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* Neil Steinberg asks a good question in his column today: What if fixing teachers is the easy part? He references the recent education reform legislation which passed both chambers of the General Assembly and reprints an e-mail he received from a teacher…
I thought you’d enjoy this (or sigh). I’m a high school teacher in the south suburbs, and was making several calls home last week. The semester is ending, and one student in particular is far from passing. I’d called home before and sent grade sheets both with the student and by mail, all with no response from Mom. In fact, this student had my class before and failed it.
As I reviewed all of that, Mom asked what could he do now to make it up. I told her I would put a packet of missing work together he could do for a late grade. The only requirement, I told her, was that it had to be in Friday.
“No, he won’t be able to have it then,” she said. When I asked why, she told me he’d be “out for a week.”
Extended absences like this usually mean a suspension, and I asked if that was the case. It would not have been his first.
“No, no — we’re going to a family reunion. And he’s going! I already paid for the shirt.”
Oy.
* Esther Cepeda worries about this summer…
Pretty soon the sun will be blasting and the humidity will jump on us like a wildcat. Combine that with school letting out, a record high 27.5 percent teen unemployment rate and crippling budget cuts to programs that help keep kids off streets, and it won’t take too long for our children to grow restless and violent.
That’s not an exaggeration. Violence is known to flare up during summer, and children are about to be caught in the crossfire of Chicago’s seemingly unstoppable gun violence and shrinking youth resources.
“I strongly believe this is going to be one of the worst summers ever,” said Hector Escalera, a Cook County juvenile probation officer who covers a police district that includes Little Village. He is worried because grants have dried up for programs that keep kids engaged and safe during the long summer months.
“It’s not even summer yet,” he told me, and Little Village already has seen several murders and “recently a kid got stabbed. We have a lot of issues in the community, and if we don’t provide youth with mental health, education and work opportunities, we are going to lose the battle.”
* And a new study claims preschool saves the state big bucks…
Advocates for early education are rallying against a proposed 5 percent cut to the Early Childhood Block Grant in the FY 2012 budget with a comprehensive 23-year study (PDF) that shows preschool proactively saves the state of Illinois $530 million a year.
The research touts savings from things like special education and criminal justice costs, while also strengthening the tax base with a better-educated workforce. In FY 2010, a 10 percent funding cut to the same grant meant 8,000 fewer children in Illinois were enrolled in state-run preschool programs. If the proposed 5 percent cut is passed in this General Assembly for the upcoming fiscal year, the option of attending a state-funded preschool would be eliminated for another estimated 4,300 young children, the study said.
The cost-savings analysis was commissioned by the Ounce of Prevention Fund, Illinois Action for Children and Voices for Illinois Children. The data dates back to the late 1980s, when Illinois began to funnel money to preschool programs that were meant to prepare young children between the ages of 3 and 5 years-old for success in K-12 education, something the study calls “an investment.”
That investment, according to the study, has resulted in tremendous savings for schools and taxpayers alike. In K-12 savings, it’s estimated $21.9 million to $32.9 million are saved in school spending for special education because preschool can often prevent or remedy potential issues through early intervention for things like speech or language problems. Another $2.5 million to $3.7 million is saved in grade repetition — attributed to school readiness through preschool — alone. Between $172 million to $259 million is also reduced in government spending — some $146.8 million of that is attributed to having fewer youths in the juvenile criminal system.
Thoughts?
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 23, 11 @ 1:45 pm
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Early intervention is DEFINITELY a good investment. This holds whether it is in a high poverty area or in the affluent suburbs. There are numerous studies, done by people in different disciplines, that all point to the same thing. Particularly where young kids are not in an enriched, loving environment, early childhood and preschool spending fixes many problems that can’t be fixed later in life and lowers overall spending.
Comment by Way Northsider Monday, May 23, 11 @ 1:50 pm
As a new father, I now better appreciate how tough it is to be a parent. Reading the first piece from Steinberg’s column, that kid doesn’t have a chance and the teacher shouldn’t feel guilty flunking him. The kid doesn’t have a chance and the mom doesn’t have a clue.
The second piece is almost like a threat: if we don’t fund summer programs, kids will be violent.
The 3rd piece I understand, but it’s kind of related to the 2nd, although when preschoolers get violent, it really isn’t a societal problem, unless you happen to be in the checkout line behing a toddler having a tantrum.
Finally, why on earth are Republicans so opposed to Planned Parenthood? If even the majority of parents had done any planning for parenthood, we wouldn’t have so many problems with children. Government, despite its best intentions, can’t replace parents. The buck stops with mom and/or dad.
Unfortunately, we all pay the price for bad parents.
Comment by 47th Ward Monday, May 23, 11 @ 1:56 pm
Yes, “fixing” teachers is the easy part.
In fact, you can argue about whether this legislation actually “fixes” teachers.
Yes, it arguably makes it easier to get rid of bad teachers.
It DOES NOT address the question of how our public schools begin to compete with Apple to hire math and science teachers, compete with p.r. firms to hire English teachers, compete with health care providers to hire teachers for kids with disabilities.
Heck, with the elimination of extracurricular activities that provide coaching opportunities, we have a shortage of PE teachers in Chicago now.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:10 pm
A perfect example of how parental involvement is the other half of the education equation. As 47th said, the poor kid in this example does not stand a chance. As a parent, I find such a take to be down-right depressing.
Comment by Slick Willy Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:15 pm
That should read- “As a parent, I find such a tale to be down-right depressing.”
Comment by Slick Willy Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:16 pm
Regarding fixing teachers.
Of course Education Reform won’t fix bad parenting but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do education reform.
I don’t consider Education Reform as fixing teachers. I see it as keeping the best teachers. And that is not a knock on teaches. In any profession, some employees are better suited to the job than others. The problem in teaching has been unless there is an egregious offense, the last teacher hired, is the first one fired, regardless of how good that teacher is, or regardless of how lousy of a job a 25 tenured teacher is doing.
Of course the Education Reform system is not going to be perfect. But it is an improvement.
The light bulb for me went off a few years ago when President Obama was talking to a teacher at a town hall meeting, and he asked her if she would be comfortable sending her kid to every teacher in the school, and she wouldn’t answer the question. Teachers know which teachers are the most effective and which ones should go.
The unions have just been protecting the bad teachers because of their crazy rules.
Comment by Mark Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:18 pm
47th,
“Finally, why on earth are Republicans so opposed to Planned Parenthood?”
The beef ain’t with the planning, it’s about abortion. If PP stuck to contraception, teaching and adoption services, they wouldn’t be under the microscope all the time.
Comment by Cincinnatus Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:21 pm
The first poster has it right…spend money on kids to ready them for grade school and they fare better than those who do not attend pre k…it’s cheaper in the long term than housing them in the Audy home or prisons…One idea: compensate kids in the city to clear vacant lots of trash, test the soil, and grow flowers and vegetables in the numerous food deserts that exist.
The FPDCC is already doing this in Lawndale and other neighborhoods. This is also happening in the 10th ward of Chicago with a not for profit.
Tell Emanuel to find some dough or a donor to expand these types of programs …it’ll make the neighborhoods cleaner and safer…and keep kids busy…
Comment by Loop Lady Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:25 pm
Cinci, first i was making a play on the words “planned” and “parenthood.” But it was also a double entendre, since while the GOP is hell bent on eliminating abortions, it will also oppose early childhood education, after school programs and summer jobs programs for youth.
So your party doesn’t want abortions (and some even oppose birth control), and you don’t want to pay to help those who are born.
And let’s be honest, 90% of what Planned Parenthood does has nothing to do with abortions.
Comment by 47th Ward Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:26 pm
I have another point to make. The ISBE has Social Emotional Learning Standards for students.
So bad parenting can be a problem, but so can kids struggling with social and emotional issues.
This is from the ISBE website.
- These standards have been developed in accordance with Section 15(a) of Public Act 93-0495. This Act calls upon the Illinois State Board of Education to “develop and implement a plan to incorporate social and emotional development standards as part of the Illinois Learning Standards.”-
In our district the Superintendent suggested trying to set SEL goals for students.
One of the Asst Superintendents blocked him. The Asst Supt won the battle. The issue was shelved.
That Asst Superintendent’s husband just happens to be on the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors fired the last Supt.
So teachers don’t get all defensive thinking the whole world is against you. Most parents don’t categorically blame teachers.
Comment by Mark Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:28 pm
on the first area, a lot of north shore schools have parent universities which help parents learn how to be better parents and strategies for dealing with a number of issues. I don’t know what other areas do, but this is something other schools I am sure could learn from and could do in cost efficient ways. perhaps podcasts they could put online.
on the problems with funding various programs in the city, it’s hard for a suburban republican like myself to feel sorry for city organizations that don’t have the funds they need. In a state with a chicago governor, a chicago speaker of the house, a chicago cook county board chief, a chicago president of the united states and a chicago state senate president, you get the government you elect. I feel bad for chicago, but this is not a state with republicans sticking it to you, this is your leadership failing you.
Comment by shore Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:28 pm
===perhaps podcasts they could put online.===
Yes, that’ll work in Proviso or Thornridge, where they have wi-fi and everyone has an iPad.
===it’s hard for a suburban republican like myself to feel sorry for city organizations that don’t have the funds they need===
Unintentional honesty? That’s a heck of a thing to say right after your call for podcasts on parenting, ala the North Shore Parent Universities.
But as always, spoken like a suburban republican.
Comment by 47th Ward Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:35 pm
YDD- You hit upon a basic argument I have with my father-in-law about education, where to some degree I have to agree with him (he was a teacher for a while and comes from a family of teachers).
That a good teacher can teach just about anything and it is more about classroom and subject management than it is knowledge of the subject per-see (or your ability to use it professionally) I worth with mathematicians, computer programmers and folks with physics backgrounds.
They shouldn’t be teaching these subjects to high school students, not in a million years.
Another example is when I was in college I had a Computer Science professor that was a re-trained phys-ed professor. She had a phd but it wasn’t in a technical field, and only had a masters in MS (she took the classes at our University) but you know, she could teach. I suspect she would have been successful teaching art.
I think that if you get rid of the bad teachers (I suspect we all had teachers that should have been out of the classroom) it will help those students and it will help their fellow teachers.
Finally, I still don’t get why the state does not try harder to figure out who is doing it right and work to learn from them. Like I have said before, the high school I went to won a bunch of drama and speech awards over the years, yet I don’t thin anyone took the time to look at how those teachers were teaching the subject. It’s not like there were really good youth drama programs in the area or anything (it is a rather poor district now in the South Suburbs and wasn’t that much better when I went there).
You can’t save them all, but you can try.
rant over…
Comment by OneMan Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:36 pm
That should read- “As a parent, I find such a tale to be inconceivable”
47th ward, you just named my alma mater
Comment by OneMan Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:37 pm
there are bad parents with money and good parents without money and vice versa. but there are more difficulties with parents who have no money, and a culture that somehow seems to place more value on whether someone has been disrespected (some columnist has a great article on this today or yesterday) than reading and math.
no child should be born unless the parents can take care of the child. children are not an accessory. they are a joy but a huge financial responsibility. contraception should be freely and widely available and encouraged.
but I’m also concerned about something which apparently is in the movie Waiting for Superman…that it is not the parents fault if a kid does not do well in school, that the teachers have to go from the premise that kids can be great anyway.
will everyone be a great student? No. it is absurd to think that brains are equal, otherwise there would be no shortage of doctors born in the USA. instead of the platitudes and pandering to the yes your baby is amazing crowd, just make sure that kids can read and write and do math up to a certain level. cut the platitude attitude and secure the basics.
Comment by amalia Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:38 pm
- I feel bad for chicago, but this is not a state with republicans sticking it to you, this is your leadership failing you. -
Yes, I’m sure if the Republicans were in control their first order of business would be to provide funding for parent universities for poor Chicago families. Thanks for the afternoon chuckle, Shore.
Comment by Small Town Liberal Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:39 pm
I always thought to some degree Jack Ryan (sigh) really could have shown the GOP the way forward on education without turning it into mine vs. yours. Oh well, sigh…
Comment by OneMan Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:41 pm
The reforms that have gone through Springfield will not improve education because the problem isn’t with the teachers, it is with society and the state.
Instead of finding more resources for schools, that state spent time a few years ago mandating a moment of silence. No teacher or student lobbied for a moment of silence because they see no need for it, only people running for office who want to capture the religious voted wanted it.
The number one County for Math and Science in Finland. Why? Because they decided to invest in children over 50 years ago.
They only take people in the top 10% in teaching where the US you only need a C average.
Most teachers in Finland never leave the profession, in the US over 1/2 leave within the first 5 years. In Finland teaching is seen as a noble profession, in the US it is seen as high price baby sitting, or there is something wrong with you because you are not on wall street
In Finland, 100% of the teachers are in a union and the workforce itself is 76% unionized. They have a drop out rate of 2% where the US in 25%. Their student poverty rate is 4% and the US it is around 23%.
The have classroom size of 24 students and up to 3 teachers in a classroom, not 1.
They also have national health care.
Their taxes are high than in the US. So until we want to invest in children, nothing will change much in Illinois. You can pay a teacher in Chicago $40,000 a year or $140,000 a year. the results will be the same. Why? The teacher needs resources to deal with the high poverty that no one wants to pay for.
We need to follow the Finland model.
Comment by Union Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:48 pm
i’ve long been stunned at the culture in illinois that permits kids to be absent for extended periods for family vacation, etc. that certainly wasn’t permitted when i was growing up in florida. in the public schools i attended, i can’t think of a single instance where a kid was given permission for an extended absence like that.
but it’s a choice here. and, if you can do that, why wouldn’t you? not that we ever did, but that was because, well, i didn’t grow up here. i can’t say i comprehend many “midwestern values,” this one included…
Comment by bored now Monday, May 23, 11 @ 2:58 pm
“We need to follow the Finland model. ”
What is the multi-culture situation in Finland? Everyone looks like the same, I’ll bet. No diversity.
No thank you to the “Finland model”
Comment by Johnny USA Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:06 pm
I’m all for ridding the system of bad teachers. My question is how you will replace them with good teachers at the current wage. (Yes, I know that some teachers in some places get paid quite a bit, but please don’t pretend that is the norm.) I certainly wouldn’t go into that profession for the money it currently earns.
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:16 pm
47th,
“And let’s be honest, 90% of what Planned Parenthood does has nothing to do with abortions.”
PP’s own bottom line revenue numbers show that abortions produce at least 37 percent of PPFA revenues. Furthermore, Planned Parenthood Services own fact sheet, 332,278 abortions were performed on some of PPFA’s three million clients in the year ending June 30, 2009.
“… it will also oppose early childhood education, after school programs and summer jobs programs for youth.”
It’s a matter of priorities, not every one is possible to fund. It is easy to say that we should fund everything, if you have unlimited amounts of other people’s money. Bottom line is we do not, not that you would ever think so looking at the past couple of budgets.
Should we fund education more, or at least smarter? Hell, yes. Should we not build a high speed rail and use that money toward education? I think so. Should we do both, and any number of other boondoggles that rob scarce dollars from education? Only a liberal would say do everything.
Comment by Cincinnatus Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:17 pm
The big problem is the lack of parenting and the requirement that teacher’s have to teach everyone, even the disruptive ones. (And this isn’t a drive-by, this is what I used to hear my wife say every day for about 4 years when she came home from working as a sub for the school district.)
The school districts need to throw out the bad apples. OK, you’re going to lose some kids … but better to lose a few kids than most of them like you do now. When the disruptions would start in his high school classes, my son used to get up out of class and go to the office where he sat down at a desk and did the lesson assignments. He graduated with a scholarship; a lot of the others didn’t.
Teachers can’t fix problem every problem in society. Quit trying to have them do so.
Comment by Retired Non-Union Guy Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:21 pm
Not a penny of tax money funds abortion services at Planned Parenthood Cinci, yet your party voted to eliminate family planning and women’s health at PP just out of spite.
And only a conservative would use the code phrase “high speed rail” as a bogeyman while also confusing the role of capital spending with operating spending.
The point of the post is that there are numerous problems affecting today’s children. I haven’t seen anyone say we should try to do everything. Earlier I said the parents are the solution, so please just read what I wrote and don’t put words in my mouth.
Comment by 47th Ward Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:25 pm
MrJM — Teaching pays better than a lot of college educated fields, also unless things have really changed since I was in college there were hosts of students majoring in things that didn’t not have high paying career paths in front of them. But that is what folks wanted to study.
I think the argument, you know if it just paid more kind of falls flat.
Comment by OneMan Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:31 pm
I think the first poster just scratches the surface of the real problem in education today. It’s not the teaching as much as the kids entering the schools and what they came from and go home to that has a lot more to do with performance. A friend teaches at Clemente in Chicago and he says, even though they take their students from failing to passing and show huge improvement each year, it never comes close to what the feds are looking for because they start with the worst (academically speaking) and start over every year once the magnet schools reshuffle attendance. but these are kids who, on some days, are lucky to arrive at school safe and fed.
I recently read on a pro-reform campaign website, “teachers are the single biggest influence on a child’s dveleopment after their parents and home environment”. But we ignore the source (poverty, low wages, poor development and crime) and focus on those things we can make political squabble over; teachers.
Comment by Listening In Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:39 pm
The first two stories show tell of why we need all year round school.
The third story tells of how spending a some money, will save a lot of money later on.
So maybe all year round school will save more money later on?
Comment by 3rd Generation Chicago Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:40 pm
As a pediatrician, I my impression is that early childhood education has a role to play in a segment of the population. That said, I read through the study and was unimpressed. It is largely a series of unconnected studies that have been extrapolated to Illinois often based upon some very dubious assumptions. I also looked a bit deeper at couple of the referenced academic studies and I am pretty sure they don’t say what the authors of the Illinois study think they say.
As I wrote above, I am open to and supportive of the idea that early childhood intervention can improve outcomes and decrease costs. But the questions as to what degree, which populations benefit, etc., are not answered by this particular article.
Comment by Arie Friedman, MD Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:41 pm
Cincinattus -
I think you just inadvertently confirmed 47th’s 10% figure. While the revenue obtained from those procedures may be high, there are reasons for that. I’ve talked to DUI attorneys who insist that part of their pricing structure is intended to discourage repeat customers by financially punishing them for partaking in dangerous and irresponsible behavior. I don’t see pricing abortions in a similar manner to be a bad thing when that revenue can be used to prevent the need for more abortions down the line.
Comment by Colossus Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:43 pm
“The first two stories show tell of why we need all year round school.”
How will this help “bad parents”? If parents don’t think school is important, kids won’t either.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:48 pm
–As a new father, I now better appreciate how tough it is to be a parent–
Congratulations, brother, I mean father! And from an old father to a new father, let me tell you, no you don’t, but you will, lol!
(If you can, sleep when the baby sleeps; that’s the only advice that means anything in the first year).
Steinberg’s column didn’t rattle me too much. Believe me, as a parent and a family member of many teachers, most kids (except the real amazing top ones) and most teachers are phoning it in around April.
But, kids in Illinois should have longer days, longer years, and the schools should be 18-hour community centers, with lots of diverse activities at all hours. You have the physical plant and you have the demand.
I drop off my boys at OPRF for lifting at 6 a.m., and I know some activities are rocking at 10 p.m. That’s the way it should be.
But it starts with the parents. If your kids fail in school, it’s your fault. You have to have your kids ready to learn.
That means nutrition, exercise, sleep and reading, reading, reading, reading. Just like real human beings.
And as a parent, you have to make saying “no” your friend. Say “no, no, no, no,” all the time. Kids will test you, but they desperately want to be told no. That’s how they know you love them.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:58 pm
Not much you can do about oblivious parents…that’s a cultural issues more than a legal one.
As mentioned above, “fix” what you can (teachers, worker’s comp, etc.) via legislation, but realize that others sectors of society have to pull their weight, too. To pull from the cliche, just because you have a hammer doesn’t mean everything is a nail. Not everything, or even most things, can or should be handled via legislation.
As for the lack of teen jobs: that’s a meme I’ve seen several articles on. Couple quick points. As someone who came in to the workforce at a minimum wage job, and now hires some minimum wage jobs, you know what a great way to make more jobs would be? Not have the minimum wage jacked all above the federal limit. Or lower payroll taxes. I know a great many liberals on this site think the minimum wage works wonderfully and is such a compassionate, ethical thing. It’s not, not like it’s been used in IL. My little town’s economy is not the same as Chicago’s, or even Rockfords. The actual minimum wage is zero, which is what several of my applicants are making right now. If my payroll wasn’t so high (read: payroll taxes, minimum wage, etc) they’d be sitting in the first job right now. Sorry kids.
Comment by Liandro Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:09 pm
Not to be all Oak Park liberal here, but… Let’s keep in mind that family reunions are a HUGE deal in the African-American community. They help to create a family identity and help to let children know that they are part of an extended family with a long and proud history. So I am not as horrified as Neil Steinberg by a parent’s decision to take a child out of school for a major family event.
I also am wondering why there was no way for this child to get the work done in transit. Instead of sending a “sigh” email to Steinberg, maybe the teacher could have figured out a way for the kid to do his work in the car, and email it back by Friday.
And geez — do we give up on kids just because their parents may grab the wrong end of the stick? Aren’t those the kids who need MORE from the system, not less?
And Word — we should talk sometime about whose fault it is when a child is struggling in school. And how I still feel about the OPRF teacher who couldn’t help my daughter because she was too busy talking to her kitchen contractor during class…
Comment by soccermom Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:12 pm
maybe the chicago democrats could let us know how many kids could attend summer programs with the money spent on the 2 cars and 15 bodyguards or whatever mayor daley is getting from the city taxpayers?
Comment by Shore Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:14 pm
Three most important considerations……parents, parents, and parents. The mother of the failing student in the lead story should be ashamed, and might be if she only ‘got it.’ The story repeats from one generation to the next.
Comment by Keyser Soze Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:14 pm
I think year-round school would help, because what are those “bad” parents doing over the long months of summer? Taking their kids to museums and drilling them in Spanish vocabulary?
A lot of good parents who lack money and resources could use year-round school, too. If you have to work, and you can’t afford child care, you aren’t taking your kids to museums and drilling them in Spanish vocabulary, either. But you are probably feeling enormous stress about your kids’ lost opportunities.
I think it would be interesting to add a parental accountability component to school evaluation, but this should not be a way to give bad teachers a pass. And everyone except the CTU knows that there are plenty of bad teachers out there.
Comment by lakeview Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:20 pm
===let me tell you, no you don’t, but you will, lol!===
Thanks Word. A friend told me this one: little kids = little problems. Big kids = big problems.
But it’s a heck of a ride either way.
Comment by 47th Ward Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:30 pm
So, what should teachers do, saddled with students whom are not supported by parents? Students who refuse to study, do the required work, are chronically absent, and score low on required tests. Their test scores will get good teachers fired, too. And how many will want to enter the field of education knowing their actual skills may not save their jobs?
Comment by Wensicia Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:38 pm
socermom… In my family education was the cultural value, nothing else trumped it and I am thankful every day my folks felt that way. That is why to be blunt, I can’t understand for the life of me why any family event short of death would be more important than school, all the more so if I was having problems.
Do you really think the teacher needed to point out that Timmy could work on the stuff in transit?
Comment by OneMan Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:39 pm
Wensicia —
For a couple of years, I tutored a child who came from a chaotic family. It was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. She went from failing to getting Bs, and brought her reading above grade level. I felt so proud, years later, when I saw her graduate from high school. So there are worse things than being “saddled” with a kid whose family isn’t functioning.
Comment by soccermom Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:42 pm
soccarmom — were you trying to teach 34 other students at the same time? I work with high school special ed behavior disorders, many of these children live in homes they should be taken away from. Yes, it would be wonderful to supply all troubled children with one-on-one education and counseling, we just don’t have the resources, money, or time to effectively do this.
Comment by Wensicia Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:49 pm
Sorry, misspelled soccermom.
Comment by Wensicia Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:50 pm
OneMan — I grew up in a house without books, and my dad didn’t understand why a National Merit Finalist wanted to go to an expensive university when there was a community college just a few minutes away. So I am forever grateful to the adults, including teachers, who cared about my academic prospects and helped me to excel.
My kids have parents who would do anything to further their education, the lucky little wenches. But don’t we have a responsibility to help the kids who didn’t hit the parental Lotto?
Comment by soccermom Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:53 pm
I read the Ounce of Prevention Fund study noted in the article. I noticed immediately that the study did not cite Amy E. Lowenstein’s very important study of the life long impact of early childhood education. It can be found at Educational Policy January 10, 2011 vol. 25 no. 1 92-114 and is titled “Early Care and Education as Educational Panacea: What Do We Really Know About Its Effectiveness?”
The author argues that while Early childhood education has clear short term effects. Long term effects are based on the quality of the schools they children attend once they leave early childhood programs. The positive effects fade with time otherwise.
I saw nothing in the Ounce of Prevention Fund study that attempted to apply this fading effect in its analysis. Clearly many low income children in our state who go through early childhood programs do not go on to very strong schools.
I would question the Ounce of Prevention Fund paper’s estimation that Early Childhood Education could reduce special educaton number as significantly as it claimed. But the bottom line of the report is that early childhood education costs Illinois about $257 million a year, and may save between $353 and $530 million a year. The actual realization of savings would be $96 million to $273 million using the Ounce of Prevention Fund’s own data. If we use a fading effect based on the Lowenstein study one can assume even less savings.
Comment by Rod Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:53 pm
Wensicia — It’s okay — “Car” pretty much describes my life as a parent for a lot of years.
Comment by soccermom Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:53 pm
Soccermom
-I also am wondering why there was no way for this child to get the work done in transit. Instead of sending a “sigh” email to Steinberg, maybe the teacher could have figured out a way for the kid to do his work in the car, and email it back by Friday-
Seriously? The kid failed the class before, the teacher had attempted to call mom, sent home work sheets with the student and by mail, finally got ahold of mom just to be told that no way can he get it done, and the teacher still needs to come up with a way for him to catch up? I see my significant other attend every school function, grade until midnight, make sure grades are entered on time, call home for both failing AND non-failing students to encourage them and time after time I see the hard work go straight down the drain when parents don’t give a darn. I know there are bad teachers out there, but there are very good ones too. Stop beating them up over stupid parents who don’t pay an ounce of attention to what their kids do.
Comment by Exasperated Monday, May 23, 11 @ 4:54 pm
Anon at 3:48
Since there is a high teen unemployment, (27.5) more so this year, and violence gets high when kids have nothing to do in the summer. Hector Escalera, a Cook County juvenile probation officer who believes it will one of the worst summers ever. Being in school will at least give kids them something to do.
Comment by 3rd Generation Chicago Native Monday, May 23, 11 @ 5:01 pm
Soccermom,
I understand where you are coming from - I just disagree with your stance. Why should this teacher bend over backwards to try and help this kid out. It seems like she was bending pretty far already by letting him try to make up the work. Where I went to school there was no such opportunity. If you didn’t get the work done then you were out of luck. Part of the learning experience is learning about responsibility and apparently this child hasn’t yet grasped that concept. His actions have consequences.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, May 23, 11 @ 5:13 pm
The problems in education can all be traced back to forced grade promotion. Throw a few of these kids out on the street and take away their government handouts and they will be getting a job. The excuse is they will end up in jail - well our jails are full so that is not an excuse either.
Comment by Liberty_First Monday, May 23, 11 @ 5:16 pm
family reunion…..not as important as school. reading, writing and math are more important than something that could come during the summer. or not every year. some of us had family that left other countries and never again saw family members left behind. but they learned though they were poor. priorities.
Comment by amalia Monday, May 23, 11 @ 5:35 pm
–Why should this teacher bend over backwards to try and help this kid out–
Help me. I saw a preview for this movie during the Bulls game last night. Justin Timberlake, Cameron Diaz. It’s a comedy. I’m guessing, at the end, they understand they love teaching those kids. Me, personally, I love, love, love, Cameron Diaz.
C’mon, man. You don’t bend over backwards at your job every day?
You’re fired!
Comment by wordslinger Monday, May 23, 11 @ 5:42 pm
Read the Steinberg column more closely and you know it’s bs. And to what end, anyway? What’s his point?
Tell me any high school in the United States where the “teacher” calls home for a delinquent student, and I’ll buy you a cigar. The office does that, teachers never do.
Tell me any high school in the United States that would be shocked (outside of Steinberg High) that a student was taking a week off for a family reunion, and I’ll buy you another cigar.
There’s nothing here.
Seriously, I know the Sun-Times feels they need 50 columnists, but what does this guy bring to the party?
Comment by wordslinger Monday, May 23, 11 @ 5:56 pm
- OneMan - Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:31 pm:
“MrJM — Teaching pays better than a lot of college educated fields, also unless things have really changed since I was in college there were hosts of students majoring in things that didn’t not have high paying career paths in front of them. But that is what folks wanted to study.
I think the argument, you know if it just paid more kind of falls flat.”
Depends what school district you’re in, and how many years of service it takes to get to the decent pay.
Most don’t pay well and the majority of teachers (everywhere) have to buy a lot of school supplies out of their own pockets. A thankless job for most.
And who wants to work nearly 45 years before they have the option to retire (at 65). As a parent, I sure don’t want a burned out 65 year old teaching my kids?
One of my daughters (an honor student) thinks she might want to be a teacher. I am strongly discouraging her from pursuing that career. At least in Illinois!!
Comment by Where's Mike? Monday, May 23, 11 @ 6:00 pm
Where’s Mike, as a parent, I really hate the whole “Teachers have it harder than every single other profession in the whole entire world” argument. Tell me, who in the private sector gets to retire before the age of 65? I can’t collect full Social Security until I turn 67.
Also, teachers shoot themselves in the foot when they try to argue that they work harder than everyone else, because it comes across like whining to too many parents and taxpayers.
Good teachers deserve excellent salaries, but bad teachers deserve to be fired. Until the latter happens, it will be difficult to get support for the former.
Comment by lakeview Monday, May 23, 11 @ 6:35 pm
My wife retired at age 56 with 33 years of teaching; partly because of health problems (which would NOT have qualified her for disablility, but causesd her a LOT of hip and leg pain); it was suggested that she would be a good substitute, even getting fingerprinted (33 years and now she has to be fingerprinted and a background check run??? What a joke!!)
She has no desire to substitute- burnout hit her hard; she has commented that she wished that she had gone into retail sales, like she wanted, rather than bowing to her parents’ pressure to become a teacher. Our granddaughter is talking about becoming a teacher; my wife is discouraging her as hard as she can.
The new retirement rules for new teachers are ridiculous, and now they want to cut existing pensions.
Have two g-kids who had Early Childhood, benefitted greatly, and our stupid superintendent told our local representative that it was worthless. Of course, he was a PE teacher and never taught little kids, but he is an expert.
By the way during the 33 years that my wife taught, she went thru 3 or 4 “improve the teachers” programs mandated by the state legislaturel-they were all the same- a lot extra work for the teachers, a lot of worrying, and then nothing…usually, after a year or so, the entire thing would be dropped…
Thanks for the rant space; my message to the legislators: let the teachers teach, give them the money, and stay the hell out of the classrooms.
Comment by Downstate Commissioner Monday, May 23, 11 @ 6:35 pm
Esther Cepeda: “crippling budget cuts to programs that help keep kids off streets, and it won’t take too long for our children to grow restless and violent”
A 23-year long study says: “preschool proactively saves the state of Illinois $530 million a year. …. That investment, according to the study, has resulted in tremendous savings for schools and taxpayers alike. In K-12 savings, it’s estimated $21.9 million to $32.9 million are saved in school spending for special education because preschool can often prevent or remedy potential issues through early intervention for things like speech or language problems. Another $2.5 million to $3.7 million is saved in grade repetition — attributed to school readiness through preschool — alone. Between $172 million to $259 million is also reduced in government spending — some $146.8 million of that is attributed to having fewer youths in the juvenile criminal system.”
Conservatives say: “You can’t throw money at a problem.”
……One of these three is not like the other…. and apparently can’t do math.
Comment by G. Willickers Monday, May 23, 11 @ 10:42 pm
The teachers I know, at all levels from K to community college, insist that the biggest problem they face in trying to educate their students is the students themselves, and the home environment. Some of them (but only some!) argue that more resources would help, but none of them put money ahead of the fact that so many students are unmotivated, distracted, and far too many are disruptive, making it impossible to even do right by the kids who are motivated and capable.
A study sponsored by Ounce of Prevention saying spend more money on us has no credibility. Social science isn’t science and a study like this can be made, consciously or unconsciously to make any point desired–like the ad on this blog that surveyed recent casino-goers and found them generally happy with teh smoking ban–yeah, well, they were at teh casino so no surprise teh smoking ban didn’t keep ‘em away; how about surveying the NON-casino goers and see how many of them are staying away because of the smoking ban? With social “science” most of it is gas, anyway, and the self-interested gas is just a waste of time.
Comment by Marty Tuesday, May 24, 11 @ 4:21 am
#
- Johnny USA - Monday, May 23, 11 @ 3:06 pm:
“We need to follow the Finland model. ”
What is the multi-culture situation in Finland? Everyone looks like the same, I’ll bet. No diversity.
No thank you to the “Finland model”
Johnny, I have no idea where you are coming from with your statement. Have you been to Finland?
Comment by Union Tuesday, May 24, 11 @ 8:09 am
===What is the multi-culture situation in Finland? Everyone looks like the same, I’ll bet. No diversity.===
My Iraqi in-laws live in Finland along with lots of other UN refugees, so there is a little bit of diversity.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, May 24, 11 @ 9:18 am
I’m incredibly late to this party, I just wanted to claim Wordslinger’s cigar.
My High School Physics teacher (in the Southwest suburbs, no less) called my mother (a first grade teacher, in a different district) to warn her I was failing. I remember it all too well. I also remember being grounded for about a month, at 16. I scraped together a D.
Not surprisingly, my field of employment has next to nothing to do with science.
Comment by Concerned Observer Tuesday, May 24, 11 @ 10:30 am