Get Schooled

By hiding cause I have to

August 9, 2006 02:10 PM | Link to this

Some of us in DeKalb are starting to really miss Johnny Brown… warts and all. He was a bit abrasive, ok perhaps a lot abrasive. But he least he was focussed on instruction and improving student achievement.

The current supt. seems like he is in office to simply promote and protect his friends. Brown shrunk (and it was great) the staff at Buildings A and B, Lewis has enlarged it significantly.

By hiding cause I have to

August 9, 2006 02:12 PM | Link to this

Some of us in DeKalb are starting to really miss Johnny Brown… warts and all. He was a bit abrasive, ok perhaps a lot abrasive. But he least he was focussed on instruction and improving student achievement.

The current supt. seems like he is in office to simply promote and protect his friends. Brown shrunk (and it was great) the staff at Buildings A and B, Lewis has enlarged it significantly.

By Teacher Teacher

August 9, 2006 04:22 PM | Link to this

At least Brown wanted to flush to deadweight out of the County Office. Lewis has only added to it by promoting all his cronies to spots at the top. If the AJC were truly a worthwhile organ for the public good, it would run a series of stories covering the extreme waste of taxpayer $$$ at the County Office in DeKalb. What do those people do for a living? It is a joke! And what do the taxpayers receive in return? An increased number of schools not making AYP. An increased number of high school graduates who are not functionally-literate. Schools in which instruction goes out the window in favor of the latest fad that some principal with a doctorate from Argosy thinks will make him/her look good enough to join the ranks of losers at the County Office.

Some organiztions do want to make a difference!

By holdingAJC"accountable"

August 9, 2006 04:41 PM | Link to this

I see a quote on the link TeacherTeacher provided: “Student Testified in Court that MLK AP Suborned Perjury to Benefit Nelloms in Defense of Teacher’s Assault Charge!”

While I have no knowledege of the particulars of this case, I wonder if Bridget Gutierrez is aware of this (doesn’t she report on Dekalb County)?

Seems well worth following up on, especially since it would be confirmable as a matter of public record. And it does go to show that we do have an ongoing problem with teachers being physically assaulted with no consequence to those who assault. Now THAT is definitely worth reporting on, IMHO.

By Janine

August 9, 2006 05:05 PM | Link to this

Patti and Teacher Teacher…..In my opinion the AJC does not cover the “underbelly” of Dekalb’s school system . The reporter assigned to Dekalb…Katrina [can’t remember her last name] never even replies to e mail…AND I SIGN MY NAME… I know Patti says that the AJC cannot do anything without people willing to come out and, essentially put their jobs on the line….BUT for goodness sake….the AJC could have followed up on the TV investigative report about the waste of money by Lewis in re-hiring retired county office flunkies after paying them gigantic incentives to retire!! I worked in Dekalb for 30 years and that county office just got worse and worse….Teachers and parents have spoken at school board meetings about how top heavy the system is….It is so bizarre that the AJC doesn’t delve….…!

By Janine

August 9, 2006 05:20 PM | Link to this

You know…I have seen the“name withheld to protect yadayadayada” several times….Teachers and others would be perfectly willing to talk to the AJC if they were protected . THe AJC would have names on record…just not published…Case in point: WHen the Dekalb reporter wrote the big piece on Sequoyah Middle making AYP and plastered the principal’s picture on the front page of the Dekalb section, I know at least 3 teachers who wrote to the reporter…mostly complaining that the article didn’t mention that all the teachers were fired..and in such a demeaning way….even though they made AYP….and the principal took all the credit… Not one of those teachers got the common courtesy of a reply….I know from personal experience that other reporters reply to e mails even if they are not signed…

By Janine

August 9, 2006 05:32 PM | Link to this

I know Patti says that the AJC policy doesn’t allow reporters to deal with anonymous issues…HOwever, I know I have seen “name withheld to protect yadayadayada” The Dekalb ed. reporter never even answers e mail about her articles…even when a name is signed…and she certainly never goes the extra mile to investigate anything..case in point A few weeks ago she wrote an article about Sequoyah Middle making AYP…the principal’s picture was plastered on the front page of the Dekalb section…I know at least 3 teachers that e mailed the lady about her neglecting to mention that all of the teachers were FIRED ..even though they made AYP…and she didn’t get any input from teachers….WHAT a kick in the Butt…She did not answer one…not even one of those e mails…THere is so much the AJC could do to expose and improve not only Dekalb but other school systems that are in Quicksand.…It’s hard to believe that they just don’t seem to take the initiative to do so…..

By holdingAJC"accountable"

August 9, 2006 05:42 PM | Link to this

Janice: With a chosen name like holdingAJC”accountable” I guess I should comment, lol. While I do appreciate this forum as a step in the right direction to bring issues to light, Janice does have a very legit point.

Patti, you’ve always done a good job of holding yourself “accountable” on this forum…any chance you could talk the reporter in question to respond?

By holdingAJC"accountable"

August 10, 2006 08:37 AM | Link to this

PS to last post: They also quoted (on AJC.com) an anonymous source on New York Jet’s running back Curtis Martin’s knee injury, so they obviously don’t reserved anonymous sources for only “important stories”.

Wonder if Angela Tuck would care to jump in and comment?

By holdingAJC"accountable"

August 10, 2006 08:38 AM | Link to this

PS to last post: They also quoted (on AJC.com) an anonymous source on New York Jet’s running back Curtis Martin’s knee injury, so they obviously don’t reserved anonymous sources for only “important stories”.

Wonder if Angela Tuck would care to jump in and comment?

By Patti Ghezzi

August 10, 2006 09:27 AM | Link to this

Hello all, yes, I’ll have to get Angela Tuck and Kristina Torres, the reporter who covers Dekalb, to address these concerns as I am not familiar with the specifics.

I will reiterate my view that using anonymous comments from teachers to uncover discipline reporting violations would not be effective because the story would lack credibility.

Patti

By holdingAJC"accountable"

August 10, 2006 10:04 AM | Link to this

First to Patti: Thank you. Then to teachers: We are 100,000 strong in this state, but we act like 100,000 weak. I know all about retaliation, but teachers have to take some responsibility here, and be willing to advocate more. It can be as low key as dropping your membership in organizations like GAE and PAGE (who are very weak on supporting teachers on discipline, because they allow administrators as members).

This blog is also a very “low risk” way to get the word out…do you tell your teacher friends? (No, I’m not shilling for the AJC lol) I’ve also noticed in this paper, editorials that aren’t friendly to teachers, and yet not a single teacher will write in to educate the public on the obstacles teachers face.

Local school board races can make a difference as well. I’ll be watching what happens in Clayton, as multiple candidates actually-gasp!- mentioned the need to restore discipline and authority back to teachers. (Removing chronically disruptive students who hijack the learning process…wow, why didn’t I think of that?)

You can’t just sit in the teachers’ lounge and b-tch about things. REAL reform won’t be easy, but it’ll never happen if teachers don’t start advocating more for themselves.

By Patti Ghezzi

August 10, 2006 11:10 AM | Link to this

Response from Angela Tuck, the ajc’s public editor, regarding anonymous sources:

We try to avoid using anonymous sources in the interest of transparency in reporting. It’s important to the newspaper’s credibility that readers know the sources of information used in stories. On occasion, we will use an unnamed source if we deem the information important to include in a story and there is no way to get that information on the record. The decision to use an anonymous source is not made lightly. When we do use an unnamed source, we try to describe that source’s position and how they came to know the information. In the Martin story, we attribute the information to Newsday, a respected New York newspaper. They attribute the information about Martin to someone familiar with his injury — probably a team trainer or assistant coach who doesn’t want to give his/her name.

Angela Tuck AJC public editor 404-526-5819

By holdingAJC"accountable"

August 10, 2006 11:35 AM | Link to this

First, it’s encouraging that AJC folks will come on this board when they are “called out”:) And I can’t say that Angela Tuck’s response is not without merit. Still, I have to ask: What specifically would you recommend a teacher to do? Surely there must be a happy (if uneasy at times) medium between teachers being silent (and thus allowing deplorable discipline/teaching conditions to continue) and coming out on the record and losing your job and even risk being blackballed. If a football trainer can be quoted, surely you can appreciate the position of a teacher who would have first hand knowledge of deception, but doesn’t want to risk their job?

When reporters dream…what would you guys like of teachers (or for that matter parents, who have also expressed fear of retaliation) as far as helping you “get the story” if they don’t want to go so far as being “on the record”?

Also curious as to what teachers have done, if any care to share…

By Patti Ghezzi

August 10, 2006 11:37 AM | Link to this

If I may add a few comments on how the ajc newsroom operates and how I cover schools in hopes that I am answering questions rather than raising more of them:

First, I haven’t sought permission to use an anonymous source in a school story, because I believe the anonymous quote would weaken the story. In the stories I’ve done in the past, I have always believed I could get the information without resorting to an anonymous source. I can’t speak for the Newsday reporter who thought he needed to rely on an unnamed source, as I’m not in hisor her shoes.

Second, people allow themselves the exposure of appearing in print all the time, even when there could be consequences or embarrassment. For example, the children and parents featured in stories about failing the CRCT. I once wrote about grade inflation in high schools as it relates to the HOPE scholarship. The proof was in the data, but I found several teachers to speak on the record about the pressure from parents to hand out A’s and B’s.

Third, there is a difference between calling the newspaper with an anonymous tip and appearing in the paper as an anonymous source. I rely heavily on anonymous tips to help me get at stories of all types. Please, e-mail me or call. I welcome that, and I will respect your desire to remain anonymous. (Also, you can e-mail from a newly created address or call from a pay phone with a calling card.)

That said, not all anonymous tips lead to a news story. For various reasons, I do not always deem the tips newsworthy. I know that is hard to hear, but it’s the reality. What is outrageous to you may not seem so to me. What is grossly unfair to you may seem grossly unfair to me, but I do not choose stories based on level of unfairness. For example, when I was in DeKalb, several administrators complained that they were unfairly passed over for promotions. I couldn’t help them. That doesn’t mean I didn’t believe them. I didn’t know enough to judge. I have to make judgment calls with my time in mind. I act on tips that I think have the greatest likelihood of resulting in a good story.

Janine, when you say “Patti says the ajc cannot do anything without people willing to come out and put their jobs on the line…,” that is not what I said. I said there are several things we can do when there isn’t someone willing to come forward. Namely, we can use public documents and analysis to get at the story. A couple of years ago, a Texas newspaper used records and analysis to prove schools were cheating on standardized tests. No teacher had to blow the whistle and put her job on the line. No parent or child had to come forward. The numbers told the story. The ajc has tried to replicate the Texas newspaper’s methodology and see what the numbers say. We have hit a few snags because the test was not given in many grades one year and other problems, but we’re working on it.

Finally, readers are sometimes disappointed that once a story runs, nothing changes. Believe me, I feel that disappointment too. As a reporter, I hope that by bringing problems to light, the Legislature or some other government body will act. That doesn’t always happen, or sometimes the Legislature does act but the law doesn’t fix the problem.

Okay, that’s enough for now. There’s a very interesting topic posted on whether teachers should give kids zeros for not handing in work. Check it out!

By Patti Ghezzi

August 10, 2006 11:53 AM | Link to this

Okay, this is getting a bit redundant, but I don’t want to leave anyone with the wrong idea:

What do I wish teachers would do to help me get stories in the paper:

These would be my recommendations for teachers and others who fear they would lose their jobs if they talked to the media.

A final word about the realities of being a newspaper reporter. We get a lot of false tips, or tips I just cannot get at no matter what I do. For example, I got a call when I covered DeKalb that a pro-pedophilia organization had gotten a contract to offer some teacher training in dealing with cross-dressing students. The tip had some elements of credibity, so I checked it out. I was never able to find a shred of evidence to support this tip.

Often, I think these false tips are made out of spite to discredit someone. Needless to say, I do not have time for these games.

By holdingAJC"accountable"

August 10, 2006 11:57 AM | Link to this

Patti,

Re “that’s enough for now”: I’d say you’ve gone over and above the call of duty; a sincere thanks. Teachers: she’s given some options…comes a time we got to put up or shut up.

As for zeros…though I’m a big advocate for returning authority back to teachers, I’m more a believer in consistency as opposed to severity (maybe a letter grade as opposed to a zero, maybe an after school study hall for a younger child). Too bad we are caught up in NCLB…one of the big things I think we should be teaching is organizational skills. Teaching kids how to set mini-deadlines for projects, yada, yada, so they can learn to turn things on time…then if they don’t, it’s not like you haven’t given them the tools

Of course teachers have enough on their plates to ask them to be resposible for this as well. It’s just too bad we are so focused on “curriculum” that we don’t teach them what it takes to be successful…sure it’s nice to know the Battle of Hastings was in 1066…but maybe that time would have been better spent learning about credit cards and interest rates and other “real world” things.

By MMM

August 10, 2006 12:35 PM | Link to this

Thanks Patti!

By Kristina Torres

August 10, 2006 03:59 PM | Link to this

Hey all. Patti asked me to take a look at this and throw in a response. That said, she’s a hard act to follow; her explanation and advice is spot-on. What I’ll add is this: I rarely respond to anonymous or “name withheld” e-mails, just as I don’t respond to anonymous phone calls, messages or letters (many of which don’t have return addresses or phone numbers to begin with). I do not believe I am bound by any courtesy to respond if you won’t identity yourself or if you hide behind some sort of pseudonym. I appreciate the tips, and I take them as just that — things you think I should check out that may or may not add up to story. I get to them as I have time, depending on the seriousness of the allegation. Janine, if you identified yourself by name in your e-mail and I didn’t respond, I apologize. It was not intentional. I do, however, want to address your complaint about Sequoyah Middle School. As you know, teachers there and at DeKalb’s McNair Middle were told back in May that they would have to reapply for their jobs if they wanted to be back in August. I wrote two stories then that specifically stated what had happened to teachers and why (Sequoyah at that point hadn’t made AYP in seven years; McNair hadn’t made it in five). At the time, I was well-aware of some teachers’ concerns about how they felt they were treated, as well as administrators’ feelings that they’d rather be accused of acting too aggressively than do nothing at all. I began discussions then to follow-up on both schools at the start of the next school year as the changes continue to play out. Those plans remain.
However, when it became clear several weeks ago that Sequoyah had indeed succeeded this year on its eighth try at AYP, I felt it was only fair to note in the paper. By my count, I received eight e-mails in response; seven said that Sequoyah teachers felt poorly treated. I haven’t received any complaints from parents. Let me also note, for the record, that I just took a look at those e-mails again; there’s one — although it’s not Janine — that is signed that I didn’t respond to. I will respond to that person now. And many thanks for the discussion.

By holdingAJC"accountable"

August 10, 2006 04:26 PM | Link to this

To Kristina: Were you able to check out the link that “TeacherTeacher” submitted yesterday?

(Re:Student Testified in Court that MLK AP Suborned Perjury to Benefit Nelloms in Defense of Teacher’s Assault Charge)

I can’t speak officially for TeacherTeacher or the authors of the link, but I am aware there was a contact number on the site. More importantly, it seems this might be a story looking into, as it could be confirmed since it is a matter of “public record”.

The subject matter (physical assault of a teacher) certainly seems a worthy subject, considering the inconsistencies in the discipline data…

By Ernest

August 10, 2006 04:45 PM | Link to this

Patti:

Thanks for your earlier responses! I know it is a balancing act in determing which tips have merit and worth investigating versus those those have the appearances of someone having an ax to grind. In the same vain, I get ‘sensitive’ about negative stories on our school system because of the perceptions many take away, both locally and nationally. Fact of the matter, some problems cannot be addressed and corrected unless the press creates awareness of them. I do ask for ‘balance’ as some of the challenges highlighted about our system (i.e. hiring retired administrators) is something that goes on in ALL school systems. IMO, that would make a good article, on the ‘double dippers’ around the state and the impact it has on budgets.

Back to the topic, I wish Dr. Brown well with this new opportunity. I know he still had ‘fire in his belly’ and wanted to lead another school system again. It’s unfortunate how things turned out in DeKalb but no sense crying over spilled milk. This will definitely provide him the opportunity go back home to Texas and closer to family.

By MMM

August 11, 2006 10:50 AM | Link to this

We seem to be moving into the topic of reporter judgement in the choosing of stories and how much print space to give them. I want to say that the amount of coverage of the Academy of Lithonia’s approval at the state level in today’s paper seems about right to me. The public needs to have factual info on something that has recieved a lot of coverage in the past but, since the decision has been made to allow it to continue for the next three years, we need to move forward. Rehashing past controversy serves with more space serves no purpose.

By susan

August 11, 2006 12:05 PM | Link to this

Dekalb county schools have historically focused too much on hot button issues that have no relevance to curriculum and education. Although Dr Lewis seems much more likeable and trustworthy than his predecessor, I feel he does not focus on actual curriculum, instruction, learning environments and teacher and principal quality as well. (I will at this point compliment his drop-out program though - it’s a start.) If we could reduce the number of “fires” that he needs to put out relative to race relations, overcrowding, construction, building repairs, and the like, perhaps he could shine as an EDUCATIONAL leader and reduce our drop out rates and pitiful performance at so many of our schools. He has the ability to do this, however, he is constantly distracted and pulled off task by politics, construction issues and various emergencies.

He focuses far too much on issues that are not classroom oriented. I have attended numerous meetings with Dr Lewis as speaker and they have all been regarding “hot button” issues (Mr. Chelf’s removal and reinstatement at Lakeside, redistricting in Dunwoody, middle school failures…) Never have I seen him approach a community proactively with strong plans for educating our children. (Perhaps a lot of my issues have more to do with our director of curriculum - but the superintendent is supposed to be the communicator and cheerleader - he seems far too reactionary to me.) One parent said what a lot of us think after a community meeting, “I always feel like sticking a for sale sign in my yard after these meetings.”

Lewis shows no leadership on NCLB - he let it go as a free for all, sending the receiving schools NO help to take in hundreds of students after school started. He listened to charges of racism regarding a white principal (Chelf at Lakeside – one of the highest performing school in the county) and abruptly dismissed him without much investigation evoking a sense of racism on his part. Granted, he backpedaled, but not before making our school out to be something it is not. He speaks of a “Premier” school system, yet chooses not to even acknowledge a group of Lakeside students who participated in a national event, “We the People” choosing instead to paint our community as racist. Meanwhile, when you check the DCSS website for the curriculum, you get a pdf document dated July, 2001 (Brown’s tenure).

Key word: Educational — when will we really focus on education for all students? We have one of the largest systems in the country - One Size does not fit all. Neither Brown nor Lewis have focused on fixing the enormous cracks that thousands of students fall through every day.