Colleagues,
Why I am so adamant about School Improvement Panel’s, TeachNJ and the Peer Oversight Committee? See the attached tenure case we recently won. This Decision is scathing on so many levels, that while I generally do not assign required reading, I feel compelled to do so in this case for the sake of teachers as well as students.
This is a case where the district committed every possible disservice they could against the teacher and the students of these schools! From the Decision, “As for the School Improvement Panel, I note the District either did not have such a panel or, while one may have existed on paper, it certainly did not function as required. A simple reading of [Vice Principal] Westberry’s testimony demonstrates he had no knowledge of the Panel and certainly had no idea what it was supposed to achieve.”
The teacher was placed outside of his content area, out of the grade level he had taught his entire career, observed on consecutive days without any time to implement any possible changes, observed by two administrators at the same time, among many other issues.
Another huge issue that surfaced during this case was a staff member overestimating his student’s performance in his IPDP or CAP. Remember, student performance makes up a large chunk of your evaluation. If you fall even slightly below your IPDP/CAP goals (even because of reasons outside of your control like illness or injury), your evaluation and your career could be at risk! Set reasonable goals!
Thanks,
John M Abeigon
President & Director of Organization
Newark Teachers Union, Local 481, AFT, AFL-CIO