Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Teachers Surveys and the UFT

From a Chapter Leader:

In the principals weekly there was instructions for principals to assign someone to be in charge of collecting the teachers surveys about the schools environment. When they arrive, my principal assigned an F status AP to be in charge of collecting them. I think this is ridiculous because she is obviously not a UFT member and the teachers will be fearful to write the truth. What is your take on this?? I asked my Dist. Rep. and he doesn't seem to have any opinion. I think it is a total conflict of interest. Could you ask around and see what other schools are doing? Last year I was in charge of collecting and mailing them, but now I think the DOE is trying to intimidate teachers because as you know many are afraid of retribution if they are critical of the administration.Thanks so much!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

From middle school CL:

Last year, the teachers were to return the surveys on their own.
Teachers can give them in, but i would tell them to invest in a stamp if they are fearful.

Schools are given rating points on their report card based on the number of responses returned, the answers therein, etc.
However, teachers are not required to do the surveys.

All of this is as of last year.

I suggest if the district rep wont or cant give you answers, then direct your mail to any of the following
R. Weingarten
L. Barr
VP for whatever level you are in.

Anonymous said...

Didn’t we take them online last year. Tell your members to do that. Or, since whether you fill them out or not reflects on your school report card, tell your principal they won’t be filled out if a supervisor collects them.

Anonymous said...

I have a different take on the school report surveys then I did last year (I threw mine in the garbage). If we don't fill out the survey or if we give ourselves low scores then our school could very well get a "D" or an "F" and be closed down (like PS 79 in the Bronx). I am suggesting that the teachers at my school take the power from right underneath Klein....skim thru survey as quickly as possible and give ourselves the highest scores possible but attach some love notes for Klein such as "my school is approaching 130% capacity...stick that in your survey, Mr. Bureaucrat." Now, it's important to note that we have a fairly supportive administration at my school. If teachers truly want to be honest about their school, then someone should accuse the administration of tampering with the surveys and ask for an investigation. If no one is willing to speak up at the the school in question, then all the advice in the world won't give the staff a much needed backbone. As soon as my school has a plan for survey distribution and collection, I'll let you know what it is....but we have enough big mouths at our school to prevent any administrative tampering.

Anonymous said...

Hi
I just sent my principal this email....

"I know that Klein has asked principals to put someone in charge of collecting surveys...If they are collected individually so the possibility of any intimidation exists, I will have a serious problem with Klein's interference and will ask for an investigation for possible survey tampering. Let's discuss."

I suggest any chapter leader that is concerned send a similar email to their principal.

Anonymous said...

Frankly, NOBODY should be collecting surveys unless teachers feel comfortable giving them to their union rep, but honestly, it is up to each individual teacher to take responsibility to get them mailed in.

Definitely the principal and AP have NO business collecting them, or the parent surveys for that matter. That is clearly an unethical action. How do they know they'll be mailed, not opened, etc? That administration is on its way out, and are clearly concerned about these surveys.

If this chapter leader's DR has no opinion, then she should contact the borough rep about this situation, it is definitely unethical for anyone to collect these surveys.

Honestly, in a school that has received an F rating, people should step up to the plate and get those ratings in!