teachers – RI Future

December 17, 2015December 17, 2015

Learn all about the grand ed deform plan in THE SCHOOL CLOSURE PLAYBOOK

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Jacobin magazine is not my favorite publication on the Left, mostly because it seems to have some spots where it is putting its layout editorial policy ahead of everything else, producing gorgeous magazines that sometimes seem to be all over the place ideologically. That said, they did a fantastic job this summer commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Union victory in the Civil War. Earlier this year, they released a short documentary titled THE SCHOOL CLOSURE PLAYBOOK that explains how the neoliberal charter school deformation of public education has been executed against Chicago.

Since then, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has entered one of the most politically treacherous waters since perhaps the 1968 Democratic Party Convention devolved into street fights between Mayor Daley’s militarized Chicago Police and thousands of anti-war protesters who were disgusted with the machinations of the pro-Vietnam War Hubert Humphrey. It seems unlikely that Emanuel will emerge unscathed from the Laquan McDonald police shooting scandal. Yet regardless of what happens to one over-glorified and under-qualified Clinton-era political hitman who somehow tricked voters into electing him, we can be sure that the neoliberal teacher union-busting strategy he has implemented in Chicago is going to continue to be used across America, a strategy that sounds eerily familiar to those who watch the policies in Providence and other school districts in the Ocean State. In this sense, this video is a Christmas gift for local public school teachers. As the Chicago teachers prepare to go on strike again, thanks in no small part to the rise of the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators in the ranks, we should see Chicago as both a warning and guide for strategy.

June 29, 2015June 29, 2015

ProJo recycles teacher trash talk with classic dump on public schools

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Ed Achorn, Providence Journal editorial writer

On Tuesday, June 16, 2015, at precisely 2:01 AM, an unidentified editorial writer representing the flailing Providence Journal crapped the keyboard and hit the Post button. Did it ever occur to him or her that the headline “Assault on Charters” was an exceedingly poor choice of descriptor for a school-based opinion piece?

Did he or she realize that the word “assault” in conjunction with any discussion of schools forevermore evokes the stark imagery of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre?

Probably. To channel the late iconic musician Frank Zappa’s observations on the crass corporate commercialization of America’s 1976 Bicentennial celebration, “…not only that, they’ve been planning it for a long time.”

An image is worth a thousand words. And added to the 459 word, boilerplate anti-union screed Projo’s designated keyboard commander unleashed in his predawn barrage, it makes for a kilometer’s worth of column inches, meeting the expectations of the corporate watchdogs who sign the editors’ paychecks.

Rhode Island’s only major newspaper, wholly owned by out-of-state interests, seems doggedly determined to exploit the ongoing charter school discussion for the purpose of deconstructing public education in favor of privatized, investor-based marketing schemes.

The corporate roots of the school privatization movement can be traced to The Edison Project, the 1992 collaborative effort of educational media entrepreneur Chris Whittle and former Yale University President Benno Schmidt Jr. These links provide an essential starting point for any discussion of the school privatization industry, but they are secondary to the most intrinsic, gut-level concerns families have: the health, safety and welfare of their children.

The school privatization industry – its conceptualization, commercialization, and corruption – is a massive topic that commands major resources within America’s most prestigious think tanks, the progressive Brookings Institute and its conservative counterpart, the Heritage Foundation. Go ahead, Google yourself to the brink of insanity. Been there, done that.

There is wide ranging disagreement concerning both the reliability and validity of measuring academic achievement levels in comparative studies of charter schools and traditional public schools. Regardless of the perennial debate, it is no mystery to teachers why charter schools are universally embraced by their clientele: 100% of the families who choose a given charter school are there because they want to be.

In the vernacular of cyber-age social networking, the stakeholders are “all-in.”

Traditional public schools should be so lucky. Their playing field is perilously rocky and meanders uphill all the way from start to finish. For public school teachers entangled in the bureaucratic typhoon of Race to the Top – U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s mythical epic voyage their daily regimen is rife with the Scylla and Charybdis of Public Education – Disruption and Distraction.

Students in virtually every classroom in every public school in America bear daily witness to the turmoil washing over their teachers courtesy of the twin terrors Disruption and Distraction. The narratives that trickle down to students’ homes scare the bejezus out of every parent and guardian, and rightly so. Hello, Charter Schools.

Over the next couple of months, this series of articles will explore the state of public education from the point of view of classroom teachers at both the elementary and secondary levels. Unless you are a public school teacher, you probably cannot grasp the nature of the current state of affairs. It’s hard enough for teachers to sometimes believe what is happening to their profession. Ask one sometime.

Editorial boards of newspapers aligned with the school privatization industry, such as our own Providence Journal, will necessarily reflect the political goals of their corporate parents. Journalism jobs are hard to come by. The professionals comprising the ProJo editorial board are serious writers. But they too live between a rock and a hard place.

Welcome to the club, people.

Robert Yarnall is a retired teacher, union activist, superb fisherman and regular contributor to Progressive Charlestown where this article originally appeared.

January 15, 2015January 16, 2015

Where are the best-paid teachers in Rhode Island?

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Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed wants to explore the possibility of a statewide teacher contract this session. So we got to wondering if there is any rhyme or reason to how the many varied school districts across Rhode Island compensate educators.

There doesn’t seem to be, according to data from teacher contracts provided by the Rhode Island Association of School Committees (some districts missing). Alex Krogh Grabbe created these two charts showing the highest-to-lowest teacher-paying school districts in 2013 and 2014. The first chart shows rookie salaries and the second shows senior teacher salaries for all districts that submitted data to RIASC.

It seems we want our best teachers in the school districts where students need the most help – those in the urban areas – but there doesn’t seem to be a consistent financial incentive to attract teachers to these districts, or to keep them there long term.

It’s great that rookie teachers in Central Falls are well paid (or paid better than other teachers in Rhode Island). Providence, Pawtucket and Woonsocket should strive to compensate their teachers similarly. However, Central Falls is a state run school district so all of Rhode Island is paying those contracts; the other urban areas simply don’t have the taxing capacity to compete.

This is one reason a statewide contract would be beneficial. As a state, we can determine which teachers should be best paid based on need rather than allowing community wealth to dictate these decisions. This is critical because community wealth is a great predictor of student achievement. So if and when we allow tax capacity to dictate teacher salaries we are exacerbating the education gap rather than working to reverse it.

Worth noting I think is that the Department of Education doesn’t keep teacher salary data. This is especially surprising given the recent focus on teacher evaluations, as it seems folly not to consider pay when considering performance.

October 7, 2014October 9, 2014

Most municipal employees don’t live in Providence

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Providence public sector unions have been roundly rebuked for endorsing Buddy Cianci, both from Dan Lawlor on this blog and the Providence Journal editorial page. But how much do their endorsements matter in a mayoral election? The answer: not as much as when the city had a residency requirement.

pvd employees — Click on chart for larger version

While the local police, fire and teachers’ unions each endorsed Cianci, most of the members don’t live in Providence, a City Hall source confirmed.

Of the 3,516 Providence Public School Department employees, 37 percent live in the city (1,310). Only 22 percent of 469 fire department employees live locally and 21 percent of the 531-member police force lives in Providence. Of the 5,432 employees total city employees (including the school district) 36 percent live in the city, or 1,937.

And when it comes to the union executive boards that decide on political endorsements, the number of locals are equally stark. Of the 13 educators on the Providence Teachers Union Executive Board, only two live in the city, or 15 percent. Of the 11 executive officers of the fire fighters bargaining unit, only two live in the city, or 18 percent. And only one of the five members of the police union lives in Providence, 20 percent.

Jeremy Sencer, an elementary school and a member of the union’s executive board who lives in Cranston, cautioned me not to discount the significance of their endorsement simply because many members don’t live locally.

“While most of us don’t live there, we do spend a significant amount of time there, and we spend a lot of our time with the kids and families there,” he said. “We’re committed to the children and families of Providence, that puts us in a position to recommend, on education, what is good for Providence.”

July 9, 2014July 9, 2014

Sheehan to Gist: ‘I look forward to new leadership’

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North Kingstown state Senator Jim Sheehan is again imploring Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist to release her doctorate dissertation on teacher evaluations in Rhode Island.

Gist says it is the product of U Penn, and it is embargoed until 2015. Sheehan, a North Kingstown High School teacher, says Gist could release her own research if she wanted.

In an email back-and-forth between the two public officials yesterday, Sheehan reminded Gist that she said her work would be available in June of this year.

“To be frank, lifting an embargo on your OWN dissertation and disclosing its content is entirely your prerogative,” he wrote in an email to Gist, Board of Education Chairwoman Eva Mancuso, House Speaker Nick Mattiello, Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed and others. “You previously stated that your embargo would be lifted by ‘June of 2014.’ It is clear to me that you do not wish to honor this date and your word.”

Gist disagreed. In a reply, she wrote:

Dear Senator Sheehan,

You are correct that I shared with you that the embargo was for two years. That was certainly my understanding. However, you are mistaken in your understanding of the process. I apologize for any confusion, but to be very clear I did not implement nor can I end the embargo. That action was taken by ProQuest, the organization that manages dissertations for the University of Pennsylvania. Contrary to what you stated, it is not “self imposed.” That is why I have directed you to the university. When the embargo is over, the dissertation will be available from the library system, which is how all dissertations are publicly shared.

I remain available to meet with you about our progress in implementing educator evaluation upon your request.

Sincerely,

Deborah

They went back and forth before Sheehan ended the conversation with some sharp words:

Dear Commissioner,

At this point, I do not care to pursue this issue any more. I am weary of the run-around and verbal obfuscations. Unfortunately, this request is generally representative of your leadership in my experience. I wish you well. But, I look forward to new leadership with the incoming governor.

I thank you.

Sincerely,

Jim

Gist’s U Penn doctorate dissertation is titled “An Ocean State Voyage: A Leadership Case Study of Creating an Evaluation System with, and for, Teachers.” State lawmakers, including Governor Linc Chafee, this year rolled back some of the teacher evaluation policies implemented by Gist, who had sought an even more stringent evaluation procedure.

“Faced with strong teachers’ union opposition, state Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist in April backed away from annual evaluations for all teachers and instead adopted a so-called cyclical model of every two to three years,” according to today’s Providence Journal.

Gist declined to comment on the matter yesterday. “There’s really not much more to say,” said her spokesman Elliot Krieger. “Penn will follow its protocol regarding release of doctoral dissertations.”

Here’s more RI Future coverage about Gist’s dissertation:

Public can’t read Deborah Gist’s dissertation on RI (Nov. 11, 2013)
Gist requested embargo to cure writer’s block (Nov. 13, 2013)
Gist won’t share dissertation with legislative leaders (Dec. 3, 2013)

And here’s the July 8 email exchange between Sheehan and Gist:

9:21 am – Sheehan to Gist:

Dear Commissioner,

I have made a simple request to read your dissertation. You previously stated that your embargo would be lifted by “June of 2014.” Please see attached (Ed note: here) to refresh your recollection.

To be frank, lifting an embargo on your OWN dissertation and disclosing its content is entirely your prerogative. But, I find it somewhat frustrating that you gave one date for lifting your self-imposed embargo, and then decided to extend the moratorium in contradiction to your previously stated word.

I thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Jim

1:02 pm – Gist to Sheehan:

Dear Senator Sheehan,

You are correct that I shared with you that the embargo was for two years. That was certainly my understanding. However, you are mistaken in your understanding of the process. I apologize for any confusion, but to be very clear I did not implement nor can I end the embargo. That action was taken by ProQuest, the organization that manages dissertations for the University of Pennsylvania. Contrary to what you stated, it is not “self imposed.” That is why I have directed you to the university. When the embargo is over, the dissertation will be available from the library system, which is how all dissertations are publicly shared.

I remain available to meet with you about our progress in implementing educator evaluation upon your request.

Sincerely,

Deborah

2:13 pm – Sheehan to Gist:

Dear Commissioner Gist,

To be clear, YOU wrote to me that the embargo would be lifted in “June of 2014”.

It is clear to me that you do not wish to honor this date and your word. But, as I said, that is your business as is the content of your PhD work product. Let’s just leave it at that.

Sincerely,

Jim

3:50 pm – Gist to Sheehan:

Dear Senator,

I am uncomfortable with repeatedly emailing our colleagues who you have continued to copy on today’s exchange, but it seems important for me to respond to your concerns and misunderstandings. Fortunately, I have been involved in internal meetings today and have been able to engage with you. I hope that will ultimately result in clearing up your questions.

This particular email is difficult to address. I have not disregarded any facts and have tried to help you understand the facts as they are. Clearly, I am not succeeding in that effort. I am sorry about that. Perhaps a conversation would be more productive. Sometimes email is not the best venue.

Deborah

4:12 pm – Sheehan to Gist:

Dear Commissioner,

At this point, I do not care to pursue this issue any more. I am weary of the run-around and verbal obfuscations. Unfortunately, this request is generally representative of your leadership in my experience. I wish you well. But, I look forward to new leadership with the incoming governor.

I thank you.

Sincerely,

Jim

February 24, 2014

What teachers think: Tara Walsh

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Administrators have a unique vantage point to observe policy changes, and how they impact students and teachers alike. Tara Walsh, the dean of students at North Kingstown High School, has seen first hand how an emphasis on high stakes testing has changed the high school landscape.

“For sure policy changes dictate directly how we talk to students about this plans for their futures especially, now with high stakes testing here in Rhode Island,” Walsh said in an interview with RI Future.

Walsh now spend her days disciplining North Kingstown’s 9^th and 11^th graders, but she was once a special education teacher.

“I worked with students that are cognitively delayed, there’s educational gaps. Now that they have to meet a certain standard on a test, they can fall behind for various reasons – social/emotional, academic. They’re behind the 8 ball when they get to high school. They don’t have the foundation information for these high stakes tests and they’re at a disadvantage to the point where they may not graduate high school with a diploma.”

Walsh went onto explain the repercussions for students that do not achieve proficiency the first time around. She said, “If you don’t achieve proficiency on your NECAP, you have to go into remediation after your junior year so it could ultimately affect classes they could take – like electives — because they have to take remediation to show growth in their testing.”

Testing isn’t the only thing limiting the options available to the students of North Kingstown – another being budget limitations. “When budgets are set, positions are redistributed,” she said, going on to describe the subsequent of the shift away from elective classes towards core academic classes.

She went onto express concern for students that aren’t on the “traditional” track.

“We’ve cut a lot of resources for children who don’t necessarily learn in a four wall academic building, we don’t have a strong vocational program and I feel there’s a detriment to students who aren’t college bound students,” she said. “We need to help provide them with an education that will help them down the road.”

See the previous posts in this series here:

Susan Weigand

Jen Saarinen

February 21, 2014February 21, 2014

Four years later: Student achivement and Central Falls’ transformation

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As we approach the four year anniversary of the tumultuous firing of the the teachers at Central Falls High School (CFHS), regarded nationally as a watershed event in the Obama administration’s school reform efforts, we must once again consider the success or failure of what followed (and preceded).

Progressives and ed reform skeptics are somewhat hamstrung in this process, as we tend to discount the validity of reformers’ goals and metrics. It often seems like wiser strategy to not accept their premises. Yet, if we ignore this data, we risk unilaterally disarming our own arguments or simply lessening our own understanding of the situation.

With that preamble, consider some charts tracking Central Falls High School 11th grade NECAP proficiency rates, compared to the statewide 11th grade proficiency rate to provide perspective on overall trends. 2007 through 2013 covers all the years the 11th grade NECAP has been administered statewide, all data from RIDE’s website.

In all these charts, CFHS is in red, RI public schools statewide in blue, where applicable, CFHS transformation plan goals in yellow and RI statewide Race to the Top goals in green.

RIDE triggered the crisis in Central Falls following the application of the 2009 NECAP, either immediately before or after RIDE received the 2009 scores (it is hard to say which would be more irresponsible). As you can clearly see above, CFHS was named “persistently low-performing” after two consecutive years of double digit growth in reading proficiency, with a higher proficiency rate and lower achievement gap compared to the rest of the state than they have achieved since the transformation.

CFHS’s transformation plan hoped to “to sustain the rate of growth experienced in the past few years” while focusing their attention on math and other issues. This clearly did not work, and it has taken the school four years to approach the status quo ante in NECAP reading proficiency.

We all still pay to administer the NECAP writing assessment, but since it was not used for No Child Left Behind accountability, it has mostly been ignored by RIDE. Despite the lip service they may give to “multiple measures,” they cannot even be bothered to consider all the tests they administer. Regardless, as a relatively low-stakes, straightforward and authentic ELA test, it helps to corroborate trends in reading scores.

While both CFHS and RI writing proficiency jumped in 2013, the gap between the two is still 8% greater than it was pre-transformation.

Increasing math proficiency was the academic focus of the transformation plan.

While the authors of the plan stated “we are confident that our targets are reasonable” after consideration of “historical CFHS NECAP data… the proportion of students on the cusp of proficiency levels, and… statewide NECAP averages,” in retrospect, that was wishful thinking (or a politically necessary exaggeration). In reality, getting CFHS up to 14% proficiency is a substantial improvement based on a tremendous amount of hard work by students and teachers. But it is not what reformers projected after repeatedly citing CFHS’s 7% proficiency rate in 2009 as a justification for firing all the teachers.

For the NECAP science exam, I shifted the year label back a year to match with the fall test cadres above, and included the goals from RIDE’s strategic plan. The results are depressingly similar to the math test.

Taking a longer perspective on the CFHS data, a few things seem clear:

The school’s academic performance prior to the transformation was not as bad as reformers thought or presented it.
Rushing the process did not “save” the students in the school. The test scores of the student cohorts in the school during the process clearly suffered. They were worse off in reading and writing achievement according to the NECAP scores.
In the four years since RIDE named CFHS “persistently low performing,” the gap between CFHS and RI state proficiency rates has increased on all four NECAP tests.

CFHS has had success improving their graduation rate, but it is important to note that while the four year graduation rate jumped 20% between the classes of 2010 and 2013, when most students in those cohorts took the NECAP in the junior year, the class of 2010 outperformed 2013 in NECAP reading and writing (in fall 2008 and fall 2011, respectively). The class of 2013 did outperform the class of 2010 by 3% in math and science, but there is no evidence that the 20% improvement in graduation rate was driven by increased student learning as measured by NECAP.

In short, dramatic changes have not created dramatically different results on RIDE’s NECAP assessment. It does not mean that nothing can improve urban high schools in Rhode Island, in fact, our recent track record includes some notable successes, including some all too fleetingly implemented at CFHS in the past twenty years, should we choose to re-examine them. But the “fire ’em all” Central Falls transformation has not worked, on its own terms, by its own standards.

February 20, 2014

What do teachers think: Susan Weigand

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Susan Weigand, 2nd grade teacher at Hugh Cole Elementary School in Bristol-Warren, punctuates nearly every sentence with “I could go-on about my students all day.” Her dedication to her young students was evident throughout her sit down with RI Future.

“Where is the safety net for the children that come to kindergarten ill prepared for what they have to do,” she said. (Read the first part of this three-part series here on Jen Saarinen)

But there was a stark contrast between her excitement for her students recent policy changes. She said that changes in policy and budget have affected her teaching style and her students.

“Work I’m asking students to do is significantly more challenging,” she said. “In that comes the question of whether or not it’s developmentally appropriate. There are several situations where it’s not, I’m being told to ask my students things beyond what they’re capable of doing.”

Weigand said that budgets for teachers aren’t what they once were either. There was a time where teachers could buy supplies that weren’t provided for them by the district. Those times are long gone.

“We don’t really get a budget,” Weigand said. “The district provides us with certain supplies but there’s no discretionary fund for teachers to buy things for their classroom. When I was first hired in this district 16 or 17 years ago, we had a budget to go purchasing for our classroom.”

Budget cuts affect those on the elementary school level differently than others. Weigand explained the uniqueness of the situation. “The difference is we teach everything and we teach multiple levels, so if I’m doing science activity about states of matter I have to have different levels of books because each of my kids are at different levels –well my district doesn’t provide that.”

During her time as a teacher, Weigand has noticed major changes within her field. The greatest change she has seen is the shift away from viewing students as young adults.

“We have somehow forgotten that these are small children sitting in our rooms,” she said. “I think we have forgotten these are little people – 6, 7, 8 – we very much have forgotten these are little kids and we treat them like tiny adults. Where does that creative thinking of being able to come up with the answers themselves come into play?”

February 19, 2014

What do teachers think: Jen Saarinen of Warren

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Jen Saarinen was thrust into a changing, tumultuous profession when she started teaching ten years ago.

“When I graduated from college, No Child Left Behind was just getting underway,” she said.

Saarinen is a math teacher at Kickemuit Middle School in Warren, and she spoke to RI Future about the many changes that she and her students have been inundated with over the past ten years.

“The major changes that have resulted in the classroom as a result of the state standardized tests have been more testing situations that our students are forced to go through,” she said. “We now track our students three times per year using NWEA for progress in addition to completing a “Common Assessment” per core subject at the end of each quarter.”

She voiced her concern by saying “The number of days that are spent on these tests, not to mention NECAP soon to be PARCC, we don’t truly have a full year to instruct the students to make this progress!”

While she does has her qualms about the proliferation of testing, Saarinen believes that some policy changes are a step in the right direction. One of these was the implementation of an evaluation model for teachers. “I do believe that there was a need to have an evaluation model for educators, however I do not feel that the one that Rhode Island is using is the most effective evaluation model,” said Saarinen. She went onto say, “Compound the demands of the educator evaluation and the assessments, many teachers are no longer in love with their profession.”

Some teachers have fallen out of love with their profession, and Saarinen has noticed a similar phenomenon in students. “I feel that my students don’t have the love of learning that they once had. I can’t imagine that the amount of testing/pre-testing/re-testing plays into this. Teachers have made jokes about their school name being changed to a ‘testing center.'”

November 19, 2013November 20, 2013

Gist requested embargo to cure writer’s block

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Deborah Gist, the Rhode Island commissioner of education who based her doctoral dissertation on her job, asked for her research to be embargoed because she was suffering from writer’s block, and thought shielding it from scrutiny might help.

She said she was having a “hard time writing” about the incidents relating to her work between 2009 and 2011 (when asked what, she declined to answer) and her academic adviser suggested a public embargo might alleviate immediate ramifications of her research.

“And indeed it did help me write about my work,” she said in an interview yesterday.

Gist pursued a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania while simultaneously being employed as the state’s commissioner of education. Last week, Wendy Holmes revealed that her dissertation had been embargoed and the Providence Journal followed up on that report yesterday.

Her dissertation, called, “An Ocean State Voyage: A Leadership Case Study of Creating an Evaluation System with, and for, Teachers” is more about leadership than teacher evaluations, she said.

The specific type of research she was doing, known in education and academia as practitioner action research, meant she was studying her own ideas and performance, as well as that of her employees and the community, she said.

“My dissertation was about my work,” she said.

She was adamant that no state employees helped her produce her research, and said she did U Penn work “at nights and on weekends.” But said there was a necessary overlap between her job and her studies and cited staff members Lisa Foehr, director of teacher evaluations, and Mary Ann Snider, director of educator excellence, as being particularly helpful.

“I considered them part of my team,” Gist said.

August 30, 2013September 5, 2013

Teachers, hotel workers unite for Labor Day

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Working Rhode Islanders from across the economic spectrum (well the lower 99% of that spectrum, anyways) will unite this Labor Day as Jobs for Justice and the the Coalition to Defend Public Education will be marching together through downtown Providence Monday.

Jobs for Justice will be calling attention to the struggles of the staff at the Renaissance Hotel, who have long been fighting the poor conditions imposed by the multinational management company that owns the hotel. The Coalition to Defend Public Education does much of the grassroots organizing among teachers.

This could be a powerful coalition if these two groups figure out more ways to work together. The teachers begin their protest at 3 pm in front of City Hall in Providence. The hotel workers begin at 4:30 on Francis St, across from the Providence Place Mall.

June 6, 2013June 7, 2013

‘Hey, hey, ho, ho, Deborah Gist has got to go’

More than 100 teachers showed up at CCRI tonight to make sure the Board of Education knows how they feel about extending Deborah Gist’s contract. You can watch the video to see for yourself in this quick video:

June 6, 2013June 6, 2013

Teachers to protest outside before Gist contract debate

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Public school teachers plan to protest outside a Board of Education meeting tonight where Education Commissioner Deborah Gist’s future employment will be debated and perhaps decided.

“If the board votes to renew the contract, we want to make it clear tonight isn’t the end of a campaign,” said Pat Crowley. “Tonight is the beginning of the campaign.”

The action was announced in an email today from the NEARI, the larger of the two teachers’ unions in Rhode Island. Both are vehemently opposed to Gist’s contract being renewed. Here’s the email:

Rhode Island educators will gather at CCRI, Warwick, prior to the Board of Education meeting Thursday, June 7, to express concern once again over the continuation of Deborah Gist as commissioner of education. Frank Flynn, president of RI Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals, and Valarie Lawson, president of East Providence Education Association, will speak at 5:00 pm.

At a debate-changing teacher rally recently in Cranston, Brian Chidester, a French teacher in Warren/Bristol, said, “if you want mass civil disobedience from your teachers, go ahead and renew Gist’s contract.”

April 30, 2013

Poll: Local teachers don’t like Deborah Gist

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Deborah Gist isn’t very popular with the educators she is supposed to be the leading, a new poll by Fleming and Associates indicates.

Almost 90 percent of teachers asked for the poll felt that moral in Rhode Island public schools is not good. More than 80 percent of the local teachers polled said they feel less respected than they did prior to Gist’s tenure. 85 percent of respondents don’t want her contract renewed.

“For too long Commissioner Gist has spoken of her support among classroom teachers,” said Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals President Frank Flynn in a press release sent out today. “We decided to put that notion to an independent test. This survey found that she is not supported by classroom teachers. In fact, there is overwhelming evidence that her leadership is almost universally rejected.”

Here’s some of the results of the survey, as reported in the press release:

• 82% of RI’s classroom teachers feel less respected today than they did when Commissioner Gist started a few years ago.
Commissioner Gist’s highly touted Race To The Top initiative has been nothing short of a disaster for RI education.
Classroom teachers, in overwhelming numbers, felt it was somewhat ineffective (22%) or a waste of money (60%).
Teacher morale is abysmal under Commissioner Gist. Classroom teachers, at the rate of 68%, thought morale was poor, and 22% just fair. A remarkable 88% of teachers feel morale is unacceptable in RI schools today.
When asked about Commissioner Gist’s communication with teachers, the teachers responded that it was 63% poor and 27% fair. Only 8% thought her communication with teachers was excellent or good.
72% of teachers believe the NECAP test should not be a requirement for graduation from high school.
When asked if Commissioner Gist’s contract should be renewed in June, teachers responded 85% no and only 7% yes.

The new poll was released today to coincide with Gist’s State of Education speech tonight.

December 16, 2012December 16, 2012

When Teachers Are First Responders

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As a retired teacher of over 30+ years, I have participated in many fire drills, lock downs, “duck and cover” and other safety maneuvers in making sure our children stay safe while they are in school. Our school in Warwick even had a mock airplane crash drill with the help of the police and fire in case we ever had a plane crash since our school is in close proximity to Green Airport. Safety precaution drills are a part of a student’s routine but as often as they occur, no one can fully prepare for what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Teachers are the first responders and they have the sole responsibility of keeping students safe from outside harm until the fire and police show up.

They showed in this December disaster or pre-Christmas catastrophe that they had what it took to follow procedure and keep the children in those 2 classrooms particularly as safe as possible. The principal died in the line of duty. By turning on that intercom, teachers became aware that something was wrong and immediately proceeded to safety mode. Six were gunned down in trying to protect the K to 4^th grade children.

This is a time to reflect on how these teachers did what they had to do to protect their young students.

This is what teachers do. We protect as well as teach… Teachers plan, develop, and organize instruction. And this is exactly what was done yesterday at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Teachers had a plan that was developed. They organized and executed a plan of safety for the children. And they were effective in their attempt in getting those children out of the school to a safer location.

How ironic that these teachers today are considered heroes but tomorrow will be vilified once again when this incident passes through time.

Today we see that the corporate reformers remain silent. They, who have no educational component to them (nor have they been in a classroom) praise what those teachers did. They would evaluate their performance as high achieving!

But what happens tomorrow? What happens when “the time for mourning” is over? These same corporate reformers will once again criticize teachers, saying schools are failing because teachers are not doing their job. These reformers will promote their manufactured and lack of evidence rhetoric that one must combine teacher evaluations with students’ test scores for the scores to increase. And if the scores don’t increase, close down the public school and replace it with a charter…and again the teacher-vilification process will be in working mode.

Let’s instead give the respect that is due to the teaching profession. Let’s give those teachers at Sandy Hook an “A+++” in their evaluation for their performance.

We need to get back to treating people of all professions with kindness and respect. And this is the season to begin this process. Christmas time is the perfect opportunity to begin the process of cultivating appreciation and esteem for teachers rather than attack and brutalize the profession. The phrase for this season should be “to promote not demote”…”Upgrade not degrade” the teacher’s profession.