Teacher Attrition

SEE BELOW FOR CLARIFICATION:

In our earlier conversation, Derrell Bradford said that the generally accepted idea that about half of teachers leave after their first five years is a "manufactured" fact.

And then I come across this at the really excellent Gotham Schools:

Another moment of exposure had to do with teacher attrition. After a discussion about the “last in, first out” policy, Louis asked Black if she was concerned that almost half of New York City school teachers leave after 6 years in the classroom (PDF link).

Here’s how Black responded:

Well you have to know, like, what’s really at the heart of the issue. I don’t know that we know what’s really at the heart of the issue. Teaching is a hard job. We want the ones who are committed. We want the ones who make a difference. We want the ones who want to work hard and really change the lives of these young people. They’re there on a mission. So, you know, some are going to leave.

She then returned to the “last in, first out” question, arguing that perhaps teachers would be less likely to leave if they weren’t concerned about being laid off. “Right now there have to be a lot of teachers thinking, ‘Maybe I don’t have a job next year.’ Can we afford to have thousands of teachers think to themselves, ’I have to leave the system now because I may not have a job in a few months?’ That’s going to be a catastrophe,” she said.

Gee, I guess you'd better avoid layoffs then, huh?

I will say that the report acknowledges that we don't know where these teachers go, and that it is possible many leave for the suburban schools. That's different than what I have sometimes said in the past - that they are leaving the profession.

I've not seen a meta-study on this, but most of what I've read says 30-50%. This is not "manufactured," Derrell - it's a real problem.

And it's at least as bad, if not worse, in charter schools. The next time Bradford or anyone else tells you how "shocking" it is that so few teachers are dismissed through tenure proceedings, ask them how many specialized, licensed professions like teaching have attrition rates this high for new entrants to the field.

Many bad teachers leave on their own, because it's a very hard job to do when you do it badly, and the low pay doesn't justify sticking it out. It is, to a large degree, a self-policing profession.

CLARIFICATION: Derrell Bradford tweets:

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford 

@jerseyjazzman on tchr attrit...I did not say the facts were manufactured. Said the conditions manufacture it. it's totally an issue.

You can see the transcript of our Twitter exchange below. That wasn't how I read Derrell's comment, but what he wrote is consistent with his tweet above. So, I apologize for misinterpreting his tweet.

As I said, Twitter is a bad forum for this kind of exchange - precisely for this kind of reason.

More on this in a later post.

"I'm Sorry"

Another town hall, this time with Christie learning to tone it down a bit. (Looks like I can't embed the video here.)

I must say I found it more than a little odd to hear his supporters cheering for Camden laying off half of its police force.

The rhetoric isn't changing, but it is getting a little more blunt. At the end, Christie tells the cop (?) who questioned him about increasing health benefit contributions that he should consider himself lucky to even have a job.

Which is what this continues to be all about: Christie is going to get his base so aggrieved about their own declining economic misfortunes that they won't stop to consider that maybe the problems have nothing to do with public workers. He will stoke jealousy

And, of course, no need to bring up the inconvenient truth that health care costs are exploding and Christie is doing nothing about it...

Time To Feed the Base?

I've been waiting for this for some time: Chris Christie is starting to figure out that he can't keep withholding money from the towns that elected him in the first place.

So he's floating the idea of changing the school aid formula, apparently in the hope his base gets some dough back to their own communities. And his cronies in the Senate have their own scheme for shifting money away from the Abbotts and back to the wealthier towns - this time by gutting preschool.

I've said before that I thought Christie's very personal animus toward the NJEA was best expressed in how poorly he has been treating the towns that got him elected in the first place. He was willing to have hundreds of towns struggle last year with layoffs and budget cuts and higher property taxes just to make a point to the teachers union.

Well, maybe he's wised up. Or maybe he had a Machiavellian scheme already worked out: starve the 'burbs for a year, then ride to their rescue with state aid that's smaller than a few years ago but still better than nothing. I started out thinking this was the plan, but then changed my mind when I saw how impetuous the guy is - he doesn't seem like the guy who plans anything.

Now I just don't know.

In any case, it's a very dangerous game he's playing: if he doesn't deliver any aid to the 'burbs for yet another year, I think his base is going to be really, really pissed off. And he may not be able to: he doesn't have the court he wants (yet), and the Legislature may put up a fight. Further, the amount of aid the towns get back may not be enough to stop the program cuts wealthy towns never thought they'd ever have to consider: sports, arts, electives, full-day kindergarten, etc. The soccer moms (and dads) will never forgive him for that.

Further, if he tries this, we may not see this sort of stuff anymore:

I tried to warn you, Corey: he will stab you in the back if he thinks it'll be good politics. Newark is sure to get screwed if this goes through; will you look good doing more photo-ops with him if that happens?

Of course, there is still plenty of blame to be shoveled out over the teachers, and we'll no doubt be hearing lots about "Cadillac health plans" and "unsustainable pensions" in the coming months. But I think (well, maybe "hope" is the better word) that even that argument is starting to wear a little thin. The stupid attacks and town hall videos have backfired more than a bit, except among the faithful. And it's pretty obvious that trashing tenure and adding a few more charters schools isn't going to reduce anyone's property taxes very much, if at all.

People want solutions that directly affect their lives and/or their pocketbooks and they want them now. Christie didn't deliver any last year; can he survive another year of inaction?

I doubt it.

A Job That Never Pays More

Would you sign up for a career that will never pay you more than you make in your first few years? Via NJ Left Behind:

New York City public schools are bracing for a $1 billion cut. TheWall St. Journal reports,

A seniority rule in state law requires that the teachers hired most recently be the first to face layoffs. As a result, city officials estimate that every teacher hired during the past five years would be let go if the state moves forward with a $1 billion cut in aid to city schools.

Mr. Bloomberg said this tenure rule means the city will "have to part company with some of the best teachers." And because new teachers are typically employed in communities that are struggling the most, these layoffs would "disproportionately hurt the schools with more minorities," he said.

And what would prevent "good" senior teachers who make more from being laid off in this climate? The goodness of Mayor Bloomberg's heart?

By the way: they're talking about cutting 20% of the teacher workforce.

Oh, and NY is going to let a tax on income over $200,000 expire this year. But Bloomberg feels for Cuomo:

"Andrew Cuomo was brought in to balance the budget. He didn't create the situation. But he's got to deal with it," he said. "And it's Medicaid and education—two things everybody says don't cut. But those are the things where all the money is."

No, Mike - all of the money is in you and your buddies' pockets. And you've gotten away on the cheap way too long - time to pay up, sport.

Win Friends And Influence People

Chris Christie really knows how to reach out and make friends:



Yeesh. The GOP really thinks Christie's gonna play all over the country? Good luck with that...

E3's View of the World

To try to gain a little more insight into Derrell Bradford's world, I went to his E3 website and checked out this report: Money For Nothing: We Owe Our Children Better. I'll leave the highly questionable arguments about Abbott school funding to Bruce Baker and others to dissect; instead, here are two quotes that speak to Bradford's thoughts yesterday about teacher evaluation:

p. 20:

In defending against these cost comparisons public school systems claim that they have to educate all children, but charter and parochial schools do not. In fact, if a “special education” child applies to a charter school, they cannot be denied admission, and the “special education” funding appropriate for that child follows the child to the charter school.Many parochial schools accept children who are (or would be), classified as “special education” and address the child’s needs within their existing budgets. A report by the New Jersey Charter Public Schools Association indicates that “Most charter schools actively recruit children in need of opportunity.Team Academy Charter School, Newark, knocks on doors at public housing projects and in some of Newark’s most distressed neighborhoods and delivers enrollment packets directly to families, making it very easy for families to enroll their children.” The end results of these efforts is that “charter schools are actually serving a larger percentage of at-risk students (defined as children qualifying for free- or reduced-price lunch) than the traditional school district, suggesting that they reach students who are in even greater need.”7 [emphasis mine]

The footnote directs to a broken link at the NJ Charter Schools Association website. Could it be they pulled it down because the notion that charter schools serve more at risk kids is completely and totally contradicted by the data!?!

p. 31:

The basis for these beliefs is crystal clear. The Crawford boys begin there school day with a heavy police presence in and around the school resembling more of a prison environment than a learning community. Once inside the classroom, the Crawford boys see students sleeping in class or being threatened in the halls. They see good students being mocked and made out as betrayers of their culture. Expectations here are low for the Crawford boys.

In a state that prides itself on being highly diverse, the school is almost entirely African American with many from the housing projects that feed into the school. The vast majority of these children are eligible for free or reduced price lunch due to family income levels.

The Crawford boys see lives routinely destroyed in the neighborhoods surrounding the school because of AIDS, gangs, violence and drugs. The effects of poverty also take their tolls on physical and mental health. Many students come from single parent households like the Crawford boys whose father is now suffering from serious health problems himself.

In this neighborhood, role models for education are hard to come by. As a result, many students do not see the need to graduate from high school or to go on to college. Many will end up dead or addicted or unemployed and become part of the numbers that make up the call to action established previously in this report. 

This is, of course incredibly sad and unacceptable. I just want to know...

Shouldn't these problems - which are completely out of the control of Newark's teachers - be taken into account when evaluating their performance?

And do you really think a teacher (or a student) in wealthy communities like Chatham or Millburn should be judged by the same standards?

Some day, we'll have an adult conversation about this. We'll talk about the price paid for tracking kids in urban schools vs. the benefits. We'll wrestle with the fact that we already have segregation today in our schools - segregation by district. We'll talk about how charters and vouchers are really more about the cohort a child learns with than anything.

Some day...

My Dinner With Derrell

Another night - another Twitter war...

I've written before about Derrell Bradford, Executive Director of Excellent Education for Everyone (E3), and how he was appointed to Chris Christie's "Education Effectiveness Task Force," despite his complete lack of practical teaching experience, technical knowledge, or academic expertise.

You would think that a guy like Derrell and I don't have much in common; turns out we both had nothing better to do last night than engage in a Twitter exchange.

I've posted it below, but understand: trying to read a Twitter conversation is like trying to make sense of e. e. cummings translated into Martian. People keep jumping in, you don't know who is responding to what - it's a big mess. A couple of other posters including stopthefreezenj, frankbeard, and DefeatNJBullies jumped in, and the whole thing got a little chaotic. The fact is Twitter is a very bad forum on which to discuss this stuff.

I think I'm fair to Derrell in the transcription below, but you can always go to his own Twitter feed and judge for yourself. I kept in everything he posted, and I think I mostly got the timeline correct.

As you will see, both stopthefreezenj and I asked Derrell repeatedly what his qualifications are to serve on the EETF panel. He tried to hide behind the answer that we would have to ask the governor, since Christie appointed him. Obviously, that's really lame, so Derrell tried again:

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman never said that. Been working in Ed policy in NJ for almost a decade. Work with state and usdoe often. I am just not a tchr

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn "Working in ed policy" could mean anything. Why should I, a working teacher with more than a decade actually teaching, trust you?

14 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman but tore asking why I was picked. Like unsaid. You'd have to ask the Gov.

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn I'm not asking why you were picked - I'm asking why you are qualified to set policy. You have no practical or theoretical exp.

14 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

There is, of course, no good answer for Derrell to give: he holds no degrees in education or any related field, he has never taught or supervised in a pubic or private school, and has never published any research related to teacher evaluation. His sole work experience before E3 appears to be limited to editing a magazine about nightlife.

Yet my colleagues and I, who had to qualify to get our teaching licenses, spend our days actually doing the work that is supposed to be evaluated, and are represented in negotiations by the NJEA, did not get a representative at this table.

Can you understand how insulting it is that Derrell Bradford gets to shape policy that directly affects my job while I and every other NJEA member sits on the outside and waits for his edicts?

Worse, there is very little indication here that Derrell has even tried to address the very serious and legitimate concerns teachers and researchers have about the flaws in the new crop of teacher evaluation systems pushed by 'formers like Michele Rhee. I've been over the problems with Value-Added Modeling (VAM) over and over again on this blog, yet no one on this panel - especially Derrell - seems to have anything approaching the technical expertise able to address this central issue.

In fairness, Twitter is not a good forum for displaying your educational acumen. Maybe Derrell really is up on the statistical modeling used to create VAM ratings, but I have my doubts.

I'll also point out that this entire exchange started with stopthefreezeNJ's extremely important question about how to assess teachers whose students do not take standardized tests in their fields - and that, according to Bruce Baker, includes a great many teachers. Any indication Derrell or his cohorts have the ability to address this issue? Nope.

Finally - Derrell winds down the exchange with something I could almost perceive as a threat:

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman it's coming whether you like it or not. You should work to shape it, or it will shape you.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Now how exactly are my fellow teachers and I supposed to do that, Derrell, when you've taken OUR seat at the table?

**********

Twitter Exchange: January 29, 2011

stopthefreezeNJ DEFEND NJ PUBLIC ED!

Hey @Dyrnwyn, you guys got merit pay for gym teachers and inclusion specialists worked out yet?

21 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@stopthefreezeNJ working on assessments for them too. Teachers will be evaluated, fairly. And when I say teachers, I mean all of them.

20 hours ago

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn Teachers are already evaluated. Fair evals are thx to unionization and tenure. If you were a teacher you'd know that.

19 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman evaluation systems that grade everyone as satisfactory are ineffective. If you cared about evals you'd know that. #edreform

18 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn Evals w/ 35% error rates not acceptable. 50% of teachers leave in first 5 yrs. Vast majority of "bad" teachers leave b4 get tenure

18 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman legit tchr protections have been perverted to advance NJEA economic interests. Both good and bad tchrs pay same amnt of dues.

18 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn Patronizing. Teachers perfectly capable of judging value of dues. No union = poor work conds, less pay. You want that?

18 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn BTW what r your qualifications to serve on panel about teacher evaluations? Have you ever taught in public school? Any ed degrees?

18 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman five year attrition is manufactured. Young tchrs get tough schools and bad pay. Of course they leave.

17 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn Glad to hear you are for better teacher pay. Tell Chris Christie when you see him not to slash pay through huge benefit contrib.

17 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman you're arguing for a new eval system. That's why I am working on one.

17 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn So it won't include VAM, shown to have huge error rates?

17 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman I want great teachers rewarded. Decent teachers to have a chance to improve. And bad teachers gone. #edreform

17 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn Everyone wants that. Support NJEA's tenure reform plan. 90 day limit on tenure cases.

17 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman union prioritizes all teachers the same regardless of talent. Do you want a system that makes teachers widgets?

17 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn I want due process and fair evals. VAM is not fair.

17 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@FrankBeard @jerseyjazzman frank. You're right. Which is why we are gonna eval principals too. #edreform

17 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman don't buy the degree/process argument. Every teacher in Nj's worst schools is certified. Clearly it isn't a predictor.

17 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@FrankBeard @jerseyjazzman frank. I am with you. No one believes it but we want bad managers out of the picture...now.

17 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@FrankBeard @jerseyjazzman No system is perfect. But ours must be better. Objective and subjective factors both considered.

17 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn So I should just trust you and Christie? No thanks.

17 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@FrankBeard @jerseyjazzman it's not going to be just test scores. But they will be a part of it.

17 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman I think you have to consider more pay ring also driven by eliminating bad teachers. Money Ill spent.

17 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn Question stands - what are your qualifications to serve on panel? Have you ever taught?

17 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman csnt talk about specifics...I am under gag order :-(

17 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@FrankBeard Exact problem of VAM. Peer and supervisor evals best solution. And if you want best & brightest to teach - PAY THEM MORE!!!!

16 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman I think there's actually a plan to roll it out for teacher input after it's done. Either way, the ship has sailed.

16 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman you don't have to trust me, or @govchristie. See the plan and make your own decisions. Seems you've decided already though.

16 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman what we have now is not fair. neither system is perfect...but we can make one more precise than the scattershot we have now.

16 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn 35% is scattershot to me.

16 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman you're arguing that because it's not perfect we shouldn't do it. I don't buy that. Cane be better without being utopia.

16 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn You assume "new" is better.

16 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman that reform plan...it wasn't even a good first step. more like standing up well...no motion.

16 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn That is not a serious rebuttal. What is your specific objection?

16 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman guild mentality is part of the problem. A person isn't a member of the education clique, and somehow they don't matter?

16 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn Very silly. What is specific objection to NJEA proposal?

16 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@DefeatNJBullies @govchristie @jerseyjazzman NJ bullies lives to spin anything I say. Comes from having nothing to contribute. So sad.

16 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@DefeatNJBullies ask @govchristie. PS. I am not the only non-teacher on there. Perhaps that is what you fear?

16 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@DefeatNJBullies @govchristie @jerseyjazzman knowing you shouldn't teach does kids a favor. Be nice if others were as introspective.

16 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

@jerseyjazzman btw...I didn't answer your question b/c I knew NJ bullies would answer it for you.

16 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn You don't think I have legit question? What are your qualifications to serve on panel to develop evals of ME?

16 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn You will affect MY job - what are your quaifications to do that?

16 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

stopthefreezeNJ DEFEND NJ PUBLIC ED!

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@Dyrnwyn how will those assessments account for factors teachers cannot control - poverty, attendance, trouble in the home, disability?

15 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman I assume what we have is imperfect and needs to be chained.

15 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@momactivist I'm all for that, but how do you set it up when ONE teacher serves on gov's panel for teacher eval?

15 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@DefeatNJBullies good thing Microsoft has already. Against ai and real people. Makes sense huh?

15 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@stopthefreezeNJ it's fun how folks Teot out Tesr Scores when great, bur when they are bad, results are beyond school control.

15 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@stopthefreezeNJ to your point...growth and student weight.

15 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@momactivist @jerseyjazzman I will give it to the great freely. Never to the terrible.

15 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@momactivist @jerseyjazzman lots of talk about pd and @govchristie proposes master teacher for the best teachers.

15 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn OK - will you pay this person more than they make now?

15 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman like I said...ask the Governor.

15 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn That's a terrible answer. I'm asking you - what do you bring to the table? Why should you have a say in my eval?

15 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn If every kid deserves a great teacher, and great teachers should be paid more, will overall payroll of teachers rise when...

15 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn ...we replace all "bad" teachers?

15 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman sorry. Which person?

15 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn Will the master teacher make more? How much more?

15 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman it's the right answer. I did not pick me or any of the other people on task force.

15 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn So you can't even justify your own membership on this panel?

15 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman it could. But I think you'd have a solid argument for why it should then versus now.

15 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman not sure. This whole thing, of course, would require collective bargaining reform too.

15 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn Well, now we're getting to it. You say you want better teachers, but you don't want to pay for them.

14 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

stopthefreezeNJ DEFEND NJ PUBLIC ED!

@Dyrnwyn Please answer @jerseyjazzman's question - what SPECIFICALLY qualifies u to determine how educators are evaluated. Cause celebre?

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman never said that. Been working in Ed policy in NJ for almost a decade. Work with state and usdoe often. I am just not a tchr

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn "Working in ed policy" could mean anything. Why should I, a working teacher with more than a decade actually teaching, trust you?

14 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman but tore asking why I was picked. Like unsaid. You'd have to ask the Gov.

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn I'm not asking why you were picked - I'm asking why you are qualified to set policy. You have no practical or theoretical exp.

14 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn Yet you are on panel to tell him to do that. Why you? This is my career. Why you?

14 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn OK Christie wants to slash teacher pay via pension/bene contributions. Do you support?

14 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman also...I will not be evaluating you. Your school leader will be.

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman That's Your choice. I can inky tell you I am approaching insincerely and with a reattach respect for great teaching.

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn That speaks to why you were chosen. I'm asking why you are qualified. Big difference. Do you have expertise in this area?

14 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman I disagree.

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman I did not say that at all.

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman likely because e3 and the Governor's policy agendas are enormously similar. Same world view in many cases.

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman dude. Pensions are out of control everywhere in the country. Ds and Rs are all talking pension reform.

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman there is one classroom teacher on the panel. I think I was chosen precisely b/c I don't have the exp you want.

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@stopthefreezeNJ @jerseyjazzman nah...you're not going to get the answer you want. I am not a teacher and don't claim to be.

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn You admit you have no experience. Will you be designing evals for air traffic controllers next?

14 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

stopthefreezeNJ DEFEND NJ PUBLIC ED!

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@Dyrnwyn It's funny how 92% of NJ schools are proficient, yet u and your crew are gaming poverty so corporations can profit from education.

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@stopthefreezeNJ @jerseyjazzman I don't share your world view...which has left thousands of terrible teachers in front of kids who need...

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

@stopthefreezeNJ @jerseyjazzman ...the best. I think you can and should be judged and that test scores should be a part of it...

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

@stopthefreezeNJ @jerseyjazzman I thikn the world is imperfect and that's not an excuse not to rework the teacher eval framework...

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

stopthefreezeNJ @jerseyjazzman which at current is a joke that's so obvious I can't believe you try to defend it. 99.98% of NJ thcrs...

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

@stopthefreezeNJ @jerseyjazzman ...are highly qualified? give me a break. Do you realize how destructive what you perpetuate is?

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

stopthefreezeNJ DEFEND NJ PUBLIC ED!

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@Dyrnwyn @jerseyjazzman how abt just an answer of any type? What r ur qualifications? Don't NJ parents, kids & educators deserve an answer?

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

stopthefreezeNJ @jerseyjazzman My qualifications? I care about your ability to move the needle on student achievement more than you do.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

I'd laugh if this wasn't so sad. You say over and over the system for eval of teachers needs to be overhauled...

13 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

... you are appointed to a panel to do just that - and yet you can't say what qualifications you have to do the overhauling!

13 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

Can you understand why maybe - just maybe - us teachers - the ones actually DOING the teaching - doubt the sincerity of this effort?

13 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

stopthefreezeNJ DEFEND NJ PUBLIC ED!

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@Dyrnwyn Your argument relies on absurd assumptions - the most glaring being the notion that "bad teachers" plague urban cities.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

stopthefreezeNJ DEFEND NJ PUBLIC ED!

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@Dyrnwyn You also cite cost without context - NJ is most expensive in most areas. This is your crew's MO - decontextualized info.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@stopthefreezeNJ you can pass an NJ assessment with a 50%. you've disguised failure as success for decades. Your proficiency is bogus.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@stopthefreezeNJ 80,000 kids are in schools you wouldn't send you dog to, but you have no answer for that but more time and more money.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@stopthefreezeNJ you preside over the most expensive schools in america. But these kids pay the price with their lives. It's disgusting.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

stopthefreezeNJ DEFEND NJ PUBLIC ED!

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@Dyrnwyn BTW don't know why you say I 'preside' over anything. I certainly don't.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

stopthefreezeNJ DEFEND NJ PUBLIC ED!

@Dyrnwyn and this entire time you have NO ANSWER for how to deal w mitigating factors: POVERTY, ADDICTION, HOME LIFE, DISABILITY. No answer.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

I suddenly understand, more than even I thought before, why @govchristie and the #njea will never be on the same page. #edreform

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

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@Dyrnwyn BTW - don't question my commitment to student achievement. My whole career is dedicated to just that. I'm FAR more qualified...

13 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@stopthefreezeNJ not my assumption...try #edtrust.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@DefeatNJBullies amazing ow the most expensive schools in US are underfunded. Stop reading right there.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@stopthefreezeNJ here is what the NJOSA does: http://tinyurl.com/482xyyx gonna send $340 mil to districts for kids they don't educate.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@stopthefreezeNJ ridiculous...same line of reasoning that says NJ has low state share even though it's paying through the nose.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@FrankBeard Weight for influence of other factors and measure growth. Teacher matter no matter the kids or their circumstances.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman then you know what...you'll do just fine under the eval system.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

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@Dyrnwyn Why should I believe you on that?! You have no standing to reassure me. You may as well eval plumbers while you're at it.

13 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman whatever man. I've answered your question. You just don't find my quals sufficient. That's on you.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn Your quals are NOT sufficient. You have not EARNED the right to judge me.

13 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@FrankBeard seriously not there yet. Actually still reviewing other plans from across the country before moving to final recommendations.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

stopthefreezeNJ DEFEND NJ PUBLIC ED!

@Dyrnwyn you are asked repeatedly what qualifies you to shape ed policy, your response was literally, "I care." Laughable. U r a tourist.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@stopthefreezeNJ tourist. I love it.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

@stopthefreezeNJ @jerseyjazzman @frankbeard none of you will food just got here but it did. More than willing to pick it up 2mrw.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

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@Dyrnwyn @stopthefreezeNJ @frankbeard Enjoy your dinner. You are right - this is NOT over.

13 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman Like I said...I won't be...your principal will. And his super is gonna eval him. It is how it is. Sorry.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

jerseyjazzman Jersey Jazzman

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@Dyrnwyn My principal and my super ALREADY eval me. I just had my eval Friday! I'm doing a good job - and yet, CC thinks I make too much...

13 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman it's coming whether you like it or not. You should work to shape it, or it will shape you.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

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@Dyrnwyn Derrell, trust me - I am working hard to shape it. And I've EARNED the right to shape it.

13 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Dyrnwyn Derrell Bradford

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@jerseyjazzman @stopthefreezeNJ @frankbeard fine with me. I have a 5-1 in JC on Monday. No stranger to high odds...like 120,000 on 1.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

stopthefreezeNJ DEFEND NJ PUBLIC ED!

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@Dyrnwyn @jerseyjazzman @frankbeard so we are clear, no answer re: qualifications. Goodnight.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

stopthefreezeNJ DEFEND NJ PUBLIC ED!

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@Dyrnwyn @jerseyjazzman @frankbeard and also no answer re: how to account for poverty, disability, home life, etc. Weak and embarrassing.

13 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

stopthefreezeNJ DEFEND NJ PUBLIC ED!

Public non-answers on ed "reform" from @GovChristie and @Dyrnwyn piling up. Can't edit twitter, guys.

12 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply