The Difference an Achievement First Teacher Makes...

[Dezhein]

Ahh . This brings back soooooo many memories !

[eeeeeeeli]

If we agree that the achievement gap is composed of kids from wildly different socio-economic backgrounds, why are we expecting that similar resources will provide similar outcomes? Good teaching only gets you so far. Teachers are always going to be average. Why don't we recognize this, and spend the money to provide the support that achievement first schools receive? Why don't we have an aid in every class, after-school tutoring, extended hours, etc.? Teachers with families need lives too.

[eeeeeeeli]

It really would be nice if every school could be like these schools. Too bad they can't. And unions have little to do with it. Charters are not the answer. They're a shell game hiding the problems that most urban schools face. They offer a "potemkin image", falsely comparing the underfunded, understaffed, mismanaged public school. Most schools can't select the very best teachers in the country, pay for special tutoring, support teachers with classrooms aids and extended school days.