The Teacher Wars

Teachers leave the profession...

• no constructive feedback on their practice
• little time to think creatively or collaborate with colleagues
• no opportunity to take on additional responsibilities and grow as professional

- findings of most teachers

• no challenging vocabulary
• no questions that challenge conceptual understanding
• no whole-group discussion
• (and did so even less prior to standardized testing)

"rigorous, interactive classrooms promote higher student achievement" (234)

we now have a lot of numbers to back up our inkling that something is wrong. but if we don't start improving instruction in the classroom, those numbers will not change. (232)

Peer reviews use intensive coaching on management, lesson planning and student data.

Coaching

• Danielson
• Perscriptive lesson design
• clinical model
• Harrison District 2
• St. Louis Plan
• peer review (CLI, Toledo, etc)
• Not just the "what," but the how

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• "The worst thing you can do is fire someone. It means you've lost all your investment on recruiting and training." (NEA, 241)
• "Maybe the problem is that your best principals don't give up on a single kid, and they don't give up on a single teacher either." (Education Trust, 241)

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• "The worst thing you can do is fire someone. It means you've lost all your investment on recruiting and training." (NEA, 241)
• "Maybe the problem is that your best principals don't give up on a single kid, and they don't give up on a single teacher either." (Education Trust, 241)

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• observation
• weekly data meetings
• student culture
• staff culture

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