- Just Equally Speaking….
- Eagles owe Philadelphia the 8 million it needs to keep libraries open
- who would like to see Verizon offer cable TV in Phila?
- Council Committee Passed the Freeze
- Carol Campbell Passes Away
- My first trip to the public library
- Fight digital exclusion
- What if half of Philadelphia didn't have roads?
- You know, let's not even worry about the City Commissioners office messing up voter registration processing
- Bold ideas to fix the budget
And a note from our schools . . . .
Submitted by HelenGym on Tue, 10/07/2008 - 11:06am.
Today's Inky has a story about new School District CEO Arlene Ackerman's recent hires:
New Philadelphia schools chief Arlene Ackerman has surrounded herself with a diverse inner circle of educators picked from far and wide, shaking up a historically inbred district with fresh faces.
The 14 people Ackerman has tapped are seven women and seven men, most with classroom experience. They include a former Army colonel and a handful of ex-principals.
They come from around the country - New York, Detroit, Louisiana, Arizona, California.
Most are her former doctoral students from Columbia University or graduates of prestigious national programs she's attended herself.
"I am trying to put together a team, and I do get to pick my team," Ackerman said in an interview. "I'm bringing together a team that can work toward the vision we have for this school system."
A couple of clarifications to the Inky story:
- The Inky may be jumping the gun in saying that Dr. Ackerman's team is smaller than Vallas'. The Inky list doesn't include, for example, at least two new positions created with existing district personnel. At the very least before making such a claim, the Inky ought to have looked at a full list of new hires and compared them with what we knew from Vallas' time.
- While Dr. Ackerman is entitled to her team, the Inky could have pointed out that new hires were made without a search. People are still jittery and wary of the district's lack of transparency, and a search could have alleviated some fears about whether we're getting the best candidates for the position.
- Parents United specifically raised questions about the four special assistants, four new positions that earn $92,500, $90,000, $85,000 and $65,000 apiece.
Any thoughts?
Bookmark/Search this post with:
I am sympathetic that
I am sympathetic that someone with that responsibility needs to hire pieces of her own team or whatever. But, nothing in the article really tells me what exactly those 'special assistants' do. Her justification appears to be this:
It is necessary to hire 4 "special assistants" because the chain of command changed? That seems a little strange to me, and certainly seems at least worthy of real explanation.
Two reactions:
I haven't read the article yet - but I like this statement:
If having classroom experience is indeed an operative criteria for Ackerman for at least a significant portion of her hires, I think that bodes well.
On the other hand, re: Dan's comment -- outside of the issue of whether she really needs special assistants because regional supers are reporting to her -- I am skeptical about the rationale behind the change in structure. I understand the benefits of efficiency, but I generally feel that centralization in education is counterproductive with respect to creating a vibrant academic philosophy. Accordingly, I wonder if the change reflects an organizational bias for elevating operational efficiency over pedagogy.
What to Think About Ackerman
I wrote apiece on this blog welcoming Dr. Ackerman (see below). I cannot stomach another failed administration. http://youngphillypolitics.com/warm_welcome_arlene_ackerman
But I am not happy with what I see. The PFT despite severe roadblocks negotiated successfully with Hornbeck, Farmbry, and Vallas. If these negotiations which are prolonged and pessimistic are not successful, the fault will be squarely on Dr. Ackerman. She has made it clear she wants teachers arriving at school earlier. Heck I arrive at 7:30. If am late the parking lot is completely full. Arriving early serves no purpose for her, but it enables me to prepare my room, correct papers, meet with colleagues, plan lessons etc. I also stay late as I am just preparing to leave now at 4:45.
She wants to control my preparation time. There is no research I am aware of to support this as an improvement for education. Research does exist demonstrating when teachers control their own prep time there are benefits to the teaching/learning environment.
She wants additional time for Professional Development. We already receive more PD than any surrounding district. The School district truly struggles in this area providing PD which does not meet my needs or interests. If we are so bad, why does the school district keep hiring such ineffective teachers? What is wrong with our human resources department?
Maybe we just need some real discipline in our schools, improve the teaching/learning environment. Philadelphia teachers actually graduate with the same degrees from the same universities as any other teachers in our region.