tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post562219481927620674..comments2024-03-26T11:07:03.496-04:00Comments on Ed Notes Online: More on Rhee from DCed notes onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018047869059226777noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-10594065027582990502008-12-22T17:22:00.000-05:002008-12-22T17:22:00.000-05:00I don't believe that any response could be sensib...I don't believe that any response could be sensible unless it takes account of changes in administration since the previous Superintendent was hung up to dry, almost 2 years ago. Policies and demeanor aside, if Rhee has put in place an effective central administration to support educators; then such team is a secret to most of those educators.<BR/>That's a long way of saying that until you know what you have to work with, you can't claim that some changes could take place. <BR/> Professionals are taking care of their own --jobs, schools, careers. Whether they are career educators...or just the short-term consultants Rhee has on retainer. Read Pisani's recent "The Wisdom of Whores" on HIV control for an appreciation of how much government can do, and how little NGO's can. <BR/> I am suggesting to you that morale in the communities that have mobilized over the last 25 years has never been lower, just as the assault on the service providers has never been greater.<BR/> So what to do now? What to do in Zimbabwe?increduloushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384298480129763764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-2053717333207325932008-12-10T20:26:00.000-05:002008-12-10T20:26:00.000-05:00I'm actually seeking a real answer. What would yo...I'm actually seeking a real answer. What would you do to improve this district? If you were the chancellor, what reforms would you make to ensure better student outcomes with the current conditions of the DC district? And within a relatively short, time-bound manner?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-26393468188061326992008-12-09T22:47:00.000-05:002008-12-09T22:47:00.000-05:00Thanks for your support. And all I have to do is c...Thanks for your support. And all I have to do is close every school, drive out the teachers and replace them with committed newbies and voila, it's a done deal. Loks easy to me. Sign me up.ed notes onlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15018047869059226777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-32941463312211163192008-12-09T20:13:00.000-05:002008-12-09T20:13:00.000-05:00Norm, I'd support you. Seriously, why not? You'r...Norm, I'd support you. Seriously, why not? You're definitely committed to education, and maybe you could make it work down there.<BR/><BR/>But when we look at the destruction of the public schools of DC, one has to ask how one single district can lose 25% of their student body to charters. The WTU is actually dwindling in numbers, their membership has been dropping in numbers exponentially. Parents are making their choice - they want their kids in a school that just might be able to educate them despite staggering poverty and rampant illiteracy. And no, I'm not a fan of charters. I am a fan of districts where unions and districts collectively make sustainable change and improve student outcomes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-27176353263001900852008-12-09T08:07:00.000-05:002008-12-09T08:07:00.000-05:00Come on Anon 10:50, you've got to be our old buddy...Come on Anon 10:50, you've got to be our old buddy socrates with this cloying disingenuous comment.<BR/><BR/>But how about Joel Klein? Hasn't he vastly improved grad rates and test scores in NYC according to the propoganda? He has had 7 years to do it. Give him Washington too.<BR/><BR/>When the unions are gone in DC and Rhee can fire anyone at any time and the numbers haven't changed (oh, they will be manipulated for sure) then people might settle down and really try to solve the problems.<BR/><BR/>Hey, to think about it, how about me instead of Rhee?ed notes onlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15018047869059226777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-33571674951936713952008-12-08T22:50:00.000-05:002008-12-08T22:50:00.000-05:00Norm, what exactly are the illiteracy rates in DC?...Norm, what exactly are the illiteracy rates in DC?<BR/><BR/>Maybe she is on to something. DC has one of the highest rates of illiteracy in the nation. <BR/><BR/>Really, no other school district in the country even compares to the failures of the decades of poor quality academic achievement in the nation's capital.<BR/><BR/>I don't agree with everything Ms. Rhee is doing in Washington, but who would you propose as a better alternative? Really, who would you propose for this position?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-63490441887879487992008-12-08T14:53:00.000-05:002008-12-08T14:53:00.000-05:00Thanks for the thoughts. I never argue that I appr...Thanks for the thoughts. I never argue that I approve of how teacher training is currently practiced, but I'm appalled that a group of elites thinks that the solution is either no training (TFA) or "merit pay" - which is simply "pay for short term test results." You can only think along those lines if you either (a) lack all respect for students and teachers, or (b) simply lack respect for students who don't look like your own children. Sorry, but I can't see any other possible answer.<BR/><BR/>- Ira Socolirasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-1485541747156951862008-12-08T13:54:00.000-05:002008-12-08T13:54:00.000-05:00In the fall of 2007, Katy Murphy, The Oakland Trib...In the fall of 2007, Katy Murphy, The Oakland Tribune's education reporter, enlisted five new Oakland teachers to chronicle their first year of teaching by posting entries on a blog. Readers should take a look at "My First Year" at http://www.ibabuzz.com/myfirstyear/.<BR/><BR/>After a few enthusiastic entries, it is very telling that the entries quickly dwindled and, at this point, have disappeared altogether.<BR/><BR/>I don't think it is just because they are "just too busy." <BR/><BR/>These smart and once-bright-eyed teachers are certainly now harboring a set of difficult feelings that they want to keep private. I wonder their stories and insights would be if they were willing to share.The Perimeter Primatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12619173438763495716noreply@blogger.com