According to the article
"[Carol] Beckmann-Bartlett spends more time doing what she wants to as a principal at Birney. She's able to focus on her responsibility of leading instruction.
At Cario, constant distractions pulled her away from academic work, such as parents who would demand to talk to the principal and not anyone else. If those parents had been willing to talk to the appropriate staff person at the school, their problems could've been resolved in five minutes versus the hour that it would eat up of Beckmann-Bartlett's time, she said. Entire days would pass in which she did not have a conversation about academics.
At Birney, parents respect the chain of command, which enables Beckmann-Bartlett to focus on instruction. "
Let me get this right. The district wants parents to be more involved with their children's education; however, if that involvement means that parents want to speak to the principal, that involvement is NOT wanted. Also, parents in wealthy districts, such as Cario, don't "respect the chain of command," but poorer parents do. Are you smiling, reader?
Certainly, everyone wishes Ms. Beckmann-Bartlett success in leading Alice Birney and its teachers. One wonders, however, how this particular principal came to the attention of the P & C. It's not too far a leap to assume that CCSD invited this interview in its campaign for CCSD teachers to voluntarily move from successful to failing schools.
It's also not too far-fetched to assume that Ms. Beckmann-Bartlett is following a game plan set up by Superintendent McGinley. You see, her transfer to a problem school, turning it around (or at least improving its performance), and then applying to the Broad Foundation for a fellowship to be trained as an "urban" principal is exactly the path blazed by McGinley in Philadelphia.
The article also touts how discipline is handled at Alice Birney.
The way Birney teachers handle discipline offenses is one example. They take a team approach in dealing with misbehavior and recommend consequences. In most schools, one teacher refers a student to school administrators, who decide what to do. Although Birney's process takes more time, it limits emotional recommendations from teachers and enables deeper discussions about ways to better handle students, Beckmann-Bartlett said.
I wasn't aware that this school is known for its good discipline. Is it?
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3 comments:
I used to substitute teach at Alice Birney and it was insane. It wasn't that long ago so I doubt it's changed much since then.
As for the "parents involved" comment...c'mon we all know CCSD only wants parental involvement under their terms. They LOVE when Dist. 20 parents sit quietly...It's their excuse for our failing schools. They HATE it when we speak out.
Having taught at Alice Birney, I can say that the main reason discipline has been an issue at the school over the last 10 years or so had to do with having no leadership at the top. It does appear that Birney finally has a leader who is making a difference. She is "right on" when she says that Birney's faculty can really pull together like none other she has ever worked with. Teachers at Birney had to pull together over the years to make up for lack of support and leadership in principals.
When will these people get it? "Urban" Charleston isn't the same as "urban" Philadelphia. Now try telling that to the people at the Broad Foundation.
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