Farina has "progressive" educator credentials, spent decades working as a real educator, and has recently fought charter school land grabs in Brooklyn, so there is certainly some hope for optimism with the announcement.
That said, I have words of caution for both myself and everybody else today:
Best to take a wait and see attitude w/ Farina. Sounds good, but proof is in future action, not past words (1 of 2)
— realitybasededucator (@perdidostschool) December 30, 2013
Given current environment, pressure from DC, Albany, Gates, & Wall Street, "change" can turn to "same old" pretty quick
— realitybasededucator (@perdidostschool) December 30, 2013
And this:
@jtravis47 @DianeRavitch Wait until you see policy changes. That's when you know BdB kept his word.
— realitybasededucator (@perdidostschool) December 30, 2013
Until you see tangible changes to policy - especially around curriculum, testing, evaluations, and so-called school accountability measures - I say, hold the victory laps that de Blasio kept his promise to change the Bloomberg policies for students, teachers and schools.
In short, if the SED modules with the 17 day lesson unit on one short story are still around next school year and teachers are still be being rated "ineffective" or "developing" for not using a Danielson template for their lesson plans, then for my purposes, de Blasio did not change things.
RBE...they are not going to be able to change ALL of the issues plaguing education. Many of this is coming down from the state and national governments. They can only work within the city school structure and start there. Hopefully that approach will trickle elswhere.. maybe into Cuomo's office since he is getting flack from parents on HST.
ReplyDeleteNot asking them to change ALL of the issues plaguing education. I am saying very specifically that in my school, the SED modules and the cookie cutter Danielson lesson planning + lesson planning template have been sources of serious demoralization. If those two items are still around next year, then for my purposes, not much has changed, because it will mean the cookie cutter approach to education, curriculum and evaluation is still in place.
DeleteYou should not have a lesson planning template. That's a violation of UFT contract. It didn't fly in my school, and it's not called for by Danielson. I hate to ask you this, because I dread your response, but have you spoken to your CL about this.
DeleteAll that is state law till 2016....so...don't know what she, or Mayor DeB can do on that,short,term...
ReplyDeleteSED modules and Danielson templates for lesson planning is not state law. NYCDOE has power to change curricula, the evaluation system can be changed via negotiation. I understand the 60%-40% is state law. But how that 60% is conducted is not.
ReplyDeleteSo, do any of the big wig pricks under Walcott get fired now.....or do they stay...?
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the things I want to see before I render even an early judgement on Farina/BDB. What happens to Shael and Company.
DeleteCarmen has her right hand person.... so my guess is that Shael is bye bye...
ReplyDeleteReality,
ReplyDeleteYou are correct about the demoralizing effect of the Danielson rubric and the cookie cutter lesson plan. No distinctions are made for content areas no matter how awkward the fit.
One account of today's comments had her saying she wasn't away just "in hiding". That made me cringe. If she was so opposed to the ravaging of our schools why didn't she say something?
ReplyDeleteI agree.
Delete1) How much day to day life in the school-building changes from the BloomCott era will be the ultimate measure of how much things change under BlasRina.
ReplyDelete2) How much things change for the better depends on how much teachers and parents push back against the toxic status quo of corporate education "reform."
In New York City, the teachers' group pushing against the toxic winds of deform is the MORE caucus of the UFT morecaucusnyc.org/
The parents' group is Change the Stakes changethestakes.wordpress.com/