Lack of Accountability

I was going through the usual morning routine reading the Saturday paper at Coffee Bean when the words jumped out of the LA Times Saturday (April 21, 2007) front page. “The most apparent and inhibiting deficit standing in the way of instructional coherence in LAUSD today is a lack of accountability.” I almost spilled coffee on myself. The report by Evergreen ordered by Supt. David L. Brewer was making evident a critical point about LAUSD that UTLA has cried out for a long time. There is no accounting for when the ball is dropped. The buck stops in a virtual world of smoke and mirrors in which key players make believe all is well. It’s a culture that refuses to die and makes it impossible for proven education models to surface. Brewer recognizes that this culture needs to change. “The culture is going to change.”

What is this culture that needs to change? The kind that plays lip-service but does not really implement programs that are successful. The study mentions the inability of the district to ’replicate programs that are successful.’ Why is this so? The answer is embarrassingly simple: “Successful programs empower teachers and discourage micro-managing by administrators.” Successful programs also recognize the importance of teacher retention and use the experience of veteran teachers, especially as mentors to new teachers. I admit, when a school such as JHS has lost over half of its seasoned teachers over the last 3 years, the list is short. How many total teacher will we lose this year? Yet enough of us are here, and will continue to be here, to make a difference.

Critical concerns mentioned:

Adopted policies are not implemented; no linkage between planning and budgeting; lack of accountability is pervasive throughout all levels; no responding to priorities and deadlines; no sense of urgency among managers; directives are given but no consequences for noncompliance; multiple/duplicate/conflicting programs.

No elaboration is necessary. The most troublesome ramifications of the Times report is that the ripple effects reach all the way down to the classroom level. It affects us as teachers and, most important, impacts our students. As teachers we can raise above and take accountability for what we can influence. If district hot-shots refuse to be accountable, let us contribute positively to our realm of influence. To start, we can pay attention to our body, speech and mind. We can dress appropriately. We can watch what comes out of our mouths and reflect on how it will impact our colleagues and students. Yes, it means not participating in spreading gossip and hearsay without foundation. We can be our worst enemy when we participate in the type of speech that degrades our colleagues. Bite your tongue, reflect before speech. This alone would go a long way in uniting us. But this should not be mistaken for not questioning or succumbing to apathy.

Glitch in the Matrix

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I have to inform you that there is a glitch in the JHS Matrix. Humbly submitting myself to the authority of the contract in order to discover the why’s of its prerogatives, I have arrived at the conclusion that they’re there for good/sound educational reasons (well, for the most part).

Having a matrix in a timely manner is the first step towards setting the right tone for the new academic year, and in doing go, for each mester.

A complete Matrix four weeks prior to the end of the school year allows teachers in their departments/SLC’s to meet and determine, in a fair and equitable manner, who will teach what next academic year. In determining, seniority and educational program needs should be taken into consideration. This is consistent with SLC models that hold critical relinquishing decision making affecting education, as much as possible, to teachers in their respective SLC’s.

The advanced posting of the Matrix allows teachers to plan ahead for courses they’ll be teaching next year. This provides time to address errors, recommend changes and tie loose ends before the start of the new mester. These are not small matters for they impact teachers and students alike and give the school the image of being less then efficient when not adhered to.

Further, not posting the Matrix as prescribed is tantamount to promoting mediocre teaching. Consider, if teachers are not given ample notice of the master schedule and not allowed to determine among themselves course distribution, preparation/planning is, simply, undermined. The consequence of this is the start of a new mester lacking the king of preparation that produces good teaching. This, colleagues, is indeed tantamount to mediocre teaching. Now, one might assume a veteran teacher not be affected much by this

(I disagree), but how about the way it impacts a new teacher? No teacher, much less new teachers, should be placed in this predicament.

I can almost anticipate the response from our administrators on the matter. “Señor Nava, but we do post the Matrix in advance!” It may be so, but it’s the changes later made that are problematic. What happens when you let a good teacher know August 28 that instead of teaching US History he/she will now teach Government? You risk that this good US History teacher will now be a mediocre Government teacher. I’ll select not to inform on what happens to a less-than-qualified teacher when this occurs.

Changes to a timely posted Matrix should rarely occur! It should be difficult for changes to happen. I know, all sort of reasons/rationales will be provided making the need for changes necessary. Some of them, admittedly, are understandable. One can say that there are challenges here at JHS that are not shared by most high schools. These challenges (high class failure rate, etc.) require a certain flexibility with the matrix. This is true about JHS. It is also true about the 22 program improvement schools. These schools have much in common and precisely what they have in common is what needs to change with them. If, as we see, a timely and well planned matrix is so impacting, and if our present way of preparing it is not working, then our approach needs to be reevaluated. No matter what is the rationale, a badly planned matrix, unfortunately, regretfully, sends the message that ‘mediocre teaching and on-the-fly-as-you-go preparation is acceptable.’

No, it’s not.