Senator Elizabeth Little
5 Warren Street, Suite 3
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Dear Betty,
I wanted to
take a moment to respectfully express my disappointment in your YES vote to
approve the Education Bill during yesterday's legislative session.
The 2015-16
budget and, in particular, the educational spending bill that it included, will
have a lasting negative impact on students, families, teachers and our entire
community. Although the final bill excluded many of the more draconian aspects
of the governor's requests, it nonetheless furthers unsubstantiated and
punitive measures against teachers
while ignoring research on the value of standardized tests as a measure of
student growth and teacher effectiveness.
Suffice it
to say, good, creative and truly effective teachers will leave the profession.
Some of these teachers will depart voluntarily because they choose not to work
in a system that does not value them. Others will leave involuntarily due to
the ineffective ratings they will receive when their students- many of whom are
dealing with issues including homelessness, abuse, non-involved parents or
other supports- under-perform on discredited assessment measures.
Even worse,
many prospective teachers will now choose not to enter a system that they know
does not value them. As Nancy Atwell, the recent recipient of the Global
Teacher Prize has said, “Public
school teachers are so constrained right now by the common core standards and
the tests that are developed to monitor what teachers are doing with
them," she said. "If you're a creative, smart young person, I don't
think this is the time to go into teaching unless an independent school would
suit you."
As a final blow, the budget institutes
a merit pay scheme that pits educators against one another and drives a wedge
into our best efforts to effectively educate our most needy students. The
benefits of merit pay as an incentive are widely panned by economists and
social scientists alike as you can read HERE and HERE. I don't believe it is in
any of our best interests to have teachers who are intensely competitive and
motivated by the prospects of more money. You need look no further than the
scandal in Atlanta, currently in the news, to see what happens when we place
improper incentives and punishment models into teaching.
Please
don't read this as a protection of the status quo. Although I disagree with the
education "reformers" who claim that our schools and teachers are
failing, I do acknowledge that there exists a need to continually improve our
schools and the teaching profession.
Much of
this can best be accomplished by involving educators in the discussion and
moving toward an assessment system that provides for meaningful feedback,
support and growth. By
incorporating teacher voice, we gain knowledge, skills and insight into what
happens in our schools every day. We gain access to what may work and what may
not work. Lastly, we gain support through collaboration in building a better community with citizens who can do more than take a test-
they contribute positively to society.
Thank you
for your continuing support of your constituents and your future support of
teachers. I look forward to moving the
conversation in a positive direction.
Regards,
Michael Shaver
Social Studies Teacher
Glens Falls Teacher Association
(GFTA)
Glens Falls High School
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