LGP Education thread

[MWB]

Teacher tenure is taking a beating in many states. The trend is to just tie test scores to teacher evaluations. Eventually, if your students don't get high enough test scores, or if you don't "add enough value" to their score, you're out.

[MWB]

What grade(s) is it for? I didn't realize they had specific teachers for STEMs.

Elementary. I've had experience using ASSET stem education which is based in Pittsburgh's south side. I was just putting out feelers to see what others might know.

I got nothing, but good luck.

[dodint]

Genuinely curious, but why would secondary educators be tenured to begin with? I thought the point was to protect professors who publish papers that may be detrimental to the institution but factually accurate? Why would public high school teachers be tenured?

[Shyster]

Genuinely curious, but why would secondary educators be tenured to begin with? I thought the point was to protect professors who publish papers that may be detrimental to the institution but factually accurate? Why would public high school teachers be tenured?

I can answer that in two words: teachers unions.

[dodint]

Ah. Crap. As a cynic, you'd think I would have seen that coming. Do they offer a justification anywhere nearing something valid, or just 'because union, that's why'.

[MWB]

So they can't be fired without cause.

[Willie Kool]

Genuinely curious, but why would secondary educators be tenured to begin with? I thought the point was to protect professors who publish papers that may be detrimental to the institution but factually accurate? Why would public high school teachers be tenured?

So they can teach controversial FACTS (eg. evolution, historical perspective, etc.) without having to fear for their jobs?

[MWB]

Unions get most of the blame for bad teachers being retained, with some degree of accuracy. However, school boards often refuse to try to fire bad teachers for legitimate reasons because it is easier and more cost effective to just move them somewhere else.

[columbia]

Sounds like the Catholic Church.

[dodint]

Genuinely curious, but why would secondary educators be tenured to begin with? I thought the point was to protect professors who publish papers that may be detrimental to the institution but factually accurate? Why would public high school teachers be tenured?

So they can teach controversial FACTS (eg. evolution, historical perspective, etc.) without having to fear for their jobs?

I'm quite surprised individual teachers choose the curriculum that broadly. If a teacher started teaching creation as FACT I really hope the checks and balances would be swift.

[MWB]

Now teachers don't pick the curriculum to teach. However, that was one of the original reasons behind tenure.

[count2infinity]

I'm quite surprised individual teachers choose the curriculum that broadly. If a teacher started teaching creation as FACT I really hope the checks and balances would be swift.

Kitzmiller v. Dover. They can't teach creation.

[dodint]

Other than my wife doing four years at SVC and getting an education degree, and then bailing because the reality of teaching wasn't going to meet her expectations (teaching to the test, no child left behind, etc) I don't have much exposure to this stuff. The idea that public secondary school teachers have tenure was just so alien to me. Thanks for the information, everyone.

[MWB]

Not sure how many people look into this thread aside from the regular contributors, but I am curious about something. Charter schools are on the rise around the country. Vouchers are gaining steam again. If you have kids, or are planning on it, does sending your kids to a public school leave you with a negative feeling? Is that feeling specific to the school, or just general?

[DelPen]

Not sure how many people look into this thread aside from the regular contributors, but I am curious about something. Charter schools are on the rise around the country. Vouchers are gaining steam again. If you have kids, or are planning on it, does sending your kids to a public school leave you with a negative feeling? Is that feeling specific to the school, or just general?

We home school but mostly because my daughter does not do well in with large classes, or even small ones. But we are fortunate enough to be able to afford living on one income to be able to homeschool.

[count2infinity]

How old is your daughter? Is there any chance of her going to school, public or private, when she gets to high school age?

[PensFanInDC]

We're hopeful for a charter school or private school. We think it gives us a little more say in our child's education, meaning we can pick the charter or private school whereas all public schools follow the same curriculum and style. If we can't afford it then public school it is. We've narrowed down our home search to the Mt Lebo area because of the schools so public schools don't bother us as much as they do where we currently live.

[MWB]

Charter schools don't charge tuition, if you decide to go that route. They are publicly funded.

[shmenguin]

i have no hangups about sending my kids to public schools. i think their fate will be far more influenced by their classmates than the school itself. and there are equal parts a-hole at every type of school, i think.

[count2infinity]

there are equal parts a-hole at every type of school, i think.

Indeed there are... a lot of times at the elementary level where you have one teacher the whole day, it's all about luck of the draw for a student. They either get a good teacher, an okay teacher, or a terrible one.

[DelPen]

How old is your daughter? Is there any chance of her going to school, public or private, when she gets to high school age?

She's 11. Zero chance she goes back to public school. The other issue is the bratty sociopaths that fill the schools around me. And she will also start AP and college classes when she is 15 to make future college a bit easier and more affordable. We have a lot of socialization through some homeschool groups too so she interacts daily with kids so that's not really a problem either.

[largegarlic]

I don't have kids, but I have lots of friends and family with toddlers, and they are starting to think about what to do about their schooling. I would say the majority think of public schools as a last resort (maybe like PFiDC) if there isn't a reasonable private/charter option.

In a way I think it's a shame in that the kids left in the worse public schools will only be the ones whose parents don't have enough money or don't care enough about their education to find better options, which would seem to just perpetuate the poor performance of these schools. On the other hand, I can understand as a parent, you don't want your kid to get an inferior education just for the sake of making a statement in favor of public education.

[shmenguin]

there are equal parts a-hole at every type of school, i think.

Indeed there are... a lot of times at the elementary level where you have one teacher the whole day, it's all about luck of the draw for a student. They either get a good teacher, an okay teacher, or a terrible one.

i meant a-hole classmates, but it's the same with teachers. though, around where i live, teachers go to private and charter schools as a last resort when they can't get a public school job. so, theoretically, there are better teachers in public schools where i live.

[count2infinity]

How old is your daughter? Is there any chance of her going to school, public or private, when she gets to high school age?

She's 11. Zero chance she goes back to public school. The other issue is the bratty sociopaths that fill the schools around me. And she will also start AP and college classes when she is 15 to make future college a bit easier and more affordable. We have a lot of socialization through some homeschool groups too so she interacts daily with kids so that's not really a problem either.

That's great... I highly recommend getting in contact with your public school when the times comes for high school about doing online courses. I would not want to try to teach my child English/Literature or Social studies or anything that I don't have an expertise in. I would want them to get the best education they could, even if it wasn't me who was teaching it. And it's definitely good she's getting plenty of socialization. After all, she can be homeschooled, but rarely are jobs homeworked.

[count2infinity]

there are equal parts a-hole at every type of school, i think.

Indeed there are... a lot of times at the elementary level where you have one teacher the whole day, it's all about luck of the draw for a student. They either get a good teacher, an okay teacher, or a terrible one.

i meant a-hole classmates, but it's the same with teachers. though, around where i live, teachers go to private and charter schools as a last resort when they can't get a public school job. so, theoretically, there are better teachers in public schools where i live.

ahhh... I see. Same is true there too, though. Luck of the draw as far as who is in what class.