KUOW Looking For Opinions

This from KUOW-FM producer, David Hyde:

President Obama's talking about education reform, and so are we: If you could change one thing that would make you a better teacher, what would it be? Call our feedback line now at 206 221 3663. If you (or a teacher you know) wants to be live on the air please include your daytime contact info for tomorrow (Wednesday) at 12:20 pm.

Here's a chance to weigh in on teacher performance.

Comments

Mr. Edelman said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
3/30/10, 7:24 PM
Audra said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
3/30/10, 7:28 PM
seattle citizen said…
someone should give an opinion about the Alliance. Here's a question from their flyer for their upcoming community meeting:
"How can teacher professionalism include an acceptance of responsibility for student achievement?"

Those dang teachers....never accepting responsibility for achievement....how CAN we make them see the light?

Besides, we don't want to look at all those other people responsible for student achievement....yikes, talk about "we have met the enemy and he is us!" Nope, let's just get those dang irresponible teachers to accept some responsibilty! We'll help them!

Please....
3/30/10, 7:42 PM
gavroche said…
Maybe we should go to that Alliance meeting and give them a piece of our mind....

In France some years back, in response to right-wing language and violence against immigrants, a powerful anti-racist rallying cry emerged: "Ne Touche Pas a Mon Pote!" -- "Hands off My Pal!"

I feel the same way about all these endless and mindless attacks on teachers by so-called "education reformers."

Maybe we should go to this meeting carrying signs that read: "Hands Off Our Teachers!"
3/31/10, 12:27 AM
seattle citizen said…
Gavroche, a good idea, but be prepared to be "welcomed" and have your angry cries "listened" to. Then be prepared to see this on the next survey:
"How can we make the community accept that their bootless cries are counter to the blessed goodiness of teacher quality?"

Then be prepared for the agenda to speed forward regardless, because it is on a track of its own, running underground and running fast. It's almost to its destination and standing on the wrong track raising heck won't stop it.
3/31/10, 6:53 AM
seattle citizen said…
Boycott Microsoft.
Publicly petition Broad
Use those signs down in front of SPS.
Write Obama and tell him to lose the edureformer; he's being used by this player.
3/31/10, 6:55 AM
Charlie Mas said…
Where is the data that shows that incremental differences in "teacher quality" (however that is defined) makes any difference in student achievement.

I'm all for getting rid of incompetent and clearly ineffective teachers. No argument there, but that doesn't seem to be what all of this teacher quality talk is about.

I'm even in favor of recognizing and rewarding exceptional teachers. Again, that doesn't seem to be what all of this teacher quality talk is about.

I think were talking about the competent but unexceptional teachers.

I see a lot of different factors that determine student achievement. I see a lot of these factors with a lot more influence than incremental variations in teacher effectiveness. I don't see any data that shows the merit in this area. Instead, I see a lot of evidence that we should invest our resources elsewhere in factors that play a larger role in student achievement.

Where is the data that supports this obsession with incremental variations in teacher quality while we ignore student preparedness, while we ignore the need for early and effective interventions, while we ignore class size, while we ignore the impact of the principal, while we ignore the dreadful math textbooks, and while we ignore any number of other influences.
3/31/10, 2:25 PM
udubgrad said…
From where I sit, PTA parents don't agree with the Alliance agenda. They have confidence in the teachers and try to help them. If PTAs have the money, they'll hire tutors for struggling students and more teachers to reduce class size. Schools that don't have the money would like those things too. Class size and tutoring appear to be parents' and teachers' priorities. The Alliance seems to have its own agenda --to disparage teachers and destroy their union.
3/31/10, 9:41 PM
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