All teachers fired...

[circuitboard]

A school board in Rhode Island has voted to fire all teachers at a struggling high school, a dramatic move aimed at shoring up education in a poverty-ridden school district.

In a 5-2 vote Tuesday night, the board approved the plan by Frances Gallo, superintendent at Central Falls School District, to discharge the teachers, administrators and other personnel at Central Falls High School.

All teachers fired at Rhode Island school - CNN.com

[bandnerd]

Saw that earlier today.

While I agree that the teachers should be paid more if they are going to be forced to work longer hours (come on--anyone in any field would argue for the same, don't try and say they wouldn't) if those are the statistics from that school, something is amiss. Even in a poverty-stricken area.

I'm also curious why everyone seems so shocked. I mean, wasn't this what No Child Left Behind outlined as a consequence for a failing school? Wiping the slate clean and hoping for a fresh start? I'm not saying I support NCLB or not, I just always thought that was what would happen...the government would swoop in and run the school until they deemed it useful again...

[mugofbeer]

See how the AFT or other teacher's union reacts to that. Lawsuits are - a - comin'!

[progressive_liberal_lion]

Well I think having a supporter in the form of the Cabinet Secretary of the US Dept of Education helps too.
I hope this serves as a wake up call to those teachers who should just get out of the field ,and encourage those who do the teaching students gain from, and to keep going and attracting those who want to teach.

[PennyQuilts]

I 'spect they will work it out.

This is exactly why I think it is ridiculous to pay based on student achievement. The teachers with the kids who do well will get paid (and they usually want those kids, anyway) and the ones who come from neighborhoods and/or backgrounds that are more challenging will go without. It takes a ton more time and effort to try to parent kids who don't have active parents and that is not what teaching is supposed to do in the first place. They can be role models and they should be, but expecting them to do the work that a parent should be doing simply isn't going to work. One teacher may have 75 kids or more.

If the kids are failing and the school isn't working, I think they should shut it down. Either that or just concede that all they are doing is babysitting.

[mmonroe]

Heard about this on the radio today. Blows my mind. a little.

[bluedogok]

That has happened to a couple of schools here in Austin, the teachers/administrators get dispersed to other schools. They have "re-opened" the "closed" schools with entirely new staff. I think only a certain percentage of students are allowed to return to the "closed" school. That is what has happened here.

[mugofbeer]

The difference is that in Rhode Island ALL THE TEACHERS WERE FIRED. In Denver, where I used to live (and may be again) there has been a big controversy because poor performing teachers per the Colorado standardized tests were shipped to poor performing schools - just perpetuating the poor performance situation. I hope Austin doesn't do that.

[bandnerd]

Teachers often have more than 75 students. Most of us do, actually, unless you work in a small rural school.

I have 40 just in band. Then I have annually up to 30 journalism students, 20 capstone students, and 12 or so yearbook and newspaper students. My mother in law, another teacher, always has more than the maximum allowed (it's either 135 or 140) at a much larger school in the area.

[TaoMaas]

So what happens if they replace all the teachers at this school and it doesn't fix the problem? Wouldn't it then be fair for all the members of the school board to be fired and lose their means of livelihood, too?

[PennyQuilts]

Teachers often have more than 75 students. Most of us do, actually, unless you work in a small rural school.

I have 40 just in band. Then I have annually up to 30 journalism students, 20 capstone students, and 12 or so yearbook and newspaper students. My mother in law, another teacher, always has more than the maximum allowed (it's either 135 or 140) at a much larger school in the area.

Back when I taught, I had nearly 150 students. Five classes a day, 30 kids per class give or take 2. I was being generous when I said 75 to avoid someone saying I was running up the numbers. You can't possibly parent them all. You really can't even parent one that you don't take home with you at night and for the holidays.

[Joe Daddy]

So what happens if they replace all the teachers at this school and it doesn't fix the problem? Wouldn't it then be fair for all the members of the school board to be fired and lose their means of livelihood, too?

Absolutely.

[fuzzytoad]

Absolutely.

When can we start firing the parents?

[kevinpate]

When can we start firing the parents?

Not sure how one fires those who already quit or resigned

[Wambo36]

When can we start firing the parents?

I think you've hit upon the biggest deficiency in our education system.

[bandnerd]

Back when I taught, I had nearly 150 students. Five classes a day, 30 kids per class give or take 2. I was being generous when I said 75 to avoid someone saying I was running up the numbers. You can't possibly parent them all. You really can't even parent one that you don't take home with you at night and for the holidays.

This is major overloading. Keeping track of that many teenagers is nearly impossible, but my god, if a child starts failing a class, the parents are all over the teachers. I witnessed a teacher last week get reamed by a couple of parents who admitted their child was lazy, but then accused the teacher of being the problem because they assumed that if he had a lot of students failing (no more than necessary...they were failing because they weren't doing the work, not because of teaching) that it was his fault.

"Not MY child." I hear that all the time.

However, if it is a school-wide problem, it does reflect on what is going on in the classroom. Good teachers can teach most anyone. We have a large low-income population here and some of them are our best and brightest, but they wouldn't be without proper guidance by teachers and administrators.

I do want to know, what's happening to the principal(s) in this RI school? Did the story mention anything about that?

[bandnerd]

Not sure how one fires those who already quit or resigned

So very true.

[dismayed]

Not sure how one fires those who already quit or resigned

Love this comment.

[metro]

I think many of you are missing the bigger issue. The teachers were all a part of the same UNION. The school board has a problem with the UNION and vice versa; ultimately neither side could agree on a pay rate. Union's are a thing of the past and need to die. The teachers need to understand the firing wasn't necessary personal on their individual performance, as much as it was a disagreement with their union.

Jane Sessums, president of the Central Falls Teachers Union, said teachers have been unfairly targeted and scapegoated and the union will fight to have them reinstated.

[TaoMaas]

The teachers need to understand the firing wasn't necessary personal on their individual performance, as much as it was a disagreement with their union.

Good...then the board members will understand that, when they're targeted, it's nothing personal...just a statement about blanket solutions to individual problems.

[metro]

Unions are killing themselves all over the country in numerous industries TaoMass, it's the old way of doing business and no longer works.

[TaoMaas]

Actually, the old way of doing business, in the non-union days, consisted of sweat shops, child labor, slave wages, and deadly working conditions. Having said that, I agree that modern unions have shot themselves in the foot through sheer greed. So we know from the past that whenever complete trust is placed in the businesses OR the workers, abuses result. So what's the solution?

[progressive_liberal_lion]

So what happens if they replace all the teachers at this school and it doesn't fix the problem? Wouldn't it then be fair for all the members of the school board to be fired and lose their means of livelihood, too?

I dont know if school board members in this state or the state of Rhode Island is paid.

[TaoMaas]

I dont know if school board members in this state or the state of Rhode Island is paid.

Hmmm...I see where that could read that I thought they were being paid for being on the board. What I meant was that they should be dismissed from the board and should be fired from whatever job they hold in the private sector. Basically, it's easy to gamble when you're spending someone else's money, but when it's your security at risk, folks tend to be a lot more careful.

[Joe Daddy]

Actually, the old way of doing business, in the non-union days, consisted of sweat shops, child labor, slave wages, and deadly working conditions. Having said that, I agree that modern unions have shot themselves in the foot through sheer greed. So we know from the past that whenever complete trust is placed in the businesses OR the workers, abuses result. So what's the solution?

Excellent post. People tend to forget history. What percentage of the American workforce is still unionized? Maybe 10% ? And somehow this 10% of the wokforce is the root of all evil in the workplace and the economy today?