Teachers being surveyed!

Some news from this morning's Journal editorial, link, here quoted in significant part;

"Teachers, ... have a say about education today."

Were it true, it would be truly remarkable.

It would represent a diametric reversal in the fundamental paradigm.  As I have oft mentioned, in the APS alone, teachers have nearly 100,000 years of teaching experience and no "say" at all.  Teachers have no seat at the table where decisions are made about education.

A lot depends on the survey instrument itself.   If they have asked the right questions,

 “The results of the statewide survey will inform how we can best prepare classroom teachers and school leaders.”

If the right questions weren't asked, the survey will have been pointless.

So far the survey, link, is apparently unavailable to non-participants.
Update: the survey is available; link, I didn't search far enough. It appears the right questions have been asked.

It would seem that the roll out of the survey has been bungled (teachers don't know about it).  The return rate is only around 1 in 20.  They were hoping for a return rate of 1 in 2. The fewer teachers who respond, the less valid the results. 

With regard to the word "not getting out"; the survey began more than two weeks ago and the word came out on APS' award winning website 13 hours ago, link.

The editors wrote;

"... the information gleaned will be available and important to all of New Mexico’s education policy leaders."

... but not to any interest holder, not to every interest holder?

I can't help but wonder if the survey results are going to be as hard to find as the survey.
Update; the survey was available, I failed to find it.

Will the results be redacted in the interests of powerful people trying to protect the corrupt, the incompetent, and those with guilty knowledge of incompetence and corruption?  Will any findings that name names, be hidden?

It wouldn't be the first time.  Not by a long shot.

The editors aver;

As the Legislature considers reforms this session, teachers have an opportunity to make their voices heard in another meaningful way.

If it's so meaningful, why is it not newsworthy? Why haven't the editors assigned a reporter to investigate and report on the survey?

The editors called out teachers,

Let New Mexico know what you think about education and what can be done to improve it.

Journal readers have a right to call out the editors.

Let New Mexico know what teachers think.  Let New Mexico know what teachers think of the survey; was it any good?  Did they ask the right questions?

What about the teachers who chose to not participate? Why didn't they?

The Journal's record is of reporting the administrative and executive perspective on education while steadfastly ignoring input from people who work in classrooms; people who work everyday at the educational interface, where the system and students meet face to face.

And for the record, my invitation to meet with the new Journal education reporter, link, was apparently ignored.

I say "apparently" because it is impossible to distinguish a difference between being ignored, being stonewalled or any one of a number of perfectly good reasons he hasn't responded; maybe he's on vacation or ill, maybe the email got lost in the ether.

Or maybe he was told to not respond.

Maybe it was his own deliberate decision.

The net result is the same, any answer except yes, including no answer at all, means no.



photo Mark Bralley