OKCPS teacher complaints should be taken seriously
I’ve read school climate surveys and listened to teachers for decades. In my experience, most educators hold their frustration in — until they can’t take it anymore. I thought morale bottomed out in Oklahoma City Public Schools under former Superintendent Aurora Lora, before the recent statewide teacher pay raises, when the American Federation of Teachers’ OKCPS teacher survey prompted 291 comments in 2017. However, I’ve never read anything like the AFT’s November 2019 survey.
Among survey respondents, the only thing which prompted more scathing criticism than this year’s Pathway to Greatness (P2G) district realignment was the increase in disorder and violence. Only 11 percent of respondents said that “Student welfare and school climate has improved.” Twenty-five percent said their site has received “trade ups,” but 38 percent said their class size increased after P2G closed schools and realigned feeder patterns.
Eighty-eight percent reported disruptions of the learning environment, with 50 percent reporting distractions due to wireless devices, 43 percent reporting bullying, and 19 percent reporting “assault and battery against school personnel.” Moreover, 47 percent added comments.
My reading of about 373 teacher comments this year was that fewer than 2 percent were positive about P2G CONTINUE READING: OKCPS teacher complaints should be taken seriously
