Seasoned teachers wanted in struggling schoolsBy Diette Courrégé (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Experience needed 
Grace Beahm National Board Certified teacher Cyndi Russell-Albach reads 'To Kill a Mockingbird' with her sophomore English class, including Aquila Wade and Sebastian Scott, at Stall High School. Charleston County's weakest schools too often have the most inexperienced teachers. Only 36 of the county's 293 National Board Certified teachers, the highest credential in the profession, work in schools rated unsatisfactory on the state report card. Schools Superintendent Nancy McGinley is trying to change that by launching a campaign to encourage experienced teachers to voluntarily transfer to the schools in most need of their help. It's an appeal to teachers' hearts, but not their wallets. Those who switch schools will not be financially rewarded, primarily because McGinley received feedback that money could be divisive between a school's newcomers and long-time teachers. Bonuses don't guarantee success, which was evident when the school district tried that approach with middle school teachers at Burke High, she said. It's the first time school district officials have pushed this agenda. McGinley's goal is to spread out experienced teachers so that each school has a cluster of experienced faculty, she said. At some schools, the average years of experience a teacher has is 20 or more, while at others it can be less than three. McGinley also is trying to address the inequities by changing the role of the experienced teacher coaches to give them more classroom duties, and increasing the travel stipend for teachers at rural schools. The more than 100 expected vacancies for next year in the district's low-performing schools are posted online now, but other district schools haven't posted their vacancies yet. Principals at high-performing schools across the district also have been asked to show a 17-minute district-created video to their faculty featuring principals, teachers and students at seven schools rated below average and unsatisfactory on the state report card. They talk about the positive aspects of their schools and why effective teachers should consider taking a job there. Principal Robert Candillo at Midland Park Elementary touted his North Charleston school for being at a record low for discipline referrals and had a three-year goal to have Smartboards in every classroom. "I'm not naïve to think that this video is going to solve all of our problems," McGinley said. "Without this solved, we will have difficulty improving equality." Timothy Daly is president of The New Teacher Project, a national nonprofit that helps school districts recruit teachers. The Charleston school board hired the organization last year but ended its two-year contract with the group one year early because it failed to meet its goals. School districts nationwide struggle with attracting teachers to high-need schools and getting them to stay, he said. Most districts would say it's a priority to get effective teachers to move and would be able to point out some strategies that support that belief, he said. But Daly didn't know of another place that has made such an organized emotional appeal. School districts trying to attract more experienced teachers to low-performing schools need to make those schools a good place to teach, he said. Teachers shouldn't be forced to work there, and the district should make those schools worth wanting, which goes beyond an initial financial bonus, he said. Schools need to have strong team cultures and good academic instruction so that high-performing teachers will want to go there and stay, he said. Kent Riddle, chairman of the Charleston Teacher Alliance, agreed. He said the district should focus on the bigger issue of why low-performing schools lack quality teachers. School officials should ask teachers why they leave such schools and evaluate whether those issues are ones they can address, said Riddle, who leads the district's teacher advocacy organization. He planned to gather feedback from the alliance's membership on the idea and ways to encourage teachers to move to lower-performing schools. 
Grace Beahm Assistant Principal Anna Dassing talks with students at Stall High School. "It has opened up dialogue as to why is this an issue," he said. "It's easier to do nothing, and the fact that it is being addressed is good." It's too early to know whether the district's efforts will work, but some principals featured in the video have gotten phone calls from interested teachers. Teacher reaction The faculty at Academic Magnet High watched the video last week. Their first question after it played was whether the district was offering financial incentives. Laura Eicher, a science teacher in her sixth year at the school, asked whether the district had considered a swap program so teachers could commit to a different district school for a year or more, but still have a guarantee that they could return to their prior teaching positions. "If I could come back, I'd be willing to try," she said. "But without the opportunity to come back, that's scary." Eicher taught at Stall High in North Charleston for two years. She loved the job and felt that she was making a difference, but she said she's nervous about going to another high-poverty school where she wouldn't know whether it would be a good fit for her or whether she would be effective, she said. Although she liked the video, she said it wasn't enough to encourage her to return to a low-achieving school. Math teacher Becky Padgett felt much the same way. She taught at Stall High for 10 years before she felt burned out and moved to Academic Magnet. She said nothing will change in failing schools if students don't have good teachers because students need them to be successful. She loved her time at Stall High, and she said she misses her students, who never gave her problems in class. She wasn't sure how many teachers would be persuaded to move because of the video, but she said she appreciated the district's efforts. She was drawn to teaching because of her compassion and concern for children, and the video called to that part of her, she said. However, it didn't persuade her to quit Academic Magnet. "It was a call to my human side, but it didn't talk loud enough," she said. "I do not want to leave." Cyndi Russell-Albach is an example of what district officials want to see happen more frequently. She has National Board Certification and has taught for five years at Stall High. She chose to teach at the high poverty school because it's in the area where she grew up, and she wanted to give back to the community. She said it would be helpful for teachers to have the experience of visiting schools such as hers because the negative stereotypes they hold might not ring true. People who never have walked into those schools or sat in their classrooms have no idea how engaging, charming and grateful her students can be, she said. She got a call on Christmas morning from a student who woke up and wanted to tell her thank you, she said. "Where else do you get that?" she said. "I can't imagine wanting to be anywhere else." Karen Felder, principal of Jennie Moore Elementary in Mount Pleasant, also agreed to show the video to her faculty last week. While she doesn't want to lose any of her school's great teachers, she said she'd be OK with teachers deciding to leave if they thought they could make a difference elsewhere. "I want them to go where their heart is because that's where they'll do the best job," she said. She watched the video and thought the awareness it's creating around this issue was good, she said. She didn't know whether it would be successful in getting people to change schools, but more people are talking about the issue, and that's a good first step. School faculty can get ensconced in their own worlds and forget they are part of a much bigger district, she said. It's important to be reminded of what the complete district looks like, she said. School board reaction School board members watched the video at their meeting last week and reacted positively. Member Brian Moody said that aside from the board's support for more early childhood education classes, he wasn't sure the district could take any bigger step to improve education in this community than this one. He said this message needed to be hammered internally and externally. School board Vice Chairwoman Nancy Cook said the board should go a step further and adopt a policy that its below-average and unsatisfactory schools would be staffed before any others. She also asked the board to consider setting growth expectations for schools and financially rewarding those who meet those goals. "We know the 'what,' it's the 'who' we have to get right," she said. School board member Toya Green said she'd like to recognize the teachers who accept the superintendent's challenge and move to lower-performing schools. School board member Gregg Meyers pointed out that the campaign has been made possible through a change to the Act of Consolidation last year that eliminated constituent school boards from the hiring process and gave the authority to the county board. The change has enabled the district to be more aggressive in its hiring, he said, and he applauded the superintendent's efforts to better diffuse its experienced personnel. The change also means that teachers don't have to resign from their current job to apply for opportunities elsewhere in the district, which was standard practice before the law changed, said Bill Briggman, the district's human resources director for teacher employment. The school district could force teachers to teach at certain schools, but McGinley said that's not a good idea. The district would lose good teachers who would look for a job elsewhere rather than take a teaching assignment they don't want, she said. She said the next step she'd like to take is to put financial incentives in place to encourage teachers to move. Schools would be judged on the basis of their improvement and teachers would get to share in a pot of money as a reward. The incentives wouldn't go into effect until the 2009-10 school year. But she said she is open to other options and she wants to look at what would motivate people. If 20 people e-mail her and ask to make a three-year commitment with a guarantee to return to their former school, she said that would be an idea to consider. "We're going to make this work," she said. "We're going to figure this out before I kick the bucket." Reach Diette Courrégé at dcourrege@postandcourier.com or 937-5546. |
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Comments
This article has 26 comment(s)
Posted by moonpie on March 6, 2008 at 6:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good luck with that!
You want to entice them to move to failing schools where you don't protect them, there is virtually no parent involvment, the thugs rule?
I bet they'll be knocking down the doors!
Posted by belovedbliff on March 6, 2008 at 6:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am always baffled bad the faulty assumption that Nationally Board Certified teachers would somehow do better at lower performing schools than teachers who were not.
Show me this data, please.
Kent Riddle has the right idea: ask teachers why they are leaving low-performing schools or do not wish to go there. You will find the answer has rarely to do with students. The leadership is often sorely lacking and there are structures in place that create multiple obstacles to student achievement and hinder teacher morale.
Dr. McGinley speaks a good game and so does the school board, but why haven't I seen them at my failing school?
Posted by crankyyankee on March 6, 2008 at 7:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's simple, the seasoned teachers are fed up teaching seasoned students who refuse to move on! I thought Goodlowe had fix all of this?
Posted by capnphil on March 6, 2008 at 7:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
IF there will be incentives the ones already teaching at those schools should get incentives to remain. It is not the teachers (young ones, old committed ones) that cause failing schools. It is the lack of parental involvement, the "get an inch, take a mile" students, it is poor teachers allowed to teach because the administrators don't want a fight to get rid of them, it is large bureaucratic red tape forcing teachers to do everything BUT PLAN and TEACH. There is much to fix, but moving Board Certified teachers to failing schools will not be a panacea, it may help though. At least new teachers will have the opportunity to gather some "new tricks for them out the old bags". No pun intended.
Posted by AMAZING on March 6, 2008 at 8:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Disappearance of Hilton Head Island couple baffles friends, police
A Hilton Head Island businessman and his wife, who is an attorney, have disappeared, baffling friends, neighbors and the authorities.
John and Elizabeth Calvert were last seen around 5:30 p.m. Monday at a meeting in Harbour Town, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
John Calvert, 47, owns the company that manages the Harbour Town Yacht Basin and Harbour Town Resorts, which has 125 rental properties.
Elizabeth Calvert, 45, is a Savannah business attorney at HunterMaclean, the state's largest law firm outside Atlanta.
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/s...
Posted by BillytheKid on March 6, 2008 at 8:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why would the best teachers be sent to the worst schools? If you are the best teacher you should be teaching at the best schools teaching the best kids. You would be wasting their talent if you made them go to a bad school. It is the students that make a bad class, they have spent their time disrupting the class, missing the classes and giving the teacher grief instead of attention.
A good teacher will waste away in a bad school unless they want to be there. That would be a teacher who has a calling to go into those hell pits where rewards are few and problems are many. JMO
Posted by bucky on March 6, 2008 at 8:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Appealing to hearts instead of wallets? Noble, but we all know the superintendent isn't trying to make it on a teacher's salary. Funny how the people with the biggest paychecks always frown on bonuses and raises, and believe people should always do things "out of the goodness of their hearts." You're trying to send people into these nightmare schools with no incentives? Give them some compensation for going into these war zones. It's combat pay!
Posted by little_green_person on March 6, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Appeal to their hearts? Surely she doesn't think all these teachers are facing mountains of red tape, blatant violations of their contracts (research how many actually get to use their legally mandated planning periods for planning if you don't believe me), violence, and largely indifferent students for the one of the lowest paid jobs in the country?!
News flash for the bureaucrats making educational decisions: Good teachers are living in POVERTY. They are working themselves to death, taking on educational debts in order to become highly qualified just so they can afford to keep teaching because they DO actually care.
The superintendent's comment whether she realizes it or not underscores the clueless disrespect to which teachers are subjected on a daily basis.
Posted by ColdBeer on March 6, 2008 at 9:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good teachers need to be paid well. It's a very noble profession and yet the pay scale is pathetic. Of course, in order to pay them well, we either need to raise taxes or stop the waste, fraud and abuse in all areas of government. I vote for stopping the waste, fraud and abuse. If they still need more money to pay teachers well, I could then support a tax hike.
Other posts have already pointed out some major issues that need to be addressed: poor parenting, thug school kids, poor management of the system by the supervisors.
Posted by magoo on March 6, 2008 at 9:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here's an idea, bus all the low performing schools students to the best peforming schools that way all the students get the same education.
Posted by PHiers on March 6, 2008 at 10:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Last time I checked a school is just a building, unable to "perform".
Charleston county school system has it's share of low-performing students, low-performing administrators, and low-performing parents, all who make it next to impossible for even the very best teachers to perform their job. Until the school system administrators start better looking after the teachers by providing them with a safe working environment and stop making excuses for disruptive behavior regardless the location of the school or the demographics of the student body, they are not going to be able to change anything.
Posted by toastchee on March 6, 2008 at 11:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
100% ColdBeer...I wonder if privatization of the school system would help...this is a subject I know little about but is the 1st thing i think of...
Posted by mjklow on March 6, 2008 at 11:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"He said the district should focus on the bigger issue of why low-performing schools lack quality teachers."
My wife is a teacher and has worked in a low performing school for several years now. I can tell you from listening to my wife, who is a Nationally Certified Teacher, why low-performing schools lack quality teachers. There are four reasons, that contribute to this problem.
First is that most low performing schools have a high percentage of low income students whose parents don’t take the interest they should in their child’s education. This by far is the biggest problem. It all starts at home.
The second reason is that besides not taking an interest in their child’s education, these same low income parents don’t take an interest in teaching their children right from wrong, thus they become discipline problems in the class. Teachers worth their weight in gold, don’t want to stop instruction every few minutes to discipline a student. So they leave for greener pastures.
Third is a school administration that lacks the backbone to take the proper action to deal with, students, parents, and teachers alike. I can’t tell you how many time my wife has come home and told be about something that happened at her school and the administration did little or nothing about it.
Tied for third are teachers, who for one reason or another, just don’t really care anymore, but have invested to much time in the system to leave before they can retire.
I am sure that others my be able to point to other issues, but these are the four that stick out in my mind.
I have told my wife time and time again, every child deserves an education, but that the world still needs ditch diggers too.
Posted by halfsheli on March 6, 2008 at 11:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Funny, Magoo!
Posted by jimisle on March 6, 2008 at 12:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
SC Education Dept needs to push their PACE program. It's an alternative certification program designed for people who already have college degrees, and have a desire to teach in public schools. I think candidates for this program are also placed in the schools where the need is greatest. However, I don't know how successful this has been so far. Here's the url:
http://www.scteachers.org/cert/pace/over...
Posted by LowcountryMoose on March 6, 2008 at 12:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Same pay + worse school + more work + more stress + no parental involvement + more student apathy = HA HA HA HA!!!!
Who in their right mind would do this? The "best" teachers have "earned" such distinction because they teach at schools where students and parents actually care about education.
Some years ago I was one of those new teachers at Burke High School. I tried my best under difficult circumstances. My so-called "administrators," at the end of the year, deemed me UNSATISFACTORY in the area of Classroom Management. These were the same people that could not even maintain an In-School Suspension program on campus to help teachers and students with some of the many ill-willed children disturbing the learning process at school.
I spent most days in my planning period and after school trying to keep up with discipline problems instead of planning new, potentially effective lessons. The phone logs and hundreds of calls and attempted calls that went with them. The detention slips and referral forms. The letters to the Principal asking not to send students back to my class during the same test they were caught cheating on (and subsequently disrupting the class). One has to document things as a teacher, you know.
What ever happened to the days when you could actually send a misbehaving student to the Principal's Office and they would deal with it? I realize that much of the discipline does start and end in the classroom, but one has to draw the line somewhere. I witnessed bloody fistfights, throwing of virtually any type of object in the room (including a chair at me), more foul language than on Def Comedy Jam, and just so much general disrespect for anything.
Even though they offered me a contract to teach (try to) again the next year, I declined. They also told me that maybe Burke was not the best "fit" for me. No kidding! It would not have been a good "fit" for any new teacher.
I do applaud the great teachers who choose to stay at schools like Burke for many years. For others, they are simply career launching pads to get a position at a better school.
I guess that's enough for now. I could go on and on.
Posted by LowcountryMoose on March 6, 2008 at 12:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
There is really no need to cry about what teachers make. Census data shows that the average annual salary in Charleston is about $35,000.
Check out the 2007-2008 Teacher Salary Schedule for Charleston County:
http://www.ccsdschools.com/files_hr/0707...
Remember, those figures are for 190 days of work! Thankfully, teachers still receive real benefits too.
Posted by magoo on March 6, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Heres another problem The Majority of parents rich or poor always stick up for their kids right or wrong, so therefore the children know they will and can get by with anything.It's always my little boy or girl does nothing wrong, the system is always at fault.
Posted by magoo on March 6, 2008 at 1:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope mcginley lives foreever because this problem will always be there.
Posted by scifigeekfreak on March 6, 2008 at 4:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Lowcountry Moose,
$35,000 - $40,000 may seem like a lot, but as a fellow teacher, I feel like we should earn more. I have invested a lot of resources in furthering my education in effort to provide the best prepared teacher possible for my students. When I look at some of my peers -who have the same level of education as I (M. Ed) or less- but receive higher compensation in a different profession -I wonder if I made a very bad decision. The love of teaching doesn’t pay the bills.
Posted by LowcountryMoose on March 6, 2008 at 5:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
scifigeekfreak,
I guess I'm just a bit cynical about teacher salaries for I have left the profession and pursued another career path. Since I essentially started over, I now make slightly less than I would be making if I had kept teaching. I essentially pissed away time and money getting my MAT. It is a worthless degree if you don't teach. But there is a plus, I have my sanity back, even if I do have to work 50 weeks a year.
If you are in a decent school with a supportive administration and, most importantly, like your job, stick with it! I thought I was going to be a lifelong teacher, but couldn't deal with the cards I was dealt in terms of where I could do it. I didn't want to perpetually be looking for a new teaching position. It wasn't fair to myself or the students.
Posted by wm123 on March 6, 2008 at 5:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As a Nationally Board Certified teacher who has taught in a "failing" school for the last 7 years, I can tell you why good teachers do not stay in these schools. The paperwork required of these teachers is punitive, many of the administrators are not effective, the students are disrespectful and disruptive, and the teachers can drive down the street a few miles and work in a school where they don't have to deal with any of these things--for the same pay.
All of that being said, a good teacher in one of these schools CAN make a difference. My students consistently score well on tests--and they love to learn--despite where they come from. Not everyone can teach in these schools, but if you have the "gift" and can do it--those kids need you!
Posted by wm123 on March 6, 2008 at 5:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'd love to see them try the same thing with the principals. What would happen if Pinckney Elementary's principal went to a "failing school"? Pinckney is an "excellent" rated school--could he do the same thing at Burns or Hursey? Administration can make all the difference--if he or she is supportive, knowledgeable, and respects his or her teachers-- good teachers will want to work for him or her.
Posted by lionelat on March 6, 2008 at 8:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The comment above has validity. Move the "successful" principal to the "Unsatisfactory" school. For example, move Wando's Lucy Beckham to North Charleston High School for a year. Move Dan Conner, principal at Stall, to Wando for a year. Would Mike Tolley, former principal at AMHS, been as successful at Brentwood? Before principals are held accountable in "failing schools," switch them around and determine their real effectiveness.
Posted by beachteacher on March 10, 2008 at 8:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
There are many factors that contribute to unsatisfactory schools. Will putting experienced teachers in these roles fix it? The role of the teacher coach is being dissolved and coaches were presented Friday with 4 employment options for next year. 1. Apply as an instructional resource teacher - this is a part time teacher/part time coach. The county still has not decided how many or where. 2. Become a content coach - work in a content area for all the schools in a learning community. Again how many & what content area has not been determined.
3. Apply to teach in an unsatisfactory or below average school. This should be because you feel strongly about helping these schools.
4. Sign a contract & be put on a RIF list. Schools that are not failing use this list to fill positions. Unfortunately according to a memo from Mr. Bynum today, these coaches will be assigned to schools.
IS this fair? If the school where a teacher coach currently works has an opening, they can not be offered the job or apply for it. Wouldn't these people be the best fit? They know the staff, students, and culture of the school; yet they are refused by CCSD the oppurtunity to teach.
As a teacher coach, I have recieved extensive training on best practice & how to best implement the given curriculum. I see why coaches are needed in failing schools, but shouldn't these coaches have a choice. Prior to becoming a teacher coach, I worked in failing schools. Now I have the oppurtunity to work in a good school. Shouldn't I be able to take it?
Dr. McGinley is forcing some of her best, most experienced teachers to leave the county. What will this fix?
Posted by hdsnyder on March 13, 2008 at 3:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
For those looking for a financial incentive to work in a "struggling" school, working in many of these schools would qualify teachers for loan forgiveness. Info is available at http://www.slc.sc.edu/wp280.aspx.