Michelle Rhee's Superstar Teacher

[proud2BlibKansan]

Jason Kamras is now a special assistant to Rhee, in charge of implementing the evaluation system used to fire the 200+ teachers in DC this last week. This blogger wondered just how effective Kamras was when he was in the classroom.

What is the value of having a *SUPERSTAR* teacher?

That’s a very good question. How much is an individual superstar teacher worth, as opposed to systematic reform?

Let’s look at DC’s own superstar teacher, Jason Kamras. Or, former teacher. (He’s an administrator now.)

Mr. Kamras apparently worked such miracles at Sousa JHS/MS that he was named United States Teacher of the Year (USTOTY) in 2005. After that he was given a year off with pay to tour the country and disseminate his wisdom. After that, he went into the DC public school system’s central office for instructional support, and is now special assistant to Chancellor Michelle Rhee. There he has been trying to enact and implement IMPACT, the policy of micro-managing all of us other lazy, ignorant teachers who didn’t go to Princeton, Harvard, or Cornell and don’t know how to teach.

So what impact did Mr. Kamras have at Sousa MS? His USTOTY bio claims that all of *his* students always met AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) under No Child Left Behind (NCLB). I looked up got the AYP data for his school, Sousa, from the website http://www.nclb.osse.dc.gov.



more . . . http://gfbrandenburg.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/what-is-the-value-of-having-a-superstar-teacher/

[LWolf]

1. That's quite a downward slide

during the time he was teaching there.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Blew me away

Lots of good stuff at that blog.

[Catshrink]

4. I noticed something...

For the ELL students:

This group includes at least one LEPNEP student who has been in a U. S. school for less than one year. These students are counted in percent tested but not in percent proficient.

Are all districts allowed to do this?

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. IIRC, they have to be here two years before their scores count

I'm not as up on those regs because I don't have many ELL kids in sped. And the ones I have have been here long enough to have to take the test.

[roody]

3. I don't trust teachers who don't teach

by their own choice.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Well judging from his record I'd say there are some lucky kids

Lucky that he is no longer teaching.

[dsc]

8. then who would you have become principals?

I understand having problems with this particular person but as a rule?

[roody]

9. Good question.

Many principals and administrators did their 5 years teaching then wanted out. Is that who you want in charge? On the other hand, many principals were good, dedicated teachers.

[dsc]

10. but either way they were people who once taught but no longer do

who you find suspect. Do you want principals who never taught?

[roody]

11. No, but 7 or 8 years teaching would be more appropriate.

[dsc]

12. I defniately agree with that

[femmocrat]

7. Figures that he's now an administrator....

The "Peter Principle" Personified. :eyes:

[AnneD]

13. In the health care industry......

we call them 'clip board nurses'. They can't wait to leave the floor so in the shortest time possible they retreat to management and proceed to tell you how to do your job based on their 'wealth' of experience.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. LOL we have clip board principals

They walk around with checklists on clipboards just waiting for teachers to make a mistake.