http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20090621_Teachers_cite_intense_push_to_promote.htmlMany say pressure continued from their principals despite an Ackerman e-mail.
By Kristen A. Graham and Martha Woodall
Inquirer Staff Writers
The pressure to pass students - even those who rarely go to class or can't read - is pervasive in the Philadelphia School District, teachers around the city say.
The push comes in memos, in meetings, and in talks about failure rates that are too high, the teachers say. It comes through mountains of paperwork and justification for failing any student. It comes in ways subtle and overt, according to more than a dozen teachers from nine of the city's 62 high schools.
"We have to give fake grades," said a teacher at Mastbaum High in Kensington. "The pressure is very real."
A teacher at University City High described getting pressure from the school's administrators to pass a student who had 89 absences over a half-year.
Social promotion - moving along students with their same-age classmates whether they deserve it or not - has plagued the district for decades despite efforts to stop it.
The reasons for its persistence are unclear, but teachers suggest that the push to pass is especially great now because of increased scrutiny from Superintendent Arlene Ackerman. Schools are now judged on many criteria, including the number of students who pass.
The Inquirer interviewed 15 teachers who spoke on condition that their names not be reported for fear of reprisal.
Since The Inquirer first reported June 7 on alleged pressure to pass at South Philadelphia High School, Ackerman has disavowed the practice and ordered an investigation into the complaints.
Teachers from around the city have now come forward to say pressure to pass students is prevalent at their schools, too.
**Thoughts on this?***
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
