cawacko
Well-known member
This is hard for me to read. Basically f*ck what might work best for the kids of Oakland we can't change our union rules.
Oakland schools try new way of placing teachers
In the world outside public education, people apply for a job they want, interview with their potential boss, compete against other applicants and are ultimately selected if they look like a good fit for the position.
It doesn't work that way in public education.
In schools, teachers do all the normal things to get hired, but when it comes to placement, seniority is what counts, not the perfect fit. The teacher with the longest tenure in a district gets first dibs on any available job at a school, with the principal - the school's boss - getting little or no input.
School district officials in Oakland want to change that, believing that it's in the best interests of students when a teacher - new, veteran or in between - wants to work at a school and the school wants that teacher.
It's about "recognizing that a deep and high-quality match between teacher and school is far more complex than who has been in Oakland longer," said Superintendent Tony Smith, who is leading the charge to overhaul the deeply entrenched hiring system.
The idea isn't popular with the teachers union, which fears that a system based on a subjective selection process will be more of a popularity contest than one that respects the value of an experienced teacher.
"It is a way to get rid of seniority," Oakland Education Association President Betty Olson-Jones said during a December school board meeting. "It is union busting, folks."
Smith said any new hiring system would still incorporate seniority, but the details need to be worked out. In addition, he said, any changes would have to be adopted at the bargaining table, meaning a majority of teachers would have to approve them.
The school board is expected to resume public hearings on the topic this month.
The proposal was prompted by a national conversation about teacher quality, but may also be taking place at an ideal time for the Oakland school district. At the end of the year, district officials plan to close five of 101 operating schools, and others will be consolidated. About 30 schools in total could be eliminated over the next couple of years.
Teachers to be reassigned
By next fall, dozens of teachers will need to be reassigned to new classrooms.
At the same time, state budget cuts next summer could mean fewer dollars for the district, which in turn could lead to significant teacher layoffs. Schools with a disproportionate number of new teachers would be hit harder, as those teachers would be the first to go. Their jobs would then be taken by more senior colleagues, who may or may not want to work in the school where the new job openings exist.
Across the district, surveys have found that principals overwhelmingly, if not unanimously, agree they don't want unhappy teachers in their classrooms. They want a say in who gets to teach at their school.
"If a teacher doesn't want to work in a place, then they shouldn't be working there," said Leo Fuchs, principal at Learning Without Limits Elementary School. "There is a particular type of teacher who wants to work in an urban environment because they want to defy the expectations of society. Others are great teachers in schools with few challenges."
Smith's "mutual matching" idea follows something of a business model that identifies a teacher's particular talents and skills and seeks out the best classroom fit. The plan begins with the belief that good teachers won't necessarily thrive in all classrooms.
"Teachers are individuals. They are not cogs in a machine," said Brigitte Marshall, Oakland Unified associate superintendent for human resources. "The way we have done things is at odds with so much of what we know about what works."
Order of priority
Under the current system, priority for openings is given to the most senior teachers and then to the remaining teachers on staff.
High-performing schools are often a more desirable placement.
Any openings after that are filled by new applicants, who often have little say in where they land. The same can be said of the principal.
Fuchs, as principal of one of the district's experimental small schools, has seen what can happen when more flexibility is put into teacher assignments.
When Learning Without Limits opened in the Fruitvale neighborhood five years ago, he was allowed to choose the 14 teachers on his staff.
Of those original teachers, 13 are still there.
"I think it's a great step forward," he said of the district's proposal.
Pilot program
The district piloted the mutual-matching assignment process in the fall as the district sorted out enrollment at schools and shifted teachers to accommodate classroom needs.
About five kindergarten teachers had to leave their under-enrolled classrooms and go where they were needed. But instead of getting assigned based on their seniority, they interviewed at the five schools that had openings and then ranked their choices. Seniority was used to break ties when more teachers applied to a school than there were openings.
"It was as much me interviewing them as them interviewing me," Garfield Elementary Principal Nima Tahai said, referring to the teacher applicants who vied for one classroom opening.
Teachers and even parents were also brought into the selection process.
Veteran Garfield kindergarten teacher Bart Alexander appreciated being able to meet prospective colleagues.
"Every school is different," he said, adding it's important to find teachers who can meet the particular needs of students.
But he said the process needs to be ironed out and believes seniority should be part of it.
Teacher Marian Marx got the Garfield position.
She said she's happy with her placement, but she didn't give high praise to mutual matching.
Value in seniority
"It's pitting colleagues against each other," she said, adding she sees value in seniority. "I think experience makes you good in many ways."
She also worried about potential bias in a selection process and that displaced veteran teachers would have to compete for a job late in their careers.
Mutual matching won't necessarily ensure all teachers land in the classroom of their choice.
"I think it's very important for the children that their teacher feel happy and wanted in the job," she said. "It worked out for me, but it didn't work out for other people."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/article?f=/c/a/2012/01/21/MNRF1MRMTU.DTL
Oakland schools try new way of placing teachers
In the world outside public education, people apply for a job they want, interview with their potential boss, compete against other applicants and are ultimately selected if they look like a good fit for the position.
It doesn't work that way in public education.
In schools, teachers do all the normal things to get hired, but when it comes to placement, seniority is what counts, not the perfect fit. The teacher with the longest tenure in a district gets first dibs on any available job at a school, with the principal - the school's boss - getting little or no input.
School district officials in Oakland want to change that, believing that it's in the best interests of students when a teacher - new, veteran or in between - wants to work at a school and the school wants that teacher.
It's about "recognizing that a deep and high-quality match between teacher and school is far more complex than who has been in Oakland longer," said Superintendent Tony Smith, who is leading the charge to overhaul the deeply entrenched hiring system.
The idea isn't popular with the teachers union, which fears that a system based on a subjective selection process will be more of a popularity contest than one that respects the value of an experienced teacher.
"It is a way to get rid of seniority," Oakland Education Association President Betty Olson-Jones said during a December school board meeting. "It is union busting, folks."
Smith said any new hiring system would still incorporate seniority, but the details need to be worked out. In addition, he said, any changes would have to be adopted at the bargaining table, meaning a majority of teachers would have to approve them.
The school board is expected to resume public hearings on the topic this month.
The proposal was prompted by a national conversation about teacher quality, but may also be taking place at an ideal time for the Oakland school district. At the end of the year, district officials plan to close five of 101 operating schools, and others will be consolidated. About 30 schools in total could be eliminated over the next couple of years.
Teachers to be reassigned
By next fall, dozens of teachers will need to be reassigned to new classrooms.
At the same time, state budget cuts next summer could mean fewer dollars for the district, which in turn could lead to significant teacher layoffs. Schools with a disproportionate number of new teachers would be hit harder, as those teachers would be the first to go. Their jobs would then be taken by more senior colleagues, who may or may not want to work in the school where the new job openings exist.
Across the district, surveys have found that principals overwhelmingly, if not unanimously, agree they don't want unhappy teachers in their classrooms. They want a say in who gets to teach at their school.
"If a teacher doesn't want to work in a place, then they shouldn't be working there," said Leo Fuchs, principal at Learning Without Limits Elementary School. "There is a particular type of teacher who wants to work in an urban environment because they want to defy the expectations of society. Others are great teachers in schools with few challenges."
Smith's "mutual matching" idea follows something of a business model that identifies a teacher's particular talents and skills and seeks out the best classroom fit. The plan begins with the belief that good teachers won't necessarily thrive in all classrooms.
"Teachers are individuals. They are not cogs in a machine," said Brigitte Marshall, Oakland Unified associate superintendent for human resources. "The way we have done things is at odds with so much of what we know about what works."
Order of priority
Under the current system, priority for openings is given to the most senior teachers and then to the remaining teachers on staff.
High-performing schools are often a more desirable placement.
Any openings after that are filled by new applicants, who often have little say in where they land. The same can be said of the principal.
Fuchs, as principal of one of the district's experimental small schools, has seen what can happen when more flexibility is put into teacher assignments.
When Learning Without Limits opened in the Fruitvale neighborhood five years ago, he was allowed to choose the 14 teachers on his staff.
Of those original teachers, 13 are still there.
"I think it's a great step forward," he said of the district's proposal.
Pilot program
The district piloted the mutual-matching assignment process in the fall as the district sorted out enrollment at schools and shifted teachers to accommodate classroom needs.
About five kindergarten teachers had to leave their under-enrolled classrooms and go where they were needed. But instead of getting assigned based on their seniority, they interviewed at the five schools that had openings and then ranked their choices. Seniority was used to break ties when more teachers applied to a school than there were openings.
"It was as much me interviewing them as them interviewing me," Garfield Elementary Principal Nima Tahai said, referring to the teacher applicants who vied for one classroom opening.
Teachers and even parents were also brought into the selection process.
Veteran Garfield kindergarten teacher Bart Alexander appreciated being able to meet prospective colleagues.
"Every school is different," he said, adding it's important to find teachers who can meet the particular needs of students.
But he said the process needs to be ironed out and believes seniority should be part of it.
Teacher Marian Marx got the Garfield position.
She said she's happy with her placement, but she didn't give high praise to mutual matching.
Value in seniority
"It's pitting colleagues against each other," she said, adding she sees value in seniority. "I think experience makes you good in many ways."
She also worried about potential bias in a selection process and that displaced veteran teachers would have to compete for a job late in their careers.
Mutual matching won't necessarily ensure all teachers land in the classroom of their choice.
"I think it's very important for the children that their teacher feel happy and wanted in the job," she said. "It worked out for me, but it didn't work out for other people."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/article?f=/c/a/2012/01/21/MNRF1MRMTU.DTL
