PFT Holds Strong, Wins 4% Raise and 10 Month Contract Extension

by Christopher Paslay
 
Kudos to PFT President Jerry Jordan and members of the Collective Bargaining Team.  The Philadelphia School District agreed to extend the PFT’s current contract another 10 months to August 31st, 2009.  Even more important, the SRC agreed to a 4% salary increase for teachers that will take effect on March 15, 2009.      
 
Although [...]

Schools Reflect Communities

“If parents and students don’t get actively involved, how will extending the school day improve academic achievement?  If education isn’t made a priority in children’s homes, what will requiring more professional development for teachers accomplish?”
 
To respond to today’s Inquirer commentary, “Schools reflect communities,” click the comment button below.
 
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If You Can’t Fill Out a Meal Form, You Don’t Deserve Free Eats

by Christopher Paslay
 
I often joke with my friends that the Republican party helps rich people stay rich, and that the Democrat party helps poor people stay poor.  The slogans for change in the recent presidential race are very ironic: Both candidates are fighting for change to allow voters in their party to stay the same [...]

Why Philly Kids Can’t Read

by Christopher Paslay
 
Although the Philadelphia School District’s 2008 PSSA reading scores have improved for the sixth straight year, only 45.9% of students can read at a proficient level.  As a high school English teacher, here’s what I believe the district must do to ensure that 100% of our students are reading on grade level.
 
Cut class [...]

Phila. School District Must Drop Minimum-50 Grading Policy

by Christopher Paslay
 
A zero should not equal a 50.  But in the Philadelphia School District, that’s exactly what a student receives when he or she fails to do a single ounce of work: a 50.
 
Although most of my students are hard workers and turn in quality work, there are always a handful of kids who [...]

McCain and Obama on Education

The presidential election is nearly two weeks away.  With the U.S. economy and the war in Iraq taking center stage, education has slipped to the back burner. 
 
For those teachers who want to know specifically where McCain and Obama stand on education, there is a great article in USA Today by Greg Toppo headlined, “Where they [...]

Teachers Should Not Wear Campaign Buttons in Schools

by Christopher Paslay
 
New York City public school teachers should be ashamed of themselves.  It’s one thing to campaign for a presidential candidate among colleagues, and quite another to politick in front of students.
 
Apparently, The United Federation of Teachers, NYC’s teacher’s union, doesn’t agree.  According to a story by the Associated Press, “The Teacher’s union for the nation’s [...]

District Must Expel 20 Students Involved in Sayre Brawl

by Christopher Paslay
 
It appears that the Philadelphia School District is finally getting serious about their “zero tolerance” policy for violence in schools.  According to a story in today’s Inquirer, “Philadelphia School District officials have vowed to expel the system’s most violent students, tighten codes for others, and attempt to streamline a dysfunctional, inconsistent disciplinary system.”
 
“We [...]

Philadelphia Needs More Disciplinary Schools

by R.B.
 
This is what I’ve noticed in my almost 15 years of teaching in Philly schools. 
 
In all the articles I’ve been reading, in the Inquirer, PSU, and Chalk and Talk, I find one element missing.  It’s not about money.  It’s not about certified teachers.  It’s about the idea that Philly is forced to teach all children.  [...]

The Top 10 Reasons Why Philly Lacks Teachers

by Silence Dogood
 
 According to a story in today’s Inquirer, “District lags in filling teacher vacancies,” a month into the new school year, the Philadelphia School District had 144 unfilled teaching jobs.  This is troubling to district officials, because big urban cities like New York, Chicago and Boston all opened with no vacancies.
 
Teacher recruitment experts, along [...]