In an editorial opinion in the Journal this morning (not in the online version, hence no link), the editor(s) suggest that all failing schools need to do is to be repaired is to, "listen to the coach"; $80,000 a year administrators who job it is to wander between schools offering advice.
The editorial support falls short in at least two aspects; premise and supporting evidence.
They begin by introducing the two administrators as "...principals who recently turned their troubled schools around ..."
It is difficult to imagine a dynamic more complex than the dynamic at a school. To suggest that one person has turned the dynamic around by their individual effort seems unlikely; the argument is more likely to turn up in an administrative resume, than in chat in the teachers lounge. It is entirely more likely that, if the dynamic truly changed, and further that the change in the dynamic is responsible for the increase in test scores, many people were involved,
only one of whom was an administrator.
Further, in all of the articles that the Journal and Trib have run in support of APS administrative efforts, not one has included the opinions of teachers in the affected schools. Neither the Tribune nor the Journal has found a teacher at any of these schools, who is willing to credit an administrator with the success. In the editorial, and in the article that prompted the editorial, they could not even find an administrator who would express any enthusiasm for this latest boondoggle. Nobody but the leadership of the APS and Journal, thinks it is a good idea to hire more administrators to administer administrators who are already administering other administrators, who are administering other administrators, who are administering other administrators, ...
For all of their blowing about what a good job Linda Sink did in the schools that she led, not one report has included a quote from a teacher at one of those schools who credits Linda Sink with the success. They have not found a teacher to quote, who even likes Linda Sink.
There is no support for the additional administrators, except from the APS UAC and from the leadership of the local newspapers; one Thomas J Lang.
The APS Uptown Administrative Complex is not completely full, yet.
But with a little more of the same old, same old,
it will be.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Journal Editors Support APS'"Support" Principals
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Yeah, and the Media thought the Principal Shuffle was a great idea as well. Tell me now, how's that working out for ya'all?
Why don't we all get behind Cordova, Fierro et.al and sing Kumbaya!
Pat Woodard is really cool. She is a funny and intelligent lady. But I wish we could get these awesome, experienced people to come back and help teach kids, not add to the already multi-layered administrative cake.
Don't get me wrong, Dr. Woodard is worth every penny of 8o thou a year, but the benificiary should be a classroom of kids who will always remember how Dr. Woodard taught them and loved them as individuals and made them better, more informed citizens. Not to remember a fleeting glimpse of that lady who comes and talks to the pricipal once in a while.
Nice work, Ched. I obviously agree.
It is my understanding that the Principle shuffle came apart because senior principles like Tim Whalen of MHS refused to participate. I think the 2-3 senior principals said they would retire if made to do the shuffle, even if the other "junior" principles had to. One main reason why it quietly went away.
I don't know wether to say "Great for standing your ground" or "Why the hell can't you be a team player?"...either way, it was all hadled crappy on all sides!
Don't kid yourselves. Everett, Peck and Venegas all knew they were going and the Principal Shuffle was payback, that's all. Any principal who stood up for the children in their school got a going away present. Nothing else.
I stand corrected. The principal at Truman Mid, whose entire staff gets help from Dr. Woodard, seems to really like the idea of a whole-school guru. She thanks specifically APS and PED in her op-ed letter in the Journal today, but proffesses love for Dr. W.
Dr. Woodard is like some kind of Joanathan Livingston Seagull. I know she used to fly an airplane at one point in her life. Anyways, maybe this is really good to have Dr. Woodard, J.L.S. Certified school guru. The kids need teachers to teach them. And the teachers/administrators need gurus to teach them how to REALLY cope and apply all that book larnin'. I say great, my mind has been changed.
Now lets see the same level of support for all the schools. And truly, write down the nodes and pathways to school wisdom that these ultra-experienced administrators are bringing to the table so we can replicate it elsewhere.
If it is really working well, then APS and PED should codify what is being done and train other gurus to deliver the same material and then continously improve upon it.
Because APS has been trying diferent administrative solutions to address poor performance with Truman and Ernie Pyle for years and decades. If it works, adapt it and slowly improve upon it, I say. Those kids deserve good schools with kick ass teachers. If Dr. Woodard is making that possible, then by God keep her there.
Post a Comment