Working Conditions

The Visitors: By Invitation Only

Resource Keywords:
Accountability
Working Conditions

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Jennifer Corn

Year of Publication:

2005

URL:

http://www.edutopia.org/visitors

Abstract:

"When the two strangers walked into my classroom, I tensed up. No one had told me I would have company," writes teacher Jennifer Corn in this Edutopia magazine essay. Corn is describing "a surprise visit" by evaluators to see if she's following the curriculum. Although the feedback turned out to be positive, the disrespectful attitude of the visitors still left Corn angry. "I believe these administrators' refusal to speak to me is emblematic of a common bureaucratic view of teachers: We are not thinking professionals with creative ideas, but, rather, problems in the making, to be kept in line through control and coercion." Corn was looking for another job.

Corn, J. (2005). The visitors: By invitation only. Edutopia (June 2005). Retrieved from Edutopia 13 May 2008. http://www.edutopia.org/visitors

Teacher Working Conditions as Catalysts for Student Learning

Resource Keywords:
Working Conditions

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Scott Emerick; Eric Hirsch; Barnett Berry

Year of Publication:

2005

URL:

http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.c30040c1...

Abstract:

The conditions under which teachers work have a direct bearing on student learning, say these researchers from the Center for Teaching Quality, Inc. "Although business leaders have long recognized and responded to connections between employee working conditions and productivity, many U.S. schools still struggle to address this critical link in their own work environment. As a result of the disconnect, teachers often are isolated in their classrooms, face overwhelming noninstructional duties, have extremely limited opportunities for meaningful decision making, lack basic instructional materials, and perceive few opportunities for advancement and growth." The article, which draws on working conditions research in several states, includes recommendations for action at the state, district and school levels. (ASCD InfoBrief, October 2005)

Emerick, S. (2005). Teacher working conditions as catalysts for student learning. Infobrief (Oct. 2005, No. 43). Retrieved from ASCD 12 May 2008. http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.c30040c1...

Waiting to Be Won Over: Teachers Speak on the Profession, Unions, and Reform

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Ann Duffett; Steve Farkas; Andrew J. Rotherham; Elena Silva

Year of Publication:

2008

URL:

http://www.educationsector.org/usr_doc/WaitingToBeWonOver.pdf

Abstract:

As Barnett Berry explains in his blog, Building the Teaching Profession, this report from Education Sector "highlights issues related to weak teacher evaluation models, as well as unyielding tenure and compensation systems. It surfaces teacher beliefs regarding reforms designed to improve teaching, proposals for differential pay, and the role of unions. Interestingly, the report also reveals key points of distinction and divergence among new teachers and veterans."

Duffett, A.; Farkas, S.; Rotherham, A.J.; & Silva, E. (2008). Waiting to be won over: Teachers speak on the profession, unions, and reform. Education Sector. Retrieved from Education Sector 8 May 2008. http://www.educationsector.org/usr_doc/WaitingToBeWonOver.pdf

Interview: No Day at the Beach

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Ninive Clements Calagari; Anthony Rebora

Year of Publication:

2005

URL:

http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2005/08/09/01calegari_web.h17...

Abstract:

What does it mean that in America today, you can find teachers selling stereos or cleaning houses on the side to make ends meet? For Ninive Clements Calegari, Dave Eggers, and Daniel Moulthrop, coauthors of "Teachers Have It Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America's Teachers" (The New Press), it means that teachers deserve more respect--and more money. In their book, the trio of authors set out to show the financial and professional demands on educators today, underscoring the gap between public perception and reality. Interweaving teachers' own stories with policy analysis, they depict a profession in crisis, perhaps unsustainable without significant changes in how teachers are paid. Teacher Magazine interviewed Calegari to find out more about the book's background and ideas. (May require free registration)

Calagari, N.C.; Rebora, A. (2005). Interview: No day at the beach. Teacher magazine (9 Aug 2005). Retrieved from Teacher Magazine 28 Apr 2008. Link: http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2005/08/09/01calegari_web.h17...

At Charter School, Higher Teacher Pay

Resource Keywords:
Compensation
Working Conditions

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Elissa Gootman

Year of Publication:

2008

Abstract:

This New York Times article discusses the start of a New York City charter school at which all teachers will earn $125,000, with the principal making $90,000. The charter school, run entirely on public funds, is the brainchild of a Teach For America graduate. Vanderhoek will use criterion such as high GRE scores and at least three years of experience to hire his teachers. To stay within budget constraints, the school will have larger-than-average class sizes, no administrators besides one principal, only two electives, and other stripped-down infrastructure.

Gootman, E. (2008). At charter school, higher teacher pay. New york times (7 Mar 2008). Retrieved from the New York Times 14 Apr 2008.Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/nyregion/07charter.html?_r=3&oref=slog...

What Research Says about Small Classes and Their Effects

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Bruce Biddle; David Berliner

Year of Publication:

2002

URL:

http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/670

Abstract:

WHAT RESEARCH SAYS ABOUT SMALL CLASSEShttp://www.wested.org/cs/wew/view/rs/670Researchers Bruce Biddle and David Berliner begin this review of class size research with these provocative questions: "Why on earth have scholars and reviewers come to such divergent views about research on class size, and what does the evidence really say? Further, if small classes generate benefits, why should such benefits appear, and do those benefits apply to all (or merely some) students, levels of education, topics of instruction, and forms of advantage?" Read their analysis of existing research by visiting this webpage and downloading the PDF version of this 2002 WestEd Policy Perspectives report.Category: Student Achievement, Working Conditions, Achievement Gap, Education Policy

Citation: Biddle, B. J. & Berliner, D. C. (2002). What Research Says about Small Classes and Their Effects. Retrieved June 26, 2007, from WestEd. Web site: http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/670.

Jay Green's Education Myth

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Bill Ferriter

Year of Publication:

2005

Abstract:

Bill Ferriter gives an example of his own 73.75 hour work week to demonstrate how much more goes into teaching than just standing in front of a class.

Ferriter, B. (2005). Jay Greene's education myth. Teacher Leaders Network diaries. Retrieved from the Teacher Leaders Network 8 Apr 2008. Link: http://www.teacherleaders.org/old_site/diaries04_05/other/BF11.html

Full Text:

Jay Greene's Education Myth

I'm reading a new book right now called Education Myths. Jay Greene, who is a researcher for a group that is generally critical of public schools, has written it to expose what he claims are commonly held misperceptions about public education. What frightens me is that Mr. Greene seems to be spreading myths of his own by drawing conclusions that seem far removed from the reality of my experiences over the past 12 years in the classroom.

For example, Greene claims that teachers work 7.3 hours a day for a total of 36.5 hours a week. This includes about 6 hours of direct instruction and 1-2 hours of planning daily, and it is, he argues, an ample amount of time to complete all tasks expected of teachers. To assert that teachers only work 7.3 hours and have 1-2 hours of planning each day is simply not an accurate reflection of my work!

First, I am required by my administration to be at school from at least 7:00-2:45. What's more, to realistically complete the rest of the tasks necessary to teach takes far longer than 7.75 hours a day.

Here was my work schedule last week:

Sunday	4-7:30 p.m.	3.5 hours
Monday	6 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.	13.5 hours
Tuesday	6 a.m. - 7 p.m.	13 hours
Wednesday	6 a.m. - 7:45 p.m.	13.75 hours
Thursday	6 a.m. - 6:45 p.m.	12.75 hours
Friday	6 a.m. - 7:15 p.m.	13.25 hours
Saturday	12 p.m. - 4 p.m.	4 hours
Total		73.75 hour

So what was I doing during all of those hours? Things that teachers do every single day: Grading papers, planning lessons, responding to parent questions via email, meeting with my grade level team, meeting with my department, meeting with my administration, meeting with guidance counselors about struggling students....

...Helping to maintain our school's website, helping to enroll students in classroom websites, developing my own classroom website, reading professional literature, preparing my National Board Renewal portfolio, studying how to use digital moviemaking in my instruction, preparing for this week's open house...

...Acquiring materials for our upcoming lessons, tiding up my classroom, returning lab supplies, writing parent newsletters, cleaning boards, wiping desks, picking up spent tissues from the floor, coaching basketball, setting up intramurals, mentoring new colleagues, giving–and getting–advice on students or instruction...

The list of responsibilities that classroom teachers must manage in a typical week is almost endless! For me, all of this work (except my weekend hours) is done at school. Without children of my own, I can arrive early and stay long into the night. For many of my colleagues, this work is done at home after the kids have gone to bed and in between loads of laundry.

Is my work schedule unusual?

Perhaps a bit, but not as unusual as you may think. The most recent study of teacher working conditions in North Carolina shows that over half of the teachers in North Carolina spend between 3-5 hours outside of the school day each week involved in activities like coaching, tutoring, chaperoning field trips and sponsoring clubs.

Furthermore, almost 60% of the teachers in North Carolina spend between 5 and 10 hours outside of the school day each week preparing lessons, grading, holding parent conferences and attending meetings. Finally, almost 85% of teachers in North Carolina report having less than 1 hour of planning time built into their schedules each day to complete these tasks.

Using these statistics, we can conservatively estimate that over half of our teachers in North Carolina are working 51.5 hours a week-far more than the 35-hours that Jay Greene writes of. Maybe the long-held belief that teachers are only "working" when they are in front of students explains the "teachers only work 6 hours a day" myth.

Ask any teacher and they will tell you that the 6 hours that we spend teaching is the best part of our day. It's the long hours preparing for that instruction that can be overwhelming-chasing thousands of teachers from the classroom each year-and it is those hours that go overlooked by many under-informed critics of education.

Bill Ferriter teaches sixth grade language arts and social studies at the recently opened Salem Middle School in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he serves on a leadership team working to build a professional learning community. Bill is a National Board Certified Teacher, a Senior TLN Fellow, and regularly reviews professional books for the TLN website. He was recently named Wake County Teacher of the Year.

Teacher Working Conditions Are Student Learning Conditions [Diary]

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Bill Ferriter

Year of Publication:

2005

Notes:

Bill Ferriter uses Gov. Mike Easley's refrain to explain how teacher working conditions can impact the achievement gap.

Ferrier, B. (2005). Teacher working conditions are student learning conditions. Teacher Leaders Network diaries. Retrieved from the Teacher Leaders Network 8 Apr 2008. Link: http://www.teacherleaders.org/old_site/diaries04_05/other/BF03_04_05.html

Full Text:

Teacher Working Conditions Are Student Learning Conditions

Having recently been named Teacher of the Year at my school, I've been putting together a packet of materials to submit for consideration in the county level TOY competition. One of the questions that I had to respond to was particularly interesting: "What are the major public education issues today? Address one, outlining possible causes, effects and resolutions."

The issue that I chose to write about is probably the first thing that pops into most people's minds in today's accountability culture: The student achievement gap between children of high and low socio-economic classes. My resolution, however, could be a new slant for some: Improve teacher working conditions.

See what you think of my reasoning:

Despite years of effort by educators and community activists, closing the achievement gap between students of high and low socio-economic classes remains one of the most significant issues facing public education today. This gap is influenced by a number of factors, both school and non-school related. In the school setting, children of poverty are more likely than children of wealth to be taught by inexperienced or uncertified teachers and to attend schools that lack instructional supplies and essential equipment. They are also less likely to be exposed to the after-school and summer enrichment experiences that children of the middle or upper class often take for granted.

Children of poverty also struggle with a variety of challenges away from school. These challenges and their impact on student achievement were well documented by Richard Rothstein in his recent book Class and Schools (2004). Medical issues such as poor vision and hearing, as well as lead poisoning and asthma are more prevalent in children of poverty. Families frequently move, interrupting the consistency of education. Children of poverty often arrive at school with disadvantages in vocabulary development and reading comprehension because they lack the types of pre-school experiences available to children of higher socio-economic classes.

While addressing the non-school factors for the achievement gap would require policy decisions outside the control of schools and districts, there are steps that can be taken by the educational community to make a difference. I believe that foremost among these should be an attempt to improve teacher working conditions.

Few would argue that the quality of a child's teacher is one of the single greatest factors in influencing student achievement, yet little has been done to stem the flood of teachers out of America's classrooms. Despite increased recruitment efforts, teachers in their first five years continue to leave the classroom at alarming rates. These percentages are often highest in our most challenging schools. To quote Susan Moore Johnson (2001), recruitment incentives are often "short-term responses to long term challenges," that will "ultimately make little difference if a teacher is dissatisfied with teaching."

A renewed focus on teacher working conditions could reduce turnover rates, leading to an enhancement in teacher quality and subsequently, student achievement. To improve working conditions, I believe schools and systems should:

1. Ensure that every new teacher is provided with an effective mentor, as well as with release time to work with that mentor. While many districts have worked to provide mentors for their beginning teachers, often these mentors have little significant time to connect with their protégés in meaningful ways. Even though new teachers often desire support and feedback, opportunities are limited. Teachers who leave the profession within their first three years often report feeling overwhelmed and under-supported.

2. Provide opportunities for experienced teachers to assume leadership roles without leaving the classroom. Teaching is a flat profession, with few opportunities for advancement. This stagnancy frustrates accomplished educators who crave the opportunity to grow professionally. As a result, teachers are often forced to leave the classroom for positions where they can have more of an influence as instructional leaders. If we create school-level leadership positions that allow teachers to remain in the classroom, we could keep more of our best educators in the profession.

3. Create schools that function as professional learning communities. Despite years of reform, schools remain largely isolated places where little interaction occurs between teachers. Furthermore, teachers are often not empowered to make key school-level decisions. Richard Ingersoll's recent research has documented that "leavers" often cite this lack of interaction and empowerment as a source of dissatisfaction. If we can structure schools as "integrated professional cultures," we are likely to retain more of our most accomplished educators. The learning community model as outlined by Richard DuFour holds great promise and should be pursued.

To quote Governor Mike Easley of North Carolina, "Teacher working conditions are student learning conditions." Closing the achievement gap requires creating the kinds of teacher working conditions that attract and retain the most accomplished individuals to our classrooms. Without addressing this critical issue, we cannot hope to meet the ambitious goals that have been set for public education in America.

We Cannot Let Our Work Consume Us

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Ellen Berg

Year of Publication:

2004

Abstract:

"I think a lot of teachers are consumed by their work," writes Ellen Berg in her latest diary entry at the TLN website. "We cannot turn off who we are at our core, and so it is easy to be pulled in and develop tunnel vision. However, if we martyr ourselves to the cause, who, exactly, is benefitting? Our students? Certainly not. Tired, cranky, stressed-out teachers aren't good for anyone. Our families? Nope. My wonderful husband has borne the brunt of my stress this year.... Our profession? Definitely not. How can we contribute wisdom when we are not even wise enough to nourish ourselves?"

Berg, E. (2004). We cannot let our work consume us. Teacher Leaders Network diaries. Retrieved from the Teacher Leaders Network 7 Apr 2008. Link: http://www.teacherleaders.org/old_site/diaries04_05/EB13_04_05.html

Full Text:

We Cannot Let Our Work Consume Us

Few people do business well who do nothing else.

– Lord Chesterfield

I am going to be honest here: I have blown you all off. I have tuned out, shut down that part of my brain that usually trolls for diary topics, and ignored kind and humorous notes from my editor that a book he sent me "...will inspire a diary entry!" I have not ignored you or my editor out of any sense of meanness, so I hope you are not offended. Rather, I ducked out momentarily because I needed to restore balance to my life.

Not that I really understood that balance was the reason I have avoided nearly everything related to teaching for the past few weeks. No, I can honestly say that I had no conscious clue as to why I was blowing everything off. The only thing I really knew was that I could not invest myself in that part of my life for one more moment. It was too painful, too tiresome. I had to go away for a while.

How have I spent my time? I played with my nieces and nephew, watched movies, read books, drank margaritas with my family members on Christmas Eve, and slept in. I started to drink more water, bought a pedometer, increased my physical activity, and set an end date for junk food. I ate a big Mexican meal on New Year's Eve with my husband and spent the rest of the evening downtown at a city-sponsored celebration with fireworks, musical and theatrical acts, and street performers. I toasted 2005 with a glass of champagne in a little late-night cafe with wait staff, college students, and tuxedoed gentlemen.

And for the first time in a really long time, last night I felt good. Hopeful. Ready to write.

There's that old saying, "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket." Whoever first wrote or spoke that may, indeed, have been referring to eggs going to market. However, for me it has to do with my personal identity. My husband has asked me through the years if I thought my all-consuming passion with my job and profession was healthy. And all of those years I rolled my eyes and said, of course, I'm happy, aren't I? I loved my job, my kids, and my profession. I immersed myself and devoted the bulk of my time to everything teaching, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that strategy until everything in my district and school went to hell.

Those of you who have been reading my entries this year know about MAP Attack, increased paperwork, and direct instruction. What you do not know is the union took a strike vote, and it passed. So far no strike date has been set, but I do not see how the district and union are going to come to a suitable compromise.

Back to the basket. Once everything I loved and invested my time in shattered, what was left? I had so much of my Self involved in my work that when work disintegrated, I was devastated.

Thank God for our bodies and for whatever higher power you believe in. Sometimes we have to listen to what they are telling us and take two giant leaps back in order to see what we cannot see close up. I have seen the danger in letting one thing become the Only thing in our lives.

I think a lot of teachers are consumed by their work. We cannot turn off who we are at our core, and so it is easy to be sucked in and develop tunnel vision. However, if we martyr ourselves to the cause, who, exactly, is benefitting? Our students? Certainly not. Tired, cranky, stressed-out teachers aren't good for anyone. Our families? Nope. My wonderful husband has borne the brunt of my stress this year and has earned more medals and back rubs than I can ever hope to supply in my lifetime for his patience and ear. Our profession? Definitely not. How can we contribute wisdom when we are not even wise enough to nourish ourselves?

So I return to the idea of balance. I have always thought of balance as being a fixed mark where there is a constant input of professional and personal. However, that's just not realistic, no more realistic than the idea of never eating another chocolate chip cookie or having another argument. I think balance is more like a seesaw, something that ebbs and flows in a fluid pattern. In real life there are going to be times where one part of our lives has to take more of our time and energy than the others. The important thing is to remember that we have to consciously propel ourselves back to avoid getting stuck in one place too long.

My resolution for 2005 is to strike more balance in my life. I am going to take care of myself physically, professionally, personally, and interpersonally, and if, one weekend, that bag of papers to grade has to sit by the door, untouched, I am not going to feel guilty about it. Monday will be soon enough.

In my search for quotes on balance today I found one from Robert Fulghum I am going to type in large font and post somewhere in my home office and classroom. It's also my wish for you in 2005.

Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life — learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Dear Santa

Resource Keywords:
Working Conditions

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Linda Starr

Year of Publication:

2004

URL:

http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/starr/starr248.shtml

Abstract:

What do teachers really want for Christmas? Education World columnist Linda Starr thinks she knows. "Below, you will find my Christmas list. Please check it twice because, I have to say, Santa, based on the gifts I've found under my desk in previous years, you simply haven't been paying enough attention to my directions. I know you're busy, but a little preplanning can go a long way toward preventing careless and costly mistakes."

Citation: Starr, Linda. (2004). Dear santa. Starr points (12 Dec 2004). Retrieved from Education World 7 Apr 2008. Link: http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/starr/starr248.shtml