"Principals’ efforts found key to fixing ailing schools" April 30, 2012|By James Vaznis
A
motivated principal able to galvanize teachers and foster a respectful
school climate is a major factor in helping underperforming
Massachusetts schools boost standardized test scores, but there is no
hard evidence that replacing half the teaching staff makes a significant
difference, according to an independent report commissioned by the
state.
Or they cheat.
Related: Stellar MCAS results lead to inquiry at school
Is that setting a good example for the kids?
The lack of concrete evidence on mass dismissals is
rekindling debate about the strategy, which has stirred emotions in
Boston, Springfield, and elsewhere.
This after a whole bunch of people have already been moved around.
Two specialists at the state
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in presenting the
report to that agency’s board last week, said mass dismissals may not be
making a measurable difference, and opinions among local school leaders
are mixed.
The
Obama administration has strongly pushed local districts to replace at
least half the staff at underperforming schools, dangling the
possibility of hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grant money
to those districts that take the dramatic step.
And teachers thought he was their friend.
Also see: Around New England: Obama Takes Rhode Island to Task
“I always worried
that the rule was arbitrary - that at least half the staff had to be
replaced - without doing any diagnosis into the problem at the school,’’
said Paul Reville, the state’s secretary of education. “Each situation
that goes bad is somewhat different and you have to do an analysis.’’
Yeah, but at least it made the government look like they were doing something to fix the problem.
Boston
asked teachers at seven of its 11 underperforming schools to reapply
for their jobs - with an eye toward not rehiring a large percentage of
them - and the city has subsequently received about $26 million in
federal School Improvement Grants. Boston defends the practice.
“That
kind of staffing flexibility is one of the tools you need to make rapid
achievement at a school,’’ said Frank Barnes, chief accountability
officer for the Boston public schools. “It is an effective tool but not a
silver bullet.’’
*****************************
The report -
which has been distributed among local districts during the past two
months with no public fanfare - was completed by the Institute for
Strategic Leadership and Learning, a Maryland-based education consulting
group....
The mixed results should give school districts pause about forcing
teachers to go through the emotional process of reapplying for their
jobs, said Richard Stutman, president of the Boston Teachers Union.
“Most
people who work in the field know that in and of itself, moving people
around for the sake of moving people around is not a recipe for
success,’’ Stutman said.
I don't even think government wants to succeed. Otherwise, the schools would not be underfunded and so shitty. The government actually wants a dumbed-down populace because then they are to dumb to think, are more likely to engage in more mind-numbing activity via the boob tube, and are useful as cannon fodder for endless wars.
In identifying what was working, the
researchers visited various schools, and common themes began to emerge
among those that achieved large testing gains and those that did not.
One of the most notable differences was the characteristics of the
principals.
Schools with gains had principals who were adept at
motivating their staffs to turn around school performance. Many of these
principals visited classrooms daily, appointed teachers to leadership
roles, and fostered a schoolwide focus on results.
By contrast,
the report said, the lowest performers generally “did not exhibit the
same level of urgency or laserlike focus on improving instruction and
student achievement.’’
The high performers also had safe,
respectful school environments for students and teachers, according to
the report, and many of the low performers were plagued by “a lack of
behavioral expectations’’ and a lack of a “cogent system for dealing
with misconduct.’’
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