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Tasteless: StudentsFirst Ad Attacks Teachers in NYC: UPDATE

By dianeravitch
December 19, 2012 //
28

While I was watching the television coverage of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, an ad came on that was very upsetting. Sponsored by StudentsFirst ad, it was a typically deceptive TV ad depicting teachers and parents who demand that teachers be evaluated by test scores. It implies that teachers are slackers and need a swift kick to get to work. If they are evaluated, they claim, this will have a revolutionary effect on the schools.

Showing this anti-teacher ad at this moment in time was utterly tasteless. Just as we are watching stories about teachers and a principal and school psychologist who were gunned down protecting little children, we have to see this tawdry ad. Given the timing, it is political pornography.

The ad is meretricious. It does not mention that the city published the names and ratings of thousands of teachers a year ago, generating anger and controversy, not any wonderful transformation. The ratings a year ago were rife with error, but all that is now forgotten in the new push to get tough with teachers.

Who are those teachers and parents in the ad with no last names? Are they paid actors? If they believe what they say, why no last names? Why no school names?

Does StudentsFirst know that most of New York City’s charter schools have refused to submit to the teacher evaluation system? May we expect to see a TV attack ad demanding that charter schools adopt the same test-based evaluation system that Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg want? Or is it only for public schools?

Andrea Gabor wrote an excellent post providing the context for ad and the stand-off between the New York City United Federation of Teachers and the city (and state). She writes:

“Governor Cuomo has threatened to withhold funding if the city and the union cannot come to an agreement by January. And Mayor Bloomberg has said that he would rather lose the money than compromise on the evaluations.

“The StudentsFirst ad and the mayor’s tough talk highlight one of several problems with the teacher-evaluation debate. While employee evaluations work when they are part of a system-wide effort at continuous improvement, they are often counterproductive when used as a cudgel against employees.

The cheerful-sounding teachers in the StudentsFirst ad not withstanding, everything about the teacher-evaluation debate has been framed in punitive terms.”

Not only has the debate been framed in punitive terms, but as Gabor points out, VAM is rife with technical issues. As I have written repeatedly on this blog, VAM is so inaccurate and unstable that it is junk science. And as Bruce Baker has written again and again, teachers with the neediest students are likely to get worse ratings than those with “easier” students.

No wonder charter schools in New York City refuse to submit their teacher ratings.

The issue now is whether the governor and the mayor, with the help of StudentsFirst, can beat the union into agreeing to a process for evaluating teachers that is demonstrably harmful and demoralizing to its members, that does nothing to improve education, and that is guaranteed to waste many millions of dollars.

Frankly, StudentsFirst should have had the decency to stop their attacks on public school teachers until the public had gotten over the massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. At long last, have they no decency?

*UPDATE: Micah Lasher of StudentsFirstNY informed that the organization asked the city’s television stations on Monday morning to pull the ad, in light of the tragedy. I saw it on CNN or MSNBC on Monday night. Someone goofed. I appreciate the clarification.

Categories Bloomberg, Michael, Cuomo, Andrew, New York City, NYC, StudentsFirst, Unions

NYC Value-Added Ratings Released, No Fanfare

By dianeravitch
December 18, 2012 //
11

The New York City teacher evaluations were released, and there was nearly no media coverage.

Mayor Bloomberg noticed. Ad Peter Goodman points out on his blog,

“The mayor didn’t like the original law, didn’t like the law which protected teachers from the public release of the scores and doesn’t like the requirement that the details of the plan must be negotiated with the collective bargaining agent, the union.

“On his weekly radio program he made it clear – he has no intention of negotiating a plan – he’ll accept the $250 million cut in state funding unless the union succumbs to all his preconditions. Apparently he “forgot” that the current law prohibits the release of the scores.”

Goodman checked with principals and teachers and they seemed genuinely puzzled by the ratings.

They don’t know what they mean or how they are supposed to help.

“UFT President Mulgrew announced that 6% of teachers were rated “ineffective” and 9% rated “highly effectively.” In order to be charged a teacher must be rated “ineffective” on their overall score or on the VAM and “locally negotiated” section for two consecutive years. When we consider the “instability” of the scores – wide year to year variation – the percentage of teachers impacted will be quite low.”

So very few teachers will be found ineffective, and anyone who is discharged on the basis of these flawed metrics is likely to sue.

Think of the hundreds of millions wasted on this junk science and how the money might have been used to improve schools.

Categories Bloomberg, Michael, New York City, Teacher Evaluations

A Bizarre Article Planted by StudentsFirst

By dianeravitch
December 13, 2012 //
10

I usually ignore editorials and opinion articles about education in the tabloids of New York City because 99% say the same things: public schools are bad, public school teachers are awful or criminal or should be fired, and charter schools are all great. (By contrast, both the New York Post and the New York Daily News have excellent reporters, and the Daily News have the amazing Juan Gonzalez, who has done great investigative journalism.)

Today, however, someone on Twitter asked me about an opinion piece in the Daily News. I read it and discovered it was written by someone who said he was the father of twin daughters in kindergarten in Brooklyn. The girls were in different classes. The father is upset because he can tell that one teacher is great and the other is not. He insists that the city and the union quickly agree to the state evaluation system so one teacher can be paid more than the other.

How does he know which one is better? She assigned homework every day after Hurricane Sandy and the other one didn’t.

At the end of the article, I noted that the father belongs to a group that is part of StudentsFirst. Why was I not surprised?

A New York City blogger dissected the article, noting that the writer is a NYC Department of Health employee. The South Bronx blogger wondered what evaluation system ranks employees in that city department.

Question: why does he think the proposed evaluation system will agree with what he thinks?

Categories New York City, StudentsFirst, Teacher Evaluations

Teacher Ratings: Charters say “No, Thanks!”

By dianeravitch
December 12, 2012 //
6

Students for Education Reform and StudentsFirst have brought pressure on the New York City teachers’ union to agree to a deal with the state to rate teachers by their students’ test scores.

But what these groups have overlooked is that the overwhelming majority of charter schools have said no. Few have turned in their teacher ratings, and most don’t intend to comply.

They say no deal. Forget about it.

The public schools should learn from the best practices of the charters and do the same.

Categories Charter Schools, New York, New York City, Race to the Top, Teacher Evaluations

Teacher: Please Hear Me, Mayor Bloomberg

By dianeravitch
December 11, 2012 //
23

In his weekly radio interview, Mayor Bloomberg said that wants to hold teachers’ feet to the fire. He wants them evaluated by the scores of their students and he wants their ratings published. He is furious that the union has been unwilling to agree to a pact. He says he will cut the budget if they don’t comply.

This teacher read the post and replied:

“I can not believe his language. Evaluation is something every professional adult is subject to, provided that the evaluation is done in good faith, by a fair measure, by trustworthy evaluators. The minute you say you want to hold my feet to the fire, I know you don’t want to see whether or not I’m a good teacher, celebrate my skills and help me improve my weaknesses – you just want me out.

I can not stand another month of being beat up every time I open a newspaper, after spending hours (my own time) writing awesome and engaging lessons, and creating materials (since the DOE gives me nothing) that are specific and responsive to my specific and real population of students. Stay up til 1am planning lessons, read the newspaper, cry on my way to work, spend a day in my classroom trying to build confidence and faith that the world is open to them, that the system is not rigged, that if you work hard, go to college, grad school, pick a decent and socially responsible profession you will succeed, be fairly compensated, and respected. Go back, read the paper, cry again. It is really awful, Mr. Bloomberg. You have no idea.

“Hold my feet to the fire”. What are you threatening with budget cuts? I already pay for all my own school supplies. I buy class sets of text books. I haven’t had a nickel raise in three years, even as my rent goes up and the subway fare raises again. You’re going to make this worse for me somehow? You want me to quit?

After you’ve completely destroyed the professionalism of teaching, once you’ve rallied the press to declare that anyone who goes into teaching is corrupt and suspicious, lazy and stupid – what kind of amazing self-confident and self-respecting recruits are you hoping to replace me with?”

Categories Bloomberg, Michael, New York City, Teacher Evaluations

Mayor Bloomberg: Beware of Junk Science!

By dianeravitch
December 9, 2012 //
30

New York City’s Department of Education (meaning, Mayor Bloomberg) and the United Federation of Teachers are wrangling about the formula for rating and ranking teachers and how much of it should be determined by test scores. The mayor still wants to publish the names of teachers along with their ratings so that parents will know which teachers to avoid and which to seek out. Imagine the chaos in schools when everyone wants to be in Ms. Smith’s class and no one wants to be in the classrooms of Mr. Jones, Ms. Green, or Col. Mustard.

It is important to remember how untrustworthy these formulae are.

Here is a good reminder. Aaron Pallas describes the “worst” eighth grade math teacher in New York City.

And here is the story of the “worst teacher” in the city of New York.

The New York Post plastered her name and picture in its pages, but it turned out that she teaches new immigrant students who cycle in and out of her class. The value-added ratings for her were meaningless.

Categories Accountability, New York City, Teacher Evaluations
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