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From YouTube: Committee on Education Testimony - Eric Clark 11-28-2016
Description
From the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Education held Monday, November 28, 2016:
Kensington Health Sciences HS Teacher Eric Clark testifies on the challenges of teacher retention and recruitment in the School District of Philadelphia.
View the full hearing here: https://youtu.be/zfTHKrvMFTQ
A
Good
afternoon
and
more
accurately
now
good
evening,
education
committee
and
thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
speak
today
on
behalf
of
other
teachers.
In
the
district
and
my
students,
my
name
is
Eric
Clark
I
am
a
second
year
teacher
in
the
Philadelphia
School
District
I
love.
My
school
I
go
to
work
each
day
with
a
group
of
teachers
that
I
can
count
on
and
with
students
that
bring
me
joy
on
the
daily
basis.
Well,
this
job
is
not
easy.
A
In
fact,
when
I
began
teaching
two
years
ago
at
Kensington,
Health,
Sciences
Academy,
many
warned
me
against
taking
a
job
in
the
district.
Despite
these
warnings
and
a
student
teaching
experience
that
included
watching
for
principals
role
through
Kensington
kappa
in
just
a
few
months
and
having
my
teacher
mentor
actively
job
searching,
I
took
the
position
at
KH.
Sa
I
was
excited
for
the
challenge
and
opportunity
to
make
a
difference
in
the
lives
of
young
people
in
this
city,
however,
I
quickly
started
to
feel
the
weight
of
the
failing
district.
A
By
Thanksgiving
of
my
first
year,
we
had
already
lost
one
teacher
to
leveling'
and
another
to
two
untimely
resignation.
My
school
has
about
25
teachers,
so
that's
over
ten
percent
of
our
staff
of
those
untimely
resignations.
One
of
them
had
an
especially
strong
effect
on
my
first
year
it
came
from
our
ninth
grade
algebra
1
teacher.
She
was
teaching
in
a
four-year
algebra
1
class,
but
she
was
not
replaced
until
the
first
week
of
February,
at
which
point
I
was
assigned
to
complete
the
curriculum
with
these
ninth
graders.
A
Remember
that
algebra
1
is
a
tested
subject
and
that
these
students
went
2
months
without
teacher.
Needless
to
say,
they
were
far
behind
the
starting
point
of
the
curriculum
given
to
me.
In
fact,
even
before
they
had
arrived,
the
outlook
wasn't
good
of
the
students
I
taught
last
year
with
available
data
0%
score
proficient
on
their
eighth
grade,
PSSA
scores
from
the
year
before.
In
fact,
eighty
eight
percent
of
them
scored
below
basic
the
lowest
possible
score.
The
reason
why
this
is
an
issue
for
me
personally
may
surprise
you.
A
It
is
not
that
I
find
teaching
these
students
to
be
an
especially
burdensome
challenge.
In
fact,
I
love
teaching
them
I
enjoy
working
with
them
through
mediation
to
unlock
potential.
They
never
knew
existed
to
give
confidence
to
students
who
come
into
my
class
thinking.
Math
is
literally
impossible
for
them.
The
reason
this
is
an
issue
for
me
is
because
no
one
recognizes
the
achievement
of
bringing
a
ninth
grade
student
from
a
fourth
grade
level
to
a
seventh
grade
level
in
just
a
few
months.
A
My
school
is
one
of
the
11
currently
under
review
for
poor
performance
as
part
of
the
system
of
great
schools.
Intervention,
as
they
have
told
us,
our
scores,
simply
aren't
good
enough
last
spring,
even
with
the
two-month
gap
in
their
education,
not
to
mention
the
emotional
toll
of
being
abandoned
partway
through
the
year
I
saw
31%
of
those
students
with
below
basic
scores,
move
up
to
basic
on
their
Keystone.
A
Despite
this
achievement
in
his
eye
that
stand
to
lose
my
position
at
KSA
next
year,
despite
a
district
SPR
score
that
uses
only
data
from
before
I
even
started
teaching
at
kha
say
it
is
my
school
that
stands
to
be
subject
to
the
turnaround
Network
when
the
SRC
makes
their
decision,
despite
spending
hundreds
of
dollars
on
school
supplies
and
working
60
hours
a
week
last
year.
In
order
to
be
the
best
teacher,
I
could
be.
I
could
very
well
find
myself
looking
for
a
job
at
some
other
school
in
just
a
few
months.
A
What
kind
of
job
is
this?
If
I
can
consistently
receive
positive
reviews
from
my
colleagues
principal
tutors,
teacher,
coach
and
students,
and
still
face
job
uncertainty?
It
seems
like
it
just
doesn't
matter
how
hard
I
work
it
doesn't
matter.
What
any
of
us
do.
It
doesn't
matter
that
our
biology
students
had
a
greater
percentage
of
proficient
students
on
the
benchmark
than
the
district
average.
A
It
doesn't
matter
that
we
spend
hours
each
night,
differentiating
for
a
group
of
diverse
learners
that
includes
29%
of
students
needing
special
education,
support
and
18%
of
students
in
an
ESL
program,
and
it
most
certainly
doesn't
matter
that
my
school
was
hand
selected
to
become
a
community
school
by
Mayor
Kennedy.
If
the
school
district
doesn't
care
about
what
we
need,
what
is
the
point?
If
I
can't
get
a
raise
because
the
contract
is
frozen,
so
there's
no
financial
motivation.
A
The
progress
my
students
make
is
not
recognized.
So
there
goes
my
professional
motivation
and
the
district
is
now
threatening
to
hit
the
restart
button
on
my
school,
possibly
tearing
me
away
from
my
students
who
might
deeply
love.
Why
do
I
stay
despite
all
this
I
say
because
I
love,
my
school
I
love
my
students
and
I
want
to
fight
for
them.
A
We
need
solutions
for
the
sake
of
us
teachers,
yes,
but
far,
more
importantly,
for
our
students,
it's
time
to
start
taking
a
hard
look
at
what
needs
to
be
done,
so
they
don't
just
pass
and
graduate
but
are
given
the
education
and
opportunities
they
need
to
genuinely
flourish
in
their
careers
and
lives
ahead.
Thank
you.