Equitable Access to Quality Instruction
"Students will have the same Music and PE teacher for both sections per week."
Specialists and administration are in agreement that this is what is best for kids.
Though this expectation is clearly stated in scheduling guidelines, at least 14 Music and PE educators are scheduled .2 at a school on a single day. Schools need to be allowed to work together to schedule half days so that the .2 person can see the same students on different days. This is not happening.
Students having consistent, high-quality instruction should be a priority, whether it means the mental gymnastics of sorting out specialist schedules between multiple buildings, or the district commitment to fully support specialist instruction by assigning each building a dedicated specialist.
Specialists are called "specialists" because of the specialized training we undergo and expertise we develop to be effective educators in our respective fields. As do all teachers, specialists need to meet the "highly qualified" standards. Every student deserves the best possible instruction. Care needs to be taken to recruit and retain highly qualified, effective specialists. Current policies and systems may need to be reworked to ensure that positions are not only filled, but filled with endorsed and certified educators specializing in their discipline who are able to build robust and stable programs.
"Students will have the same Music and PE teacher for both sections per week."
Specialists and administration are in agreement that this is what is best for kids.
Though this expectation is clearly stated in scheduling guidelines, at least 14 Music and PE educators are scheduled .2 at a school on a single day. Schools need to be allowed to work together to schedule half days so that the .2 person can see the same students on different days. This is not happening.
Students having consistent, high-quality instruction should be a priority, whether it means the mental gymnastics of sorting out specialist schedules between multiple buildings, or the district commitment to fully support specialist instruction by assigning each building a dedicated specialist.
Specialists are called "specialists" because of the specialized training we undergo and expertise we develop to be effective educators in our respective fields. As do all teachers, specialists need to meet the "highly qualified" standards. Every student deserves the best possible instruction. Care needs to be taken to recruit and retain highly qualified, effective specialists. Current policies and systems may need to be reworked to ensure that positions are not only filled, but filled with endorsed and certified educators specializing in their discipline who are able to build robust and stable programs.