When it comes to schools and classrooms, the prevailing wisdom is smaller is better. When you ask parents, teachers, administrators or counselors whether 20 students in a classroom is better than 30 for the overall quality of education you usually get an emphatic “yes.” Unfortunately, the latest California budget crisis has led San Jose Unified’s Board of Education to vote for the elimination of class size reduction in K-3 for most of its elementary schools, on Superintendent Iglesias’ reluctant recommendation.
California allocated billions of dollars to allow districts to decrease class sizes in the primary grades (K-3) to 20 from 30-plus students with the passage of the Class Size Reduction (CSR) Act in 1996. There is some hard evidence that smaller class sizes significantly increase student achievement. The research is limited, but all anecdotal indicators tell a story that smaller is definitely better.
Since its inception in California, the CSR formula did not compensate participating districts for the complete cost of the reduction and the hiring of more teachers. Because California increased its demand for primary teachers with the legislation, many teachers who entered the profession lacked the necessary training in the most critical subject areas. That is the primary reason that California’s CSR program shows mixed results.
But I must say that I definitely would prefer my son or daughter to be in a smaller class. I also know that a highly skilled teacher that develops quality relationships with their students can meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of 30-plus students. Student to teacher ratio is somewhat important for increasing student achievement, but not the end all and be all.
In fact, the research is becoming increasingly clear that the single most important factor to increase student achievement is improving the quality of the teacher in every classroom.
One way to do this is to begin to pay teachers based on their performance. There are a myriad of models across the nation, and many of our local Charter schools are using the pay-for-performance model now. We should learn from their experience.
We might get a bigger bang for our buck if we allocate some of the class size reduction money into a pot for districts wishing to participate in a pay-for-performance model. As I have consistently stated in my writings, the highly performing teacher should be making $125,000 to $150,000 per year for a full year, not a 10-month year (210-220 days of work). We then might get those who now enter law, engineering, or medicine to enter the teaching profession.
It sounds very good, but how do you measure “performance”?
GPA—you will get grade inflation
Performance on a standardized test—teachers will teach to the test
Student opinion survey—teachers will concentrate on student self-esteem
Whatever incentive structure you put in place, teachers will modify their behavior accordingly. Except for a stubborn few who will ignore administration fads and continue to try to give students a good education, but if the penalties for this are too high they will be driven out of the system.
It’s all very easy to say “pay for performance” in a vague kind of way, but unless you explain what you mean, you haven’t really said anything.
Teachers Unions—champions of the underdog. This, from Yahoo News, today 6/23/09:
NEW YORK – Hundreds of New York City public school teachers accused of offenses ranging from insubordination to sexual misconduct are being paid their full salaries to sit around all day playing Scrabble, surfing the Internet or just staring at the wall, if that’s what they want to do.
Because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them, the teachers have been banished by the school system to its “rubber rooms” — off-campus office space where they wait months, even years, for their disciplinary hearings.
The 700 or so teachers can practice yoga, work on their novels, paint portraits of their colleagues — pretty much anything but school work. They have summer vacation just like their classroom colleagues and enjoy weekends and holidays through the school year.
“You just basically sit there for eight hours,” said Orlando Ramos, who spent seven months in a rubber room, officially known as a temporary reassignment center, in 2004-05. “I saw several near-fights. `This is my seat.’ `I’ve been sitting here for six months.’ That sort of thing.”
Because the teachers collect their full salaries of $70,000 or more, the city Department of Education estimates the practice costs the taxpayers $65 million a year. The department blames union rules.
“It is extremely difficult to fire a tenured teacher because of the protections afforded to them in their contract,” spokeswoman Ann Forte said.
City officials said that they make teachers report to a rubber room instead of sending they home because the union contract requires that they be allowed to continue in their jobs in some fashion while their cases are being heard. The contract does not permit them to be given other work.
“No one wants teachers who don’t belong in the classroom. However, we cannot neglect the teachers’ rights to due process,” Davis said. The union represents more than 228,000 employees, including nearly 90,000 teachers.
Many teachers say they are being punished because they ran afoul of a vindictive boss or because they blew the whistle when somebody fudged test scores.
“The principal wants you out, you’re gone,” said Michael Thomas, a high school math teacher who has been in a reassignment center for 14 months after accusing an assistant principal of tinkering with test results.
City education officials deny teachers are unfairly targeted but say there has been an effort under Mayor Michael Bloomberg to get incompetents out of the classroom. “There’s been a push to report anything that you see wrong,” Forte said.
Some other school systems likewise pay teachers to do nothing.
The Los Angeles district, the nation’s second-largest school system with 620,000 students, behind New York’s 1.1 million, said it has 178 teachers and other staff members who are being “housed” while they wait for misconduct charges to be resolved.
Similarly, Mimi Shapiro, who is now retired, said she was assigned to sit in what Philadelphia calls a “cluster office.” “They just sit you in a room in a hard chair,” she said, “and you just sit.”
Teacher advocates say New York’s rubber rooms are more extensive than anything that exists elsewhere.
Teachers awaiting disciplinary hearings around the nation typically are sent home, with or without pay, Karen Horwitz, a former Chicago-area teacher who founded the National Association for the Prevention of Teacher Abuse. Some districts find non-classroom work — office duties, for example — for teachers accused of misconduct.
New York City’s reassignment centers have existed since the late 1990s, Forte said. But the number of employees assigned to them has ballooned since Bloomberg won more control over the schools in 2002. Most of those sent to rubber rooms are teachers; others are assistant principals, social workers, psychologists and secretaries.
Once their hearings are over, they are either sent back to the classroom or fired. But because their cases are heard by 23 arbitrators who work only five days a month,[CUSHY JOB, WHERE DO I APPLY?] stints of two or three years in a rubber room are common, and some teachers have been there for five or six.
The nickname refers to the padded cells of old insane asylums. Some teachers say that is fitting, since some of the inhabitants are unstable and don’t belong in the classroom. They add that being in a rubber room itself is bad for your mental health.
“Most people in that room are depressed,” said Jennifer Saunders, a high school teacher who was in a reassignment center from 2005 to 2008. Saunders said she was charged with petty infractions in an effort to get rid of her: “I was charged with having a student sit in my class with a hat on, singing.”
The rubber rooms are monitored, some more strictly than others, teachers said.
“There was a bar across the street,” Saunders said. “Teachers would sneak out and hang out there for hours.”
Judith Cohen, an art teacher who has been in a rubber room near Madison Square Garden for three years, said she passes the time by painting watercolors of her fellow detainees.
“The day just seemed to crawl by until I started painting,” Cohen said, adding that others read, play dominoes or sleep. Cohen said she was charged with using abusive language when a girl cut her with scissors.
Some sell real estate, earn graduate degrees or teach each other yoga and tai chi.
David Suker, who has been in a Brooklyn reassignment center for three months, said he has used the time to plan summer trips to Alaska, Cape Cod and Costa Rica. Suker said he was falsely accused of throwing a girl’s test sign-up form in the garbage during an argument.
“It’s sort of peaceful knowing that you’re going to work to do nothing,” he said. [WHAT A WONDERFUL ATTITUDE FOR A TEACHER TO HAVE!]
By the say, I came upon some data showing ways that California short-changes our schools. On past posts, I’ve seen comments from San Jose Inside readers claiming that they won’t support more money for schools until “waste” at the top is eliminated. One example always given is the over-abundance of districts and therefore, presumably, administration. Here is an article that refutes that argument quite clearly:
http://tinyurl.com/kuycep
Another manifestation of our under-funded schools is the lack of support for students, particularly in librarians and counselors:
http://tinyurl.com/lqddja
And most importantly, our student-teacher ratio is very high (and getting higher in this current crisis):
http://tinyurl.com/ms8723
State buaucracy of the big bogeyman. The public conception is that we have waste in state employees. Here is the actual data:
http://tinyurl.com/mk5vpv
Let’s show that we value our children and fund education appropriately.
#1,
Good points MHz.
One can only imagine the grumbling, resentment, and the inevitable lawsuits of “underperforming” teachers who are being paid less than their colleagues with identical job descriptions.
It ain’t going to happen. Mr. DiSalvo simply wants more money for teachers who are already very well compensated and this is a gimmick that he thinks might fool the taxpayers into giving it to him.
The two biggest issues with education in California are a bloated education bureaucracy… and the swarm of illegals. I know, I know, i am being racist, even though I am Latino myself.
Did you know there are schools in Richmond CA that are 50 percent English Learners?
50 PERCENT?!
I teach in a school in Santa Clara County. I care about my job. More importantly, I care about contributing to the education of our future—the children. Because of my experience and education, I am as high as I can go on the salary schedule. There is absolutely no incentive for me to perform better. Why should I? I have tenure thanks to excellent supervisor evaluations. I still perform the best that I can, though. After eleven years, I still come in early and stay late. I chair my department. I get involved in committees outside of my contractual obligations. I would LOVE to get a 6-digit salary for the work I put into my chosen career path year after year. In fact, I think I deserve it. Parents, administrators and teachers have come to me for advice and consultation. I feel well respected by all constituents in my work community. Here’s a proposal: I would be willing to give up my union membership if someone offered me a 6-digit salary. I don’t mind working 200-plus days. My father did it. Still does. Give me the criteria by which to be evaluated; I am confident that I will outperform that criteria. And if I don’t meet the criteria, I don’t deserve it, right?
Sweetness,
Careful – the libs will draw and quarter you for bringing up our shameful secrets. They choose to turn a blind eye to matters of this nature. Even Joe DiSalvo is crazy with fear that one might accuse him of being a racist were he to reveal what you’ve just said.
Performance-pay models in education have a broad range of options yet limited appeal thus far in Silicon Valley. There is too much negativity about the issue rather than looking at mutually agreed to benchmarks that could warrant legitimate performance-pay options. ProComp in Colorado pays teachers for extra time and duties, even paying for them to receive masters degrees in their subject area. I see this as a one of the good options.
I agree with those who complain about performance-pay based on student success on a fill-in-the-bubble tests. I agree teachers can teach to the test to gain remuneration, not a good thing in my book. I also agree the increased salary and/or bonuses cannot just be left up to the administration.
Less than 16% of CA teachers have post graduate degrees. Too many local contracts pay teachers for “column” movement with post graduate units not even related to what they teach. Some pay for post graduate degrees annually, even if the MA is in English literature if you are teaching math. This practice, done in most of SCC districts is a total waste of public money and does not improve student achievement.
Washington D. C. and Michelle Rhea have taken on tenure by asking teachers to declare when they begin their career with the district whether to be on a tenure track with less overall salary or a performance-pay model (without tenure) and the path to make higher salaries than the tenure-track. An interesting option to explore.
We have County Charter schools looking at a 1-5% bonuses for teachers who adhere to the school mission/culture and a 1-5% bonus for increasing student achievement on agreed to benchmarks, not just fill-in-the-bubble testing. Some offer a 5% signing bonus for coming back for the next year, perhaps a way to increase teacher retention, always a problem in CA and especially in high cost areas like Silicon Valley.
The system we have now is not working well. We must begin to explore ways get a performance-pay model in all school districts. I particularly like the non-tenure track one in Washington D.C.
I know if I was starting my career as a new teacher I would select a non-tenure track option if the salaries top out in the $125,000-$150,000 range in today’s dollars. My job security would come with my demonstration of hard work, long hours, student performance, parent satisfaction, and striving to stay at the top of my “game” with professional development and quality action research within my classroom/school.
Pablo,
I don’t think anyone has an issue with teachers getting paid a fair wage. Some teachers are to be commended, respected, and paid a higher wage than those who are lazy and complacent. I think it has more to do with as Sweetness so aptly points out, “a bloated education bureaucracy”, too much attention being given to non-English speaking students, under achievers getting more help than good, dedicated students, antiquated lessons in class, etc. Tenure is not always a good thing either. I had teachers in high school who were so ancient they could barely hear or see, and college instructors who were fresh out of college themselves and knew less than we did.
I don’t mean this in a hurtful way, even though it is going to sound harsh but the problem with Joseph’s columns is that he always wants to throw money at the problem and rarely ever confronts what the real problems are. In some ways he is a perfect example of the problem. Money or the lack of money isn’t the problem our educational system needs to fix. It is the system its self~
#1 wrote:“Except for a stubborn few who will ignore administration fads and continue to try to give students a good education, but if the penalties for this are too high they will be driven out of the system.”
Fine. Then the top teachers will go to private schools where education is the goal, not ever increasing salaries for pooer performance, as espoused by the several teahers’ unions.
The public school system, in it’s constant effort to be all things to all people, will crumble and fail.
#3 wrote: “Let’s show that we value our children and fund education appropriately.”
Funding is certainly part of the problem. Teachers Union attitudes is a far bigger part of the problem. They want more $$ for abysmal results.
#5, Pablo, is a PERFECT example of the problems with teachers. He wrote:“There is absolutely no incentive for me to perform better. Why should I?” So, for PABLO, the incentive is his paycheck. Pablo could not care less if he is a good teacher if he doesn’t get a raise. Pablo, and his ilk, are one of the problems with public education today.
Yeah, he talks about all the great stuff he does, but for Pablo, the SOLE criterion for him is how much money he makes.
So, Pablo, go get a factory job where you are paid by piecework, since your only motivation is how much money you can make.
Yeah, Sweetness #6, and maybe 50% 0f that 50% will learn some English. But their parents won’t. So, in the end, most will get lots of public assistance, and go nowhere.
When will we stop funding mediocrity, and worse?
What happens to the other 50 percent? The native born students (dare I use the word “American”)that have to sit in overcrowded classrooms. Classrooms where teaching essentially have to be dumb down. What about the the teachers that are forced to take Spanish training workshops in order to try to reach the first 50 percent. On the teachers side, this adds up to alot of time, effort and in the end money. I know, because I have a slew of teachers who are personal friends, and they tell me these truths all the time. I am not scapegoating, but facts are facts.
If it was up to me, I would put an axe to the entire statewide school system and rebuild it from scratch.
JMOC #12-
I don’t think it’s fair to say that because Pablo thinks he should be paid for better performance, he must not care about the quality of his work.
His argument is that he should be paid for performance precisely because he does care about the quality of his work. I agree with him.
Greg, #15:
Thanks for understanding the point I was trying to make. The problem with “blog-munication” is that one must have the objectivity to understand various writing styles, right? After 11 years, I LOVE what I do…forget about what I get paid. There are some days when I compare myself to a colleague and wonder: how in the hell am I earning the same pay? I get insane about this sometimes.
I am a money-thrower, for lack of a better word, but along with money-throwing, I’m also in high favor of getting a high return for the investment. I think it’ll weed out the weak-performers and attract the best and brightest. And once we get the best and most effective classroom instructors, perhaps we’ll see a difference in the quality of education. Research Robert Marzano’s work on effective instruction and anyone will understand that maybe at the heart of the problem is not the illegal population that is suffocating our system as some bloggers would suggest, it’s a deficient teacher evaluation system (thanks CTA) and the inefficient instructional practices that happen every day. And to any teacher who is offended by what I say, you need to seek out professional development, conduct some research, and address these issues to improve your site’s efficiency.
Pablo,
I don’t think there is just one reason for all of this, it is many.
Having said that, do you honestly think that children who speak English are not suffering due to the large amount of children in classes that don’t? If you are going to maintain they aren’t, I’d like to hear your reasoning for that stand because every friend I have with kids in school, all levels, are being held back, they get bored, and feel neglected by teachers for that very reason.
I’m honestly getting tired of the denials that students who don’t speak English are straining our educational system, and costing taxpayers more money. I don’t have any problem with teaching English to immigrants, my Mom and sisters were immigrants, but streamlining them to do it, and creating stress on students who already speak English is just not right. My Mom and sisters went to a school for immigrants that taught them English.
Kathleen #17
If I am guilty of stating that there is just one reason for the crisis in education, you are equally guilty for your general implications that all English-speaking students are suffering as a result of a high concentration of non-English speaking student classrooms. This appears to be a problem in your local schools. Based on my experience and relationships with immigrants who have had to struggle successfully to learn English, it seems highly likely that these people have had highly qualified and effective educators. I would be interested to know why your family learned English while some families cannot. My first guess would be: highly qualified and effective classroom instruction and assessment. I would not deny that fact that some students in your local school area feel bored and neglected. I see that as a symptom of ineffective teaching. You know, motivating students is a major part of our job description in addition to delivering solid content. I know I do this well because I have been trained well. Money has been shelled out for me to learn how to do this well. Supporting teachers so that they can be more effective is a crucial element to improving education. At the same time, Joe Taxpayer should continue to expect a high return on this investment. I would absolutely be willing to open my classroom doors to the public so that they can see tax dollars at work!
Pablo,
Again I think you are over generalizing the problem with the educational system. I agree 100%, better training for teachers is very much needed, but to deny that part of the reason students suffer and drop out is because more attention is focused on non-English speaking, and troubled students is just irresponsible of you. I don’t know where you teach but it is NOT a problem that is just in my local school area. I have friends that are teachers all over the US and they too are experiencing and complaining about this too!
You said, “I would be interested to know why your family learned English while some families cannot.” Besides the fact that my Mother made it a priority for herself and my sisters you mean? It is a course called English as a Second Language (ESL). ESL is available to anyone who wants it through City College, and I believe local community centers. If you are going to maintain that there aren’t any classes available for immigrants to learn English then I would advise you to do a little more research Pablo. Every aide or instructor I worked with in the ESL Program cared deeply and did and excellent job. I think that the real question here should be, why aren’t SOME immigrants willing to learn English instead of using their children and family members as translators?
In an effort to pay my way through college I worked as an ESL Aide 2. I had the honor and privilege of teaching English to some incredibly gifted immigrants. I firmly believe that where there is a willingness to achieve something like learning a second language whether you have good teachers or not, you will succeed~
#15—read Pablo again. He wrote:“There is absolutely no incentive for me to perform better. Why should I? I have tenure thanks to excellent supervisor evaluations.” He said that if he doesn’t get more $$ , he has ABSOLUTELY NO INCENTIVE to perform better. Thats pure “if you don’t pay me any more $$, I’ll just dog it”. Yeah, he tries to rehabilitate that pronouncemnt, but the truth ususlly gets blurted out first, and the backfilling comes later.
Kathleen,
You won’t hear me blog too much about how there are only singular issues that affect a quality education; I happen to agree that there are many factors that contribute to a so-called “crisis” in education. In education, however, there is only one bottom line: student achievement, also known as student learning. In the busines world, the bottom line is profit. In my field, education, profit translates to increased student knowledge. That is our bottom line. I strongly believe that there are strategic moves we in education and education stakeholders such as yourself can take to positively affect student learning for all students no matter what the issue is. We can put education in California in a better position if not only do we fund it appropriately and clearly state that education is our priority, but if we emulate business practices and expect much for what we invest. That means setting benchmarks for teacher and student performance, and scrapping instructional practices that prove to be inefficient. I maintain the position that highly qualified and effective teachers can and do undertake the hard work every day of increasing our bottom line—student learning. This leads to another issue: how do we support teachers then? Answer: highly qualified and effective school leaders such as principals and superintendents who already observe and give feedback to these teachers as per the requirements of the law.
I really like this post…:-)