We have done an extensive study of The Toledo Plan and feel that it should be abolished as it is supposed to rid the school system of “bad” veteran teachers through evaluation, instead it is being used to rid the school system of first year teachers through peer mentoring. Its target, primarily, is the non traditional first year teacher.
We were drawn to this program of non-renewing teachers according to the Toledo Plan because of information we had been receiving from the community for years. After becoming involved with recent cases, we began to see a pattern. A disturbing pattern, that seemed to target the non-traditional teacher. That is, the older, minority, male or any teacher that did not fit the mold of young white female.
Not only targeting the non-traditional teacher but other disturbing data began to emerge. First year teachers were being “non-renewed” using a tool called The Toledo Plan. A tool that was supposed to be used to rid the classroom of ineffective veteran teachers. Some of the “non-renewed” teachers were being asked to resign and then in some cases were allowed to come back as substitute teachers, sometimes at the same school.
”Non-renewed” teachers were not being given due process rights, such as: (a) jobs going up for bid before the “non-renewed” teacher was given a chance to appeal the non-renewal, (b) the school board approving a non-renewal before the teacher was notified or given the chance to appeal, (c) union members being involved with the “non-renewing (firing) of first year union teachers.
The most disturbing component was the way in which the “hearings” were conducted. They were conducted before an Intern Board of Review, which consisted of four administrators and five union members, one of which was the president of the union, Ms. Francine Lawrence.
According to the Toledo Federation of Teachers AGREEMENT 2001-2004 Article XVIII-A-1 All first and second year teachers are considered to be members of the bargaining unit. However the “non-renewed” first year teachers were not represented in the hearings by any union representation so in essence the teachers were paying union dues but when it came to representation they were not being represented during their firings or “non-renewals”.
The true story of a first year teacher in the “Touted” Toledo Plan.
This teacher graduated in the Elementary Education program, certified to teach grades 1-8. She graduated with a 3.844 grade point average. During her years at a local university she worked full time and maintained a family. Her dream was to become a teacher. She graduated Magna Cum Laude in the education program. Completing 300 hours of student teaching, 300 hours of various method classes, was evaluated by a university evaluator, who gave her superior marks in teaching, planning skills and classroom management. This evaluation took place while the teacher was a student teaching at a Toledo Public elementary school, the same school at which she was eventually “non-renewed”(fired) by a Toledo Public School “Intern Consultant”, who was a kindergarten teacher.
After being reviewed and evaluated by various school personnel, classroom teachers and her University professors, the teacher received her certification. Many teachers fail at this juncture of the process and are encouraged to study an alternative field other than teaching.
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The teacher was hired as a first year teacher by Toledo Public Schools where she was placed in the Intern Consultant Program known as the Toledo Plan. The teacher was placed at the elementary school where she had done her student teaching. She wanted this placement as it was a central city school and she was familiar with the climate of the school. The students at the school were from her neighborhood, which she felt would be an asset. She was placed in a fifth grade classroom where the previous year the students had four different teachers. Because of the students’ behaviors this classroom was constantly losing teachers. These same students thrived in this classroom where almost half eventually attained honor roll status. The teacher was well accepted by the students, parents and other teachers and staff at the elementary. Letters of recommendation were presented by her peers and staff at the school. Her principal recommended hiring her.
This teacher was informed of her “non-renewal” (firing) three days after the deadline for proper notification and after the Toledo Public School Board members had already approved her (firing) “non-renewal.” During her appeal hearing, she was told that the Intern Consultant (a kindergarten teacher) was her union representative. In essence, she was fired by her union representative and the head of the TFT, Ms. Francine Lawrence.
The Toledo Plan , which was used to rid TPS of this teacher, was arbitrary, ambiguous and grossly unfair. We feel that the most important person in the classroom (beside the student) is the teacher. This teacher is an asset to the teaching profession, although she was non-renewed by her peer consultant, and subsequently fired by her union.
There have been many, many first year non-traditional teachers who have been “non-renewed” who we feel would have added that needed community commitment to ensure that all of Toledo’s publicly educated children have a chance for success. A good public school system paid for by the tax dollars of the inhabitants of the city is the best advertisement for any city. Having a good, public school, system brings new businesses, raises real estate values and helps to eliminate crime. A public school system, paid for by tax dollars, using a collective bargaining agreement, cannot survive by using a program (THE TOLEDO PLAN) that eliminates the best of its core constituency through questionable and arbitrary means.
The Toledo Plan must be abolished.
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i'm sure the tft people will say you have your facts wrong, and it does not work like that.
can you give us any links to sight this?
actually this post is a revised and edited Amicus Curie that we (AAPA) filed with the Court of Common Pleas in relation to a lawsuit filed against TPS, in which the litigants won a large settlement.
purnhrt, thanks, i was wondering since i'm sure there's some other there who would question where it came from. :)
You have erred in some information. First year teachers are evaluated under the Intern Program. Second year teachers, and all teachers who are renewing a license, are evaluated by an administrator, unless they have been placed in Intervention. Because the union will not defend a first year teacher who is recommended for non-renewal, first year teachers pay reduced dues. All of the provisions of the Toledo Plan were approved by state law back in the 1980s.
You accuse the Kennedy School of bias. You have a habit of accusing anyone of bias when they disagree with you. The Kennedy School did give TFT and TPS an award for union-management cooperation, but they are an outside neutral party. You and Steve show bias about anything connected to TFT. Every outside, neutral party which has analyzed the Toledo Plan has found no bias based upon race, age, gender, religion, or any other factor.
As I indicated to you in previous correspondence, no program designed and implemented by human beings is perfect. I will not comment on any individual case. That would not be proper no matter what. And I do not know all of the circumstances involved in the one case you cite. Colleges of Education are notorious for doing a poor job of preparing students for the real world of teaching. You are directing your anger at the wrong target. Your argument is with the Colleges of Education, not with the Toledo Plan.
I do know that similar plans, based upon the Toledo Plan, operate effectively in Cincinnati, Columbus, Port Clinton, Berea, and many other places in this nation and beyond. In recent years, Dal Lawrence has been a consultant to both labor and management to aid in setting up programs in Chicago and Monterrey, Mexico!
I said that there was a conflict of interest with the evaluation. Why?
Because a negative evaluation or one that was not flattering would have cast doubt on such a perceived prestigious institution like the Kennedy School of Government who made the evaluation and the award. I hardly think that Kaboolian was a "neutral party". Also, this is not the most extensive award process for many reasons.
And I too did not say the author was biased! I pointed out some problems with the selection by the BOE of the evaluator and author and the report and I could point out more!
One thing about all these other programs - not one of them has a review board controlled by the union - In TPS' case the board of review is 9 members with 5 from the TFT. Short of the BOE over ruling the board of review, decisions are controlled by the TFT. The board of review should be made up of neutral parties if it were to be a truly fair process.
Please - get your facts correct.
You are also pretty "pro" TFT so if you believe we are negative then it balances. Truth is I tell it like it is - when something is done well I say so, when not I say so! Problem is the media always wishes to focus on the negative - and as a teacher who is supposed to be teaching our children critical thinking you should know as much.
Are the stories in the TFT newsletter biased? You bet they are - many an item about me has been false and some have been outright lies.
I wonder what you mean by conflict of interest. I'm hearing that term used quite frequently with regard to TPS in a lot of recent postings, but no one is really putting their own working definition to it, and quite frankly, using it way to liberally.
I mean, if TPS is paying for an evaluator to investigate its program, some might call that a conflict of interest (although its not). That's standard practice for, well, just about everything that uses evaluation. Businesses, politics, national grants, etc. One could argue that since the Kennedy School of government (or some within it, more specifically) has familiarity with the program, it is better positioned to offer a comprehensive analysis at a more reasonable cost to the Toledo taxpayers.
Who would be the "neutral parties" that would do evaluations in the review process for the Toledo Plan? People outside of the system? Paid consultants?
Kaboolian is not a neutral party as the organization she represents gave the so called prestigious award. Ask this question: How would it look to the Kennedy School of Government if one of their researchers identified major issues with the program given their commendation?
Conflict of interest - is a situation in which someone in a position of trust, such as a lawyer, insurance adjuster, a politician, executive or director of a corporation or a medical research scientist or physician, has competing professional or personal interests. Such competing interests can make it difficult to fulfill his or her duties impartially. A conflict of interest exists even if no unethical or improper act results from it. A conflict of interest can create an appearance of impropriety that can undermine confidence in the person, profession, or court system. A conflict can be mitigated by third party verification or third party evaluation noted below—but it still exists.
Using this definition, I would say Kaboolian has a conflict of interest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_of_interest
....Goes more into detail about conflict of interest, and focuses particularly on the more generally accepted COIs. Generally, things that deal with familial involvement or competing financial ties. People who have competing monetary interests. Folks who are related to someone in another position of negotiating power (reminds me of another thread ;) Self-dealing between businesses. Etc.
I would have a hard time seeing that a University academic, with no financial ties (beyond fee-for-service, which you can't really eliminate), would represent a COI or breach of ethics. It is hard for me to think that not wanting to hurt one's institution's reputation, especially in higher ed, as being a large driving factor. And many evaluations done by University faculty are done largely without the permission or even knowledge of one's Dean. University faculty are more like a collection of independent contractors gathered under one roof. They frequently don't see the research/evaluation until it's done & finished & out the door. I would argue that folks should argue the outcomes of the evaluation (or lack of implementation of results) rather than casting aspersions on the evaluator.
Thanks for debating this, sflagg. I appreciate you backing up your beliefs. I'm just seeing COI pop up in many, many threads as a convenient argument to "show" various conspiracies, but folks bandy the term about without digging into their own understanding and belief about what it means.
As a matter of fact, the way people throw around COI (not you, just ranting in general for a minute), their arguments would go toward saying teachers, parents, and administration shouldn't have a say in evaluating school practices, as each has a vested interest in the outcomes of the evaluation. So only outsiders receiving no payment, with no children in the system, and being outside of education in general, would be the most neutral parties there are to evaluate schools.
You make some valid points and I take no umbrage at your interpretation. Frankly, I've seen many of your posts and see you more as trying to get to the issues instead of being personal. I appreciate your approach.
However, Kaboolian has been on panels, etc. promoting, defending the concept and was involved in the awards process so I think it would have been better had she not done the evaluation. But I believe there are other factors that bear on the validity of the research.
You are right about people freely using conflict of interest. For example, some say that Darlene Fisher has a conflict because she is affiliated with the Coalition. However, it only becomes a COI if the Coalition came before the Board asking for a contract for services which we have never done and are unlikely to do. Neither she nor the Coalition gains anything for itself or individuals through the advocacy that benefits the entire community.
Many don't understand COI so they throw it out to disparage others when they have no idea what they are talking about.
I make sure that it fits the definition and a COI does not have to be illegal just unethical or would lead someone to question the professional judgment because of the entanglement - it just needs to be perceived. Would a prudent person have doubt about the conclusions reached based upon the relationship? If you can answer yes, a conflict exists. Of course, some are more egregious than others and that is why some COIs are illegal.
"Who would be the "neutral parties" that would do evaluations in the review process for the Toledo Plan? People outside of the system? Paid consultants?"
Someone without a vested interest in the outcome. Kaboolian has a vested interest - the reputation of her employer! And of course, employees are never pressured by their employer to alter the outcome of a review process.
Kaboolian is a neutral party. You are not. TFT and TPS were given an award after an extensive nationwide review of dozens of cooperative labor-management agreements. Before these agreements were investigated by Harvard, I doubt if Kaboolian could even find Toledo on a map! You, sir, are biased. You judge everything connected with TFT in the worst possible light.
Why does TFT insist that teachers are a majority of the Intern Board of Review? Because we are taking full responsibilty for the teachers who are produced. In the second year and beyond, the administration is responsible, unless the teacher is placed in Intervention. When was the last time a second year teacher who passed through the Intern Program was recommended for non-renewal by a principal? The answer is...NEVER... in the over two decade history of the program!
The bottom line is that the Toledo Plan is all about the type of responsibility people all over America are crying for from their teachers' unions. TFT participates in keeping only the best teachers in Toledo. Experienced teachers may be removed as well. In Ohio, tenure only ensures due process, not lifetime employment. The truth of the matter is, before the Toledo Plan, administrators were so inept at following procedures to remove poorly performing teachers that virtually none were ever removed. I guess, Steve, you would like that better.
By the way, I caught your radio interview before the levy vote. You knowingly lied about teachers' salaries in TPS. You said that TPS's teachers' salaries were not all that low. You were asked where those salaries rank. You said, and I think I'm quoting accurately here, "They're about in the middle in the region and among Ohio's cities. So we don't really have a problem here". If you did not know the facts, you should not have commented about TPS salaries. But I believe you said what you said because you knew that the radio talk show host was supportive and wouldn't question your veracity. Shame on you!
The truth is that Toledo is at or near the bottom by every measure. TPS is the furthest behind with our most experienced teachers. Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati are several thousands of dollars per year ahead of Toledo, but we trail all but Youngstown. The same is true for all of the other school districts in Lucas County.
Steve, I say to you as I've said to others: Who's going to take my job when I retire? Who's going to want to teach Toledo's public school children when they can teach for more money in the suburbs, or in other urban districts in Ohio, not to mention much higher salaries just across the border in Michigan. -- especially when there are people like you around attacking everything they try to do to make the profession more accountable and more responsible? And don't give me that tired line about how, "I don't hate teachers, I just hate their union." Steve, for whatever reason, you hate TPS teachers, unless you know them personally and/or they suck up to you properly. Union leaders are elected by the teachers they represent. Fran sent out an extensive questionnaire. If she ignores what her constituents want, they will select a new leader. I saw that happen many years ago in Clevelend.
As I said to you in another post, you and your cohorts are "nattering nabobs of negativity". The failure to applaud when something in Toledo is being done right, plays a major role in holding Toledo back. You, Steve, a part of that problem.
Why does your response not surprise me - no use debating with you - you need to do much more research. All you can do is call me a liar - now what does that say!
You want to hear the interview - it is probably still up at troyneff.com - I stand by my statements.
One other thing - when looking at salaries you also need to look at cost of living - check Toledo relative to the big C's and other cities in Ohio.
I am a neutral party - I have no vested interest in TPS except as it serves and improves my community. You on the other hand are not a neutral party! Neither is Kaboolian! An unfavorable report by her would have looked bad for her institution.
And then you make a blanket statement that I hate teachers - when what you really should say is that their are major issues with the leadership and direction of the TFT. A typical argument when the TFT leadership is called into question. Now how could anyone "hate" teachers. Your statement is a generalization without merit intended to obfuscate the debate and emotionally charge the conversation in hopes that others will stop listening - this is an ad homien attack. It is aimed at the person and has nothing to do with the discussion. Shame on you!
Last time I checked there were still a significant number of young people being trained as teachers in universities across the US.
As to compensation, when you add in the retirement and health insurance benefits, the total compensation package is pretty good especially given the work content - 182 day work year as opposed to 260 days for other professions. I could go on about the fact that teachers are overly represented in a study of who pays estate taxes, etc., etc. but I am afraid the facts would make little difference to you.
You have no idea who or what I am, yet you call me a "teacher hater". However, you should know that I was a concerned and caring parent. You knew both of my children as students at DeVeaux.
You and the Urban Coalition are hardly a neutral party. You sued the board over the Three for Children formation and kept the suit pending even as two of the three left the board, yet Torres's highly questionable residency was overlooked. The Urban Coalition has a glaring conflict of interest in Tyrone Sturdivant. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he on the board at two charter schools in Academic Emergency? And didn't his wife sue TPS over alleged discrimination in the Toledo Plan?
Either way, shooting the messenger does nothing to challenge the analysis in the Kaboolian report that notes the following:
"The percentage of teachers in the intern program who were ultimately successful is exactly the same for Blacks and Whites (87%)."
---------
"Show me a man who lives alone and has a perpetually dirty kitchen, and
five times out of nine I'll show you an exceptional man." -Charles
Bukowski
"The Urban Coalition has a glaring conflict of interest in Tyrone Sturdivant. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he on the board at two charter schools in Academic Emergency? And didn't his wife sue TPS over alleged discrimination in the Toledo Plan? "
LOVE IT!!!!!!
So true............
who has researched the facts and come to conclusions. I have no reason to lie. At least I started out a neutral party, so if having reached certain opinions means I am no longer neutral - I can accept your assessment using that definition only - but I have no "vested" interests with regard to TPS!
You are talking about one member of a group who by the way has one vote. I never said Urban Coalition - I said me! I have no ax to grind except I am sick of paying for a less than effective school system, one that consistently blamed everyone but themselves. A school system that has pockets of success but can not find a way to transfer that success to a majority of their students.
I am not shooting the messenger, simply pointing out the skepticism I have given the conflict of interest. I have never said anything about her character or the veracity of her work!
Kaboolian was not a neutral party so her analysis is in question. In fact, I mentioned earlier that there were concerns as to whether she actually got all the data based upon what was given to her and subpoenaed for the court case mentioned in the initial post. So there are many questions about the ultimate conclusions that put in question the report's conclusions.
See comment on conflict of interest in this thread. She had a reason to be less than candid!
Anyone can "cherry pick" one statement/conclusion - in the same section she indicated missing data on age, whether resignations were "coerced" and therefore not considered a termination, etc. (And that assumes she received the complete data set from TPS.) But again, since she was not a neutral party any conclusions need to be corroborated and they have not been.
BTW - there were several responses to the RFP to do the analysis - seems one way to assure a better result is to pick someone with a vested interest.
Nonetheless, there were numerous recommendations that have not, to my knowledge or even Board members knowledge, been implemented. Some of them are worthwhile regardless of the perceived conflict.
So TPS pays for a study and does what with it? Let me tell you another story about another study/plan led by Phillip Schlechty - where a strategic plan was completed and was never implemented - there is a trend here! The plan now sits on a book shelf accumulating dust at the administration building.
The report below had a subtitle: A Plan for making the Toledo Public Schools a world-class school system.
http://tpsinfo.com/reforms/School_Reform_Committee_Report.pdf
And here is a link to the document written by Schlechty that became the report above.
http://tpsinfo.com/reforms/documents/schlechty_revised.pdf
And if you want to know more about who Schlechty is you can find numerous references by doing a google search. I have read many of his books including "Inventing Better Schools".
I guess you're right and I'm wrong. Kaboolian is obviously a sell-out. Harvard's reputation is so shaky that one negative report about one program that they had praised would embarass them beyond repair. NOT!
You've now cleared somehing else up for me. I now know why you hate most teachers. You are among those who think that teachers are overpaid and underworked. To them and to you I say the same thing. Why are you not on this gravy train called teaching?
Yes. There are still students in colleges of education. How many will want to teach in Toledo when Toledo trails in pay in almost all school districts in the region, and urban districts in Ohio and Michigan? Thank you for sticking with your statements on the radio. They (literally) speak for themselves. Cost of living differences between Toledo and other Ohio cities? Give me a break! We're talking Cleveland, not New York, not San Francisco...Cleveland! I know a lot of teachers who teach in the "3Cs". The higher cost of living is negligible and you know it. Did you encourage your children to become teachers? Did you tout the importance of teaching in the Toledo Public Schools to them? I still ask, who is going to take my place when I retire?
You also conveniently ignore the fact that about half of the people who become teachers leave within the first five to seven years. Some find out they just don't like teaching, but many leave because they can't pay their bills on a teacher's salary. No one gets rich teaching. Those you make reference to who leave large estates either have spouses that did well in their chosen fields or had someone in their family or in their spouse's family who left them a great deal of money. I know some teachers who live a lavish lifestyle, at least compared to me. Every one has a spouse who makes a lot of money in another profession or in business. I don't resent them. Why, Steve, do you? I have known a few teachers who lived very frugally and invested well, and did amass a reasonable estate. I guess you would deny them credit for their frugality and you resent the fact that they did a better job of investing than you have done!
As for my knowing "both of my (your) children as students at Deveaux", let's get this out. I don't know all of the students who attend DeVeaux. I teach a little more than one-third of the eighth graders. Neither of you children was in any of my classes. One of your children was scheduled to have me as a teacher. That child's schedule was changed before the first day of classes. They other teachers in my cluster group had your child that year. I was told that there was no academic reason or scheduling conflict to necessitate this change. Do you recall why your child's schedule was changed?
Obviously you don't understand conflicts of interest - Kaboolian even appeared on panels touting the program with your leader. Now someone who has taken this stand should not have been involved in the review. It is that simple as it caused, at a minimum, the perception of a conflict and raises doubt about the results. From my perspective and many others, your union does not seem to care if everything is above board. It is all about controlling the results.
I'm sure given my involvement with the district that you heard about my children - given your involvement in the union you probably asked about them! And then it seems you imply that I intervened to have my children taken out of your class - or it sure seems that way - says what? Actually I thought my daughter did have your class. But you seem to remember this quite well. I have no idea why there was a change. While I was aware of some teachers at DeVeaux that had "issues" including one or two that should have had intervention, I never intervened in the process.
I never ignored the fact that teachers leave early - if you read all the postings here then you know that I understand that the Toledo Plan was aimed at its inception in 1981 at the problem of teacher retention - but the plan has been warped and made out to be a "weeding out" program instead.
As to cost of living, there are some big differences especially in housing costs. If I get time, I'll post some data. Also, you only want to compare to the big eight. Always the case with TPS and the TFT. The average Toledo teacher salary is right at the average for the state of Ohio. That means salaries in Toledo are at the average - not the bottom and therefore right in the middle as I said on Troy's show. Perhaps you should have asked me what comparison I was making - but that does not seem to be your style.
As to new teachers, there will be a problem when your generation retires. There have been discussions to put an early retirement program in place, but contractual provisions involving sick time accumulated and other issues have derailed it as your union leadership won't negotiate a reasonable settlement. I'm aware due to cut backs that the minimum time on the job (seniority) is now in the 7-8 year range. It will be a problem but the issue will be experience (which is not always a factor in good teaching) and not supply. There are many issues involving the teaching pipeline including curriculum, licensing, etc. But of course, you would like to imply that I don't consider these issues. Correct?
And why the "teacher hater" issue - some of the most important people in my life were teachers. I'll say it again, I have a problem with teacher unions - they have been out of touch and until recently there was a monopoly. Monopolies from an historical perspective have never been a good idea. Tough when you have to compete like the rest of Toledoans - civil servants excluded.
And finally I don't appreciate your style of debate - you appear condescending and very personal. Interesting debating strategy, but not very helpful in working through the issues.
BTW - when I served on the committee to select the DeVeaux principal with you, it looks like I was right about the issues that kept me from voting or agreeing with your choice but it took a while to be proven correct - usually does.
Steve, We'll never agree about Kaboolian.
I NEVER ask about children I may or may not get as students. I only recall the schedule change because, in over 20 years, the only other times that a student was moved out of my classroom at DeVeaux was because of a scheduling conflict or scheduling change.
"Weeding out?" I don't get it. First year teachers must meet high standards. Teachers leave early nationwide.
A very close teaching colleague of mine moved to Columbus about 8 or 9 years ago. She is making about $10,000 more per year. I can guarantee you that her house payment is a lot less than $850 per month more than it would be in Toledo!
The comparison of salaries I refered to was not only among the Ohio big 8, it was also in our immediate region. By using a statewide average, you are purposely obfuscating the issue. We don't compete for teaching candidates with Rio Grande, Ohio. We do compete with Maumee, Perrysburg, etc.
Early retirement would only exacerbate the problem of finding people who want to take my place. I'm not sure what you're saying here. We don't have people lining up who can't wait to teach in Toledo, because they want stability and a reasonable wage. Teachers have bills to pay, too.
As far as the principal selection, you obviously have a much better recollection of the process than I have. If you're refering to the principal who immediately preceded our current principal, I will only say that the union rep. and I were very disappointed in the field of candidates from which we had to select. To be totally honest, I personally asked (then DeVeaux Assistant Principal) John Batson to apply. He had been an acting principal for one year at Robinson, and was not interested in doing the job for the balance of his career. Do I know that Mr. Batson would have done a good job? No one can know that for sure. I thought that he would, but I've been wrong before.
As far as my style is concerned, I match the style of those whom I confront. Many years ago, I wrote a letter-to-the-editor criticizing Merrill Grant and an organization that you led. I never used your name at all. You chose to write a letter of complaint to every member of the TPS Board, and gave copies to, among others the TFT President. Your letter was personal. Those who use a tactic should not be insulted when that tactic is turned back upon them. And you have the nerve to lecture me about finding common ground and respecting those with whom I disagree?
It is not intended to be a lecture. It was an observation/comment.
I make it a rule to refrain from disparaging an individual's character, but I do comment on actions and behaviors. I separate the person from the behavior.
Now that you have brought it to memory, the letter was aimed at the comments in your letter to the editor; I certainly did not call you names nor label you a "parent hater" or any other name. Ad hominem arguments have never been part of my style.
If by personal, I made a point of letting others know in a public way the issues, okay. But that is not a personal attack! Big difference in calling people names and using labels to discredit the message by going after the person versus disputing comments in a public manner.
If I recall correctly, you made comments I disagreed with and felt compelled to dispute as inaccurate. After which, you wrote a letter to all the parties I copied so you had the chance to respond. I refuted your arguments. So you have a "grudge" because I made my disagreement public by writing to the board and superintendent?
And apparently you think I took it further by trying to keep my child out of your class – which I did not.
I guess we have a better understanding of the motivations.
Don't you think it is time to let it go? Or would you rather perpetuate a perceived injustice at the expense of an honest dialogue? I’m not going to be a party to a feud you wish to continue over an incident occurring 10 years ago.
That letter was a far cry from a personal attack which goes to the character of the person and not the disagreement!
See the wikipedia definition -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_attack
Enough said, as I said above you can have the last word.
not speculation. More information is available on tpsinfo.org, you might want to pull up the Kaboolian report which is a report done by Harvard professor Linda Kaboolian in response to our pushing for the abolishment of the Toledo Plan. TPS paid a good deal of money for this report, I think about $30,000 to have the Toledo Plan evaluated.
such as the researcher and author is part of the organization - Kennedy School of Government - that presented an award to TPS/TFT for the program. Makes one wonder who was interviewed in the evaluation process as well as the process in general. So there is a conflict of interest - no surprise with TPS.
Those involved in the lawsuit have stated that the data provided Kaboolian was different than the data they got during the lawsuit. So another question about the validity of some of the conclusions.
Nonetheless, there are some good observations and recommendations. To my knowledge not a thing has changed, i.e., no recommendations implemented - again not a big surprise.
If you want to review the report, here is a link:
http://tpsinfo.com/ToledoPlan/ToledoPlan.html
As a non-traditional 1st year teacher (age 44, 20+ years after college graduation before teaching full-time), I found the Intern Intervention Program very valuable. In fact, without the help, encouragement, and advice of my Intern Consultant, I doubt I would have continued teaching, at least in Toledo. I had to submit every week's lesson plans in advance to her, and she visited my classroom numerous times during that year. In the follow-up consultations, she critiqued my teaching and classroom management skills, and gave suggestions for improvement. I am proud to have been helped by the program, and hope to become a consultant myself, so that I can help others in their first year of teaching.
Instead of giving up that first year, I worked with my Intern Consultant, learning best how to handle the "unique" situations in the urban schools. Moving into Toledo from a suburb where most children want to attend school and achieve was an eye-opening experience and could have been overwhelming without the help given through this TFT program. I am now in my 11th year with TPS, have completed a master's degree, and am a National Board Certified Teacher. I truly think that I would not have become a successful teacher without the help given through the Toledo Plan.
...would be your recommendation for an evaluation mechanism for teachers in TPS? How do you mix together comprehensive mentorship for new teachers, along with critical assessment tools for performance to make decisions on retention?
I do not know the specifics of the case you refer to, although I just read through the appeals decision of the Sturdivant case. It appears as if that the major issues were one of procedural problems (and perhaps a lousy CT?!). My heart goes out to a person, but this isn't an indictment of a whole system.
The Toledo Plan has won nationwide accolades for how it works, how it links together administration and union in evaluating new educators, and has been replicated in many districts. There is a lot of positive word about it from other locales. I've heard numerous complaints about it from posters here, but no solutions offered.
Thanks for the link to the report data, sflagg! It was an interesting read ~ some good recommendations for change, but it seems as if the recommendations are tweaks, not overhauls, of the system.
I accuse the Kennedy School of bias?
During the time of the report, Kaboolian had a previous relationship with at least one board member.
---------
"Show me a man who lives alone and has a perpetually dirty kitchen, and
five times out of nine I'll show you an exceptional man." -Charles
Bukowski
identify Toledo on a map. Know your fact. We do.
before you post. Mr. Sturdivant is on no boards, charter schools or otherwise. Get it right before you post, that is what we do. Check who gives you the information then check the information. We check before we give out information or accuse anyone of anything!
Just like the washer/dryers at Pickett, before I said anything I checked with the principal who verified everything. Then I e-mailed John Foley.
Then someone should inform the Blade. From Alliance Academy terminates leadership on August 4th, 2007:
"Buckeye Community Hope Foundation, the sponsoring
agency — which in Ohio charges a fee in exchange for granting charter
contracts and overseeing the publicly funded schools — selected three
new board members: Sherita Evans, Judy Stone, and Tyrone Sturdivant.
They are all members of the governing board of Paul Laurence Dunbar Academy, a charter school at 331 14th St., operated by the for-profit Leona
Group of East Lansing, Mich."
---------
"Show me a man who lives alone and has a perpetually dirty kitchen, and
five times out of nine I'll show you an exceptional man." -Charles
Bukowski
From the Leona Group website...
http://www.leonagroup.com/dunbar/
It seems Mr. Sturdivant is on the Board of Directors (Treasurer) for the Paul Laurence Dunbar Academy.
Sturdivant resigned from both boards in Feb. 2008.
So let's put this one to rest!
And if there are any non-believers among you, I'm sure we can get the letters of resignation and post them.
Personally, I don't see the issue. Charter schools are by law public schools in Ohio. Sturdivant has always been about what is best for kids.
BTW - I too am in favor of parental choice. Who better to judge the quality of the school, interaction with parents - staff and what is best for their child than the parents as opposed to a special interest group (teacher unions) that represent teachers and not children!
I too am in favor of parental choice. Who better to judge the quality of the school, interaction with parents - staff and what is best for their child than the parents as opposed to a special interest group (teacher unions) that represent teachers and not children!
-sflagg
I totally agree. But understand a lot of parents are hopping from school to school to school. Does this mean that the previous schools were bad? Maybe, maybe not.
School choice is a responsiblity, but many parents misuse this responsibility. Some parents use it as retribution, some use it to hide things, etc. Like anything good, people will abuse if they can and wish too. So before you condemn a school as bad find out why students left.
BTW - I am a TPS employee (at Libbey HS). I am a TFT member. I do know dalepertchek (I worked with him for one year at DeVeaux JHS...He's a good teacher and a pretty funny guy). And I don't agree with the Toledo Plan (although I made it through it), but not for the reasons that purnhrt and sflagg disagree with it.
why you don't agree with the Toledo Plan? I have only mentioned some of the issues where I have problems.
Now one part I think is important and in talking with Dal Lawrence in years past he indicated to me that it was the primary reason early on - the mentoring part. Teachers were "burning out" and leaving teaching early in their careers. So mentoring through those early years and getting a good foundation was important and I still believe this part of the program is of immense value if properly implemented.
It comes to the evaluation and mentoring part - they really should be separated. Mentoring teachers should be about assuring success and not "weeding out". Which do you place as your priority if you do both?
Yes parents misuse or don't understand their responsibility at times. The same goes for everyone from teachers to CEO's. However, you should not regulate in such a way that you take away that responsibility because some can not properly exercise their obligations. At times it is a tough situation: when to regulate and when to allow free choice. I tend to err on the free choice side but see the need to establish rules and guidelines with flexibility in which to operate.
the Board of Directors for the Alliance Acdemy on their website:
http://www.leonagroup.com/alliance/
But I did find this:
The board of directors meets monthly, 4 p.m. The meeting location rotates between Alliance and Paul L. Dunbar acadmies - contact the school for meeting loaction.
Hold off on that e-mail.
maybe you should tell them.
so are you still going to deny that he is a Board member to this school?
And I'd be happy to shoot them an email correcting them.
But first I'll ask again, with which board member did Kaboolian have a previous relationship?
---------
"Show me a man who lives alone and has a perpetually dirty kitchen, and
five times out of nine I'll show you an exceptional man." -Charles
Bukowski
about the Urban Coalition is because we have the facts, we get it right and then we report if necessary. Whereas you all and you know who you are, for starters, Sandy, just spout and don't check your facts.
do your research don't just listen to what TPS tells you. I don't have to deny or refute anything. Check my post from 12:26PM today.
Article published Thursday, February 28, 2008 Fired directors of academy sue for breach of contract The former co-directors of the once-troubled Alliance Academy have filed suit in Lucas County Common Pleas Court against the charter school's board of directors, the management company, and its sponsoring agency. Jerri Heer and Letha Ferguson, who filed the lawsuit Feb. 21 for breach of contract, contend their two-year contracts with the charter school were breached when they were terminated after one year. Ms. Heer, the school's former administrative director, claims to have lost about $72,950 over the balance of her contract. Ms. Ferguson, the education director, claims to have lost $86,920. A newly appointed board - Sherita Evans, Tyrone Sturdivant, Judy Stone, Fran Wexler, and Dick Knapp - terminated the contracts Aug. 9 and voted to approve a management agreement with Leona Group LLC. The school was having academic and financial problems and was ordered by its sponsor to replace its directors with a for-profit company. The five board members, Leona, and Buckeye Community Hope Foundation, are defendants in the lawsuit.
As of February 28, 2008, he was still on the Board. It has not otherwise been stated so in public information. However, either way I could really care less........
you are still wrong!!!
*****And I'd be happy to shoot them an email correcting them.
But first I'll ask again, with which board member did Kaboolian have a previous relationship?******
Start shooting!
#2 Don't get it twisted about anyone having a relationship with Professor Kaboolian. It was a professional relationship and I don't have to tell you who it was/is. In your infinite wisdom you figure out who it is/was.
whatever..................if I say a chicken dips snuff, look under his wing!
Dont get mad that we have proved you to be wrong......you pride yourself on accurate information and your research. Well, our research has found you to be wrong, he is a member of the Board. Are you still going to say, "he is no member of any board"?
Twila is correct. 2 months ago I'm sure she would not have made that comment.
As mentioned in another response, Sturdivant resigned from both boards in Feb. 2008
Perhaps an apology is in order as it appears she did check her facts!
You should ask for an apology from the Leona Group for posting out of date information. I'm sure you are correct, but until I have other information about this I'll have to take their word for it.
Sincerely,
s.weso
PS-I'm surprised such a minor issue has raised your ire (and use of exclamation points). Chill out, you guys have honor and righteousness on your side, right?
It did not raise my ire - I just have fun from time to time the !
I appreciate your sarcasm - give me some credit for a sense of humor as well!
Oh no, not another !
Cheers
I'm not sure what you mean by this, but my spidey sense tells me don't look under that wing.
No matter what teacher evaluation process is used there will be unhappy individuals. There is no perfect evaluation process and there never will be. CLICHE ALERT: This seems more about splitting hairs than anything else.
Good postings! Fred's smiling and toasting you! Me, too!
no one is "mad" at either one of you. My energies go towards other more positive things.
there are some issues with this Toledo Plan from many different angles. How long has it been in existence? Does anyone know? And what was in place prior to and did it work better?
How long has TFT been around as well? And did things work better prior? For the students, taxpayers or teachers?
I can get you the exact year, but the Toledo Plan was started nearly 30 years ago. Before that, as in every other school district in the nation, principals or other administrators, exclusively, evaluated teachers. In TPS, administrators still do all other evaluations except for first year "Intern" teachers, and those experienced teachers placed into "Intervention". In the five years before the Toledo Plan started, TPS non-renewed (fired) exactly ZERO first year teachers. About 8%-12% of first year teachers are non-renewed in a normal hiring year under the Toledo Plan. As I have stated in other postings, nothing constructed by human beings is perfect. Most of the Intern "Consulting Teachers" want their interns to succeed and work hard to mentor them and improve their skills. I think that you'll agree the Toledo Plan is a vast improvement over a system that "rubber stamped" the evaluation of first year teachers previously.
Experienced teachers may be placed into Intervention either by the principal or by the union building committee. Most Interventions are joint recommendations of both. Those placed into Intervention either improve, or are forced out of the classroom.
A form of the Toledo Plan is used in school districts large and small around the nation. In Ohio, Cincinnati, Columbus, Port Clinton, and Berea are among those who use a form of the Toledo Plan. The State of California has a statewide program based upon the Toledo Plan, and Dal Lawrence was a consultant on the original legislation. Mr. Lawrence has made numerous trips to California helping unions and management set up these programs in their individual districts. More recently, he consulted in Chicago and in Monterrey, Mexico!
The TFT has been in existence since 1933. It formed primarily, I was told, by women teachers who wanted the same pay as men. TFT became the bargaining agent for TPS teachers in the late 1960s over the Toledo Education Association. So TFT has been in existence for 75 years, and has been the bargaining agent for about 40 years.
I'm aware of the issues principals have putting teachers into intervention. If the building committee does not agree, oh the poor principal for trying to do his job.
How many veteran teachers are placed in intervention and how many are actually fired? Got the numbers or are you just talking?
Since almost all administrators come from the teaching ranks, what does that say when you criticize and suggest that administrators are the root of all evil. However, I will agree that a good process is absolutely critical in the evaluation process and even then it is difficult to keep the subjectiveness out of it - just as is the case with the Toledo Plan.
The Toledo Plan was started in 1981 - that means it has been in place for 27 years.
As you know, I am a full time teacher. Although I know a lot about the Toledo Plan, I do not know everything about it. I can get the stats on intervention, but this is not my primary job.
As far as the principal's role is concerned, let me explain. I respect a lot of principals. The title alone does not earn my respect. Their performance does. Earl Apgar was the best overall principal I ever worked with, but Earl had his flaws, too, as do I.
But principals are overwhelmed with duties. Evaluating teachers is not a top priority. Keeping order in the school building takes precedence. But, let's suppose a competent sincere administrator wants to do a comprehensive evaluation of a first year teacher. When I was teaching 6th grade my first year, there was no intern program. The principal, whom I considered to be a competent professional administrator, had been a secondary Phys. Ed. teacher. She evaluated me highly based upon two visits of about 30-40 minutes each. That's all the time she had!
There were two other first year teachers at Cherry that year. One taught first grade. The other was a music teacher. How can a principal trained in secondary education do a knowledgeable evaluation of three teachers with such a wide range of teaching assignments at the elementary level? Even if the principal had been an elementary teacher, how does one train to evaluate teachers at so many different grade levels, with such varying curricula and ages of students?
In the old days, I often respresented TFT as part of the interview team when a teacher would apply to be an elementary principal. One interviewee was in his SECOND year of teaching! He got his first administrative job the following year. How's that for teaching expertise!? He may have turned out to be an excellent administrator. The types of skills needed to be a good building administrator are quite different from those needed to be a good teacher. But some people enter the education field with no respect for teachers, and can't wait to get out of the classroom and into an administrative position. I've known some very good, experienced teachers who became adminstrators, and failed miserably. That's the whole point of the Toledo Plan. Steve, you and weso are stuck in the factory system of viewing union and management. Dal Lawrence's goal was to take full responsibility for those entering the teaching profession as the medical profession does. Hospital administrators have some supervisory authority, but it is physicians who evaluate interns to see if they have what it takes to be good doctors.
Several years after I started, I taught and shared students with a new sixth grade teacher. Her only experience before that year was teaching pre-school. Her "Intern Consultant" had been a student teacher when I was a student at Nathan Hale, and had taught me. He had been teaching sixth grade for nearly 30 years and was assigned to evaluate a sixth grade teacher. He must have made 8-10 visits to observe her. He shared ideas with her. Working closely with her as I did, I knew that she would have no problem being recommended for continuing employment with TPS. She is still teaching with TPS, and is an excellent teacher. Her comment to me at the beginning of her second year at Cherry was, "I miss Mr. Kozbial." I told her to give him a call any time. I knew that he would be happy to continue mentoring her. Mr. Kozbial, and most "Intern Consultants" want TPS school children to have the best possible teachers in TPS classrooms. A principal could have little teaching experience. A principal is unlikely to have taught at the grade level and/or in the subject area of the teacher who is to be evaluated. How long ago was that principal's last teaching assignment? 18 years? 27 years?
THAT'S the difference between principal evaluations and the Toledo Plan. Again I state that any plan carried out by human beings is imperfect, but the Toledo Plan is far superior to any other teacher evaluation system.
I know Crystal Ellis well, professionally. I respect him highly. I believe he respects me, too. You'd have to ask him that. We were talking recently when I happened to see him at the Ad. Building. Let me add that Mr. Ellis is one of those rare individuals who I have heard praised in every job he ever held with TPS both as a teacher and as an administrator. I don't think that I'm betraying a confidence to say that, in Mr. Ellis's opinion, the worst decision Dal Lawrence ever made as TFT President was when he cancelled the Intern Program for one year over a termination that did not follow procedure. Again, Mr. Ellis can speak for himself, and quite eloquently, I may add. But Mr. Ellis is fully committed to the Toledo Plan. Maybe, just maybe, he knows a little bit more about it than you or I do, Steve.
Dale,
From what I have seen you write here and elsewhere, you appear to take great liberty with your assumptions. I fully agree that peers should be part of the evaluation process. I have a problem with aspects of the Toledo Plan especially where one consulting teacher holds all the power, they may not be subject or grade specific and a review process that backs up the CT and really does not provide for due process. You won't like this but I would include parents in the evaluation process as well. And yes I understand the problems here and have considered ways to mitigate the obsequious and parochial, as well as the overly critical parents.
I would also implement merit based compensation: yes I know the devil is in the details, but I also know that the AFT believes it to be one means to raising teacher salaries and assuring more effective teachers.
The biggest problem is, whether it is TPS or the TFT, that any perceived criticism immediately puts the individual in the “against” column - you are either for us or against us. As those who are charged with teaching critical thinking, I find teachers who are heavily supportive of the "union way" to be short in practicing the skills they are supposed to teach – they remind me of the overly protective parents that are criticized because they are too emotionally involved and can not think objectively.
You assume I want a traditionally based evaluation system. The problems with assumptions are patently obvious. Instead of asking questions, determining common ground you instead make an assumption and go for the jugular. It is a peculiar mindset in TPS and that I believe is prevalent in Toledo.
I have many friends and acquaintances that are teachers including TPS, parochial, charter, suburban and higher ed. We find that we have a lot of common ground. I regularly have discussions with teachers and administrators to understand the issues and test ideas. I find it best to go to those who are less likely to agree with me to seek out concerns so I may formulate better strategies and am better prepared when questions arise.
Being critical of parts of the Toledo Plan does not mean I don't see why it was put in place and agree with the underlying mission. But I see serious flaws and I don't believe union leadership should be in charge of hiring and firing and that is what is occurring here.
Do me a favor, and yourself in the process, and try to understand or ask questions as to why certain comments are made and especially the information or data upon which such statements are made and delivered. Accusing someone of being a "teacher hater" does not allow the process to move forward. And frankly there is no basis for such a remark. I can have issues with compensation, evaluation, pacing guides, curriculum, your union leadership and more that does not mean I hate teachers.
Having major issues with TFT leadership, does not logically lead to the conclusion that I hate teachers.
In fact such statements as a “teacher hater” are offensive and if you have someone who is easily excited and prone to grudges, you have stopped all dialogue and most likely made an enemy.
I always do my research, but that does not mean I won't take a different opinion of the information than someone else does. I don't speak on an issue affecting TPS until I have the research and support as there are some 3500 or more TPS employees, their families and friends that are ready to call me on an error.
I am not ready to destroy the city of Toledo by raising taxes to levels that drive businesses and citizens from the city. There has to be a balance. Actually I believe we are at a crossroads now with the highest income tax and either 2nd or 3rd (I have to check since the last election) highest effective property taxes. That is a formula for disaster. Along with a couple of issues, I think the “perfect storm” is upon us: Can we weather it?
I also have issues with public service unions and their roles in selecting their bosses (board members, city council, etc.). Such situations strip the governmental processes of checks and balances and stop debate and, in my mind, leads to poor public policy.
Now you are free to disagree with me, but I think the results indicate problems with the performance of our city and schools including the exodus of residents from the city despite the fact that there are real housing bargains in Toledo that would be attractive if we were even close to being competitive with our suburban counterparts. In fact, I'm doing some research on this now.
I have one objective: to create a better community and one way I see to do this is by impacting the future through our children. I constantly see them used as the pawns in this struggle and when parents get blamed, kids are the ones that suffer even though they have no choice or voice in the matter. I don’t see teachers as instruments of blame either, but unions are not about kids and the best interests of our community. They are about the best interests of their members.
I live in Toledo and could have moved to the suburbs and joined you a long time ago. Instead, I have stayed, raised my voice with regard to city, county and school problems and issues. You may not appreciate the tactics used, and that is certainly your prerogative, but to disparage a person's character simply because we disagree is wrong. IMO, it is why we seem to have intractable problems in Toledo, our country and world and can find no common ground that would lead to solutions. I must admit to thinking it is time to join you in the suburbs, but the same problems besetting Toledo are headed your way – it is just a matter of time. I have thought about joining a friend in New Zealand.
Don’t assume we have no common ground. Don’t assume because we disagree and you read bad things in your union newsletter or the local daily that I am a “negative” person. Don’t assume that a program like the Toledo Plan can’t be improved upon. Call me. I’m in the book, we can discuss it. At the very least you would know why I made the comments or took the action I did.
TPS, TFT, etc. are part of the larger community. They need the support of this community and labeling your critics instead of engaging them will lead to less support and eventually irrelevance if not extinction.
I don't think that parents should be involved in teacher evaluations any more than patients are involved in doctor evaluations. Doctors and teachers get sued by parents and patients when they are accused of malpractice. Doctors do the formal evaluation of doctors, and teachers should do the evaluation of teachers. In Toledo, and -- as you choose to ignore -- in a large number of other districts based upon the Toledo Plan, teachers do evaluate teachers. And, on the whole, they do so better than any other evaluators.
Like so many Toledoans, who hold our region back, if it's not your idea, it's a bad idea. You do the same thing to me and TFT that you accuse me of doing to you. You make assumptions just because we are a union. The whole point of the Toledo Plan was to get better instruction to Toledo's children. The Toledo Plan was and is the antithesis of a selfish union just looking out after its members. TFT participates in firing its members. What don't you get about this? Dal Lawrence couldn't stand idly by and watch while his students were in classrooms with incompetent teachers. And to add insult to injury, as head of the teachers' union, he watched our grievance people win time after time when administrators failed to do their job of following proper procedure to fire poorly performing teachers. THE TOLEDO PLAN: IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN!!
Interesting how you continue to disparage my character again and again – at least this time I am in the company of "many" Toledoans. I don't believe my ideas are better than others although I do research and vet them. Most of the ideas are collaborations or from other disciplines or communities. You say you have listened to my interviews. Then you would have heard me say that we don't necessarily believe the ideas are the best, but they give us a place to begin discussions, identify solutions and implement needed changes. I believe it was in the same interview where I discussed teacher salaries that you referenced in an earlier post.
You seem to listen with a selective filter that let's you hear what you want to hear. Instead of asking how parents could be involved, or community members, or you dismiss the idea out of hand. Wow! You never ask for details such as how it would be accomplished or what areas parents could be involved with - such as teacher - student - parent interaction. Such an attitude appears closed minded at the very least.
Apparently only teachers can evaluate all or parts of the performance of teachers. Wow!
Of course I know that Consulting Teachers, a handful of teachers, evaluate other teachers. What about peer evaluations - those in the same building that day after day see the impact of individual teachers on the students. I have had many a teacher state issues with other TPS teachers. When challenged, most mumble something about not getting involved, or their union won't do anything, or that it is management's responsibility. The vast majority go back to their classroom, close the door and never act. I wonder why?
What in the world do lawsuits have to do with evaluations? A preponderance of such suits might indicate problems if they continue to crop up for negligence. Actually there are a number of areas where hospitals, those that strive for continued improvement, survey patients for quality of service. And who better to evaluate bed side manner than the patient receiving the service.
Again, you fail to ask questions and go for the jugular. I have given you ample opportunity to ask why. Yet all I hear is vitriolic diatribe.
And to criticize me as a Toledoan, like so many other Toledoans, for holding back the region is offensive to all Toledoans and on the surface appears an elitist statement coming from a suburbanite who appears to be satisfied with bleeding Toledo with higher taxes, which you would not have to pay, for your salary. Now what does that say?
Let's get the numbers and see just how many veteran teachers have been placed into intervention and fired.
Actually, I have had many including TPS teachers, as well as administrators and community members say that if it is not the TFT's idea then it never gets to see the light of day. If the idea does somehow get implemented, it gets undermined. The words are not mine and were stated to me in much stronger language.
So Dale, who really holds the region back? Is it those that ask the questions, explore the situation, and begin the dialogue and debate or those stuck in the mud of the past? A program that is almost 30 years old and never been modified would indicate neglect and/or the inability to improve based upon actual results. It just could not have been perfect from the beginning and the Kaboolian report supports this assertion with narrative and recommendations.
By failing to ask the questions and look at alternatives, you and your union leadership assure mediocrity.
And interestingly enough you don't address any other points brought up except parent involvement in teacher evaluations.
I think I will let you have the last word as with the attitude I see here, there is little to be gained from further discussion except to let those reading the comments judge for themselves. In fact, I think I'll pull the discussions we have had here and propagate them to a larger audience.
I really don't have time to continue this pointless dialog. I admit that I don't believe that you understand how much most TPS teachers care, nor how hard most TPS teachers work. I also accept that you can't understand that this inner city kid grown up has enough money for himself, but really worries about the next generation of teachers for which TPS must compete. I also believe that you can't accept that union leaders elected by teachers care about the students their members teach. How sad for you!
My wife and I chose to live in Sylvania in 1974, at a time when she was teaching in Michigan and I was in the private sector. We wanted a stable public school system, and we, properly, foresaw the funding problems of larger cities filtering down to cities like Toledo. We have voted for every school levy (and every other levy, for that matter) in Sylvania, even long after our younger child graduated in 1997.
As parents ourselves, my wife and I found fault with a teacher here or there. Guess what we did? We went to the teacher and discussed our problem directly with that person. One we thought was a very poor practitioner, but in Sylvania, there is no union support to place teachers in Intervention. Our child survived the experience and went on to do quite well. It is an important lesson to teach our own children that there are some people they must deal with who are difficult, and they must learn coping skills.
It is my belief that a letter, using a person's name, sent to one's employer and to one's union President is a personal attack. I will let those who read everything that we have written decide for themselves.
sflagg- You wonder why I don't like the Toledo Plan. Simply, I think it always bad for a union to fire its own members. This will cause division among the ranks, and the worst thing a union can do is create division. I have thought a couple teachers got raw deals, but no system of evaluation will be perfect. If the district implemented your system of evaluation there would still people who would say they got screwed and sue the district.
kateb- To my understanding the Toledo Plan has been around since the late 70's. The previous practice of evaluation was done by school principals. The reason it changed was because some inept administrators abused and misused their power. Essentially some of these guys were asking for sexual favors for good evaluations (obviously you see the problem in this).
The TFT has been around since the 1960's.
Are things better now compared to then. I don't know that's up to the individual. But the district has a history of money problems and academic issues (what school district hasn't).
BTW- Before you think I'm real nice guy, I will state I don't trust ANYONE on this website (well maybe dalepertchek). I figure everyone on here wants to protect or take something: money, power, or the embarassment of others.
PS- purnhrt stop givin' the chickens cocaine:)
Never stated what evaluation process I would use. So if your statement implies that you know what it is, perhaps you would like to clarify my position for me? I have actually been involved in evaluating such processes and even establishing them in a few situations.
I would agree that no system is perfect - the best assure evaluations by more than one such as a 360 evaluation and minimize the potential for subjectiveness by using items such as specific behavioral examples to underscore the validity of the evaluation process.
I agree that unions should not be involved in the hiring/firing process. They are there to negotiate wages and benefits and assure all members due process. The Toledo Plan obviously excludes new members from the assurance of due process.
Toledo Plan was established in 1981.
No you did not state an evaluation process on this thread. I guess what I meant to say is whatever process you come up with will still have holes and will still anger people.
I got beat by Pertchek to the post now I sound all crazy. Oh well, I'll be crazy.