A decade ago Mayor Micael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein proclaimed that their education reforms had significantly narrowed the racial achievement gap. Of course those claims turned out to be "smoke and mirrors" as the primary cause was the State drastically lowering cut scores and providing questionable rubrics on the State tests that eventually led to the removal of the State Education Commissioner Mills. When the State redid the tests the following years it showed that the racial academic achievement gap actually widened and led to the resignation of Chancellor Joel Klein as Mayor Bloomberg, embarrassed that his education reforms were a mirage , pressured Mr. Klein to leave.
Now in a new study by the City's Independent Budget Office (IBO), the report shows that as children advanced from third to eighth grades the racial achievement gap between Asian and White students grew, when compared to Black and Hispanic students. The study tracked 71,000 third graders back in 2008 and ended the study in 2013, when the students were in eighth grade. This time period encompasses part of Michael Bloomberg's second term and all of the third term as Mayor of New York City.
The report shows that the Bloomberg/Klein education reforms to narrow the racial achievement gap was a failure and in fact, widened over time as the students advanced to the next grade. Here are the six takeaways of the IBO report.
- Black and Hispanic students started far behind.
- As they got older Black students fell further behind.
- Hispanic students made slight gains in English but not Math,
- By eigth grade Asians led the back in both English and Math,
- Black boys were at the bottom of the list.
- Girls out did boys in Math for all races.
Not to get off topic but the NY Daily News mentions in today's paper that schools use subs to cover classes, not ATRs. Then why as an ATR am I covering 5 different classes daily for the past three years? Some of these schools are telling their teachers not to call sub central as they have their own slave labor force, ATRs.
ReplyDeletegetting full salary plus 2% a year is not slave labor
ReplyDeleteWe cannot keep blaming the boogeyman of 'evil whiteness' holding the little darlin's down. The problem is deeper than just DOE policies or money spent.
ReplyDeleteThere are studies out there that try to explain some of the gaps as students get older.
One recent one about Latino kids tried to answer why when Latino kids are in KG they are equal with white kids in ability, but by third grade many fall off rapidly and continue to do so. Some of it has to do with lack of academic language used in the home, as we all know, but there is another factor that we cannot control: culture.
I have worked in a Latino majority school for over ten years. Before that I was in a half black, half Latino school for a few years and prior to that I was in two different schools with lots of Asians. I can tell you that the answer for diminishing progress among some groups is simple.
Cultural pressures exert a downward force on many black and Latino kids. Latino culture is very 'party-heavy' with lots and lots of dancing and fiesta stuff, like all the time. Really. Only a few families seem to be able to resist this pressure. Parties and boyfriends and quincineras and all that sidetrack the Latino kids in a big way. Also pressures to work are there and early pregnancies and big families with lots of work to do at home don't help.
For black kids, the pressure is to conform to what currently is assumed to be 'correct' blackness: don't 'act white' by getting good grades, memorize rap songs, mimic 'thug' life to be cool. So many black kids get sucked into that as they grow and their schoolwork suffers. Actual criminality and heavy bullying doesn't help either. Sometimes I've had students who immigrated from Africa. In one year they go from being bright-eyed scholars to hip-hop wanna-bes. It's sad. Culture is the enemy of many of our students. We are trying to teach them to follow Western ways for punctuality, future-time orientation and delayed gratitude, but their cultures don't value our values.
There, without any big studies or class to blame 'evil whitey' I explained the problem. (By the way, poor whites face pressures too and often get sidetracked, as well.)
@2:58 seriously I do not sympathize for you. I am sick of these ATR's coming in and out of my school laughing and smiling with no responsibilities. Sure it's degrading and/or emotionally upsetting blah blaaahhh blah but gimme a break already!!!! In a couple of months $120K to sub? People are complaining about this? Sometimes the ATR's in my school sub for the day and sometimes it's a nice Netflix day in the library. I'm killing myself writing curriculum maps, unit maps, matching standards to the questions on my tests, being observed under the Danielson framework, meeting with my administrators several times per semester about my scholarship report and how I can increase my pass rate, attending useless C6 meetings every day, content team meetings, homework feedback, justification notices to back myself up for failures, parent outreach, and a slew of other ridiculous tasks that ATR's DO NOT HAVE TO DO AND ARE NOT PART OF. You poor, poor fuckers have to sub once n a while huh? Every day you say? Awwwwww. Poor baby!!!! I would trade with you in a heartbeat. You don't even know how beautiful it is for you right now. Some ATR's know though. How come all the ATR's I meet are laughing their asses off and realize that their 6 figure salary is a gift from the heavens but everyone on this site is depressed and angry? Field supervisors? That's the big complaint? You don't know how to handle a field supervisor when he/she comes? The last 3 ATR's that came in my school who I had the pleasure of speaking with all told me the same exact thing which was they can do this another 10 years no sweat. The problem will be when they are actually placed and have to perform. Look at the list above ATR people! You'd rather do that than what you're doing now? You want to do all of that and go home to begin writing lesson plans? BEFORE YOU RESPOND YOU SHOULD REALLY THINK HOW WONDERFUL IT IS TO NOT BE A REGULAR TEACHER WORKING FOR A LOOOONIE. I literally would become an ATR if offered the choice. Subbing 5x a day or not subbing 5x a day. A crapshoot. Let's call it 3x a week I would sub and 2x a week I would watch Netflix. All for my salary of $120K coming soon? Whatttttt? Delusional readers in here Chaz. You are very intelligent and knowledgeable but the ATR poor mentality poor me poor poor me crap should be curbed. My principal doesn't say boo to the ATR's that come and go. They are just useless subs or bodies lying around. But if you worked for as a teacher, she would SLAY you and you would BEG to be an ATR again. You would BEG!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteRemember ATRS did not create the pool and never asked to be placed in limbo! The ATR pool consists of veteran teachers who want to teach!
ReplyDeleteThere is a real problem with the DOE and how teachers are treated! Principles should be working with all staff to provide a quality education for all students by giving teachers the tools, support, professionalism, and respect we deserve!
Let teachers teach! This is our chosen profession!
UFT where are you?
And in case you think subbing as an ATR is hard try real teaching. My fiends cousin is an ATR and just looooves it. 120K (plus wink wink a high yield TDA) is fat city. Gravy. Cha ching. Xmas break is tomorrow and Thanksgiving break was yesterday. Just handing out Xeroxes and counting the days to my fat retirement (per session bumps me up to 185K. Then it is summer. BEACH CHAIRS AND RUM AND COKES. Sweet. Sittin' here in my mom's basement pretending to be a teacher jealous of ATRs makes me happy. Next week I am the queen of England. Love it !!!!!!!
ReplyDelete8:35, I know your syntax and that you're in a great school Renassisance High School in the Lehman campus. Being an ATR there and those ATR being your only experience may have tainted your views somewhat. So the next time you have to make a bunch of copies and you'd like to join the ATR pool, drop your pants and sit on the Xerox machine. Then make a New Year's wish and it will come true.
ReplyDelete8:35 described perfectly the reality for teachers at my school. We are breaking under the constant unfair pressure, idiotic 'new solutions', endless meetings where we have to continually justify our existence, endless paperwork that no one looks at but to nitpick, incessant innuendo that 'we suck' as teachers, stupid PD, clueless coaches, threats, and the horrible psy-ops campaigns conducted by our evil admins against the chosen 'targets' constantly.
ReplyDeleteNo one should go into teaching these days. It is a soul killer like never before. In the past (pre Common Core and Danielson's) all you really had to worry about were the bad kids, and most of us handled them very well and worked miracles for them. Now we are all treated like we are first year teachers, every year. It is crazy. How can a third year teacher be a coach to 10-20+ year veterans? Who are all these outside 'coaches' who come and harass us? (I know a teacher in the Midwest who says this tyranny is there now too!)
Eight years to go my fellow travelers! I had a friend who was excessed into the ATR pool by a vindictive principal two years ago. She was actually looking forward to it after the years of abuse she suffered. The only thing that makes me not want to be an ATR is that it seems it is easier to put you on the road to being fired, otherwise, I need a 'sabbatical' from the daily grind we suffer from.
I believe the problem is a NYShitty problem. I recently retired from that garbage heap and took a job as a TA (para) in the suburbs. Surprise surprise they actually suspend the student out of the school. They become mom and dads problem. These kids can read and write and many of them practice cursive writing. The NYShitty students mostly work on cursing. Let the DOE keep producing dumb. As long as they stay there to live. Unrelated I hope Farina stays 10 more years.
ReplyDelete@8:35 you really are a nyshitty teacher. your sentence structure is horrible. I bet you also graduated from one of those stupid factories.
ReplyDeleteI always thought I live in a non racist
ReplyDeletesociety until I became a teacher.
My principal told me that "my students are incapable of learning."
and to make my standards very low to basic in an advance course.
I told him that my students are no different than the students
at Stuyvesant High School.They can do the work.
I teach African Americans and Hispanic students.
All the other teachers gave in and gave the student basic work and pass them so not to be in trouble. I taught the students the advance course and they did exceptional well.
The Principal started giving me bad ratings and a 3020A. I won the 3020A.
The arbitrator did not care for the students. Nobody cared not even the supt.
Yes I did file a grievance on him for saying that. And I do it again.
Again there is no difference between my students
and the students across the train tracks.
As an ATR I can empathize with anyone who works in a tough situation. After all, I've lived it. I do not miss that. I do miss teaching on a regular basis though. It is what it is though. I just help where I can and keep my mouth shut.
ReplyDeleteWhy keep your mouth shut Clovis? So jerks like 8:35 can shit on us?
ReplyDeleteGeorge LaPointe
George,
ReplyDeleteThat person who is complaining, I know what they are going through. Given the situation we are in, it's wasted time attacking teachers who aren't upset at us, but rather, angry about the excessive workload. The situation sucks, but you have to make the best of it. Because if you don't, then the DOE will win. I avail myself to every school I'm in, show what I can do, because one day I will be in the perfect school for me.
@12:35PM what a balloon head you are. you thought you lived in a non-racist society!! how is that possible in a society where the people that scream the loudest about racism never let you forget about.
ReplyDeleteTo 5:42 PM
ReplyDeleteThat was the same answer my principal said.
Are you my Principal
From
12:35
Retired as of 12/1/2017 haven't looked back! As an ATR for 3 years, it was impossible for me to get a permanent position. There were openings in my licensed area, the AP wanted to hire me, I couldn't even get an interview, I was bounced to another school as soon as I showed interest. I'm so much happier now, to be removed from this Bullshit! I hope Bryan Glass nails the DOE good!
ReplyDelete