Can Get Some Satisfaction, Texas, Broad Prize, Early Learning & Ability Grouping, And Edujobs!

6 Replies to “Can Get Some Satisfaction, Texas, Broad Prize, Early Learning & Ability Grouping, And Edujobs!”

1. Teachers were second only to physicians in reporting having felt stress, and when asked, “Does your supervisor always create an environment that is trusting and open, or not?” teachers answered “yes” less frequently than respondents in any other profession, including workers in sales, construction and mining, and service occupations.

2. Rotherham’s spinning of data is making me dizzy. If you go to source, the Gallup Study of Well Being says “U.S. Teachers Love Their Lives, but Struggle in the Workplace Teachers rank eighth out of 14 occupation types in rating their work environment.”

   http://www.gallup.com/poll/161516/teachers-love-lives-struggle-workplace.aspx

   They love their LIVES, Eduwonk, not their JOBS. You are distorting, not clarifying.

3. from your link:

   It is unclear whether the relatively higher scores of teachers on several measures of wellbeing are because working in that profession enhances one’s wellbeing, or if people who have higher wellbeing in general seek out teaching professions. Prior research, however, has demonstrated the significant role that the workplace plays in wellbeing outcomes.

   the top jobs in that list, by the way, either manage themselves and/or are already high up on their own career ladder. this ranking, then, makes sense if 2 of the 4 survey questions revolve around how their own supervisor treats them. do you want to take a guess at how a business owner feels about his “supervisor”?

   here are all 4 questions and the findings:

   Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your job or the work you do? (Note: Teachers ranked 4 out of 14)

   At work, do you get to use your strengths to do what you do best every day, or not? (Note: Teachers ranked 3 out of 14; 91.5% teachers surveyed said yes)

   Does your supervisor at work treat you more like he or she is your boss or your partner? (Note: Teachers ranked 6 out of 14)

   Does your supervisor always create an environment that is trusting and open, or not? (Note: Teachers ranked 14 out of 14)

4. The graf followed the it is “unclear” graf:

   Still, teacher’s low workplace wellbeing, relative to other professional occupations, indicates school and community leaders have important issues to address in the school workplace in order for teachers and students to reach their full potential. It is absolutely critical to raise teachers’ workplace engagement, because their engagement is the No. 1 predictor and driver of student engagement, which Gallup research shows impacts student wellbeing and academic success.

   The positive news is that these workplace struggles can be addressed. Teachers and school leaders need to work together to improve the work environment.

5. Keep an eye on Texas, backlash on accountability happening there, shows how much this issue is not partisan. But a coalition of anti-accountability types and companies that are not interested in a skilled workforce are attacking the state’s graduation policies.

   Seriously…..THAT’s your take on what is happening in Texas? A coalition of companies are lobbying for an unskilled workforce?

   The new law creating the “backlash” you mention was essentially drafted by Pearson which has a half billion dollar contract with the state for test development. It short, it requires all HS students to run a gauntlet of TWELVE separate standardized tests, ALL of which must be passed in order to graduate. They have to pass all four core subject area tests each year from 9th through 11th grade (no testing of 12th graders). The testing schedule at my school is up to about 25 different days for which some or all of the school is shut down for one testing purpose or another. Remember, students are still taking the SAT, PSAT, ACT, and many various AP tests as well as their normal mid-term, final, and normal unit tests. The level of testing pushed. Even the original legislative advocates of the current testing regime now agree it has gone way too far.

   The original point of this nonsense was to measure “college readiness” Yet not one single college in the country (even within Texas) will accept these test scores for college admission in lieu of the SAT, ACT or Accuplacer which is what the community colleges use. If the state was actually confident that their new gauntlet of tests actually measured college readiness then at least within Texas we could throw out the SAT, ACT, and accuplacer tests and just use the twelve “college readiness” STAR tests. The fact that no one, not even the TEA which regulates both secondary and higher ed has not proposed this underscores the lie.

6. But Kent, dude. If we don’t test kids, they might grow up to write laws to force students to take the tests they didn’t take to be able to make the tests for kids to take today.