Number of Baltimore City School System suspensions [Graphic]
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( January 14, 2013 ) The Baltimore City School System has started a program that pays bonuses to staff members in schools that improve certain benchmarks, including reducing suspensions. |
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Just a quick response from a former Baltimore City Public Schools middle school teacher...
Don't be fooled by the numbers posted for reduced suspensions! Principals srongly "encourage" classroom teachers to NOT send students to the office, even when those students break the very rules posted in the District calendar each year. Principals observe and give teachers scores at the end of the year that impact their wages. Put two and two together. As a result of this "encouragement," teachers are faced with trying to provide instruction that satisfies Dr. Alonso's high expectations while dealing with constant disruptions by unruly students. In short, teachers are absorbing the potential suspensions, and it is not improved behavior that the released chart implies. P.S. I never received any financial reward for keeping disruptive and rule-breaking students in my classroom. Principals receive the financial reward for fewer suspensions, and principals do not have to deal with the disruptive students. Teachers should be the ones rewarded, because they alone are bringing down the suspension numbers.