Failing New York City teachers can have their poor ratings scrubbed from the record if they strike a deal with the city to quit or retire, according to a New York Post report. Teachers deemed “unsatisfactory” for two consecutive years in the city face termination hearings, but can avoid all that — and have the “unsatisfactory” grades changed to “satisfactory” on their permanent records — if they voluntarily leave the system. Critics say the method is “a lie” and unethical, according to The Post, as those teachers seeking employment in other school districts would be applying for teaching positions under false pretenses. But an officer who takes part in “rubber room” hearings, which deal with teachers being paid to out disciplinary hearings in reassignment centers, praised the system…
…Read MorePodcast Series: Innovations in Education
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Educators sue Google for defamatory blog takedown
Two New York City school officials are suing for Google to unveil the identity of a blogger who has accused them of pedophilia, incompetence, rape and racism, the New York Post reports. Norman Thomas High School Principal Philip Martin Jr. and Assistant Principal Neil Monheit say the anonymous blogger is spreading false information and wish to clear the air. The allegations appear in a post under an allegedly fake biography of Philip Martin Jr. The heading reads: “Philip Martin Jr, Pedophile, NYC Department of Education.” The Blogspot entry accuses the principal of being late to work, early to leave, being unable to read and write properly, and having “unprotected sex” with “female teenagers.”
…Read MoreTeachers sue over new state ratings system
New York’s new teacher-evaluation system–designed to rate them based in part on student scores in reading and math–is in jeopardy after the state teachers union filed a lawsuit challenging its legality, reports the New York Post. The lawsuit, filed yesterday in State Supreme Court in Albany, signals a major rift in cooperation between the union and the state Education Department–which had worked together to win nearly $700 million in federal funds through the Race to the Top competition…
…Read MoreTeacher-tenure standards raised
No more free passes. The city Department of Education changed its tenure policy yesterday with new rules designed to weed out its bad teachers and reward its best ones with jobs for life, reports the New York Post. After years of rubber-stamp approvals, principals will now make tenure recommendations based on such performance benchmarks as classroom preparation and student feedback.
“We can’t afford to squander the highest honor we can bestow–of guaranteed lifetime employment–on those not worthy,” said Deputy Chancellor Eric Nadelstern.
The changes–and the comments that accompanied them–drew a quick rebuttal from the city’s teachers union, which accused the department of ignoring real problems.…Read More