The De Blasio administration has let it be known that more Renewal Schools will be closed at year's end. This means more ATRs, especially veteran teachers since school based Fair Student Funding will discourage principals from other schools to pick them up.
How many Renewal Schools will close? Probably five is a good estimate based upon their lack of students, low test scores, and teacher turnover. Its possible that an additional Renewal School or two will be merged with other schools making more ATRs. This does not include trying to have teachers reapplying for their positions like they did at Flushing and DeWitt Clinton High Schools.
Renewal Schools cannot attract academically proficient students simply by being identified as a struggling school and due to Fair Student Funding, quality teachers. Does that matter to the DOE that their own policies is a recipe or failure? Of course not, best to blame the school for not improving then the DOE's own failing policies.
What will happen to the remaining academically struggling schools? I suspect they will eventually close or merge with other schools unless the schools are given specialized programs to attract academically proficient students and recruit veteran teachers, something the DOE has no plans to do,
You can read the entire article about the Renewal Schools and what will happen to them in Chalkbeat.
16 comments:
The UFT likes FSF and having an ATR pool. It allows them to collects double dues - from both the ATRs and the newbies that replace them. Hopefully people will start to withhold their dues in June to protest the UFT’s complacency on this issue.
If you are ever in a school that does a restaffing, my advice is to reapply even if you are not too happy there. Unless you don't like to teach and would be happy just covering classes, then not reapplying and putting yourself in the ATR pool may be a good fit for you. I was made an "ATR," I'll explain whey I have that in quotes later, when I was not rehired. Although I was blessed to be put in a good school, I feel like my whole livelihood has been taken away. I have one small class, but I no longer plan lessons, grade papers or make personal connections with students. I also don't know if I'll be returning next year, so I'm not permanent. Those of you who do have a position somewhere, don't take it for granted. You don't know what it's like to have everything you loved taken away from you, but again if you don't mind not making connections with students and helping students, then the ATR option would be a good fit for you. Also, "ATR" is not a position. On every form I filled out either for a personal day or something else, when you are asked for your position, they do not give ATR as an option. You are still regular appointed. Please don't use that term when referring to someone in the ATR pool. ATR stands for the Absent Teacher Reserve which is a pool of teachers who don't have a permanent position; It is not a title.
Being an ATR has become a permanent position for every ATR I know.
Can anyone post the list of the 50 schools in the renewal list ??
I have mixed feelings about becoming an ATR, if that ever happened to me.
My school is insane - paperwork, bullying admins, useless pds weekly, daily meetings, endless coaches, new initiatives, Danielson's tyranny, also weekly, high school age kids with 1st grade skill levels, etc.
If I became an ATR I could breath again, yet then I hear horror stories about getting moved around to dangerous schools, field supervisors who will hate you and low rate you, and mean staff members at schools you go to ignoring you or denying you a bathroom key.
My school is out of Renewals now and in the "Rise" program - to keep the coaching gravy train going - but we will not meet our benchmarks this year - no matter what tricks the admin pulls. The kids are just too low skilled this year and are strung out on phone crack.
I wonder if a rise school can be demoted back to renewals?
My admins are just awful here - sometimes ATR status looks inviting.
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/about-us/initiatives/renewal-and-rise-schools
UFT to ATRs - Drop Dead! , but don’t forget those dues.
@12:04
become an atr its a smoother ride
field supervisors are dumb for the most part and going through the motions.
the rest is jsut who cares
you can go to the bathroom etc
dont believe the {false} hype
Yeah right. Try the Bronx. There’s a kid lighting up weed right in front me. Admin won’t do anything and I’m not either. I’ll sit here writing this and watch him and his crew smoke their blunt. Fuck this ATR bullshit and the UFT.
This is 702
call union rep
things have to go into oors
schools are drug free zones
report the school
what do you care?
you're outta there before june.
atr best thing to happen to my career
i say it here
only atrs read this blog anyway
regualar teachers never heard of it
too busy writting esson plans-lol
Being an ATR isn't great, but it's far better than working in a terrible school. This is my 5th year as an ATR (12th overall). I worked my first 7 for Murry Bergtraum, then was excessed. Was a blessing in disguise considering how it's declined so rapidly. My first two years in the ATR, I actively sought out provisional appointments, taking jobs at schools that were not good. My thinking was "well, least I will have my own classes." It didn't matter. The admin were incompetent, the kids were difficult, and there was zero support.
My 3rd year in the ATR, I was less motivated to look. I took advantage of opportunities to do maternity leaves at HS of Fashion. One of my favorite schools to ever work at. It's so appealing to work with students who actually cared and came prepared.
Last year, I spent the year predominantly at Stuyvesant. I didn't care that I was being used as a substitute, as I had the opportunity to work with the best and brightest this city has to offer.
This year I am at an ok school. It's a good situation (not Stuy but I'm not complaining). The Field Supervisors I have had were wayyy more accommodating than the vast majority of AP's and Principal's I've had observe me.
You can work your ass off at a terrible school, doing things that are ground breaking and risk taking and at the end of the day, get a bad rating because that kid with the behavioral issues wasn't "engaged." You can stress yourself out, killing yourself just to get a developing. Or, you get observed by a Field Supervisor, do what you consider a "basic lesson" and get an S. Nothing to grade, no parents to call, no tracking down perennially absent/cutting kids and begging them to come to class.
It's harder to make connections, but I made do. I do what I can and while I would rather have my own classrooms, it would have to be in a school that is not run by sociopaths. Which is easier said than done.
I hope you’ve convinced yourself Clovis. To thine own self be true.
The6 probably need to hire more Field Supervisors like Stark to finish up the ATRs the second time.
With a corrupt UFT we cannot expect too much change.
15th year in the system. I was excessed 7-8 years ago so I’ve seen it all.
Atr life all depends on luck of the draw and by that I mean administration.
I’m in a school this year where by me showing up and doing any Mickey Mouse lesson the AP is happy.
Last year I had a principal who hated ATRs However, the solid part is that bc the principal hated ATRs she wasn’t the one who rated me.
My supervisor was a retired principal who told me ‘off the record, show up every day and stay out of trouble and you’ll be fine. I’m looking to make some easy money working part time as a field supervisor’.
She observed me and was answering emails the whole period. S rated lesson. Easy.
Socially, being an ATR can be rough in some spots. I’m fine not being invited to the xmas party or happy hours.
But, I’m also fine not receiving developing ratings bc I can’t get students who don’t care in bed stuy to answer ‘high level’ questions.
Have any teachers been asked by administrators to start holding student's weed? My P pays me an hour of per session to come in early to hold student's weed but last week a student wrote a statement that I stole a quarter of his weed. Lucky for me the student could not tell the difference between 1/2, 1/4 and 1/3. P took my side on this one even though the P admitted to me that she did not know the difference either but believed me when I said 1/2 was bigger than 1/4. Bitches I am back.
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