This administrator calls for greater accountability —at the top.
| Yes, there are many of us in administration who stand with our teachers. The shame is that the people who are causing the real damage are never held accountable. We continue to allow elected officials to erode public education while conveniently blaming teachers. They allow public education to be taken over for profit. When will we hold them accountable for their failure of overseeing the public school systems they are charged with protecting? NCLB has failed and RTTT is no better. Instead of parents blaming teachers, and teachers blaming administrators, everyone should look at the people creating the policies at the top. Let’s evaluate our politicians, governors, and state Ed superintendents by using statewide test scores as their VAM scores for accountability. Their jobs should be tied to test scores just like teachers. |
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Let’s start at the very top with the enabler of these disastrous policies……Obama/Duncan.
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“Who should be held accountable?”
This passive construction has enabled untold abuse of the public trust. To be held means somebody somewhere is doing the holding; the teeth in the “accountability” doctrine are in somebody’s jaws.
Who should be holding public school teachers “accountable”, if not the communities we serve? Let us not passively agree that we’re accountable to anybody’s corporate interests, just because they own the boot they place on us and our students.
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“greater accountability —at the top.”
in Athens GA we agree 100% This was a full-page ad placed by public school parents in the Athens Banner-Herald:
http://static.onlineathens.com/adhub/1001314704.html
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Wow! That is a great idea. Did the parents share the cost? This idea should be used in every city and town in our country.
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Another parent’s group did a riff on it over near ATL– which is great. I wish other places would too.
http://www.empoweredga.org/cherokee.html
We have a bad legislative situation in GA and we all have to find a way to do what we can. There are lots of ways of sharing the cost– one is a great website called Loudsauce (sort of a “kickstarter for causes”) and in GA there’s the excellent http://EmpowerEDGa.org.
As the librarian from Austin and the PAA people from Seattle keep telling us we all have to speak up or there won’t be anything left of effective public education, all in the name of “reform”
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Bertis, that literally brings tears to my eyes. Thanks for posting.
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That’s the attitude parents, teachers, administrators, and UNIONS should take with politicians–we’re doing OUR job, you do YOURS.
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AWESOME! FANTASTIC! Should give all of you a great feeling, except the legislators.
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This is wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
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Here – Here- I couldn’t have said it better. Accountability for all ! A novel concept with these ‘reformers’.
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Maybe it’s time for education journals to start doing research on politicians and grading them for whether their education policy positions are based on the based research and practice or based on who is lining their pockets with cash.
It probably wouldn’t hurt school districts and unions to do the same.
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The unions ought to do that. But then that would require they become more proactive, rather than what they seem to do best nowadays – be REACTIVE.
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We as teachers must become informed voters. I am fortunate enough to work with many outstanding teachers at a public school in Philadelphia, however, most of these teachers are not informed politically and often vote for candidates who want to destroy public education in our commonwealth and our country. ALL public school teachers must become active and informed so that we’re making the right choices on election day.
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The state of New Jersey has had control of the Newark Public School District for the past 17 years (A whole generation of learners) and the district is in worst shape now than prior to the takeover. Yet the state continues to play the blame game.
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I agree with Brian. We must ask our colleagues at our campuses, to become informed, and to participate not only on election day, but on the local union chapter. Going to board meetings has shown me that there is so much going on behind the scenes, that will eventually effect those of us in the trenches. We need to participate and make our voice heard.
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Athens, Georgia is doing something right. Keep up the fight.
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