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NOVEMBER 2005

 

Patting Yourself On The Back Can Damage Your Rotator Cup

By President Jill Levy

It took less than 24 hours after the city and UFT announced a tentative teachers’ contract for Chancellor Joel Klein to crow about his perceived victory. In a letter to Principals, Klein focused on the powers he believes he wrested from the arms of the UFT and handed to Principals.

Rather than take the high road, he cannot help himself from carrying out his desire to prove to Principals that he and no one else is their champion. Credit for good outcomes should be shared when it is appropriate to do so. Simply to pat oneself on the back is a sad demonstration of hubris and potentially damaging to one’s rotator cuff. What Klein did not do, and what a good leader would know to do, is to wait until a deal is thoroughly completed and then, clearly and with specificity, explain the terms and potential impact of the agreement.

Principals want to understand the ramifications of this new contract and the impact it might have on their own evaluations. Yet, Klein is silent about the implications, waiting perhaps to use the terms of the new contract to publicly hold Principals to a new standard of accountability without telling them what that might be.

Maybe some would think it was nice that the Chancellor sent his braggadocio letter to Principals. It is hardly nice that he has not committed himself to a new contract for the very same Principals, Assistant Principals, Supervisors and Education Administrators. By the way, in case anyone thinks he doesn’t want his pound of flesh from our CSA contract, think again! And in the remote case you believe he doesn’t want even more authority over school leaders, you really have another thing coming! Almost 2 1/2 years have passed since the last contract expired and the Chancellor is crowing about another union’s contract! What about his commitment to leadership?

I recently had an interesting meeting with some parents, one of several meetings scheduled. A group of highly educated, creative and articulate moms spoke with me over coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

Their children spanned the grades from elementary to high school and most of them had a variety of choices regarding their selection of schools.

It was clear that none of them had any idea about how to get problems resolved, who had the authority to make changes, where the district office or district superintendent is located, or what the role of the parent coordinator is. They told me about calls to the regional office that went unanswered, about leaving messages and not receiving a callback.

Several said their Principals seemed cautious about making decisions or responding to questions and often deferred them to the Local Instructional Superintendents. The LISes, in turn, told them that they did not have the authority to address their issues. Several parents had new Principals, and although they found them to be receptive to questions, they seemed unsure of their authority. One mom expressed strong feelings for her Principal, who did what she believed was right and was respected for taking a position that advocated for children and parents.

Nevertheless, the oft-repeated theme was one of concern: If these women could not get answers to questions, how could less-sophisticated, less-educated parents with less time or with poor or no English skills ever get an answer from the DOE about their concerns, or feel that they could advocate appropriately for their children?#

Jill Levy is the President of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators.

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