SAN ANTONIO – So many students, so little time.
If there’s one thing that Diego Bernal discovered on his listening tour of the 55 schools in his District 123, it’s that teachers just want more time to do what they were hired to do: teach.
“They’re not using the word time. They say, ‘We’re being asked to do this and this and this. These are the things that eat up my day,'” Bernal said. “What they’re saying is, ‘I’d like to spend more time teaching; I need to spend more time on instruction.’”
Read Diego Bernal's report on his tour of schools in his district
Piling on paperwork and trying to manage a large classroom of kids with ‘life’ issues are things Bernal said teachers have to do as well as teach. But when they’re focused on those things, they are also not giving lessons.
"Give me more time spent on actual instruction and I’ll show you a school that’s been turned around."
Bernal interviewed school leaders confidentially, telling them that they would not be identified. One of the leaders responded to Bernal by saying, “I bet you think I need more money, and I do, but it’s not at the top of my list. And I bet you think I need new technology, and trust me, an iPad for every student would be great, but it’s not at the top of my list. You know what I need? Time.”
Bernal found that this theme actually wrapped around many other themes. It fits into categories like teacher turnover, support services and testing standards.
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But time is money, and that’s one of the elements that education lobbyist Josh Sanderson said would help create more well-rounded schools in Texas. Sanderson specializes in school finance and said that some teachers have more time, resources and support. Some schools, he said, have $100,000 more to spend per classroom over their peer schools.
The big picture still doesn’t look promising, he said.
“We’re spending today per student about what we were spending in 2003, just slightly above that; less than 2006, actually,” he said. “At best we’re treading water.”
Strings attached
One school leader told Bernal that he or she left money from the state on the table because it came with so many directives that it wasn’t worth a teacher’s time or effort.
“(The Texas Legislature) gives us so much to do, but don’t tell us how or when. You want fire drills for school buses, good idea, now tell me how to do it and when. What am I going to have to cut? We always have to ask ourselves these questions. These days, if I can get my teachers to spend 3 ½ hours on instruction a day, it’s a win.”
Sanderson said the strings attached are direct policy decisions.
Read Diego Bernal's report on his tour of schools in his district
“Often times, those strings are quality-control measures… and in practice they become prohibitive,” Sanderson said.
Sometimes, they might be well intended to avoid fraud or misuse of funds. Other times, they create hurdles and reduce time teachers get to spend on teaching.
“I think it comes down to crafting good policy,” he said.
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Below is an in-depth look at each of the main areas Bernal looked at in his study. Click on the icon for each of the stories.
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