Failure in the Virtual Classroom: A study finds that many schools barely cared if kids did any work.

Wall Street Journal ^ | June 21, 2020 | WSJ Editorial Board

[karpov]

The remote-learning experiment isn’t going well. This month the University of Washington’s Center on Reinventing Public Education published a report looking at how 477 school districts nationwide have responded to the Covid-19 crisis. Its findings reveal widespread neglect of students.

The report found only 27% of districts required teachers to record whether students participate in remote classes, while remote attendance has been abysmal. During the first two weeks of the shutdown, some 15,000 Los Angeles students failed to show up for classes or do any schoolwork.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that, 10 weeks in, “the Philadelphia School District registers just 61% of students attending school on an average day.” The same week the Boston Globe reported that only “half of students are logging into online class or submitting assignments online on a typical day.”

Students have an incentive to ditch digital class, since their work counts for little or nothing. Only 57.9% of school districts do any progress monitoring, the report found. The rest haven’t even set the minimal expectation that teachers review or keep track of the work their students turn in. Homework counts toward students’ final grades in 42% of districts. And some schools that do grade offer students a pass/incomplete.

Teachers unions never want teachers’ performance judged by student achievement, so they’ve lobbied to ensure a lack of accountability and assessment during the shutdowns. They dressed up this demand in the language of social justice: Because the pandemic has not visited the same hardships on all families, the only equitable solution is to deprive all students of for-credit instruction, they claim.

[KC_for_Freedom]

Concur except that with some teachers we find a situation where a student who was not learning in a classic school started to learn when the teacher expected it and knew the subject matter well enough to explain it.

So we should find those people and find out how to get them hired. (hint, the union will not support this.)

[freedumb2003]

The teachers unions are in the business of getting the most money for the last qualifications and work possible.

Now they can be totally unqualified and do almost zero work.

Nothing could push the union agenda further.

Please do not protest otherwise. It has been accurately stated that if another country were to impose our education “system” on the USA it would be an act of war.

This is largely due to teachers unions (with big help from government).

[freedumb2003]

>>A teachers union is very much like a defense attorney.<<

Oh BROTHER.

I see which side of the coin you are on. Need I really go and google the number of cases where teachers cannot read nor write and have been “protected” by unions?

Need I really go into detail of just how bad the education “system” is and how teachers unions have actively contributed to it?

[EinNYC]

The most important part of a school system is that employees (teachers, staff) get their paychecks. Kids? It’s a nice to have side effect if they learn something.

You've obviously never been behind the demo desk in a classroom. But that doesn't seem to stop you from making an idiot of yourself. Teachers spend endless hours making up lesson plans, and if they're teaching 2 or 3 different courses per semester, that means 2 or 3 different lesson plans. And the plans must hit all the punch list points in fashion at the moment or the teacher could be observed and found unsatisfactory. The classroom must meet certain standards. I used to personally scrub obscene graffiti off my students' desks (shaving cream does a great job). Bulletin boards must meet criteria in today's libtard micro managed schools. Teachers are also mandated to notice any signs of child abuse in their students and report it. They have to move their students out efficiently and quietly during fire drills and bomb threats (and the kids are usually dawdling and talking their heads off). Teachers have to offer failing students some extra tutor time--not that most students take them up on the offer. They have to make time to call parents--who can be reached approximately 25% of the time, and the number's been disconnected many times. They have tons of paperwork to complete, especially if students have misbehaved and you have to submit statements. You are mandated to attend meetings after school hours, and parent-teacher afternoons and nights.

Students wander into the classroom all period long. Talking to their friends or finishing cell phone calls is way farther up on their lists of important stuff to do than learning. Their arriving piecemeal is disruptive and interrupts the lesson, but they could care less. After all the hours teachers have devoted to writing lesson plans and making Powerpoints and bringing in interesting things for hands-on activities, they are barely listened to---cell phones are clapped to students' ears, being used to text, being used to listen to music, being used to watch movies during the lesson. Libtard politicians have demanded often bizarre and ineffective teaching practices which the teacher knows won't work, but must use. Students try to derail the lesson all period long, fail to take notes or pay the slightest attention, knowing that the teacher will be pressured to pass them anyway. And then, there are the personal assaults on teachers and constant threats of violence to their person.

Frankly, my dear, I seriously doubt you could do this job.

[Dutch Boy]

That is true. Some students learn better using different methods. The motivated ones will figure out a way. Even of they don’t learn in school, they will learn later in life. Learning is a journey, not a destination. Learn should continue you entire life. You will even learn something the day you die. You learn if God exists.

[freedumb2003]

watch 1:40 - 2:00

(but the rest is pretty fun for those who remember the attraction)

[Leaning Right]

> Need I really go and google the number of cases where teachers cannot read nor write and have been “protected” by unions? <

Well, sure. Just as I can google the number of cases where stone cold criminals have been protected by defense attorneys.

I’ve taught in both private and public schools, for a total of 30 years. And I was passionate about wanting to see my students succeed.

Are their bad teachers? You bet. Any they get zero respect from me. Those bad teachers do damage. And they made my work harder. For example, I taught physics. If a student came to me with poor algebra skills, I then had to teach both algebra and physics.

But who hired that bad teacher? Not the union. Who was too lazy to take the steps necessary to fire that bad teacher? Not the union.

I’m not saying here that the union is some wonderful thing. Because it’s not. But I am saying that folks who blame the union are aiming at the wrong target. Blame the superintendent and the school board.

If a stone cold criminal gets off, you wouldn’t blame the defense attorney. You’d instead - I’d hope - blame a lazy prosecutor, or maybe the legislators who set up the legal ground rules in the first place.

[9YearLurker]

Of course, far too real for comfort!!

[surrey]

My grandson ,who will be in 8th grade in the Fall, had his work dumped every morning. Well, he’s very diligent and my daughter-in-law made sure that every bit of work was completed. About a week before classes ended he was told that it wasn’t necessary to do 100% of the work, 50% would suffice and their grade would be pass/ fail. My dil should be getting the teacher’s salary for all of the work she put in coaching him and his younger brother.

[metmom]

If the parents don’t care if their kids do their work, then why should the teachers?

[Leaning Right]

My apologies ahead of time if I’m going a bit overboard here. We see things from different angles. But like you, I’m very concerned about the state of education in this country.

I’d like to give you an example of how legislators are contributing to the problem. In my state, special needs (aka learning disabled) kids are given extra protections by state law.

For example, those students can only be suspended nine days total in one school year. It’s the law. So let’s say you have a special needs kid in your class. And during class he’s singing, or talking on his cell phone. What do you do? You could send him to the principal. But the principal will send him right back.

Why? It’s because the principal wants to save those nine suspension days for when the kid is caught with a weapon, or does something really violent.

So what then does the teacher do? He must spend a good part of the class time just trying to keep that kid quiet. And so the class suffers. It’s not the union’s fault, or the teacher’s fault. It’s not even the superintendent’s fault.

I only taught in urban schools. And here’s one thing I’m sure we will agree on 100%. Public urban education is a complete disaster, a total mess.

[petitfour]

My daughter made her son do every assignment. His teacher told him one day that he only needed to choose one lesson in each subject each day. My daughter knew this but continued to have him do all of the work. He didn’t have anything else to do, so he did it without complaint. Their school system did give grades as they provided all students with devices and internet access.

[Flavious_Maximus]

The most important part of a school system is that employees PAY UNION DUES which go to the democRat party!

Fixed it for you.

[glorgau]

But that doesn't seem to stop you from making an idiot of yourself.

I wrote the software you probably use. All that stuff you followed up your insult with is just noise introduced by indiscipline.

Lesson plans? drag and drop from a list of standards - they're pretty much required in most school districts these days.

Schools are some simple stuff managed by simple people doing simple things. My dear. ;-)

[Leaning Right]

Imagine if you will the typical military unit. You’ve got some guys who are gung-ho. They will go the extra mile without you even asking. And yes, you’ve got some slackers who try to do the bare minimum.

And in-between are the guys who are just trying to their job in an honorable fashion.

Now imagine that this unit is given a different job. The unit is quite willing to do that job. But wait. The unit is hampered by dozens of crazy restrictions from above. These restrictions reduce the unit’s freedom of action to almost zero. And so the unit is perhaps only marginally successful in its mission. Or maybe it even fails.

Would it be fair for the public to ignore those crazy restrictions, and point to the few slackers and say, “See. This unit is filled with nothing but lazy bums. What a terrible unit!”

I don’t think that would be fair. Yet that’s how some of the public sees the failures in education. It’s all the fault of the troops at the front.

(Like you, EinNYC, I have decades of experience in tough urban public schools. I’ve won teaching awards. And I’ve been punched so hard by “students” that I’ve been knocked to the floor. I’m sure you have had similar experiences.)

[Leaning Right]

Auto-correct strikes again. It should read: Now imagine that this unit is given a DIFFICULT job.

[VideoDoctor]

The ONLY concern is from the TEACHERS.

Their PRIMARY CONCERN... KEEP PAYING US REGARDLESS of whatever the reality of the situation may be.

[JCL3]

Mentioned same to my wife.
If the local schools are closed(lower overhead), we should get our property taxes lower b/c a huge chunk goes to support local public schools.

[EinNYC]

Now imagine that this unit is given a different job. The unit is quite willing to do that job. But wait. The unit is hampered by dozens of crazy restrictions from above. These restrictions reduce the unit’s freedom of action to almost zero. And so the unit is perhaps only marginally successful in its mission. Or maybe it even fails.

You have described working under the aegis of libtards. They want to toss aside the natural talents and different teaching styles belonging to different individuals and homogenize what is taught, how it is taught, and how it is to be evaluated. This is, of course, typical of communism: everything and everyone must be the same. So not only are the kids deprived of particular talents of various teachers, but they are themselves reduced to widget units by administrators expecting--DEMANDING--a uniform output. So kids with considerable artistic ability but who aren't so good at taking tests, etc. are shortchanged with grades because their mode of functioning doesn't align with typical, and in commie settings, everyone must be the same.

As a matter of fact, in such a commie system, like that of NYC, the mediocre teachers--the "in-between guys" as you call them--come out best. They just go down their punch list, doing "something" to fulfill the points on it. They don't do anything extra, anything special, nothing to draw attention to themselves. Teachers of a more artistic and creative nature naturally chafe under such a highly orchestrated system and are targeted for non-compliance. The slackers survive by passing everyone who can fog up a mirror and not ticking anyone off.

Yeah, students tried to assault me. Mostly it was intentional bumps or having stuff thrown at me. But, at 5'2", most of the "students"--even the 6'4" thugs--were actually afraid of me. They routinely threatened me with assault by knives, guns, or jumping me, and I wouldn't flinch. I'd ask them, "You and whose army gonna knife me?" or "Oh, you gonna jump me after school? How's your health insurance, honey?" and fix them with one of my patented basilisk stares. You show any fear in an urban system, you're gone. I stood my ground, even when the administration eliminated any disciplinary consequences for threats, assaults, etc., being totally "behind" their students of color.

Retirement is SWEET!

[Leaning Right]

Good post there. Permit me to add a few comments.

> This is, of course, typical of communism: everything and everyone must be the same. <

Yes. Modern urban public school education is very much like a communist dictatorship. In the old days teacher committees chose the curriculum. We knew what worked, and what didn’t, with our kids. Now outside educational consultants set the tone from above. Deviate one inch, and you’re in trouble with the man.

I taught mostly physics. And our latest curriculum had no mention of torque. To be honest, I think those consultant guys just forgot about it. So I mentioned that to our science supervisor.

“Teach the curriculum exactly as it is written,” I was told. “You must be faithful to the curriculum.” And yes, he used the word ‘faithful’. It was just bizarre.

I taught torque anyway. It was too important to omit. And I never did get caught. Vive la résistance!

> Yeah, students tried to assault me <

I was hit hard twice in my career. Both times it was when coming to the aid of a student who was being bullied by a crowd. We are told never to do that. We are told to wait for school security. That makes sense on a theoretical level. But there’s no way I could stand by and watch some kid get beaten up. I’m sure you feel the same.