Dr. Goodloe-Johnson Guest Column in the Times
Dr. Goodloe-Johnson wrote a guest column for the Seattle Times about the new teacher contract.
Much of it is disturbing. It is disturbing because it is inaccurate. It is disturbing because it is misleading. It is disturbing because it reflects a deep misunderstanding of the people in the organization she leads.
Much of it is disturbing. It is disturbing because it is inaccurate. It is disturbing because it is misleading. It is disturbing because it reflects a deep misunderstanding of the people in the organization she leads.
Comments
We WILL change that.
That is a bit beyond, the "some concern" level.
"The research is unequivocal: Quality teaching trumps all other factors in determining student success."
Parents (and perhaps the parents' socio-economic situation) are the #1 "success" factor.
And, please tell, what is "success"?
And so much more...oh, that paper is so lame....
I know when all the smoke clears and MGJ is long gone, my kids and the rest of the kids in my community will be well educated, critical thinkers, who can spot snake oil and frauds when they see them, having spent so many years dealing with it in SPS.
It's the old "that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger" principle that will bear out in our favor in the end.
It is unfortunate that our children must suffer under the weight of incompetence and indifference, but those who believe SPS cares more about the kids they are responsible for than grandiose plans to make them all look like administrative superstars, will soon find themselves out in the cold.
Like Clifford Stoll, noted critic of high tech gadgetry in the classroom said many years ago, "In the future, all the the kids in the good schools will be reading the classics, writing with a pen, playing musical instruments, and acting out Shakespeare plays, while the poor kids in bad schools will be sitting in front of computers all day." Sounds like that's well under way in SPS.
In other words, if the quality investment of time and resources isn't made up front, quick-fixes and slogans ultimately wind up where cheap tools do: In the garbage, then the landfill.
We know, as parents, what works, and it is incredibly sad that the resource that is US, is not better appreciated or harnessed by the central admin, but instead lied to, misled, and toyed with like lab rats, particularly by the Board, some of whom CLEARLY have higher office ambitions. But our history is full of charlatans and wannabes who cannot reason, nor listen to reason, but instead think they already know better about everything.
On some things, ours is not to reason why. Some lyrics from the old Eagles song the Last Resort comes to mind: "Somebody laid the mountains low, while the town got high."
That's about how I feel about what's going on in SPS. Someday the carnival will be over and move on, and the folks who really make a difference and care will still be here. So, long term, I'm still confident.
If admin types would ever even honestly say "It would be great to bring class sizes down, but we can't realistically do that," I'd have a lot more respect for them.
Helen Schinske
“Special to the Times” — Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson
Seattle Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson has an op-ed in yesterday’s Seattle Times about the new teacher’s contract, “Much work needed to build on Seattle’s groundbreaking contract.” What a surprise! There has been such a parade of fawning and blinkered (and downright inaccurate) editorials and articles coming out of the Times this year in support of the superintendent and her unmandated, often underhanded, Broad/Gates ed reform agenda that some of us suspect the school district PR office has its own cubicle inside the newspaper’s building.
Here are my Friday morning thoughts on this latest effort at SPS spin.
First off, the superintendent has got a better writer crafting her texts for her these days. She sounds more human in this one. Nice appeal to fellow parents with the last paragraph about her own child. (Of course her own child attends the most highly funded school in the district in a new — if problematic — building, so she’s not exactly feeling all our pain.)
Secondly, glad to see she’s finally dropped the redundant and kind of regal “Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D” title from her every byline.
Thirdly, the SPS or MGJ spin machine is at work here. I’m not sure how “groundbreaking” the contract actually is. The superintendent didn’t get “SERVE,” her radical and unacceptable last-minute Molatov of a deal she threw at the teachers, so she’s got to spin this compromised contract into gold somehow, perhaps to save face.
And maybe shore up some support for the upcoming levy, because various elements of this contract depend on the levy passing this November. (The third education levy in a year for Seattle voters. Levy fatigue anyone?)
Next, she is wrong about this: “The research is unequivocal: Quality teaching trumps all other factors in determining student success.”
(more here.)
--sue p.
If admin types would ever even honestly say "It would be great to bring class sizes down, but we can't realistically do that," I'd have a lot more respect for them.
Agreed. I don't know why they think all this weaselly spin-speak is a good idea. It's insulting to the intelligence. (And stylistically makes me want to puke.)
I overheard a conversation yesterday by a parent talking about her high-school child's new year. (Basically, no APP at their high school, no room at the school with APP. They can waste a year retaking a subject, or go to private school.) And then she mentioned that parents have to be a constant advocate for their children in the SPS system from the beginning. It's an exhausting struggle. For the amount of money that goes downtown, you'd think it wouldn't have to be like this.
If they came right out and told folks that our kids were all subjects in somebody's grand experiment - which they are - they know the majority of parents would go nuts. Thus, they lie, deceive, posture and spin. Politics 101.
"technologically DEPENDANT"
For example, Bill Gates' (failed) "School of the Future" in Philadelphia was(is?) paperless, pencil-less, and possibly even book-less. Kids were all given a laptop and a Microsoft portal from which to get their assignments.
That may be Gates' vision of education Utopia.
It is my vision of hell.
--sp.
True. I look at what the teachers' union is facing here, and what the nursing unions are dealing with. Similar situations. Admins/boosters/legislature know the money won't be spent to make classrooms smaller. Teachers, like nurses, increasingly work in hostile environments because doing their jobs cuts into profits.
Wseadawg: Exactly. The reformers are exploiting a political vacuum, made easy because it’s politically “awkward” to admit that our monies weren’t spent as intended.
Teachers have become competition for scarce funds. Reformers refuse to treat them as peers or even essential assets. They speak about them while they’re in the room as if they’re a problem to be fixed. This is the first red flag that their intentions are dishonest and self-serving.
Hospital admins are known for cutting care past the edge of legally acceptable. Nursing unions hold the line to protect the integrity of their profession and the people they serve. Teachers must do the same.
The leg and city hall see what’s going on and do nothing. Notice how Mary Jean Ryan, yet another revolving door political fixture, has joined the club?
If boosters came to the table to support educators, instead of thinking up ways to replace them, you’d see real work commencing, the next steps in the life of an institution. MG-J’s pointless byline is an example of why this drive to take over is turning ugly.
My question is, I hear some schools are underenrolled. Is kindergarten class size for 2010-2011 posted anywhere so I could make an informed decision about possibly transferring my child to a school with smaller classes?
I appreciate the education I am receiving through this blog. As I said, it is disturbing!
I don't know of a location it is posted, but you can call the Enrollment office to find out. They do have that information available.
If you do decide to switch you will need to do so before September 30.
If there isn't, I would suggest one. Where to put it on the district website, hmmm. Do they have an "Opening Weeks Resources, FAQs and Contact People" page?
I'm gonna look for that info at SPS, brb..
Found School Summary Reports on Enrollment page, here's the placeholder under "School Summary Reports": "Enrollment Services SCHOOL SUMMARY REPORTS - The data that was previously posted here was the first draft look at Open Enrollment data. That information is now obsolete. We are now at the point in the process where we have started making waiting list calls, so the information can change moment by moment.
To check your child's waiting list status, you can call our automated phone line at (206) 252-0212."
What this tells us is that yes, "the information can change moment by moment" and thus might not be readily available (they couldn't tell us if there are vacanies because they might be being filled) Makes sense.
But I wonder if, with all this modern technology, some benefactor....the Gates Foundation?...could supply the system with one nof those instanteous-speed-of-light gizmos, "programs, I think they're called, to allow a speedier posting of vacancies in real time, and as it adjusts. Seems like it would be nice to more directly offer people an early chance to see what's available, and it would help the district distribute more evenly if they were active in the process.
How hard is it to just post a warning -- in red if they want -- at the top of the table saying that the lists are moving, sometimes daily, and that the information is only current as of X date -- and then update it once a week or so?
While I, and most teachers I know bemoan class size, we know it isn't practical to hope for much. A much better bang for the buck would be better services for IEP kids etc, better social services, breakfasts etc. Kids physically and emotionally ready to learn would improve learning overall much faster and cheaper. And it is within the districts ability to provide it. They'd have to hire back family support workers and counselors, and then hire a few more extra, but they wouldn't have to add classrooms, materials etc.
Research tends to point to significant gains in achievenment due to class size lowering only after the size drops to something like 18 per room. Not going to happen.
Perhaps there is a formula so unique to student success that the district might benefit from studying it. But, not this Superintendent. She'll take a top performing school and overload it well beyond capacity to kill its successful program so she has no competing data to challenge her odious ideas. I heard one West Seattle elementary school is so overloaded that they daily violate the Uniform Building Code for Occupancy, Toilets, Hand Washing Stations, and Classroom Capacities. Every assembly is so crowded it actually poses safety hazards. Who would want to do that to a school that is performing well unless it was the intent to kill its successful program.
By: West Seattle Concerned Parent
Dont we owe it to our kids to make sure they are safe while they're at school?
SPS thinks its above the law... time to show it it isnt....
If the SAP isn't working -- because (a) the boundaries were drawn too wide and (b) no effort was made (or allowed to be made -- because I suspect some staff might have gotten this right, if allowed to) to account for people moving to attendance areas with better schools, coming from private schools in areas with guaranteed good schools, etc. -- the implementers of the plan need to be held accountable. It has to get daylighted. Please, do it. None of the teachers at the school can get in trouble -- it isn't their fault. The board APPROVED this plan -- and FAILED to ask the questions ("Gee, how did you account, in your data, for the possibility of families moving to areas with stronger schools, or opting for public rather than private schools, now that the process incorporates more certainty?" (The answer would have been -- "We didn't. We have made all schools excellent!" And, then, I guess, it would have been up to the board to decide whether they wanted to approve a plan, with no "ceilings" on enrollment, that contained such an outrageous falsehood. But -- the question was never asked, and so -- here we are.
What will happen at that school next week if there is a fire during an assembly?
West Seattle Concerned parent, carry on (send those letters)!
Sahila, keep on keepin' on!
Mao Goodloe Johnson, bug off!
(Can't take credit for the last, saw it on the Stranger blog or somewhere).
As for MGJ's statements- the one that kills me is that underperforming teachers will get help to improve. This help is in the form of a whopping 500.00 towards professional development. I find this laughable because my first year teaching the district had decided to mainstream all special education students into regular ed classes, and as a result 23 of my 76 freshman students had IEPs. 500.00 will not buy an IA for the classroom, or a support teacher. So really that "support" is a way to cover their ass when they fire you- because well, "they tried to help you improve."
I know, for instance, that at my school, AS1, we have, I think 18 or so kids in the kindergarten class, with several middle-schoolers serving as assistants during the day. So we've got room for at least another half a dozen kids.
But I don't think the district wants people to combine two pieces of information: the schools they (parents) like, and the schools that have seats. I think the lack of movement on waitlists is a deliberate policy designed to make parents give up and try the "local" school. Once that happens, then maybe waitlists will move, but right now they're standing pat in the hope that parents will give in and fill, at least to some extent, those empty seats at non-preferred schools.
I know I cheerlead for AS1 here, but I don't think we have room for more 7/8 grade kids at this time; maybe one or two. Any other grade, especially the mid-elementary grades, we've got room, and great teachers and families! If you're in the north end, check us out.
"This year Lowell was trounced by multiple schools, but the district is mum on that little embarrassment."
I'm curious -- what did you mean by this?
-- sue p.
Oh, and the way things are going - Garfield's Science Program (which by the way was started by enthusiastic TEACHERS who kept it going without getting funding from the District, with the help of dedicated parents - grassroots at its best) may be going the way of Roosevelt's English program with the Standardization.
Good question. Out of all the information that many of us have been through, I cannot find out where our supe received her PhD.
Does someone else have that information?
Education: Ph.D in philosophy, University of Colorado at Denver, 1996; master's, University of Northern Colorado; bachelor's, University of Nebraska at Lincoln [degree in special education]
Many libraries subscribe to ProQuest including the Seattle Public Library. It is accessible through the Seattle Library web site for members with a library card and PIN.
In short, you can download her dissertation online if you like.
My daughter was in a regular class of 16 or 17 one year ("regular" as in not Spectrum or APP), and as far as I could see the teacher didn't take advantage of the small class size to do anything different -- she just coasted having a more peaceful than average year. The highest reading group was doing a simplified version of a book my daughter had read in the original the year before, for instance (and I don't think she was necessarily the strongest reader in the class). It was a more *pleasant* learning experience, which probably helped, but I think it would have been a lot better with a bit more differentiation.
Helen Schinske
Helen Schinske
Ooh, I wish I had access to Proquest!
Helen Schinske
INtersting title: "The influence of assimilation and retention practices within school organizational culture on African-American certified employees in public education."
Let's break that out - It sounds to me like it's a study of how organizational practices effect African American teachers: how some sort of expected assimilation effects them, and how their retention might be adversely effected by these practices?
A look at institutional racism relating to employees in the org structure of districts?
hmmm...anyhoo, I hope somebody finds a copy somewhere, I'm dying for a peek.
LD1190.E3 1995d .G66
Description xiii, 229 leaves : ill., forms ; 28 cm.
Note Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Philosophy, Administration, Curriculum, and Supervision.
Thesis (Ph.D)--University of Colorado at Denver, 1995.
Bibliog. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-156).
Subject Diversity in the workplace.
Minorities -- Employment -- Colorado.
School environment -- Colorado.
Thesis: Education
OCLC # 36455680
Until last year, Lowell housed only APP and Special Education programs. (I'm not sure if many/any Special Education students at Lowell take those types of tests). So the test scores have been based in the past on the 450-500 APP students.
Last year was the first year that Lowell housed Special Education, APP and ALO students. Half of Lowell's APP students were moved to Thurgood Marshall for 2009-2010. Students from TT Minor and students from the neighborhood became part of the new Lowell community last year. Lowell's demographics are different now. So Lowell's test scores reflect the achievement of the APP and ALO students. The test scores are different because you're testing a different group of kids.
We have two kids at Lowell and we are very happy with the teachers, the principal and general school environment. I believe our school is doing well in spite of our Sup.
This is actually something of a problem. When the District made the split they promised that the two programs would be of comparable size. They aren't. Lowell is half again the size of Thurgood Marshall.
And this year Lowell has 542 students, as of last week. It's a very full building.
If APP elementary school assignments are based on where the children reside, it's really not on the district if the two locations have unequal numbers of APP kids. To make the numbers EXACTLY equal isn't possible short of moving kids from one to the other school for that reason only.
It all comes down to where the kids who enter and remain in APP at the elementary program in each location. This is dependent on the PARENTS who choose this for their kids, not the district.
Whether the district should have promised they'd be of equal size is another matter. But I don't see how that's possible to know, because kids enter and leave the program at all grade levels every year, from all across the city.
What would you have them do, Charlie? Take some kids from Lowell and put them in TM just to make the APP populations exactly equal? THAT would go over real well!
I shudder to think about the ramifications of this if there is an odd number of APP students....Yikes!
I would have them find a north-end location for north-end elementary APP. I proposed McDonald two years ago but they told me that there was no way that they could re-open McDonald. There are other locations available including John Marshall and Wilson-Pacific just to name two. Of course, the District also needs to increase capacity for alternative programs in the north-end as Salmon Bay and Thornton Creek have such long waitlists.
Moving the north-end students to a north-end location would, first of all, put future students living in the Lowell walk zone in the south-end school instead of the north-end school, as it should.
They might also consider shifting the McClure service area students to Thurgood Marshall instead of whatever north-end location they use.
That's what I would have them do.
I would have them keep their commitments.
I was merely making a joke from agibean's question, wondering if there were an odd number of total APP students you might be sharpening your knives....
Ha ha. Ha. ahem.
As for Agibean's question, no ever said that the two programs would be the exact same size. The commitment was that they would be of comparable size. I think I was pretty clear about that.
They were not of comparable size last year.
Moreover, one of the District's stated purposes in making the split was that to relieve the overcrowding at Lowell. What a bust!
You can shift BUILDINGS and rearrange KIDS, but really, if that huge population boom in the north grows an equally huge number of APP-eleigible kids, then you might have a larger "north" APP cohort for years to come. Or maybe the south/west Seattle parents all start having tons of kids and more of THEM qualify for APP, you'd have more at THAT school.
I get that you think the district should have a "true north" APP for elementary. But there really isn't a way to enforce "comparable size" APP's. You just have no idea what outside factors will come into play.
Look at the split or added APP classes WITHIN these buildings. These vary year by year because of the variation in the number of kids who do or don't take/pass APP tests and enroll in APP at all.
Of all the things you ding the district on, this is one of your weakest.
Also, if the District is incapable of managing this split, then the District shouldn't make commitments to manage this shift. Whether their failure lies in their failure to manage the split (which they have) or in their deception in making a commitment they can't keep, the District has been a bad actor either way.
However, as we now know, the Lowell walk zone at that time was absurdly small and not in compliance with the District's stated policy on walk zones. When the Lowell walk zone was re-drawn correctly it encompassed dozens of APP students. Bearing in mind that each student represents a two-student shift (minus one for Thurgood Marshall and plus one for Lowell), those Lowell walk zone students are a significant contributor to the imbalance in the prgrams' sizes.
Charlie, I don't get this. If a student is within the walk zone to a school that provides the program they need, of course they should go there, not be bussed or driven across town.
Why should any student who could walk to Lowell go to Thurgood Marshall instead?
Helen Schinske
I can't remember how it worked out on the map, though -- maybe it wasn't possible to put the TM boundary far enough north without impinging on the logical walk zone for Lowell to some extent.
Helen Schinske