In the Center for Education Policy report, Arundel Superintendent Kevin Maxwell was quoted saying that the reforms would have been too expensive if the system had to restructure several schools at once, as Baltimore and Prince George's do.
Broader reform
In a plan that was well-received by the state school board, Prince George's Superintendent John Deasy and his staff are making selected staff changes based on leadership ability, competency and whether teachers are "highly qualified." There, too, the staff changes are one part of broader reform.
Schools that have missed their targets by a small margin are getting less intervention than schools where failure is across the board. "If it's a broad-scale struggle, you might expect that our option to change staff is increased," Deasy said.
Under the law, the 39 schools are required to restructure only if their students do not make "adequate yearly progress" on standardized tests again this year. But the test results won't be available until late spring or early summer, at which point it's too late to plan for a major reform. So schools will move ahead with the changes regardless.
At Forest Park High this week, some students and parents said they welcome the opportunity for staff to reapply.
"I think they could have better people," said Kim Palmer, whose 16-year-old son is a junior at the school. In his American government class, the boy has had three teachers so far this academic year.
"They said the students are so horrible, they can't keep no teachers," Palmer said. "They're having a lot of problems with the gangs here."
Keeva Brown, a 14-year-old freshman at Forest Park, said teachers and students often don't get along. "They don't take the time to understand the students," she said. "I feel we should have teachers who take the time to understand the students."
Other students gave a more mixed view, saying some teachers put in the extra effort to give students the support they need, but not all of them do. One Forest Park teacher was recognized at last night's school board meeting for winning a national award.
"There are teachers who really want to help you," said Earl Johnson Jr., 17, a senior who has been accepted to five colleges.
His mother, Linda Johnson, said some of Forest Park's best teachers have left for magnet and private schools since her son was a freshman, and she'd like to see more done to retain strong teachers. But she believes that the school's greatest need is more resources, such as a computer lab.
Philisia Henderson, who is 17 and a junior, said she changed her class schedule twice this school year to ensure that she has good teachers.
"Some of us aren't getting the proper education," she said. "We can tell the teachers who are good because they actually explain the work to you. You have ones who just put the stuff on the board."
sara.neufeld@baltsun.com
