NPR ran an interesting story today about Philadelphia schools and possibly all schools run into problems during layoffs as the Teacher's Union still goes with Seniority Rules, last hired, first fired.
This does not sit well with me as I know from my Saucon Experience, that many of the new teachers who are more equipt and more interested in making changes would be chopped out if we had to let teachers go at some point.
That sounds rude to our seniority and my intent is not to offend the many years of public service you have devoted yourself to, only to bring up some solutions.
I think that teacher's should also be subjected to a Standardized Test as one third of the assessment of their abilities in a yearly portfolio/profile. It would be posted online.
in my experience, most teachers' dislike our standardized testing of students as filling in ovals never really test student's true ability and capacity in whole.
Next and second would be performance judged by a Super Intendant from a different school district.
The last third would be an equation drawn from the clustering of each grade. The progress reports of the students would be equated against the many classes and circumstances. IE. Despite this teacher's compromised student learning capabilities, she/he rocked some unexpected scores due to talent.
What should be separate and also equated is each teacher's level of devotion and attempt to bridge gaps in parent involvement, including participitation in extra cirricular activities.
I also believe that three letters of recommend or disgruntlement from the parents would serve a purpose in a yearly portfolio of a teacher.
This brings me back, I hated some of my best teachers and remember walking out after one was tearing into me in what now would be called illegal.
It turned out, she wanted to get me angry, as she knew I was better than I thought in Language Arts. We agreed and I wrote my first anthology of poems in 9th Grade. I spent the next three years with her on the school newspaper.
