All 88 teachers at Central Falls High School are gone
If it were only that simple, Mr. No Child Left Behind. Think again.
Central Falls, Rhode Island is reeling from a firestorm of student, parent and teacher protest. Central Falls High School wasn’t making the grade with its standardized test scores and graduation rates, so the school board voted to fire the entire teaching staff. The 88 teachers are some of what may be many unfortunate casualties as American public education struggles to right itself.
Do they need money now?
That’s the standard bureaucratic response to these kinds of situations. If kids are failing, build better schools, develop more programs, buy more books, etc. While keeping education safe and state-of-the-art is no doubt valuable, there are others who argue that this fails to address the real problem. But before I get to that, let’s consider the Rhode Island teachers who were fired.
“I’m after school every day, I’m always available. I’m heartbroken. I’d do anything for this school system, I’ve done everything I can,” said teacher Frank Delbonis to NECN Rhode Island. This seems to represent what many of the teachers are feeling. The local media reports they’ve even shared tears with their frustrated students.
No Child Left Behind at work
The Central Falls district – which not coincidentally is an economically disadvantaged area of Rhode Island – has consistently ranked in the bottom five percent of academic performance in the state. Superintendent Frances Gallo was given few choices by the federal government if the school was to continue receiving funds. These choices were:
- Close the doors
- Become a charter school
- Go the “transformation model” path, which would lengthen school days and make other changes
- Fire every teacher and start over
The teachers’ union felt their charges were doing everything they could in a difficult situation, so they wouldn’t sign off on option three. Gallo obvious chose option four, and the Rhode Island teachers were fired. They’d been making gains with students, but the government considered these to be too modest.
All of the teachers can reapply at Central Falls or go elsewhere, but part of the restructuring requires that no more than 50 percent can be rehired at the same school.
Are they all missing the point?
There are very convincing arguments that drilling for standardized tests, metal detectors in schools, armed guards and the like are not the solution. They certainly don’t seem to be the way to produce well-rounded, productive, creative adults. One teacher by the name of C. Johnson argues that teachers have lost power in the classroom and students know this. Thus, the students most in need of help have no incentive to listen.
C. Johnson’s idea involves a radical restructuring of schools across America into three physically separate groups: those for disruptive students (RUDE schools), highly motivated learners (CALM) and those in between who are close but need some direction (MEDIAN). The ideas are quite interesting and I recommend you check them out if you’re into a common-sense solution to a problem that affects most of America. Instead of more incidents like the Rhode Island teachers being fired over self-important numbers, we might see more students receiving the attention they need. The restructuring may require Internet loans and other bonds, but it will be worth it. The system is broken and will not fix itself if we just throw money around.
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There are two sides to every story and we have details from only one side. Yes, this article provides statistics but what it fails to provide is the parameters surrounding the statistics. Parameters such as how long have these students been attending this high school, what level did they test at the previous year, and have they made incremental progress? Also, pertinent to this discussion is the fact that the accountability for student performance falls in the hands of the superintendent, teachers, parents, community, and most importantly the students. Shouldn't we be asking what type of support systems have been set up to help teachers improve student performance. And lastly, are teachers the only ones being expected to make these sacrifices or are other stakeholders expected to make a sacrifice to ensure the success of these student?
Most failing schools have most of their students that are into the drug culture. Students who to choose to achieve in this drug captured culture are killed, Chicago has many examples. Students on drugs cannot pass standardized tests. Gallo is just choosing to not solve the real problem because if she blames the teachers Obama will give her money.
Cynical but very likely true, Chris. Teachers have absolutely no authority in the classroom in American public schools, largely because of the fear of litigation. However, it is possible to enforce discipline, it is possible to fix this mess, I think. Here is an interesting read that you might enjoy, a plan of action that a former Illinois high school teacher came up with in 1998. Throwing money at the problem is just a shade away from being useless if the root problems aren't being dealt with.
Good for the Superintendent! The fact that only 7% of the entire student body can pass the state standard is a crime. They offered to extend the day by 25 minutes and the teachers complain? Try doing that in the business world and see what happens. Congrats to the school board for stepping up to the plate!
What level are the children at when they enter the high school? You can't make up for nine years of poor education in three years. Doesn't the Superintend have some responsible here as well as the School Committee? Placing all the blame on one segment of the system is just a witch hunt.
This looks more about transforming the school system into a business, where the higher salaried employees will soon be replaced with half-rate, lower salaried employees. Else why fire them all in one broad swoop?
Cloaking it in “concern for the children” is just a rationalization. If they were truly concerned for the children, they would give the teachers the resources, and administrative support they need to actually function.
When teachers have no recourse from the admin, students quickly learn they can avoid work because there’s no consequence at the end of it. Except of course the opportunity costs of ignorance, of which they may be blissfully unaware.
Parents and administrations offer up teachers as sacrificial lambs while avoiding their own accountability for the welfare of “THE CHILDREN”.
Hey, maybe they can outsource the teaching to India? Sit the children in front of the TV, leave ‘em unattended, pay a fraction of the costs, and produce a generation of docile, insipid consumers, with no inkling as to their cage?
I'm sorry, but that's just a ridiculous percentage of students that are not showing signs of development. There is definitely something wrong with the school system. It's not about getting more money; more money doesn't necessarily provide a solution for everything. It's almost like trying to help a druggie. You can only do so much to help them, but the major role in the recovering process relies heavily on the individual affected. Of course, schools need funds to operate. These days everything runs by money. But if there is no foundation, the structure in place will not be enough to overcome any unforeseen mishap or even have the strength to advance above and beyond its expectations. There are obviously a lot more to this than just a poor community and the need for more funding. This is not to say, however, that it does not play a significant role in this issue, but there are clearly other problems that are being overlooked. They need to find and focus on other areas in order to find the right solution to this ever-growing problem. Here's my question, though: Is it really necessary to fire each and every teacher? I mean, I'm sure there were teachers that stood out and really took the time to focus on the students' needs. So I feel it's a bit unfair to get rid of every one of the teachers, but in a way, I guess it can be argued that it's perfectly understandable.
Franrose, teachers are pulling out their hair, sometimes literally. Most are doing all they can to help students, but the perceived lack of authority teachers now have in the classroom is deadly. As a result, the interruptions are almost constant and the teachers can do very little to stop it, particularly since if they even lay a hair on a kid’s head, they’re fired and sometimes thrown in jail. That’s why I like the RUDE/MEDIAN/CALM idea. I encourage you to check out the link, it’s something that could work for America’s public schools without making schools military camps, I think.
how do you think a problematic student would feel when told she or he is going to a school named RUDE? what does that do to his or hers already low self esteem? after teaching for thirty years the solution is classroom size reduction and more focus on life skills than test skills for this particular population. if a student is smarter or more talented than the rest he or she will find the way to college no matter what.