What about ratings of principals? Chalkbeat gets it wrong on teacher evals in low performing schools

Oy! I know I should avoid reading at Chalkbeat to avoid cutting into my life expectancy. I'm amazed at how the press and public - and the UFT -- let the people running  schools like John Dewey and so many other schools -- I mean principals who are psychopaths --- off the hook. The CSA must have dirty pictures.

Today's headline piece is piling on:

turnaround teachers

More than 20 percent of teachers at schools in the city's "Renewal" program for struggling schools received the two lowest ratings on their evaluations last year, compared to less than 10 percent of teachers citywide. Also, less than 2 percent of Renewal teachers received the top evaluation rating, compared to 9.2 percent of all city teachers.

• Chalkbeat

The headline alone helps anti teacher groups- look at this Student First tweet:

StudentsFirstNYVerified account ‏@StudentsFirstNY

New analysis from @ChalkbeatNY says students at renewal schools are TWICE as likely to have an ineffective teacher: http://bit.ly/1EaT1JK 

• Retweet 1
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9:18 AM - 9 Apr 2015

Look at how Chalkbeat frames it -- as an open attack on the teachers, totally ignoring the key ingredient -- what kind of people are running these schools --- the single most important ingredient in the days of unbridled principal power is - DUH! - the principal.

I'm amazed how this factor - in all the debates - is left out -- but by the way- Cuomo, etc don't trust these people enough to rate the teachers -- hell, I don't trust most of them too. Given the assaults so many of these lunatics have made on teachers over the years I myself have called for independent observers -- from the other direction. And I also tell teachers to videotape their lessons whenever they are observed.

I left this comment at Chalkbeat.

This article is missing an essential ingredient -- the effectiveness of the people running the school -- which is a bigger factor than teacher ratings. If there is teacher turnover it is not due to the kids but to the supervisors - and the often hostile environment with lack of support. Then there is the factor of principals in struggling schools wanting to cover their asses by making sure to have more "ineffective" teachers -- this is going on at John Dewey HS in Brooklyn.

The article quotes a Tweed spokeperson:

“Having a strong teacher at the front of every classroom is critical at our Renewal Schools and at every school,” spokeswoman Devora Kaye said. “We are using an aggressive set of tools to improve these historically struggling schools and we’ll hold them accountable for improved student outcomes.”

Hey Devora -- how about a strong principal instead of the hundreds of looney toons?  And note how silent the UFT is about this issue? Covering for their pals in the CSA?

Laurel Sturt's "Davonte's Inferno" chronicling a decade with 4 awful principals (Cruella, ego-maniac Guido, Principal Dearest, Rosemary's Baby) at an elementary school in the Bronx should be required reading.