Reply #9: Dr.Ravitch is correct that there are other factors that affect student learning BUT

[ncteechur]

the greatest factor BY FAR is the effectiveness of the classroom teacher. An effective teacher outweighs parental incompetence, poverty, and many other factors. If you consider that an average teacher can move a child one grade level in a year, then it has been shown that a very good or an exceptional teacher can actually move kids up to 1.5 grade levels in one year.

An ineffective teacher can move kids only 0.5 grade levels in one year.

Why can't we reward the good and the exceptional and get rid of the poor? Why is that so difficult?

A child that gets 2 or more ineffective teachers in a row (which often happens in poor schools) can put kids so far behind that they can never catch up.


While the OP was correct about many things in NCLB, the entire bill was not bad. The best thing that NCLB has done is to shed light on to all kids. Schools can no longer hide kids that are failing and falling behind. No longer can poor kids or EC kids or minority kids be pushed aside to highlight the scores of those for whom school has traditionally worked. The Obama administration has introduced some ideas to fix some of the shortcomings with NCLB. Will it get it all right? No. But it is a start and to summarily dismiss it as Dr. Ravitch seems to do doesn't help solve the problem.

I said last week that I believed those teachers in RI deserved to be fired. I still believe that. Not because I despise teachers. I love teaching. I believe it is an art and a calling.

I believe they were correctly fired because they sold out that calling. They were provided some reasonable remedies they could take to help turn that school around. They refused because they weren't offered enough money. Perhaps they thought there was safety in their union numbers. Perhaps they felt obligated to all vote together as a group. But they sold out the art and the calling. Those students needed the teachers. They needed the teachers to stay and work. And work harder. and work harder. They refused and as a result, they were fired.

There is no assault on teachers. That is a generalization that is just not true. The fact is that teachers like most other professionals do more to promote or denegrate their profession than any other official or agency could ever do. Good teachers should demand that their colleagues be the best. Good teachers cannot accept mediocrity. Not now. Not when there is so much at stake. It is, after all, about the kids.