TFA Alumnus Describes Barriers to Student Achievement

[proud2BlibKansan]

How My School and District Failed its Students

The following is by Frank Beard, a graduate of Drake University and a former Teach For America corps member (Kansas City ’08). He taught middle school science, social studies, and communication arts in the Kansas City, Missouri School District.

A large number of this country’s schools are failing its students—but not in the way that many columnists, education reformers, or school experts would have you believe.

From 2008 to 2010, I taught at the middle school level in Kansas City as a Teach For America corps member. But don’t worry, I’m not going rehash Freedom Writers, and I certainly won’t tell one of those sappy “this is why I Teach For America” stories.

Instead, I want to offer some very candid thoughts about why I think my district and school were such abysmal failures.

When people ask me what I believe was the number one barrier to student achievement at my school, I always offer the same answer: the failure of the school and district to address chronically disruptive students. It was a problem created by negligent leaders who willingly allowed a free-for-all environment that was conducive to chaos instead of learning.

I’ll never forget the first day of staff development my second year. During the “welcome back” talk, my principal handed out a sheet which detailed the number of discipline referrals submitted by each teacher the previous year. We were informed that it is wrong to submit a lot of them because discipline is a classroom-management issue and therefore must be addressed within the classroom. Sending students to the office, she said, is simply not acceptable or allowed.

more . . . http://www.anurbanteacherseducation.com/2011/02/tfa-alumnus-describes-barriers-to.html

[madfloridian]

1. We were once told that students and parents were our clients...

and we were there to please them. We were not to upset them.

We were also given the bit about discipline being a classroom affair, that the administrators were not to be bothered.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Customer service

Those were some odd buzzwords back in the 90s.

First time I heard them was a major wtf moment.

Of course I immediately wondered that if indeed the kids were customers, did I have the right to refuse service to any of them? Like that sign in so many stores. LOL

[Starry Messenger]

3. k&r

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Thanks Starry.

:hi:

[Starry Messenger]

5. No problemo.

I'm lucky to teach at a school where the admin are serious as a heart attack about this stuff, so I don't have nightmare stories like this teacher. It is so true though that it only takes a few disruptive students to pull the whole class off-task and it wouldn't matter if you were Brad Pitt: there is no way to transform the dynamic with large class sizes and disruptive kids.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Same here.

But that's not true of every school in my district.

[Reader Rabbit]

7. Wow! We got a similar "welcome back" talk at my school a few years ago.

That was the year they told teachers they were no longer allowed to write discipline referrals for disruptive students, because—wait for it—too many discipline referrals were being written! Gee, Mr. Principal, ya think there might be an issue here with out-of-control students?

I wonder if there is some sort of national script or list that they give to all administrators to reduce or eliminate the documentation that makes a school "look bad" on paper.

[LWolf]

8. What aggravates me

is that we don't have the resources to change disruptive behavior even when we do send them to the office.

I can get disruptive students out of the room, but they will be back the next day, and nothing we do really helps.

Of course, we reach some of them, and help them develop more productive patterns and ways to advocate for themselves. Those that can be helped by the resources we've got, are. Those that can't, though...

what do we do with them?

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. I don't think it's the teacher's responsibility

My dad was a principal and he used to say that discipline was for EVERY student, not just for the one who needed it at the time. We teachers do this all the time. We send a message as to what we will and will not tolerate in our classrooms by the way we deal with individual kids.

Administrators need to send that same message to the student body as a whole. If you come to school to disrupt, you're OUT.

It's about setting a tone.

Sure it would be nice if we had resources to deal with these kids - but I'm more concerned about the OTHER kids who deserve an education free of the disruptions.

[LWolf]

10. That's the tragedy;

the lost opportunities for others while we're holding the dike together.

So..OUT. Out where? What do we do with them?

Not us, as teachers. It shouldn't be our responsibility. As a society, though, what do we do?

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. That is a whole nuther issue

I hear you and trust me, I understand. But we need to ensure a safe learning environment free of disruptions.

There is clearly a need for more alternative settings.

[Telly Savalas]

12. I'm pretty pissed off that they leveled the wrecking ball on Southwest HS with this shit

Before the school consolidation Southwest looked pretty promising. Now there's no way in hell I'd send my kid there.

DUers rail against charter schools, but for a lot of us residents of places like Kansas City, Missouri, it's a charter or a situation like the one described in that article.

I'm totally with you that the so-called "education reform" movement totally loses focus by concentrating so much finger pointing at teachers when most of the problems in urban districts like KCMO's fall at the feet of administrators. It's just I have little faith that the deeply entrenched KCMOSD bureaucracy will make much movement in a positive direction before my kid graduates from high school. I'll give Covington credit for actually being aware that financial solvency is something a school district should be thinking about -- a radical departure from his predecessors. And there are a few young, energetic, and idealist members of the board who can hopefully affect some change. But I haven't seen too much evidence that the problems highlighted in that blog post are being dealt with.

But since you're even closer to the situation, I'd defer to your observations. While it sounds like your school hasn't faced issues like this, have you heard about improvements in schools where this has been a problem?

[REP]

13. Southwest had a Knife, Rock and Gun Club when I was there ...

... it was pretty bad when I graduated (very early '80s). I heard the building had been sold and both Southwest and Border Star and no longer KCSD schools.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. You heard wrong

Both schools are still in the district and no one bought them.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. He's completely screwed Southwest and it's sad

No I haven't heard of improvements in schools where disruptive kids are a problem.

I've been very fortunate, but I have worked in a few buildings plagued by discipline issues. It's unreal how these kids destroy a school. I don't blame parents at all for pulling their kids out.

It all depends on the principal. I'm sure you've noticed that Central isn't in the news anymore. That's because they have a new principal who - as the kids say - 'don't play'. Some principals are willing to get tough and not let kids disrupt. Others are too weak. It's incredibly frustrating for the whole school community. And what this blog says is true. Until we stop the disruptions, we aren't going to educate our kids in the kind of environment they deserve.