The New York Times Bizarrely Attacks Teachers -- Why?

The editorial page in today's New York Times takes a bizarre pot shot at teachers. In discussing a teacher evaluation system under development in New Haven, Connecticut, the Times overtly dismisses on-the-ground educators:

School reformers were excited to hear that New Haven planned to take student performance into account in its teacher evaluations. But they uttered a collective "uh-oh" upon hearing that the details -- including how much weight would be given to student performance -- would be hashed out by a committee that includes teachers and administrators.

(Pause for my Peter Finch moment. Okay, now a deep breath...)

So teachers and principals -- the people who actually work with students, know the kids, and understand what works -- deserve no place at the table? Actually it's worse; teachers are demeaned by the Times as a destructive force when it comes to developing systems that work in schools.

So... the people in schools are part of the problem, not the solution? Talk about a dead end approach to improving schools.

The point in question in New Haven -- and across the country -- is how greatly student test scores should weigh in evaluating teachers. The Times makes the same dangerous (and lazy) mistake that has swept the national conversation on education: conflating "test scores" with "student achievement."

High-stakes test scores represent only a part of students' learning, growth, and achievement. Is your child a 1, 2, 3, or 4? Those are the only scores given on many of these state exams. Basing the majority of a teacher's evaluation on moving those numbers (which are derived from a one-time pressure-cooker test), will further distort and corrupt curricula and use of precious time in American classrooms. (See Campbell's Law.)

A teachers' job is complex (to put it lightly), and does not begin and end with test scores. The scores should count toward teachers' and students' evaluations, but our country has boarded a runaway train of overvaluing these tests. The directive in Times editorial to force teachers to further emphasize the Big Test damages hope for genuine strides toward fair accountability and supportive education.

There are a lot of reasons that high-stakes testing has become so entrenched in our school system. The test results are easy to tabulate, reductive and malleable for political purposes, meet the short-order demands of condensed news- and election-cycles, and keep publishing companies raking in cash.

If you don't know students personally and know nothing about classroom life, it's a lot easier to advocate the Times simplistic strategy: cut all teachers out and let self-proclaimed "reformers" impose testing regimes designed to churn out stats, not to support children's diverse needs.

We need the New York Times to be better than this.

Dan Brown is a teacher at a charter school in Washington, D.C. He is not a member of a teachers' union.

 

Follow Dan Brown on Twitter: www.twitter.com/danbrownteacher

Comments

[JillQ]

Your dentist tells your child to brush and floss twice a day. If, six months later, he/she has a cavity, is it your fault, the child's fault or the dentist's fault?

The same goes for teachers. They can only do so much; the rest lies with the child and the parent(s).

[kjg25171]

Why do we never hear about parent and student responsibility in student performance? Is the Times advocating that teachers visit students at home and turn off the TV, computer, I-pod etc., make sure the homework is done, check to make sure students are eating and sleeping properly and check to make sure that the parents are actually talking to their children about their schoolwork?

Most education takes place outside of the classroom and I find it offensive that once again it is teachers who are held to account and not parents and students.

[kjg25171]

Why do we never hear about parent and student responsibility in student performance? Is the Times advocating that teachers visit students at home and turn off the TV, computer, I-pod etc., make sure the homework is done, check to make sure students are eating and sleeping properly and check to make sure that the parents are actually talking to their children and their schoolwork?

Most education takes place outside of the classroom and I find it offensive that once again it is teachers who are held to account and not parents and students.

[splathrop]

Let's note a few complexities.

1. Opportunistic legislators, mayors, governors, etc., want school systems to solve social problems. With no budget for (racial disparities; video games; domestic violence; addicted parents; homeless kids; malnutrition; too much television; school bullying; etc.), the pols reach for the school budget. Educators roll over. They should say, "It's not what we're here for. Get another budget; we're here to teach. Period." Because they're compassionate people, educators don't do that, but they and we suffer their lack of professional solidarity to defend their mission.

2. Many teachers are superb and dedicated. A minority are incompetent. It's a statistical problem. Even with most teachers fully qualified, students still encounter an incompetent somewhere--which can permanently degrade subject mastery. Getting rid of incompetents is too hard, and replacing them with qualified teachers is harder.

3. Educational administration seems more problematic than teaching. Successful administration requires talents that a background in education doesn't assure. Many PhD educational administrators can't write grammatically, let alone think critically, administer efficiently, or thrive politically within their communities. So they turn over on short cycles.

The list goes on: curriculum fads; misuse of the notion of tenure; the unions; political patronage; etc. The resulting mess is deeply embarrassing. It's no surprise that those involved in day-to-day education resist seeing it evaluated with standardized testing. They're defending themselves from blame for problems they are powerless to solve.

Mostly it's a political problem. We need to notice that.

[who38]

Everyone wants the schools to solve social problems with a limited budget and no attention given to "(racial disparities; video games; domestic violence; addicted parents; homeless kids; malnutrition; too much television; school bullying; etc.)," Add in undereducated, tired parents who are unable to help their children with their homework and lack of a quiet place to study in the home.

Child care for thirty students, six hours per day for a total of 20 days per month is $18,000. Know any teachers making that kind of money?

[who38]

and that child care figure is based on $5 an hour. Isn't that below the minimum wage?

[Guylephat]

so wall street fails and they get rewarded with billions in bonuses...­......teac­hers have to rely on a system where they get to spend less than 1/3 of a day with the child 10 months out of the year....an­d their salary should be based on whether or not those students study, prepare for exams, do homework, projects etc...to show some measure of progress ....that's makes no sense at all.....an­d where are parents in all of this....ar­e they ensuring that their child is doing what student's should be doing? So what's their role in their own children's education.­....it seems to me they want the schools to be a dry cleaners..­..." i wan't my child cleaned, pressed and educated by 3 o'clock...­.i don't want tests, homework, projects..­.that will make my little superstar upset at home, which would ruin the whole evening"..­.... the discussion on merit pay for teachers is not as clear as everyone thinks it is...and more over i don't hear anyone at the NYT taking paycuts...­.let's face the gray lady loses money every year....th­at doesn't sound like achievement to me where is the merit pay system for the times?

[strangelet]

Like most of the folks who post here, I attended elementary school and high school (quite a long time ago). Like some of the folks who post here, I had kids who attended public elementary and high school.

I generally assume, when I read comments about public schools, teachers, administrators, etc -- from people who are not themselves in the public education system -- that the overall view of the commenter is largely shaped by (1) his or her personal experience with school, and (2) if applicable, the experience of his or her children, or other close relatives.

In the US, it is sadly true that there are enormous differences among public schools. There are really good ones and really awful ones. There are really good teachers and administrators, and there are really bad ones, and there are burn-outs. And, of course, there is everything in between.

Neal and Thomas in this thread seem to have had pretty terrible school experiences. I had the opposite experience -- the majority of my teachers were competent, stimulating, and visibly engaged with their classes. Some weren't so good -- overmatched by their subjects -- but they almost all tried hard. Neal & Thomas, you may find this hard to believe, but I ENJOYED high school -- even the educational part.

I am well aware that YMMV, but proposing as a baseline that all teachers are bad, and all schools are warehouses, is (1) not true, and (2) not able to lead anywhere.

[who38]

At $5.00 per hour, child care for thirty students for a six hour day would be $900. THAT IS WITHOUT INSTRUCTION. How many people can find child care for $5 per hour? Why should teachers be paid less?

[mauibob]

First test the teachers and fire the ones that are too incompetent to teach. Secondly, get rid of the aides and hire more teachers. Third, test the kids. The results can and should be based on a floating scale based on the makeup of the school and economic conditions of the area, but testing is the only way to judge the students learning. GET RID OF THE UNIONS. They could care less about any students.

[who38]

If teachers are making less than $5 per hour per child for daily care with instruction, it doesn't seem like the unions have been all that effective.

[David Thielen - Huffpost Blogger]

If a single ranking is not enough to rank a teacher, does that mean you also oppose condensing all a child has learned in a class to a single letter grade? I find it amazing that teachers are opposed to a "grade" yet use that same system to evaluate their students.

I agree that it should be multiple tests spread out over a year. I also think there is value in measuring teachers on several items so that you can help them find the areas they most need improvement and get them to concentrate on those.

But at the end of the day (school year actually), yes we need a grade for each teacher. And the ones that consistent flunk need to be fired.

[strangelet]

I will stipulate to your last paragraph, but I will never agree -- as discussed in the article -- that student performance on standardized tests should be part of the teacher evaluation metric.

We've had years and years of experience in "teaching to the test" in Cali -- unfortunately including the years my three kids went through school.

This is the worst idea to afflict primary/secondary education in my lifetime, even considering self-esteem. We lived in a reasonable school district, so the drill was: for about half the semester, the teachers would actually TEACH -- you know, try to challenge the students and interest them in the subject matter. Then, for six or eight weeks, they would revert to the "mandatory material", so the kids could score well on the standard tests. Maybe it's different in Washington, or maybe your kids aren't old enough yet to be affected; but the start of teaching-t­o-the-test just killed education every semester. Actually, the students responded to it pretty well -- it's kind of like a strategy game. But as education, it sucks.

This is what happens when mostly the school's pride (and some funding) is at stake. If New Haven, or anyone, makes student test performance a metric for teacher evaluation, any sane teacher will immediately go to 100% teach-test­-all-the-t­ime -- and, I suppose, be applauded for it by "reformers".

The end of education as we know it.

[who38]

The value added model tried by the ex-Supt. of the San Diego system makes sense. Progress is based on the student's individual growth. The downside of this is that students at the 95%tile achievement level will probably show limited growth due to their outlier position. However, it should work well for students who fall within the statistical average of 33-66%tile.

[who38]

You need to understand that there are many aspects of learning that should be evaluated by standardized test scores. Tests really reflect the material that is seen as core skills that a child needs to function in society. These include word attack, vocabulary, critical thinking, arithmetic operations, and math reasoning at the very least. All of these skills can--and should--be evaluated based on standardized tests and should be the focus of classroom instruction as well.

Your comment suggests that you want a return to the "self esteem" focus of the 60s. Actually, current research shows that achievement and competance are the best ways to build self esteem. Research also shows that people avoid tasks that they are not good at so if a student is having a problem with a particular skill. chances are that he/she will avoid the task rather than increasing effort to gain competance. Maybe we should be teaching students---No pain, no gain. It has been reported that Kobe Bryant shoots 1,000 baskets per day. My guess is that he often does not find this inspirational.

[gilbskg]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have been a high school history teacher for 26 years and I cannot even begin to tell you the impact of these tests. I don't mind being held accountable - I do a good job everyday, in fact, most days I am great. But for all of those of you out there who honestly believe that these tests are the beginning and end of what defines a good teacher and student achievement, please answer this question. How can 80 questions accurately measure what my students know about American history? And further more, why would anyone want to limit what young citizens should know and understand about their country to 80 questions?

[georgiaR]

I have been a teacher's aide in a public school (K-5) for over 20 years. I have worked with many teachers and some were not very good teachers. I see a lot of teachers that leave school at 3:00 everyday. So they just teach in the morning and put the kids in front of the TV in the afternoon so they can get the work done they should be doing after school.
There is not enough time spent on the basics (reading, writing, math) everyday.
As far as testing, it should not mean everything. But how else do you really gage how a student is doing?
In some schools the state sets the standards, the district picks the curriculum, and the testing is a national test. So the kids are being tested on things they have not learned yet.
There should be grade level standards that the curriculum is based on. This is what they should be tested on.

[larry278]

This is the NYT's revenge for flunking a kid who can't find at least 5 typos on the NYT's front page.

[miketikkanen]

Blaming teachers for failing schools is like blaming social workers for abused and neglected children, or the police for criminals.

Too many politicians find it makes political hay. It is counter productive and unethical.

The problems defining school performance are complex.

Very few people are aware of the three million children reported to child protection in the U.S. each year, or the thousands of pounds of Ritalin, Prozac, and other psychotropic medications being taken by abused and neglected children with behavior problems that are being managed by educators instead of people trained in dealing with these children.

These children don't do well in school without extra help.

As a long time volunteer guardian ad litem, my sympathy lies with the hard working people trying to provide education and services to youth.

Not supporting educators or social service providers with the tools they need to succeed guarantees poor results (failing schools, unsafe streets, preteen moms, & more prisons).

Blaming solves nothing. Support sound public policy that makes for healthy children. We will all be happier. www.invisiblechildren.org

[blindjester]

Your first line says it all. Well put.

I work hard with all my students, and I have some getting A's and some getting F's. Some go on to college, and some stick with their gangs. The difference isn't in the instruction.

I _wish_ teachers had as much control over individual achievement as people think we do. They'd all be college-bound if we did.

[MsMandy]

"Political leaders, school administrators, parents and everyone else who cares about improving education in this country will have to keep a close eye as this effort moves forward."
This sentence seems passive aggressive. Notice teachers are not included by name as those who care about improving education?

As an English Language Development teacher and EL/title one program coordinator, I am scared of attaching test scores to evaluations. Some reasons for my apprehension include:
The kids (in ability and attitude) vary greatly from year to year.
Some kids try their best and will never reach "proficient".
Some kids could ace the test but refuse to do anything more than make a picture out of their bubbled in answer document (they are not held accountable for their scores, so many could give a rat's behind).
Variation in difficulty and subject matter but equal expectations on scores.
Teachers may shy away from teaching those farthest behind because they know their pay will suffer.
Standardized tests are culturally biased.
As per NCLB, significant subgroups make or break a school's API and AYP scores, even if the majority of students scored well.

I LOVE working with English Language Learners. Sadly, a large number of my students will not acheive proficiency because of language issues and/or lack of education in their home country. Because their test scores are not high enough my evaluation suffers? Not all progress is proven by a test score.

[antigonish3]

Never have I read an article that, without it being meant to, so convinced me of the importance of private schooling and decentralized educational decision making.

[who38]

When the country is willing to pay for the costs involved in private schooling and decentralized educational decision making, there should be no problem. You are aware that the average private school tuition is roughly $20,000 per year. Many parent, including David Letterman, are paying $40,000 per year for their children to attend kindergarten.

[audadvnc]

NYT believes that experts are the best solution to the world's problems. Y'know, just like the financial world depends on all those Ivy League experts to run itself aground...

[petef59]

And expert editors oversight and fact-checking on expert reporter J. Miller prior to the Iraq invasion.