I have seen that a small number of districts believe that they have
found the secret to improved instruction... The Uber-aide.
The Uber-aide is a paraprofessional that is paid more than a regular
aide and is at least as effective and costs less than a certified teacher, supposedly. I can see that this concept
would be attractive to the anti-public school crowd and the privatization
proponents. What I find baffling
is that there are managers within public education that have bought into the
idea. Let me explain why they have
and the reason for the inevitable “buyer’s remorse.”
Evidently in the districts considering the uber-aide solution they
have found it difficult to recruit enough degreed, certified, trained and
successful teachers at the salary the district offers. The effect of the lack of qualified
educators is creating a measurable student performance deficit. But instead of offering a competitive
teacher salary, the solution they have set their sights on is to hire a cheaper
body (the non-degreed, non-certified, non-trained Uber-aide) for the vacancy.
Then it is believed that the ship will right itself and student performance will rise.
Now at the Program / Central Office level, they will explain that it
is not just the lack of teachers that is the issue, it is the unmotivated,
lazy, and dumb teacher that is also a significant problem. But this is a complete misdiagnosis.
Yes, there are poor teachers, but you
don’t replace a poor teacher with an aide. That is like replacing a weak
Oncologist with a paramedic. You
replace a poor teacher with a better teacher. The inability to get rid of one bad teacher is a function of
poor leadership. An entire system
of poor teachers in leadership failure. Neither is a “teacher” problem.
Finally, the ultimate proof that the concept is failed. There already are Uber-aides in the public
education. They are known as “Long
Term Substitutes.” These people do
yeoman’s work in keeping a classroom moving forward when a teacher is
unavailable or out for an extended period. Yet, I have never in my career heard a principal state the
following, “I’m really optimistic about 4th grade this year. We have two long-term subs in that grade teaching right
now.”
No, EVERY principal in that situation is looking everywhere for a
qualified, degreed, certified teacher to get in front of those students.
The Uber-Aide concept is about saving money, making money, and/or
bailing out poor leadership. It is
not about increasing educational opportunities for students.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
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