Poor Neighborhoods, Untested Teachers

[elleng]

The concentration of new teachers in low-income communities is "remarkably consistent" across the nation, said James Wyckoff, a University of Virginia economist. Many teachers leave jobs in low-income communities after a year or two. Their flight leaves openings in struggling schools, which are filled by more new teachers. Federal law has tried to slow the cycle, with uneven results.

"We can't afford to take risks with our most vulnerable kids, yet that's exactly what we do," said Kati Haycock, president of the Education Trust, an advocate for disadvantaged students. . .

Inexperienced teachers tend to be less effective, especially in their first two years. That is when they learn to tame an unruly bunch into a class, prepare six hours of daily lessons and grade 25 homework assignments without working through dinner.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/26/AR2009042602861.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2009042602947

[BlooInBloo]

1. That's ok. There's nothing wrong with teachers. I know this because teachers tell me so.

[Hello_Kitty]

4. Just so long as we never, ever, ever blame the parents.

Oh my heavens no. There are no incompetent parents. It's always the teacher's fault. :eyes:

[BlooInBloo]

8. It seems to require a teacher to think that only one party can have a slice of the blame pie.

[Hello_Kitty]

9. And it takes a parent to point the finger at everyone else.

While parking Junior in front of the TV or computer, stuffing him full of HFCS-laden junk, and not providing him with any discipline or structure in the home.

[BlooInBloo]

11. Glad to see we agree.

[October]

13. Are you a parent?

[Hello_Kitty]

14. Whether or not I'm a parent has nothing to do with how crappy you are as a parent.

If what I posted doesn't describe you then it isn't about you. But it does describe a lot of parents out there. Who turn around and blame the teachers for not performing miracles on children they have less than a third of the time that the parents do.

How about "merit pay" for parents? No tax breaks or tax credits for you if your kid doesn't show up, every day, prepared for school.

[October]

15. Interesting reply

[bluestateguy]

2. By and large good teachers don't want to teach in inner city ghetto schools

Yes, there are a few courageous exceptions to that rule, but they are just that, the exception, not the rule.

Teaching is an underpaid, underappreciated profession, requiring a lot of hard work and thankless tasks. You can't blame a good teacher for not wanting to come to work every day in an environment that is chock full of unprepared, badly behaved students, violence, teen pregnancies, drugs, underfunded and dilapidated school facilities and parents who just don't seem to care (or don't have time to care). I can sympathize with a good teacher who leaves such an environment for a school in a better area.

[elleng]

3. So whats a society to do?

.

[rpannier]

7. They could consider doing what they do in Korea and Japan

5 years maximum at any one school, then they teacher must move to another school.
This goes for administration as well.
It prevents a pool the best people from coalescing around the 'better' schools.

on note: I know it's 2-5 years at a school in Korea. I'm not positive about Japan, but I think I'm correct

[EFerrari]

6. Well, families don't want to live in ghettos and parents

don't want to send their kids to those schools. So, it looks like everyone is in agreement on this point.

[elleng]

10. Good Work, EF,

finding ONE point of agreement on this issue!!!

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. low income community schools are training grounds for upper income and private schools

sad.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. Teacher unions will scream if any attempt is made to reduce transfer preference based on senority

Another reason why a radical restructure is needed in education in the US