Ken Swanson’s historic achievement: a scenario.

Sue Carrel comments:

Fred,

Here is a letter a friend of mine sent to the Sun Times…he says I can share it since it probably won’t be published. I was a suburban teacher, my husband was a Chicago teacher and I always wondered why we were represented by two different unions. Especially now in these teacher-bashing times we should consolidate forces! This new legislation is a lose-lose situation for all but the union-busting corporate-backed powers that be. Here’s the letter:

Before everyone starts congratulating the State Legislature for “ending seniority and making teachers more accountable to show growth,” please consider the following scenario that probably will be replayed hundreds of times at all grades in the Chicago Public Schools next year: The principal hires a new 2nd grade teacher who proves to be awful. After a year the principal can dump that teacher and not many would feel bad about it (excect the 2nd grade kids and their parents who suffered for that year).

The following year, almost all or all of those 2nd grade students are promoted to 3rd grade in spite of not knowing most the requisite skill for entering 3rd grade (we all know that social promotion is alive and well in CPS). The third grade teacher is a 20-year vet with high ratings.

However, even with her formidable education skills, she must spend most of her time going over 2nd grade material that the students didn’t learn. As result, the 3rd grade test scores for these students show little or no growth. The principal and CPS administrators can conclude, based on “the lack of student growth,” that she is a bad teacher and dump her because the Union can’t protect her. Ergo, a bad and good teacher are gone, the principal, whose poor judgment in hiring the bad 2nd grade teacher resulted in the firing of the 3rd grade teacher, still has her job, and the students are a year or more behind on their test scores.

Congratulations all!!

Thomas Sharp