see my post #6 on this thread...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1982339/posts
If all teachers were forced to uphold standards at this level, the system would winnow out quickly those that are really unqualified to teach and leave those that are the brightest and the best as the instructors.
It will be interesting to see if this works.
No, it won't, cause everyone would like to earn that kind of money so everyone will be applying.
What's needed it to get rid of tenure and make sure that teachers understand that if they don't put out, they're out of a job, not promise them that if they tough it out for a certain number of years, they're set for life regardless of how they do as a teacher. Anyone can last long enough for that kind of job security.
Sorry, but there are lots of people in the private sector that work 12 hours a day, too, all year long.
Schools have prep periods for teachers to use and I know for a fact that usually the teachers disappear during those periods. One is hard pressed to actually find a teacher in their room using it to plan, grade papers, etc.
Mr. mm brings work home regularly after spending over 10 hours a day at work. And when there’s an emergency at 2 AM, guess who gets called out of bed to go in to help fix it?
A teacher?
“Sorry, but there are lots of people in the private sector that work 12 hours a day, too, all year long.”
Yes, and they are compensated for it. Teachers are not. If I only did work on my contracted hours my students would suffer greatly.
“Schools have prep periods for teachers to use and I know for a fact that usually the teachers disappear during those periods. One is hard pressed to actually find a teacher in their room using it to plan, grade papers, etc.”
Your very correct here. In my case it’s because in my school we don’t have enough classrooms, so on a prep period they move another class into “your” room. Second, I am generally chasing down kids during my prep period. With all the demands on teachers (having to do the legwork on the latest trend an admin has jumped on) we use some of our “prep” for that as well.
Really, too many people blame the teachers because their contract is the biggest line-item in a budget. Compare their line-item per capita with admin, consultants, superintendents and the like and then you will find the true waste.
This article says they are only going to hire great teachers, they are going to pay them top dollar, and they are going to see if these teachers produce better results with some of the hardest-to-teach students in the system.
What part of this are you complaining about?
Okay, so you hate your job, and feel that teaching is a "creampuff" job, and resent the idea that great teachers in one school may get better pay and benefits than you do...
Why don't you get a job you like more, or that pays you what you think you're worth?
Isn't that the capitalist and conservative way of doing things?
Sure thing!
That seems to be what the guy is trying to do. You'll notice he's been running his own company for a while now, and seems to be trying to apply some of those ideas to this charter school.
I'm amazed at some of the kneejerk reactions here, by people who obviously didn't read much more than the title of the article.
They'll probably have a number of candidates to choose from, but it sounds as if they are going to be very selective about who they choose --- and with a large number of candidates, they'll be able to do that.
I'm not sure I understand your argument.
Yes, I have to agree with TJ.
Many teachers work 10 hour+ days. And they work through the summer (unpaid) updating websites, preparing lessons, attending conferences, working on curriculum development.
For example, I’m on my way to a help session this afternoon, for my students - on a Sunday. I am not getting paid for this time.
I work 10 to 12 hour days as a teacher - and 1 and a half days on the weekend. I have half a day to do the laundry, bills, and get groceries. That’s it. I never go to a movie on the weekend, during the fall or spring semesters — there is just no time for that “luxury.”
I spend much time (& my own money) outside of the classroom, making up & grading assignments, preparing handouts, copying at Kinko’s (at least $100 a week), updating class websites, emailing students, researching Web sites for future assignments, reading new text drafts for possible adoption, - etc, etc, etc.
I support Merit Pay, not “collective” bargaining and a “blanket increase” in pay, for all teachers. That is absurd.
Some teachers are just awful, they go to class, show a video - have class discussion, and go home. They should NOT be given a “raise” or even a C.O.L.A. (Cost of Living Adjustment, for inflation).
Why teacher unions suggest that “everyone” deserves a pay raise, or even a COLA, is beyond me. It depends on PRODUCTIVITY, which varies greatly from one teacher to another. Again, it’s called... “M E R I T P A Y”!!!
Actually, I know why they want everyone to get a raise — union dues are a percentage of one’s pay. So, the “higher” everyone’s pay is, the bigger the cut for Unions (and the Democrat Party, which basically decides the political causes that teachers’ unions eventually support with the dues).
No, they're not. If they're salaried, like most professionals are, it's just too bad.
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