DOE Data as Doodoo

Many of us believe in tests, but tests that help teachers learn what the problems are so they can fix them.
Earth to Tweed:
Teachers know stuff about their students without having to study reams of data.
DOE Data as doodoo is the usefulness quotient of the "Data is King" program at Tweed.
But let Round Deux say it.
Rant away - PLEASE!

Posted by Leonie Haimson on the NYCEducationnews listserve.
by 3^rd year middle school math teacher – not an unusual reaction I would imagine.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Data'ed Out

http://rounddeux.blogspot.com/

WARNING: This is a rant. You have been warned.

I'm all data'ed out. Our PD's are all about data: looking at data, using data, finding data, inputting data, implementing data in our classrooms, not going on field trips to improve data, worrying about data from the tests, feeling good about ourselves because our report card data was decent. I'm sick of it.

We've had a few discussions before in our math department meetings about relevant projects and exciting lessons, unfortunately we're bogged down and dominated by data. Today, one of few PD days we have left during the year, we spent most of our time looking at math data, or how to access data. I asked our coach/lead teacher if we could do something that would improve my teaching ability. It only makes common sense, right?

The data is supposed to help us assess, teach, group by seating, and place students in specific classes (tracking is still around people), but I still don't get how this is supposed to make me a better teacher. Sure its good to know what a student has a problem on, but spending day after day of data training is overkill.

I want to be a good teacher; but not the good teacher that politicians want, a good teacher that motivates, inspires, and helps students to develop a love for learning, not a fear of it.

Board of Education, Chancellor, and Mayor Bloomberg, enough data already. Let me teach.

PS: Kudos to schools going against merit pay!

Ed Note:
Round Deux is a former Teaching Fellow - to all the critics who felt they were indoctrinated BloomKleinies, there is hope. Round Deux says in another post:

"Whichever one of Bloomberg's teachers taught him that infusing capitalism into educational policy making was a "good thing" should be sent to a rubber room. My solution? Move to another country or take back and rebuild our union."

Pretty good insights for someone fairly new to the system. We look forward to the Round Deuxs of this world to start taking back and rebuilding the union.