Welcome to the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers

SPFT Professional Conference on March 6th

Watch Mayor Chris Coleman and President Mary Cathryn Ricker talk about this year's conference.

CareerTeacher Web Design Opportunity

Read Across America Day

SPFT visits St. Paul schools to celebrate reading.

Ms. Pignato's first grade class at Phalen Lake.

Maxfield celebrates Dr. Seuss.

Ms. Cochran's second grade class at EXPO.

Teachers' top Choice:  support-not salaries

Seattle Times

What do teachers want?

Supportive principals more than higher salaries.  Digital media more than textbooks.  Evaluations based on how much their students learn, rather than principals' observations.

Those are a few findings from what's thought to be the largest survey of U.S. public-school teachers, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Scholastic Publishing company.

About 40,000 teachers answered questions about what they need to help more students achieve, and what they think about issues such as merit pay, testing and learning standards.  It offers a rich look at the challenges of teachers and underscores how deeply many care about their work.  Seven out of 10, for example, said they attend student events at night or on weekends.  Highlights included:

• While 92 percent of teachers said tests given in class are essential or very important in measuring student achievement, just 27 percent said the same about state standardized tests.
• Just 22 percent said they thought evaluations by principals were a very accurate measure of their work.
• Forty percent said common learning standards in all states would have a strong impact on student achievement.
• When asked what's most important in keeping good teachers, the top choice was "supportive leadership" followed by higher salaries.
  

Merit Pay:  An Agreeable Fantasy

For decades, the American public has chosen to believe in an agreeable educational fantasy:  that merit pay for teachers will cure the ills of our "failing public schools," particularly those in urban and high-poverty neighborhoods.  This agreeable fantasy ignores three disagreeable facts:  Read more.

Welcome to the new website of SPFT.

There is a need for interested members to become involved in developing this website to meet SPFT member needs.  Are you in a blogger, twitterer, internet expert?  Are you interested in sharing research, links, ideas regarding a content area?  How about doing an online PLC?   The Federation's Publicity Committee is a membership committee made up of members interested in better communication to, for and with members.  Even if you are not interested in working on the website, if you have ideas about what the website needs or should look like, please contact Vice President, John Mueller.

SPFT Member Receives Award

The Administration, Organization and Leadership Division of the American Education Research Association has named Mary de Leon-Denton as the recipient of the 2010 Dissertation of the Year Award.  This award is intended to recognize outstanding doctoral dissertation research in educational administration, including the organization and administration of schools and the work and preparation of school leaders, and is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of educaitonal leadership.  Dr. de Leon-Denton will be recognized and receive the award at the AERA Annual Convention in Denver, Colorado on May 2, 2010.