An interesting solution for the problem of failing public schools...

[desflood]

All Teachers Fired at Underperforming School in Rhode Island
Wednesday, February 24, 2010


CENTRAL FALLS, Rhode Island — The blue-and-white banner exclaiming "anticipation" on the front of Central Falls High School seems like a cruel joke for an institution so chronically troubled that its leaders decided to fire every teacher by year's end.

No more than half those instructors would be hired back under a federal option that has enraged the state's powerful teachers union, earned criticism from students, and praise from U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and some parents.

The mass firings were approved by the school district's board of trustees Tuesday night after talks failed between Superintendent Frances Gallo and the local teachers union over implementing changes, including offering more after-school tutoring and a longer school day. The teachers say they want more pay for the additional work.

"If it's only an hour or two, I think teachers can afford to do that," said Robert Rivera, 40, who worries about sending his 13-year-old daughter to the troubled high school next year. "The teachers are overpaid."

The shake-up comes as Rhode Island's new education commissioner, Deborah Gist, pushes the state to compete for nearly $13 million in federal funding to reform the worst 5 percent of its schools, including in Central Falls.

To get the money, schools must choose one of four paths set under federal law, including mass firings. Gallo has said she initially hope to avoid layoffs by adopting a plan that would have lengthened the school day and required teachers to get additional training and offer more after-school tutoring.

Central Falls High has long been one of the worst-performing in Rhode Island. Just 7 percent of 11th graders tested in the fall were proficient in math. Only 33 percent were proficient in writing, and just 55 percent were proficient in reading. In 2008, just 52 percent of students graduated within four years and 30 percent dropped out.

Shantel Joseph, 42, who lives just a block from the school, worries her 16-year-old son might not graduate because he struggles with low grades and appears to bring home little homework. She opposed mass firings in a state that already suffers from nearly 13 percent unemployment.

"It's a bad idea, because I know they need a job," Joseph said. "They need to work. Maybe they should talk to the teachers."

Christian Manco, 15, was among four boys who ran out a side door on the high school Wednesday during what he said was a walk-out of students in support of their teachers.

"The school wants them to work more hours for no extra pay," Manco said, explaining what teachers had told him.

The negotiations bogged down when officials for the teachers' union asked for more pay if they were going to be doing more work at the school.

It remains unclear whether a compromise might emerge. Gist said Wednesday that it's not a negotiation, and that she's awaiting more detailed plans from the superintendent. But in an interview on WPRO-AM, she appeared to leave the door open to other options.

"If the district decided that they wanted to ask for more time and said that they wanted to reconsider, then I would have to take that under consideration. But right now, that's not the case," she said.

A phone message left with Gallo was not returned.

[Blake]

the title is a bit misleading.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Plan to improve those percentages was for teachers to stay after school for 1/2 hour to an hour on a rotation to tutor these kids.

Teachers wanted money.

Superintendent offered $30/hour.

Teachers countered with $90/hour.

Teachers were then told to get fucked.

[CubanSucks]

And I'm sure all those failing students were so willing to learn and better themselves.


I even saw it at my school, you can't teach the kids who don't give a shit and who see suspension and detention as completely acceptable. And before you mention any other kinds of discipline as a solution just know that it's the parents of these same type of kids who will bitch out the principal if anyone laid a finger on their kid

[MiamiHeat]

90 bucks an hour? lol.

[MiamiHeat]

And I'm sure all those failing students were so willing to learn and better themselves.


I even saw it at my school, you can't teach the kids who don't give a shit and who see suspension and detention as completely acceptable. And before you mention any other kinds of discipline as a solution just know that it's the parents of these same type of kids who will bitch out the principal if anyone laid a finger on their kid

sure, SOME of them cannot be helped

but these are children, wise guy. some of them are just being kids, and wanting to play and avoid homework and learning so they can get back to playing xbox, or football, or hanging out with their friends.

you can help these kids. they don't know any better yet.

very heartless and i say, unwise, of you to blame them. it is the parents responsibility to teach their children. If you see a child who lacks discipline, lacks knowledge, etc then point the finger at the parents. for failing, not the children.

[thispego]

I say make school voluntary. that'll weed out the morons from the ones who give a shit.

[MiamiHeat]

I say make school voluntary. that'll weed out the morons from the ones who give a shit.

because children are well-equipped to make important life decisions about their future, right?

stick your head out the window when you drive around

[bigzak25]

my mom in law is a teacher at jefferson and she's told me all the teachers will have to re-apply for their jobs after this year...

hopefully they hire some more security for the stairwells too so they don't have to worry about their students being raped either...



regarding education?

a hardass parent will make sure his kid gets educated.

a hardass principal will make sure the kids don't act up in classes.

but i'm no fan of standardized testing being the driving point for performance.

standardize the textbooks. support the teachers so they can focus on teaching, not discipline. that's a start.

i don't know...i'd have to research other more successful education cultures and steal ideas from them.

[thispego]

because children are well-equipped to make important life decisions about their future, right?

stick your head out the window when you drive around

kids are smarter than you give them credit for, but you're a kid also, so you wouldn't know shit about that. Seriously, from 5th grade on, school should be optional.

[thispego]

no point in having these little bastards there ruining the learning experience for everyone else who are there for the right reasons.

[desflood]

because children are well-equipped to make important life decisions about their future, right?
Actually, I think that's an interesting proposition. Give the parents the option to take their child out of school. Then tell them that if they choose to do so they forfeit their right to various social programs and welfare, since they are obviously convinced they can better their own futures without the benefit of education.

[MiamiHeat]

Actually, I think that's an interesting proposition. Give the parents the option to take their child out of school. Then tell them that if they choose to do so they forfeit their right to various social programs and welfare, since they are obviously convinced they can better their own futures without the benefit of education.

and leave innocent children born to terrible parents without an education?

[baseline bum]

Plan to improve those percentages was for teachers to stay after school for 1/2 hour to an hour on a rotation to tutor these kids.

Teachers wanted money.

Superintendent offered $30/hour.

Teachers countered with $90/hour.

Teachers were then told to get fucked.

You have a link for those numbers? They sound ridiculous. $30/hr to tutor a small class of a few students hardly seems like a lowball.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

I can't just make up the numbers?


Attend two weeks of professional development in the summer at a rate of $30 an hour.

Stay after school for 90 minutes one day each week to work with fellow teachers analyzing student work and test data and discussing ways to improve teaching at a rate of $30 an hour if Gallo can find grant financing.

http://www.projo.com/ri/centralfalls/content/projo20100211_cfhighschool_keypoints.1094bb3d0.htm l

Don't remember where I got the $90/hour from.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Here it is:


Union leaders said they wanted teachers to be paid for more of the additional work and at a higher pay rate — $90 per hour rather than the $30 per hour offered by Gallo.

http://www.projo.com/news/content/central_falls_trustees_vote_02-24-10_EOHI83C_v59.3c21342.html

[baseline bum]

I can't just make up the numbers?



http://www.projo.com/ri/centralfalls/content/projo20100211_cfhighschool_keypoints.1094bb3d0.htm l

Don't remember where I got the $90/hour from.

So the $30 an hour for tutoring drops to zero if they don't get the grant? I can understand the teachers being pissed and not accepting the deal then. Forcing them to work 3.5 extra hours a week for free would be ridiculous.

[baseline bum]

The $90 just sounds like some bullshit high number they threw out to get the district to push their offer up a few bucks. It's pretty stupid to lead with such a ridiculous number in negotiation though.

[Whisky Dog]

LMFAO at the dipshit that said teachers are overpaid. They make some of the lowest salaries of professionals (4yr degree minimum required) AND have to deal with everyone's spoiled, whiny, lazy ass kids. Then to top it off, their funding and job security is dependent on how these kids do on some standardized test that most of them don't give a shit about? Shit, Marine Corps infantry men are about the only people that deal with worse shit for low pay.

[Whisky Dog]

Then having to deal with such disrespect from students and parents alike? I coached my little cousins in basketball and baseball 4 years ago and the parents of some of these kids were the absolute worst thing about it. It's always the asshole parent that has the disrespectful asshole kid too.

[CubanSucks]

sure, SOME of them cannot be helped

but these are children, wise guy. some of them are just being kids, and wanting to play and avoid homework and learning so they can get back to playing xbox, or football, or hanging out with their friends.

you can help these kids. they don't know any better yet.

I wasn't talking about THOSE kids, wise guy. Shit, I was one of those kids. Go back and read what kind of kids I was talking about. You don't think there are schools full of those types?


it is the parents responsibility to teach their children. If you see a child who lacks discipline, lacks knowledge, etc then point the finger at the parents. for failing, not the children.

I completely agree.

[Blake]

kids are smarter than you give them credit for, but you're a kid also, so you wouldn't know shit about that. Seriously, from 5th grade on, school should be optional.

maybe 9th, but I'm with you that traditional school should be optional....

I'm all for more trade schools at the high school level.

[thispego]

5th grade is when they turn into shit heads. That's the age when they think they're all growed up and think they should get to do whatver the fuck they want. Seperate the good from the bad as early as possible I say. Kill the weeds.

[bus driver]

Actually, I think that's an interesting proposition. Give the parents the option to take their child out of school. Then tell them that if they choose to do so they forfeit their right to various social programs and welfare, since they are obviously convinced they can better their own futures without the benefit of education.

hey that sounds like a good plan.........than the parents will definitely make there kids go to school for sure. :wakeup

[CosmicCowboy]

no point in having these little bastards there ruining the learning experience for everyone else who are there for the right reasons.

I agree with this. Dumbing down classes to the lowest common denominator and using social promotion so as not to hurt their little self esteems has ruined the American education system.

Separate the kids that want to learn and fast track them and challenge them.

Take the ones that don't want to learn and teach the dumbest ones how to use tools like picks and shovels and teach the smarter ones how to flip burgers. Just get their lazy asses out of the classroom.

[thispego]

hey that sounds like a good plan.........than the parents will definitely make there kids go to school for sure. :wakeup

maybe you should go back to school and learn about your thens and your theirs. If you want to go back and learn, then I support you. :tu

[thispego]

I agree with this. Dumbing down classes to the lowest common denominator and using social promotion so as not to hurt their little self esteems has ruined the American education system.

Separate the kids that want to learn and fast track them and challenge them.

Take the ones that don't want to learn and teach the dumbest ones how to use tools like picks and shovels and teach the smarter ones how to flip burgers. Just get their lazy asses out of the classroom.

spot on, spot on

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

The $90 just sounds like some bullshit high number they threw out to get the district to push their offer up a few bucks. It's pretty stupid to lead with such a ridiculous number in negotiation though.

The $30/hour seems like a justifiable rate. I'd imagine most tutors with 10+ years of experience charge right around that number. It's not like Gallo was jerking them around, at least the numbers don't suggest that.

The $90/hour sounds like they weren't taking the board and impending sanctions seriously. In fact, it's flat out laughable and IMO the response they received fell right in line with their counter offer.

[CubanSucks]

spot on, spot on

How the fuck did you get your user title so big?

[Bigzax]

there is already a separation of classes in the education system with "gifted and talented", Honors, and Regular classes.

the problem children, being found in the regular classes, what, 100% of the time?

so now you just have to filter out the kids that refuse to participate constructively, for whatever reason.

they either goto alternative education or their parents whup their asses so that they will participate constructively.

alternative education should be a shocking introduction to the menial and laborious jobs that these kids should expect to find at the end of their current path of choice.

they either wake up and get it together, or not. but at least there are no surprises when they graduate. if they make it.

[Rip-Hamilton32]

kick all the losers out, we got kids in my school that show up everyday but just stand outside smoking. no one wants to walk through their smoke and they clearly have no interest in going to class so why keep them

[thispego]

How the fuck did you get your user title so big?

gotta be badass like me breh

[thispego]

there is already a separation of classes in the education system with "gifted and talented", Honors, and Regular classes.

the problem children, being found in the regular classes, what, 100% of the time?

so now you just have to filter out the kids that refuse to participate constructively, for whatever reason.

they either goto alternative education or their parents whup their asses so that they will participate constructively.

alternative education should be a shocking introduction to the menial and laborious jobs that these kids should expect to find at the end of their current path of choice.

they either wake up and get it together, or not. but at least there are no surprises when they graduate. if they make it.

"gifted and talented" classes are a joke these days, but yes, it is a good way (and pc way) to separate the good from the bad.

[CubanSucks]

gotta be badass like me breh

im badass :depressed

[thispego]

:lol

[byrontx]

The problems in the schools start at home.
Every school should start with hour of martial arts to get the steam out of the kids and instill displine. There should be civic fines applied to parents for students repeated bad behavior.

[TDMVPDPOY]

The $90 just sounds like some bullshit high number they threw out to get the district to push their offer up a few bucks. It's pretty stupid to lead with such a ridiculous number in negotiation though.

no shit

i know private tutors dont even get paid that much per hr per student...

if its 90bucks for 30students then its reasonable, but how many classes are we talkin about here after school hrs?

i use to have tutors and only paid what 20bucks for 2hr session

[TimDunkem]

"gifted and talented" classes are a joke these days, but yes, it is a good way (and pc way) to separate the good from the bad.
Sometimes. In my experience, there were a fair share of bad kids in the GT classes too which showed me how much of a joke they really were. All you really had to do to get into those classes was show up at school, and turn in all the easy work.