Study Reveals Many Brooklyn Schools Have High Percentage of "Unsatisfactory" Teachers
A report recently released by StudentsFirstNY found that many Brooklyn schools have a high concentration of teachers with Unsatisfactory ratings. In fact, in 14 Brooklyn schools, 20% or more of the teachers were considered ineffective and two of these schools received A grades on City Education Department progress reports. The sad truth is that students in these schools are simply not getting the help they need.
StudentsFirstNY's Executive Director, Micah Lasher, spoke with the New York Daily News about the implications of these findings for New York City's students:
The high concentration of incompetent teachers cheats poor kids of a needed boost, argued Lasher whose advocacy group is pushing for a new teacher evaluation system for city schools.
“Particularly for children who come into school with real hardships, high-quality teachers can make a difference in their life outcomes,” he said.”
According to the New York Daily News, many of these schools are located in some of the poorest areas of Brooklyn:
Seven schools are in economically stressed neighborhoods East New York, Cypress Hills, Brownsville or East Flatbush. At three schools many students live in nearby homeless shelters or housing projects.
At seven, 90% or more of the kids get free or reduced-price lunch, as do 67% or more of the students at the other schools.
Read the report “Unsatisfactory: The Distribution of Teacher Quality in New York City” (PDF).
View an interactive map of NYC schools with the highest percentages of “Unsatisfactory” teachers.
