A principal sent this comment. TNTP used to be called The New Teacher Project; it was founded by Michelle Rhee. They released a report last week saying that the average first-year teacher is more effective than 40% of teachers with seven or more years of experience:
| In my school and district we are losing some really great educators who take with them a wealth of experience. They are not the tired old teachers who “need to go”. They are the ones who know how to manage a class and how to achieve results. They are the leaders who have taught us how to be better teachers. They are the role models. Experience does count. They don’t worry about test scores, yet they have the best results. Go figure. We can all learn something from them. Sometimes young teachers don’t understand, but those of us who have been here a while recognize their worth. There is a lot of turmoil in education right now. Lots of great teachers, both young and old, are leaving because they are tired of being disrespected by adults in high places. It’s hard to believe this is happening. We have to keep speaking up until the truth is finally heard. |
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Just wondering what happens to those new teacher when and IF they reach that seven year mark????? Just saying!
Good point! Maybe good teachers are like football player and they are too old in seven years!
Then I’m screwed. I’m just about to start year 7.
this rhetoric is not really about teacher effectiveness, its about getting rid of experienced (read: expensive) teachers in favor of cheaper, younger “parts.” no one seriously believes that less experienced teachers are “better” than veteran teachers (although, as a teacher educator I believe that our new teachers are much better prepared than many of us were back in “the day”, but I digress. . .).
i’ll trust Ms. Rhee and Mr. Gates on this line of logic when Mr. Gates hires a new chief software engineer with no course work, degrees or experience in software development. until then, i’ll remain just a tad skeptical.
They also want “teachers” who last only two or three years before being sacked without getting tenure, if they are eligible, and, more important, before they can get vested in retirement.
This is really about money, especially cheating teachers out of defined-benefit pensions.
Tenure is disappearing and defined benefits are disappearing.
So are the experienced teachers.
Or it simply could be what it says.
In the last decade teacher prep programs have been revamped. Younger, tech-savvy teachers have walked in with greater resources than ever…PLNs before we called them such.
Finally, experience has taught us that “the best ones” always have options because they are that good. And when they hit the critical mass point of not feeling valued as TNTP points out, they’ll go somewhere that does value them.
Few people leave any job bc of money. Most leave bc of their supervisor and/or work conditions.
“Or it simply could be what it says.”
What is the “it” you to which you refer?
What are PLNs?
After 10 years of teaching in NYC public schools, I’m quitting because I’ve become discouraged and can no longer deal with the upheavals that the so-called “reforms” bring to the everyday task of teaching. I’ve literally shed blood, sweat, and tears during these years of teaching at a school where the majority of the students live below the poverty line. Poverty Is the problem! NYC schools are segregated. How shameful that this is the case in this great city, and how unfair to students, teachers, and administrators.