Comments on: Courageous Conversations With Cowards http://cheatinginclass.com/2010/03/courageous-conversations-with-cowards-2/ providing parents with the truth about the public education system Sat, 07 Jan 2012 20:07:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Show Me http://cheatinginclass.com/2010/03/courageous-conversations-with-cowards-2/comment-page-1/#comment-567 Show Me Fri, 07 May 2010 22:20:47 +0000 http://cheatinginclass.com/?p=1393#comment-567 Special Ed is really corrupt. They have such a plush budget that they have to spend it. I am glad Xavier is doing something about that by shaving their budgets by several million dollars. They need to cut more administrators, though. Why do they have to have 17 administrators who are not worth a dime? There is no diversity in the Special Ed department. They should hang a sign out in front of their door: "For whites only". Special Ed is really corrupt. They have such a plush budget that they have to spend it. I am glad Xavier is doing something about that by shaving their budgets by several million dollars. They need to cut more administrators, though. Why do they have to have 17 administrators who are not worth a dime? There is no diversity in the Special Ed department. They should hang a sign out in front of their door: “For whites only”.

]]> By: volkswagon http://cheatinginclass.com/2010/03/courageous-conversations-with-cowards-2/comment-page-1/#comment-435 volkswagon Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:16:01 +0000 http://cheatinginclass.com/?p=1393#comment-435 look at the special education administrators. Not a diverse or person of color in the group. Yet they continue to overidentify students of color. They too are suppose to be cutting administrators-watch and see. She would rather cut para educator hours than any of her friends, oops I mean administrators. look at the special education administrators. Not a diverse or person of color in the group. Yet they continue to overidentify students of color. They too are suppose to be cutting administrators-watch and see. She would rather cut para educator hours than any of her friends, oops I mean administrators.

]]> By: Show Me http://cheatinginclass.com/2010/03/courageous-conversations-with-cowards-2/comment-page-1/#comment-397 Show Me Mon, 26 Apr 2010 03:56:39 +0000 http://cheatinginclass.com/?p=1393#comment-397 Art: Let me give a different take on your question about what PPS should be doing about the discrepancy between teachers and students demographics. If the district really put the money where the mouth was twenty years ago, we would have a better reflections of the students demographics. Even now, the district sets up so many barriers for teachers that the district is losing out on the opportunity to hire teachers to reflect the students' population. It is a shame. 33% of the teachers who went through the Portland Teachers' program at PSU got hired by other districts. There are still 33% of these teachers who are not being hired as teachers. Some of them work as para-professionals with low pay but are teaching classes. I have many examples of these staff who are being used to teach Reading, ESL and Native Language Literacy. Just in January of this year, OCR found the district out of compliance for this very reason. So these issues can be fixed except the district is dragging its feet either out of ignorance or carelessness. These out-of-compliance situations have been alerted to deputy superintendents and ESL director recently and let's hope they get their acts together and do something about them. Either pay people teachers' salaries or quit making them teach. Some of these folks are totally scared of speaking up because they fear of getting fired for retalitation. The system grooms them to accept their fate even though they know that the treatment toward them is totally unfair. Art: Let me give a different take on your question about what PPS should be doing about the discrepancy between teachers and students demographics. If the district really put the money where the mouth was twenty years ago, we would have a better reflections of the students demographics. Even now, the district sets up so many barriers for teachers that the district is losing out on the opportunity to hire teachers to reflect the students’ population. It is a shame. 33% of the teachers who went through the Portland Teachers’ program at PSU got hired by other districts. There are still 33% of these teachers who are not being hired as teachers. Some of them work as para-professionals with low pay but are teaching classes. I have many examples of these staff who are being used to teach Reading, ESL and Native Language Literacy. Just in January of this year, OCR found the district out of compliance for this very reason. So these issues can be fixed except the district is dragging its feet either out of ignorance or carelessness. These out-of-compliance situations have been alerted to deputy superintendents and ESL director recently and let’s hope they get their acts together and do something about them. Either pay people teachers’ salaries or quit making them teach. Some of these folks are totally scared of speaking up because they fear of getting fired for retalitation. The system grooms them to accept their fate even though they know that the treatment toward them is totally unfair.

]]> By: Carrie Adams http://cheatinginclass.com/2010/03/courageous-conversations-with-cowards-2/comment-page-1/#comment-357 Carrie Adams Wed, 21 Apr 2010 03:29:54 +0000 http://cheatinginclass.com/?p=1393#comment-357 Art, maybe you missed my tagline..."the shit they're <strong>not</strong> telling you about the public education system." We've been hearing the district's excuses for decades. This blog isn't going to be a forum for making excuses for inept district leadership. Feel free to take your comments elsewhere. Art, maybe you missed my tagline…”the shit they’re not telling you about the public education system.” We’ve been hearing the district’s excuses for decades. This blog isn’t going to be a forum for making excuses for inept district leadership. Feel free to take your comments elsewhere.

]]> By: Art http://cheatinginclass.com/2010/03/courageous-conversations-with-cowards-2/comment-page-1/#comment-354 Art Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:21:37 +0000 http://cheatinginclass.com/?p=1393#comment-354 Consider PPS student demographics in 1990 and 2010: 1990 2010 White 72% 54% Black 15% 14% Hispanic 3% 15% Asian 8% 10% An Ind 2% 1% ODE has 2005-2006 ethnicity stats for PPS employees. About 88% of the teachers were White. But 16% of principals were Black, so were 15% of asst principals, and 14% of curriculum directors, whatever they are. The figures for Black administrators closely match the proportion of Black students. On the other hand, only 4% of teachers were Black, and Hispanics were 3% or less of principals, asst principals, and curriculum directors. So, yes, there are mismatches between the demographic characteristics of the students and the workforce and the difference is particularly notable for Hispanics. Clearly PPS kids have changed faster than the PPS workforce, but what exactly is PPS supposed to do about that? Consider PPS student demographics in 1990 and 2010:
1990 2010
White 72% 54%
Black 15% 14%
Hispanic 3% 15%
Asian 8% 10%
An Ind 2% 1%

ODE has 2005-2006 ethnicity stats for PPS employees. About 88% of the teachers were White. But 16% of principals were Black, so were 15% of asst principals, and 14% of curriculum directors, whatever they are. The figures for Black administrators closely match the proportion of Black students. On the other hand, only 4% of teachers were Black, and Hispanics were 3% or less of principals, asst principals, and curriculum directors.

So, yes, there are mismatches between the demographic characteristics of the students and the workforce and the difference is particularly notable for Hispanics. Clearly PPS kids have changed faster than the PPS workforce, but what exactly is PPS supposed to do about that?

]]> By: Show Me http://cheatinginclass.com/2010/03/courageous-conversations-with-cowards-2/comment-page-1/#comment-329 Show Me Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:51:42 +0000 http://cheatinginclass.com/?p=1393#comment-329 FYI. CEE worked with Vicki Phillips for over 2 years to even get the Director For Diversity Workforce position approved. It took alot of pushing to get Carole Smith to hire Kurt. CEE and APANO members had to give up time and energy to work with Richard Clarke, former HR Director to come up with a job description and the hiring process. It took almost a year and two separate hiring procedures to find Kurt Jun. CEE is not about to give up their say in the hiring of the next Director. What is the point for all these efforts if Hank Harris decides who he wants for the next person? FYI. CEE worked with Vicki Phillips for over 2 years to even get the Director For Diversity Workforce position approved. It took alot of pushing to get Carole Smith to hire Kurt. CEE and APANO members had to give up time and energy to work with Richard Clarke, former HR Director to come up with a job description and the hiring process. It took almost a year and two separate hiring procedures to find Kurt Jun. CEE is not about to give up their say in the hiring of the next Director. What is the point for all these efforts if Hank Harris decides who he wants for the next person?

]]> By: Show Me http://cheatinginclass.com/2010/03/courageous-conversations-with-cowards-2/comment-page-1/#comment-328 Show Me Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:43:28 +0000 http://cheatinginclass.com/?p=1393#comment-328 Bonnie Gray. Bonnie Gray.

]]> By: Carrie Adams http://cheatinginclass.com/2010/03/courageous-conversations-with-cowards-2/comment-page-1/#comment-327 Carrie Adams Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:30:52 +0000 http://cheatinginclass.com/?p=1393#comment-327 Show Me...who is supposed to be Kurt's replacement? Show Me…who is supposed to be Kurt’s replacement?

]]> By: Show Me http://cheatinginclass.com/2010/03/courageous-conversations-with-cowards-2/comment-page-1/#comment-321 Show Me Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:30:47 +0000 http://cheatinginclass.com/?p=1393#comment-321 To shut up communities of color and advocacy groups such as APANO and CEE, the district promised to replace Kurt but they already had someone in mind in HR. This lady will acquiesce and that is what they want. They DO NOT want another person like Kurt. We already know their plans and it is not going to happen without a fight. Hank Harris is on the wrong path with communities if he does not watch out. He might be on the out before he knows it. This guy does not get it AT ALL. To shut up communities of color and advocacy groups such as APANO and CEE, the district promised to replace Kurt but they already had someone in mind in HR. This lady will acquiesce and that is what they want. They DO NOT want another person like Kurt. We already know their plans and it is not going to happen without a fight. Hank Harris is on the wrong path with communities if he does not watch out. He might be on the out before he knows it. This guy does not get it AT ALL.

]]> By: Carrie Adams http://cheatinginclass.com/2010/03/courageous-conversations-with-cowards-2/comment-page-1/#comment-317 Carrie Adams Fri, 16 Apr 2010 06:21:20 +0000 http://cheatinginclass.com/?p=1393#comment-317 They will not let <strong>anyone</strong> do the work that they supposedly hired Kurt to do. They have ZERO interest in equity or equal opportunities. They will not let anyone do the work that they supposedly hired Kurt to do. They have ZERO interest in equity or equal opportunities.

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