Comments on: CPS Positions – Out with the old, in with the new — maybe you? http://cpsobsessed.com/2009/06/23/cps-positions-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-maybe-you/ Ramblings of a Chicago Mom who spends too much time thinking about school Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:24:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Sallie Ellis http://cpsobsessed.com/2009/06/23/cps-positions-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-maybe-you/#comment-3332 Sallie Ellis Tue, 25 May 2010 00:59:39 +0000 http://cpsobsessed.com/?p=447#comment-3332 According to the principal, assistant principal and lead literacy teacher of an elementary school with a demographic that consists of a 99.9% African American or Black student population, grammar and spelling cannot be taught in isolation by teachers of Area 16, CPS, or the state of Illinois. I would like to know if this is true, and if so why not? According to the principal, assistant principal and lead literacy teacher of an elementary school with a demographic that consists of a 99.9% African American or Black student population, grammar and spelling cannot be taught in isolation by teachers of Area 16, CPS, or the state of Illinois. I would like to know if this is true, and if so why not?

]]> By: finally! http://cpsobsessed.com/2009/06/23/cps-positions-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-maybe-you/#comment-556 finally! Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:58:52 +0000 http://cpsobsessed.com/?p=447#comment-556 Peggy hit the nail on the head. The post from justcut is heart-breaking, of course, and I can't help but feel bad for someone who just lost a job. However, some jobs just shouldn't exist. Coaching in CPS has never been very successful. There is no accountability and in all the high school in which I have taught the Area coaches have been on tangents to the principals and to the other mandating agencies within CPS. I have had some experiences of good mandated professional development in CPS, but it hasn't been from Area coaches. Perhaps there have been one or two who have been sincere and somewhat effective; however, I have not met those people. Sincere usually means teacher-hating and effective just doesn't happen within the conflicted and confused structure of the Area Instructional Offices. My own bitter experience is that area coaching has always been at odds with local school PD. And since the only good PD I have ever had within CPS has been teacher-driven--for example, the old CHSRI program run by master educator David Joliffe--area coaches have for me always been obstructionist. I had heard that Areas were being abolished, but of course that was too good to be true. There is so much that can be done to improve schools but none of it is ever going to happen as long as schools, principals, teachers, and students are tied up in the straight-jacket of top-down prescriptions for improvement. Peggy hit the nail on the head. The post from justcut is heart-breaking, of course, and I can’t help but feel bad for someone who just lost a job. However, some jobs just shouldn’t exist. Coaching in CPS has never been very successful. There is no accountability and in all the high school in which I have taught the Area coaches have been on tangents to the principals and to the other mandating agencies within CPS.

I have had some experiences of good mandated professional development in CPS, but it hasn’t been from Area coaches. Perhaps there have been one or two who have been sincere and somewhat effective; however, I have not met those people. Sincere usually means teacher-hating and effective just doesn’t happen within the conflicted and confused structure of the Area Instructional Offices.

My own bitter experience is that area coaching has always been at odds with local school PD. And since the only good PD I have ever had within CPS has been teacher-driven–for example, the old CHSRI program run by master educator David Joliffe–area coaches have for me always been obstructionist.

I had heard that Areas were being abolished, but of course that was too good to be true. There is so much that can be done to improve schools but none of it is ever going to happen as long as schools, principals, teachers, and students are tied up in the straight-jacket of top-down prescriptions for improvement.

]]> By: Rita http://cpsobsessed.com/2009/06/23/cps-positions-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-maybe-you/#comment-554 Rita Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:21:08 +0000 http://cpsobsessed.com/?p=447#comment-554 to Just cut - Loosing your position is tough. I'm in a state job (social servcies) right now, and without a budget, we're all worrying about what happens. But I think that that those cuts were states as "non-classroom positions", which is different than "non-teacher positions". so, unfortunately, your job was at risk. Good luck to Just cut – Loosing your position is tough. I’m in a state job (social servcies) right now, and without a budget, we’re all worrying about what happens.

But I think that that those cuts were states as “non-classroom positions”, which is different than “non-teacher positions”. so, unfortunately, your job was at risk.

Good luck

]]> By: cpsobsessed http://cpsobsessed.com/2009/06/23/cps-positions-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-maybe-you/#comment-553 cpsobsessed Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:34:01 +0000 http://cpsobsessed.com/?p=447#comment-553 Just cut - so sorry to hear that... both for you and for CPS. I know the literacy coaching is extremely useful. As a parent, I felt better about CPS knowing teachers were coached in this. Reading is vital to everything in life and if nothing else we need to make sure that kids are effective readers when they leave CPS. Just cut – so sorry to hear that… both for you and for CPS. I know the literacy coaching is extremely useful. As a parent, I felt better about CPS knowing teachers were coached in this. Reading is vital to everything in life and if nothing else we need to make sure that kids are effective readers when they leave CPS.

]]> By: Just cut http://cpsobsessed.com/2009/06/23/cps-positions-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-maybe-you/#comment-552 Just cut Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:23:25 +0000 http://cpsobsessed.com/?p=447#comment-552 Just another insight on the Area structure. The Areas support the schools by coaching teachers in literacy, math, science, and special education. I was a literacy coach within the Area structure and was just given a certified letter yesterday in the mail that my position will be cut. I am considered a teacher and it is amazing that the "1000" jobs that were cut were stated as "non-teacher positions". That of course was not the case. All of the literacy coaching positions were eliminated. Now, teachers within CPS will not get the coaching support needed to improve instruction for all students. Just another insight on the Area structure. The Areas support the schools by coaching teachers in literacy, math, science, and special education. I was a literacy coach within the Area structure and was just given a certified letter yesterday in the mail that my position will be cut. I am considered a teacher and it is amazing that the “1000″ jobs that were cut were stated as “non-teacher positions”. That of course was not the case. All of the literacy coaching positions were eliminated. Now, teachers within CPS will not get the coaching support needed to improve instruction for all students.

]]> By: cpsobsessed http://cpsobsessed.com/2009/06/23/cps-positions-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-maybe-you/#comment-551 cpsobsessed Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:07:46 +0000 http://cpsobsessed.com/?p=447#comment-551 Peggy, thanks for the insight. Kind of makes me wish that someone would create a show like The Office, but about a school. There's so much ripe material. Peggy, thanks for the insight. Kind of makes me wish that someone would create a show like The Office, but about a school. There’s so much ripe material.

]]> By: Peggy http://cpsobsessed.com/2009/06/23/cps-positions-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-maybe-you/#comment-544 Peggy Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:20:38 +0000 http://cpsobsessed.com/?p=447#comment-544 Ugh, AIO's. As a teacher, in my opinion, this is the biggest waste of money ever. You could hire 2 teachers for every one AIO. Or 4 teacher assistants. They come around and tell teachers to put up word walls....but then they don't realize what a word wall really is, so they never (at least not in my school) corrected the teachers who were totally misusing the concept. They asked us to put up more student work on the wall. First we were told to make sure the grades on the work were clearly displayed. Then they said, no, we couldn't show grades due to privacy issues. Then the fire department came in and said we had to take it all down due to fire hazard issues. I was teaching in a classroom with 31 kindergarteners, no assistant, virtually no supplies (unless I bought them myself), 3 behavior disorder kids, 4 kids with learning disorders and 100% ESL and 100% of them living in extreme poverty. The board should fire every single one of the AIO's and have smaller class sizes in the primary grades. I know AIO's don't cause high class sizes, but they sure do make teachers angry.....paid double or triple what most of us make to walk around and tell us what to do when they don't understand the pedagogy behind it! Ugh, AIO’s. As a teacher, in my opinion, this is the biggest waste of money ever. You could hire 2 teachers for every one AIO. Or 4 teacher assistants. They come around and tell teachers to put up word walls….but then they don’t realize what a word wall really is, so they never (at least not in my school) corrected the teachers who were totally misusing the concept. They asked us to put up more student work on the wall. First we were told to make sure the grades on the work were clearly displayed. Then they said, no, we couldn’t show grades due to privacy issues. Then the fire department came in and said we had to take it all down due to fire hazard issues.
I was teaching in a classroom with 31 kindergarteners, no assistant, virtually no supplies (unless I bought them myself), 3 behavior disorder kids, 4 kids with learning disorders and 100% ESL and 100% of them living in extreme poverty. The board should fire every single one of the AIO’s and have smaller class sizes in the primary grades.
I know AIO’s don’t cause high class sizes, but they sure do make teachers angry…..paid double or triple what most of us make to walk around and tell us what to do when they don’t understand the pedagogy behind it!

]]> By: the heckler http://cpsobsessed.com/2009/06/23/cps-positions-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-maybe-you/#comment-543 the heckler Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:55:33 +0000 http://cpsobsessed.com/?p=447#comment-543 per my diligent reading of another CPS blog, there have been on going job losses at Central and teachers within the schools. So where does the savings come in if the former AIO's were making in the 140K and this new position I assume most of those will be applying for goes to 170K? All of this management seems to go against the flow of just letting teachers TEACH and children LEARN! I think I may apply too. With that salary, I could help 1000's of students, afford to pay for an additional teacher for my daughter's school and make way more than I do now volunteering full time for CPS! It would be a win/win all around! per my diligent reading of another CPS blog, there have been on going job losses at Central and teachers within the schools.

So where does the savings come in if the former AIO’s were making in the 140K and this new position I assume most of those will be applying for goes to 170K?

All of this management seems to go against the flow of just letting teachers TEACH and children LEARN!

I think I may apply too. With that salary, I could help 1000′s of students, afford to pay for an additional teacher for my daughter’s school and make way more than I do now volunteering full time for CPS! It would be a win/win all around!

]]> By: AIOs /=areas http://cpsobsessed.com/2009/06/23/cps-positions-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-maybe-you/#comment-542 AIOs /=areas Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:41:16 +0000 http://cpsobsessed.com/?p=447#comment-542 1000 is the total number of cuts the district has to make. Probably about 500 will come from Central Office and about 500 will come from schools/areas. 1000 is the total number of cuts the district has to make. Probably about 500 will come from Central Office and about 500 will come from schools/areas.

]]> By: cpsobsessed http://cpsobsessed.com/2009/06/23/cps-positions-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-maybe-you/#comment-541 cpsobsessed Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:27:41 +0000 http://cpsobsessed.com/?p=447#comment-541 Thanks for the info. A principal had told me the 1000 number, but as I think about it, it does seem high given that there are 24 areas. Maybe that is the full number of CPS employees being let go this summer? I got the sense that there were more than 1 per area who lost jobs but I don't know what those other positions are. Still, even at 4 per area, that is only 100. Thanks for the info. A principal had told me the 1000 number, but as I think about it, it does seem high given that there are 24 areas. Maybe that is the full number of CPS employees being let go this summer?
I got the sense that there were more than 1 per area who lost jobs but I don’t know what those other positions are. Still, even at 4 per area, that is only 100.

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