Comments on: Surge, Sweep and Hold? http://www.edwize.org/surge-sweep-and-hold Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:46:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools: The Charter Blog: The Charter Blog http://www.edwize.org/surge-sweep-and-hold/comment-page-1#comment-64225 National Alliance for Public Charter Schools: The Charter Blog: The Charter Blog Sun, 09 Dec 2007 18:44:50 +0000 http://edwize.org/surge-sweep-and-hold#comment-64225 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] now with the NYC teachers’ union and intimately involved with the UFT charter schools. He invokes an over-the-top Iraq analogy, tagging Andy with, shivers, “ideology” and saying that [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%--> [...] now with the NYC teachers’ union and intimately involved with the UFT charter schools. He invokes an over-the-top Iraq analogy, tagging Andy with, shivers, “ideology” and saying that [...]

]]> By: NYC Educator http://www.edwize.org/surge-sweep-and-hold/comment-page-1#comment-64150 NYC Educator Mon, 03 Dec 2007 17:59:58 +0000 http://edwize.org/surge-sweep-and-hold#comment-64150 I have an even more radical suggestion, Mr. Gyurko. As you say, charters have mixed results, so why not adopt a model that's been proven to work? Having been priced out of my school's neighborhood many years ago, we moved to a nearby suburb. Our town is decidedly multi-racial, and the public schools had a mixed reputation. Nonetheless, my daughter has had consistently great teachers, and she's never been in a class with more than 20 students. Though the three school's she's attended were in old buildings, they've always been well-maintained, bright, and clean. I asked her principal how they did this. She told me they'd get hundreds of applicants for teaching positions (they pay more than NYC, and now have a shorter school year), screened them very carefully, and did not grant tenure to teachers who were not working out. So why don't we try giving New York City's 1.1 million schoolchildren good teachers, reasonable class sizes, and decent facilities? When I teach in my 250% capacity school in a trailer or a closet, when the thermostat doesn't work, when there's water or ice all over the floor, when there's so much water we're moved to the auditorium, I think--this would never happen in my town. Heads would roll. So why don't we try that? Ya know what? In my town no one even talks about charter schools, or vouchers, or reorganizations. No one attacks teacher tenure. If you do what works, you don't need those things. Unfortunately, as long as New York City fails to do those things, it will continue to get precisely what it pays for. I have an even more radical suggestion, Mr. Gyurko. As you say, charters have mixed results, so why not adopt a model that’s been proven to work?

Having been priced out of my school’s neighborhood many years ago, we moved to a nearby suburb. Our town is decidedly multi-racial, and the public schools had a mixed reputation.

Nonetheless, my daughter has had consistently great teachers, and she’s never been in a class with more than 20 students. Though the three school’s she’s attended were in old buildings, they’ve always been well-maintained, bright, and clean.

I asked her principal how they did this. She told me they’d get hundreds of applicants for teaching positions (they pay more than NYC, and now have a shorter school year), screened them very carefully, and did not grant tenure to teachers who were not working out.

So why don’t we try giving New York City’s 1.1 million schoolchildren good teachers, reasonable class sizes, and decent facilities? When I teach in my 250% capacity school in a trailer or a closet, when the thermostat doesn’t work, when there’s water or ice all over the floor, when there’s so much water we’re moved to the auditorium, I think–this would never happen in my town. Heads would roll.

So why don’t we try that? Ya know what? In my town no one even talks about charter schools, or vouchers, or reorganizations. No one attacks teacher tenure.

If you do what works, you don’t need those things. Unfortunately, as long as New York City fails to do those things, it will continue to get precisely what it pays for.

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