Reading + Running = Time for Teachers + Parents

An article in Monday's Skagit Valley Herald focuses on a reading-and-running program at Mary Purcell Elementary (Sedro-Wooley SD), in which students spend the last 15 minutes of the school day either reading a book or running laps outside.

According to the article, "The end-of-day reading and running program is meant to keep the kids occupied as their teachers use the time to contact parents on student progress."

The previous school year, students were sent to art and music classes and occasionally the library while teachers contacted parents. But, because the music teacher, art teacher and librarian positions were cut this year, the school came up with a Plan B: reading and running.

It's an interesting solution to the issue of teacher-parent contact time—time that had almost been cut from teachers' schedules until an 11th-hour agreement in contract negotiations brought it back. But the solution is not without problems. Some parents say the end-of-the-day program amounts to a "complete waste of time," while many teachers are still concerned about the broader issue of losing the specialists in art, music, technology and library.

Are there any other schools out there with a successful reading and running programs? If so, we'd love to hear from you!

Coming Soon to NBC: Law & Order - TPU

That would be the Teacher Performance Unit in New York City.

Check out this recent story in The New York Times on a new task force compiled by NYC Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein. There are two groups, really: the Teacher Performance Unit comprised of five lawyers and a second team consultants that includes former principals. The mission of the TPU will be to remove tenured teachers for "ineffective performance" Klein told the Times.

The plan will reportedly cost $1 million a year to implement.

Most Prestigious Occupations

The research crew at Harris Interactive is out with the results of a new poll today that puts teachers in the mix of the six "most prestigious occupations."

According to Harris, half of U.S. adults polled by telephone between July 10 and 16 identified six occupations as having "very great" prestige: firefighters (61%), scientists (54%), teachers (54%), doctors (52%), military officers (52%), and nurses (50%). They are followed by police officers (46%) priests/ministers/clergy (42%) and farmers (41%).

Interestingly, the perception of teachers in this poll has risen significantly -- by 25 points from 29 to 54 percent -- in the 30 years since the poll was first started. Athletes, by contrast, have fallen 10 points from 26 to 16 percent. Some other established professions have also seen declines, including scientists (down 12 points), doctors (nine points), bankers (seven points) and entertainers (six points).

Principals, though not mentioned specifically in the mix, should take pride in these findings. After all, where do principals come from?

As the AWSP Executive Board discussed yesterday at its annual planning retreat, the development of principals, particularly principals of color, is largely dependent on the number of students who see teaching as professional calling. Therefore, the more that can be done to model teaching as a positive profession, the greater the opportunity for more young people to enter the profession and, perhaps, take the next step into educational administration.

In case you were wondering: the five occupations perceived by one-quarter or more of adults to have "hardly any prestige at all include stockbrokers (25%), union leaders (30%), entertainers (31%), real estate brokers (34%) and actors (38%).

Are Perceptions Reality?

Do you have a more optimistic view of your students' abilities than your teachers?

If you do, you're not alone according to the National School Boards Association. Their new study of 4,700 teachers and 267 principals and assistant principals in 12 school districts in 10 states found that principals were more likely than teachers to say that students can excel academically. The study is part of the NSBA's effort to gauge school climate. Among the findings:

• 94.6 percent of administrators agreed/strongly agreed with the statement, "Students at this school are capable of high achievement on standardized exams." 77.2 percent of teachers agreed or strongly agreed.
  
• 95.3 percent of administrators said teachers at their school would benefit from more professional development; only 68.1 percent of teachers thought so.
  
• More teachers (23.6 percent) than principals (7 percent) agreed/strongly agreed with the following statement: "Most students at this school would not be successful at a community college or university. 85.2 percent of administrators disagreed/strongly disagreed with the statement; 58.1 percent of teachers did.
  

Why the gap? Teachers spend more time in the classroom, the American Federation of Teachers told Ed Week Magazine, so they have "a more realistic picture of what it would take to get [students] over the hurdles."

Why do you think there's such a difference in the findings?