Teachers, staff at Randolph applauded
Kris Enright Executive Director, Professional Association Of Colorado Educators Englewood
Published December 25, 2007 at 12:05 a.m.
I applaud the Bruce Randolph School staff for taking historic steps, requesting their school be an autonomous entity within the Denver school district.
These teachers seek first to meet the educational needs of their students.
The needs of children vary drastically from school to school and the constraints of a one-size-fits-all union contract cannot possibly fulfill the individual needs of every school, teacher or child. As professionals, Bruce Randolph's teachers are taking the necessary steps to ensure that students are put first and foremost.
The administration and teachers at Bruce Randolph are clearly committed to working collaboratively to focus on education with their school and the results are already evident. The school's State Accountability Rating is on the rise and all of their high school students are on track to graduate on time. For the professional educator, this is what education is all about!
The professionalism displayed at this school is a breath of fresh air to parents, students and members of the community. One can only hope that other schools will be heartened and inspired by Bruce Randolph and follow their lead.
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December 25, 2007
10:54 a.m.
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galty writes:
It's nice to see a teachers' association applauding innovation for a change.
December 25, 2007
1:54 p.m.
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BO writes:
I have worked at schools that were great (high graduation, high test scores, etc.), and had associations and/ or unions. Unions have nothing to do with school deterioration. I belong to my school's association. I care greatly about my job. However, dedication to the kids doesn't pay bills, so yes, I also care about my salary, just like anyone from any other profession. Our association is not only concerned with salary, but trying to fund upgrades to our school. For example, our school was considered the top school in the state of NE for our size in terms of technology. The board decided that since they were #1, they could stop spending money in that area. The result- the computer in my room is about 6-7 years old. The teachers' contract for 2006-07 was settled in March. The 2007-08 contract is still unsettled. However, despite these issues (as well as many others), I still come in and do the best I can (and so do most of my coworkers).
Denver (as well as most large city districts) have issues with drugs, gangs, absent parents, teen pregnancy, etc. What has the biggest negative influence on school system quality- the teachers' union, or these factors?
December 26, 2007
10:19 a.m.
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Eli writes:
Why is it that teachers and unions always say that the solution is more money?
If you have a six or seven year old computer, so what?
Sure, a new one would be nice, but your current equipment is hardly useless. Can it run Windows XP? MS Office? Of course it can, but let's say for the sake of argument you have an older OS like Windows 2000. Can it run any word processing or spreadsheet programs at all? Can the students use older or cheaper computers to learn the ins and outs of hardware and how operating systems work? If by the time current students graduate, Vista becomes the main operating system used by the working world, even a basic understanding of Windows 2000 or XP will make picking up newer operating systems easy. Same thing for word processing, spreadsheets, slide presentations, etc. New features come out with newer software, but the basics are pretty much the same.
If a student can't type, it's not because you have an old computer. If he doesn't understand editing text or spreadsheets, it's not because you don't have the latest version of MS Office.
New equipment would be great to be sure, but it will not fix the incompetence of computer illiterate teachers.
December 27, 2007
10:17 p.m.
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BO writes:
Eli-
Why do you assume that I think more money solves everything? in terms of learning, it may or may not. The schools I have worked at have all been fairly good schools, in terms of test scores and grad rates. What's wrong with spending money to upgrade things like technology? Yes, money would fix that. Kind of hard for kids to do a reserach paper when half of the computers won't print. In the older part of the building, the hallway clocks are all way off, because the computer used to run those clocks is no longer used. It makes the school look trashy. A couple of them don't even have minute or second hands. It would take money to just do something inexpensive, like tear those clocks down and fill the holes in a manner so that it looks nice. What's wrong with spending money on something like that? A nice facility does have an effect on learning. Kids are going to learn better in a room that is at a constant 72 degrees than they would in a room that is close to 90 through most of Sept. (like my room). My point is that you would think that a school board would want a school that they are proud of, not one that tells outsiders, "we just get by".
I noticed that you completely ignored my question at the end of my original post.
BTW- I heard that the hard drives on older Macs tend to crash just from being in a fairly hot place for an extended period of time (such as summer vacation). That was the issue with my previous computer. It worked when I left in May, but not when I came back in August.
December 29, 2007
12:27 p.m.
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LiveWell writes:
Perhaps it would be beneficial for both parties to look at this school in particular and what it is asking for before making assumptions. First, this is not about computers or antiquated clocks. As I understand, this school is asking for things like time to teach- allowing teachers to take additional classes in order to offer a wider variety for students and increased pay for working additional hours (Saturdays)with students who are struggling. Second, it is about being able to recruit high quality teachers who WANT to work with a struggling student population and are truly dedicated to their success rather than ending up as a last choice.
As for BO's question, you are right on target with meeting the students needs outside of school to allow them to learn. (Parent Liason, perhaps?) I don't see the union as a bad thing, nor contrary to the desired outcome. Quite the opposite. But should the unions one size fits all protections really override the desires of the teachers working there?