Notes From The Education Underground: The TeachWonk Diaries

Just Another Brick...
One of my friends that teaches first grade (at another school) tells me that all the first grade teachers in our district (at 10 different schools) are being told that they must have identical classroom bulletin boards. Additionally, each school's "reading coach" (a non-teacher) will be "dropping by" classrooms in order to check that teachers are in compliance with the directive.

A quick phone call to a colleague that teaches at another school confirmed the story.

The reason given by district's "bulletin board police" is that the "Open Court" reading system mandates that all classrooms of the same grade-level have identical bulletin boards in order to facilitate measuring (via annual tests) a teacher's instructional effectiveness. According to district officials, part of that process is making sure that all classrooms have the same "atmosphere."

Say hello (again) to Big Brother.

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