Ann Arbor schools to host first teacher job fair to diversify applicant pool
Teachers interested in working for the Ann Arbor Public Schools are invited to attend the district's first in-house teacher job fair later this month.
Lakewood Elementary School teacher Kathleen Wright tells the gingerbread man story to her kindergarteners in this December 2011 file photo. Ann Arbor Public Schools will host its first teacher job fair this year to attract quality, diverse candidates.
Jeff Sainlar | AnnArbor.com file photo
The expanded effort to attract larger, more diverse pools of teaching candidates was directed by the school board, said Human Resources Director Cindy Ryan.
"They wanted us to try some new and different ideas and suggested we do our own job fair," she said. "Even though we have to make cuts, with resignations and retirements, we always need to hire some people every year."
District officials anticipate there will be some open elementary, secondary and certified Autism Spectrum Disorders teaching positions for fall.
The in-house job fair will not preclude district administrators and human resources officials from attending other teacher job fairs at various universities. Typically, AAPS sends about six recruiters to teacher job fairs at Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, Ryan said.
This spring, Ann Arbor recruiters also plan to visit Wayne State University and U-M Flint.
Ryan said at these college fairs, the district has new teachers stand in line for up to three hours to speak with Ann Arbor officials and to learn about the district's job opportunities.
"Our recruiters can't keep up. We thought there has to be a better way," she said.
Ann Arbor's job fair is scheduled for 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at Pioneer High School. Teachers interested in attending are asked to RSVP by emailing Ryan at ryanc@aaps.k12.mi.us or via phone: (734) 994-9444.
Teachers young and old, new and experienced all are welcome to attend, school officials said.
Fliers for the job fair began circulating Tuesday. Ryan said she has received more than 55 RSVPs so far, adding officials are not sure what to expect for attendance with this being the first job fair the district has conducted.
Recruiting more minority teachers is a partial goal of the in-house job fair.
"We always want our staff to try to mirror our student population," she said. "We believe it's nice for our young people to see someone like them ... making a difference."
Ryan explained if 15 percent of the district's student population is African American, then the district tries to have 15 percent of its teacher population be African American. She said one ethnic group the district needs to improve its recruiting of is Asians.
In addition to attending college teacher job fairs, Ann Arbor recruits minority candidates by reaching out to universities directly to see if they have any minority teachers to send the district's way, Ryan said. She added school officials also contact ethnic group-affiliated fraternities and sororities.
The Feb. 28 job fair will be more informal than a typical teacher job fair, Ryan said. It will be a meet-and-greet format, allowing job candidates to mingle with Ann Arbor administrators and to ask questions about the district.
Prospective teachers can bring their resumes and receive assistance with applying for Ann Arbor positions online.
The resumes and contact information from candidates who attend Ann Arbor's job fair will be stored separately from other applicants, Ryan said. This is to entice attendance as well as to track how successful the job fair is; for example, the district will know how many good candidates the job fair attracts by analyzing how many of them are hired, officials said.
The university job fairs typically are not conducted until April, so Ryan said she hopes hosting the district's early will give it a leg up.
Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.
Comments
Jay Thomas
Sun, Feb 17, 2013 : 11:39 p.m.
I'm curious what the real numbers are when it comes to the ethnic and gender makeup of teachers, principals and administrators in the AAPS. The article only quotes a hypothetical. It has been mentioned that we need more representation in teaching for the black and brown kids. Also, that blacks make up 7% of the population here and hispanics 4% (so 11% in total). But what are the actual demographics in the school system? And is it possible that that level is already met or surpassed? I think blacks must be more than 7% and it is probably asians who are underrepresented.
Julie
Sun, Feb 17, 2013 : 4:28 p.m.
The law (Title VII of the Civil Right Act, SEC. 703) forbids, flatly, all descrimination in employment because of race.
Julie
Sun, Feb 17, 2013 : 4:23 p.m.
I don't care if the teachers are blue, green, red or orange, I just want good teachers for my childrens. From what I can tell online this is unconstitutional. Hope they have received advice from counsel on this one.
aamom
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 5:10 a.m.
So it says they usually send recruiters to EMU, MSU and UM and they don't get many minority applicants. I'm curious if there aren't many minority education students at those schools or if they have not been applying to AAPS for some reason? Mostly it's the need for a special invitation that I don't get. Seems like if you send a recruiter to the school for a well publicized fair, do you still need to contact ethnic group-affiliated sororities etc? Don't the professors in the school of ed make sure everyone knows there is a big job fair coming up?
LXIX
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:28 a.m.
If every legal citizen AAPS parent was counted instead of their kids what would the new racial teacher-parent imbalance be? And only First World parent-teacher imbalance be? And sliding demographic change over a longer period of tenured-teacher history be. Meaning what persistent First World resident imbalance has there been for how long? JRW says about half the kids are minorities. Ann Arbor census says 70% of the population is white. Assuming the UM prides itself on maintaining a fair diversity distribution shouldn't the teacher mix reflect the city population where the schools are located? Or at least the non-UM resident population? Why not?
J. A. Pieper
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:49 a.m.
Macabre, but it is okay for the district to imply that the other side of the picture it true?
Macabre Sunset
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:38 a.m.
Because we owe our children better than that. Because we want then to have the best teachers, regardless of race. Because we want them to grow up in a world where they will not learn that race means more than anything else. The assumption you make - that only white teachers can teach white children - is insulting and racist.
JRW
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:26 a.m.
Hire the best, most qualified teacher. Period. A "minority" job fair smacks of favoritism. Is there a job fair for male applicants? They are surely an underrepresented minority in elementary school teaching. With all the court cases involving race and affirmative action in the last 10 years, I have to wonder if this minority job fair is even legal.
a2mom
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:26 p.m.
If you are a man and want to teach in elementary school you will have a much better chance than a white woman of getting hired.
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 11:48 a.m.
"worrying about he influx of those people from those places" Nobody said that, or even implied it. I think you know that and made your comment anyway.
Basic Bob
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:57 a.m.
The goal of the job fair is to collect applications from all qualified teachers who attend. The district can legally encourage *qualified* minority candidates to attend and submit applications. I feel like I woke up in my grandparents house in the 50's today, worrying about he influx of those people from those places. Most people would recognize it for what it is - racism.
JRW
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:19 a.m.
Any teacher applying to AAPS better have major connections to the district. Having a relative already working there is a huge plus. There are several new teachers in 2012 with moms already working in the district. Subbing for a few years will help but no guarantees. I've personally known several teachers who accepted long term sub assignments, performed in a stellar manner, and didn't get the permanent jobs. It's incredibly hard to get hired in AAPS, even with connections. Keep in mind that many positions last year where teachers left or retired were not filled. Classes are larger and "special" areas such as the media centers, music, etc, are shared by several people already in the district, who then travel to multiple schools every week. Good luck!
mgoscottie
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:03 a.m.
Just like everyone else on here, I think that only white people should be hired. If no black/hispanic teachers get hired that's not racist, hiring them would be racist, because only white people could ever be qualified to teach.....
TheDiagSquirrel
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:15 a.m.
Nobody here has said that. The overwhelming consensus is that a job fair that openly admits to hiring only minority teachers is racist, unfair to other qualified teachers, and counter-productive. But if you want to make narrow generalizations, go right ahead...
LXIX
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 10:11 p.m.
"We always want our staff to try to mirror our student population," Does that mean AAPS is now going to hire more illegal immigrant staff, too? Politically correct idea but just plain stupid bureaucracy without clarification. Educators are supposed to be leading the future leaders by teaching them all about the important things they might have to deal with - Pollution, resource depletion, space competition, debt, etc. Overpopulation is the world's greatest threat to human survival. Yes, it is. Even more so in the near future. Take any world problem on the table today and with only 1/6th of the population it would be a moot subject in a short time. Some segments of the Ann Arbor population do not yet "mirror" the sensibilities of the First World - where families are now reproducing with two or fewer offspring. That native survival instinct is terrorizing corporations, religions, and politicians alike. Enter their globalization magic and the Third World labour pool needs a "mirror". Just because new comers to Ann Arbor have yet to adjust to First World practice of sustainability is not an intelligent reason to reflect the newer residents by teacher-types alone. U.S. Pop. Whites 63.4%. In Ann Arbor 70.4%. U.S. Pop. Black 13.1% In Ann Arbor 7.1% U.S. Pop. Hispanic 16.7% In Ann Arbor 4.1% U.S. Pop. Asian 5.0% In Ann Arbor 14.4% Now if Ryan wants to clarify which First World Asian population needs more reflection in our schools, that would probably be our corporate sister nation Japan, right? Domo Arigato.
Jay Thomas
Sun, Feb 17, 2013 : 11:14 p.m.
LXIX... China's population isn't really going down. People just assume that with a "one child" policy it must be. In reality, only the poor and unconnected are being taken to the woodshed.
Macabre Sunset
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 5:44 p.m.
The problem with your system is that there's no incentive for creating wealth. Where does this future pot of gold come from? Who pays for it? There's a reason Thomas More entitled his essay, "Utopia."
LXIX
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:33 a.m.
I definitely have no problem with that. Nor private schools, home schools, religious enclaves.. I definitely take issue with the fact that there is not a "fair" representation of wealth and opportunity by race yet of the long history legal citizens. If any American leader ever really wanted to solve that issue they could start today. Take a pot of future gold. Divide it equally among every person ONCE. No more added. Kill any person and your share goes to the victim's estate. And you perish without insurance. Give away what you want but if you "steal" any amount then you owe double that to the victim's estate. Like the old eye-for-an-eye simple math. Reproduce and each viable genetic offspring divides your share equally among themselves. Child support is no longer an issue. What defines a viable human life must be agreed upon. In only a few 25-year generations those estates with one offspring become very rich and enjoy a great amount of opportunity. Until genetic problems start to emerge. Those families with one offspring per person remain middle class. Those with more than one offspring per person become very poor very quickly. There is a reason why China implemented a forced one-child policy. Unfortunately, their nouveau riche families want more so they are visiting and/or moving to other nations of opportunity. Including the United States to have kids. The largest population growth in the U.S. is occurring among new Hispanic families. What should the AAPS have in mind as future representative?
JRW
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:21 a.m.
About 50% of all school children in AA are of minority backgrounds.
mgoscottie
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:03 a.m.
So if a school in the south hired all white teachers/administration, you'd have no problem with this?
LXIX
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 11:36 p.m.
Judging by the poor MEAP math and science test scores nobody here "counts" anymore. Until forced busing was implemented in Ann Arbor there were zero black students in my elementary school. Afterwards there was one busload of kids represented by one hired music teacher. Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA was and still is racist. Forced "integration" and representation works - up to a point. Beyond that it is cultural (one's historic identity) and economic. Hard to disappear ingrained culture. The schools should only hire First World American teachers to represent the lesson taught for other visiting nations to learn. Globalization assimilation does not belong here.
aanative
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 10:55 p.m.
Exactly. But if the minority population isn't underachieving then they don't quite 'count' do they.
Roger Kuhlman
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 9:42 p.m.
Are we talking about real diversity or psuedo diversity that just involves the color of one's skin and one's so-called race? The political Left in Ann Arbor seems to be consumed with extreme race-conscious ways--racist?--of hiring and rewarding for jobs.
Danai
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 9:37 p.m.
I am a teacher in the district as well and "this type of stuff" does not irritate me. I know several African American graduates who couldn't get interviews in with AAPS either. What happened in those cases since they were evidently from the "right ethnic background"? If African American teacher candidates don't get interviews with AAPS it must be because they're not qualified but if White candidates don't get interviews it's because they're not from the "right ethnic background"?? AAPS is just a hard district to get into, period. For a whole host of reasons, it's important for our students--students of color and white students--to be taught by a diverse teaching staff. The district will not be hiring teachers based "solely" on skin. There are fewer candidates of color out there and the district is trying to diversify the staff so they're hosting a fair to try to increase the pool of candidates of color. Nursing schools have done similar in order to bring in more male nursing candidates. I'm also a district parent and I want the best candidates AND a diverse staff to teach my children. The former does not preclude the latter. For those who say they aren't concerned with the race, religion, gender or sexual orientation of the teaching candidates, I ask: Would you mind if all of your children's teachers were African American? All Muslim or Jewish? All gay and lesbian? Assuming they were all qualified?
local
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:05 p.m.
Danai, where were you a few years ago when every hire in the district was a minority candidate. In fact, the school I teach at had 4 new hires and every one of them was a minority. Just so you know, of the 4 that were hired, 2 of them are no longer teachers. The bottom line is this, we should be looking out for the BEST teachers we can find, and the emphasis on diverse candidates just comes off poorly.
thecompound
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:05 a.m.
This is in the Ann Arbor Administrator Associations contract on the AAPS website: B. Affirmative Action The Board and the Association agree that continuing effort be directed toward recruiting and retaining minority group persons (African-Americans) and women in administrative positions. So, i don't think people's "assumptions" about this job fair are too far off, imo.
garrisondyer
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 11:17 p.m.
That should have read "only interaction since 5th grade..."
garrisondyer
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 11:17 p.m.
@Danai, Thanks for your insight. I'm pretty removed from AAPS, with my only interaction with them being an interview at a job fair on U of M's campus years ago (that was the end of that story.... I didn't make it past that round), so I think I'm pretty unbiased when I read about this. I'm of a similar mind as yours. It makes a lot of sense to emphasize diversity, but just because a district does something like this, it really doesn't mean that's the only thing they consider when hiring an individual. I can understand people's frustration when they read an article like this, but I think people make too many assumptions without actually knowing the details of the hiring process.
Danai
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 11:01 p.m.
Surprised that I only got 5 hands down. Thought I'd have a lot more on this site so I had to give myself a hands down too. Seriously though, I wish people would reflect on some of the comments before they're written. We can disagree (and agree) with each other without insulting each other. I like to challenge and be challenged and I appreciate the different informed perspectives but many of the comments here do not further constructive dialogue.
thecompound
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 10:32 p.m.
AAPS is hard to get into because it's often who you know and not what you know--if mama, daddy or grandma work for AAPS, you're chances greatly increase, no matter what race or ethnicity you are.
Jrileyhoff
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:47 p.m.
This is insulting and embarrassing. As a district parent, I want the best qualified candidate to teach my children. I'm not concerned with that candidate's race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc.
aggatt
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4:39 p.m.
mgoscottie--if you're a teacher, you should probably know the difference between "passed" and "past". That's just sad...
aamom
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4:50 a.m.
Bob you are implying that certain applicants have been omitted from the applicant pool in the past. Trying to figure out how this could be true when 3 of my son's 6 elementary teachers were Af. American and the principal and office staff were too. From my seat it doesn't look like we have a minority hiring problem. By the way, they were all good teachers as were his white teachers (okay so one white teacher wasn't the greatest. 5 out of 6 isn't bad.). In fact, I always thought AAPS must have a pretty good hiring procedure to get such great teachers.
mgoscottie
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:05 a.m.
As a teacher, I want you to evolve passed the philosophies of a four year old on race before having kids to raise.....
Basic Bob
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 11:56 p.m.
It you want the best candidates, you should support a broader pool of qualified applicants. Since you find this approach to be embarrassing, you must want to keep the pool of applicants as narrow as possible to avoid admitting a possible oversight toward a great number of qualified candidates. How would you determine which candidates are "best" qualified? Perhaps standardized test scores which are notorious for measuring race and socioeconomic condition better than they are the ability to teach. Trust that there are a lot of *qualified* candidates at any job fair and that many deserve a shot at a job. That doesn't mean they have to hire them according to quotas. That would be problematic.
MSG
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:39 p.m.
This is outrageous. A job fair to attract "a more diverse pool of applicants?" Give me a break. Is this the same policy that mandates every Ann Arbor principal must be a woman or African-American? This is how we got stuck with our current Superintendent. Ann Arbor teachers are highly paid professionals who do very little work-- just like professors at the University of Michigan. Wake up, taxpayers! We need a new contract with the following: an 8-hour work day for all teachers and administrators, get rid of tenure or make it relate to job performance, change the pay scale so everyone does not get automatic increases. I am not anti-teacher, I am pro-student and pro-fiscal responsibility. The tax money will never flow like water again. We need a new model for public education!
aamom
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4:42 a.m.
"I am not anti-teacher" I think you actually might be. You made a blanket statement that Ann Arbor teachers are highly paid professionals who do very little work. Sounds pretty anti teacher to me. Your kids probably graduated a while ago, but the teachers my kids have these days seem to work very hard. I'm guessing an 8 hour day would be the minimum.
Ric
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 7:56 p.m.
No wonder charter schools are doing so well!
mgoscottie
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 12:06 a.m.
According to charter schools?
Epiinephriine
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 7:30 p.m.
"Our Constitution is colorblind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens," Chief Justice Harlan "[T]he moral imperative of racial neutrality is the driving force of the Equal Protection Clause," Justice Kennedy. Do they not teach history at AAPS?
Mike
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 9:55 p.m.
They teach history with a different spin................the kind that makes your head spin and you kids not have perspective on what's going on in the world
Epiinephriine
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 7:21 p.m.
The Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause abolishes all class legislation . . . and does away with the injustice of subjecting one caste of persons to a code not applicable to another. this article suggests that actions will be taken by Ann Arbor Schools that violate this. Whatever ill advised outcomes might be produced by the School's racial tinkering cannot justify racial discrimination and certainly cannot survive strict scrutiny analysis. Policies meant to fulfill racial or ethnic quotas are patently unconstitutional. They clearly violate the principle that equal protection rights belong to individuals and not groups.
USRepublic
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 6:51 p.m.
Look at the bright side of this... Isn't it awesome....that these minority candidates are looking for a job... Even if they are not so subtly being told by the Board of Education they couldn't find a job if it weren't for special treatment? These types of things always have unintended consequences.
J. A. Pieper
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 12:50 a.m.
Macabre, AAPS does not place all the African American students together in a class with an African American teacher. It has been experimented with in the past, but it is not an accepted practice. Our classes are supposed to be as balanced as possible, some principals do better at this than others. Although my African American students do as well (or not) with me as they do with any other teacher, that is never considered. I am a teacher of white privilege, presenting a Euro-Centric curriculum, I will never understand being discriminated against, and so, I can't possibly be the best for African American students. We are reminded of this once a month when we participate in Equity activities, and in every book discussion, and in most of the Professional Development we have to participate in through the district. Add to this the new focus on the discipline gap as presented by Dr. Green, and we now cannot discipline students of a specific race and are supposed to enter on a school database each and every act that requires some kind of "Think About It" behavior.
Macabre Sunset
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 5:40 p.m.
So, what does AAPS do when it hires an African-American teacher? Are all the African-American students forced into her classroom? Didn't we have a series of court decisions that made this illegal about 50 years ago? Why is Ann Arbor moving backward when the rest of the country is moving forward?
thecompound
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:55 a.m.
According to AAPS and Glenn Singleton. It makes me sick to think of all the damage that carpetbagger did to this school district.
local
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 2:05 a.m.
J.A. Pieper I agree with you. I am a male teacher and I have been told that i just don't understand young African American students. I could be the greatest teacher in the world, but according to AAPS, it doesn't matter.
J. A. Pieper
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 11:01 p.m.
What everyone doesn't get is that this is exactly what AAPS is preaching. As a white teacher, i am not good enough to teach African American children, and I get this message over and over. Forget how my students do on assessments, any data, the color of my skin prevents me from helping erase the achievement gap.
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 10:41 p.m.
If someone told me only white teachers could teach white children, I'd recommend they try and find a job in another century.
USRepublic
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:58 p.m.
J.A.P. Many would argue that Red, White, and Yellow teachers are best suited to close the "Achievement Gap" No matter what your favorite color is, such thinking is always called bigotry.
J. A. Pieper
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:38 p.m.
Specifically, we get what we pay for. It does not mean quality one way or another, AAPS is working to get rid of their achievement gap related to the Black & Brown students. Teachers who fit in these categories are best suited to achieve this dream, or so we have been told. White privilege has gone on long enough!
Ron Burgandy
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 6:16 p.m.
"Well, I could be wrong, but I believe, uh, diversity is an old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War era."
thecompound
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:58 a.m.
can't wait for the sequel, lol
Ron Burgandy
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 10:34 p.m.
I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly...living in Ann Arbor and reading B.S. such as this is making me want to drink more scotch.
Ron Burgandy
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:53 p.m.
By the way, I had ribs for lunch. That's why I'm picking my teeth.
proudtobeme
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 6:04 p.m.
After reading the article,I too thought,"white women need not apply". I only thought women (and not men) because teaching is such a woman dominate profession. I hope annarbor.com is not deleting posts that point this out. The whole tone of the article is that this is a job fair for minorities. I sounds like many others feel the same vibe from this article.
Mike
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 9:53 p.m.
War on women................
proudtobeme
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 7:55 p.m.
And isn't it illegal to ask about race on job applications? So what better way to find what you are looking for by actually being able to see the person. I don't know why they just don't call it what it is.
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 6:28 p.m.
What's most troubling is that this is exactly the "old boys network" we've worked so hard to eradicate. Unless you meet a specific look, you're not going to get hired.
Westfringe
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 5:48 p.m.
Why must we constantly inject race into every decision? Hiring should be based on merit, not ethnicity. Why is racism ok if it's perpetrated against white people?
Unusual Suspect
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 11:36 p.m.
According to liberals, by definition it's not "racism" when it's against white people.
aanative
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 10:50 p.m.
J.A. - so to 'correct' past injustice we must necessarily victimize new generations? Seems like two wrongs making perpetuating a color-centric society.
J. A. Pieper
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:40 p.m.
Because we have had our long term relationship with white privilege and now it is someone else's turn.
aanative
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 5:41 p.m.
Appalling. In the mid-1960's (a time of rapid inrease in student population) my mother applied to AAPS to no avail as she was explicitly told that the last thing they wanted more of was middle-aged white women. Two full generations later AAPS is still using race in hiring decisions and they still can't achieve the diversity they seek. Maybe minoritities don't pursue careers in education? I don't know. I do know that AAPS always taught us to judge people by what they could do and not by the color of their skin. What a concept.
TheDiagSquirrel
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 5:25 p.m.
Purposely hiring candidates solely on the color of their skin is racism. The AAPS should be ashamed of themselves.
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 1:28 p.m.
@basic bob: I prefer things like resume content: GPA, experience, volunteer work, references. Crazy stuff like that. If you hire based off of car their parents gave them, you aren't much of a manager.
Basic Bob
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:52 a.m.
It is much better to judge them by their hometown or what kind of car their parents gave them.
C. Montgomery Burns
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 4:53 p.m.
How much is this going to cost us Ann Arbor Public School System taxpayers? Here we are talking about cutting busing, sports, some basic educational needs, laying off teachers, privitizing certain departments, etc. but we somehow have money in the budget to appease white liberal guilt? We are never going to get over discrimination in this country, as long as we keep looking at each other as different and start looking at each other as fellow Americans.....you know, the melting pot.
Unusual Suspect
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 11:35 p.m.
They're not addressing the parenting gap, and never will, because the first person who brings it up will be met with accusations of racism and their career will be ruined.
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:49 p.m.
But what about the children?
J. A. Pieper
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:46 p.m.
Macabre, AAPS will not acknowledge a parenting gap, because that is something we can do nothing about once the children hit Kindergarten. We are responsible for making up the difference, no matter what went on in the formative years for that child. Everything in this district is focused on this, period.
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 6:26 p.m.
The parenting gap? Because it's far too late to reduce racial gaps in achievement once the child has reached school age. It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out.
J. A. Pieper
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 5:30 p.m.
This is not based upon white liberal guilt. The AAPS people at Balas have stated their desire to have many more teachers of one race in their system because they KNOW it will help make the GAP disappear.
Rake2204
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 4:53 p.m.
I must be honest, I was quite excited when I initially read Ann Arbor would be hosting a job fair for teachers. Ann Arbor is a wonderful area and I surely would enjoy having the opportunity to teach within their district. However, I admit it was awfully disheartening to read that, essentially, this job fair was set up to reel in those of a specific creed or ethnicity. It's a little disheartening in fact. Though, I suppose it's better to know their aim now and save my time than to show up only to realize it was all for naught.
garrisondyer
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:25 p.m.
I say still show up, Rake. It'll be good practice for you if it doesn't work out, and if it does, well then maybe a lot of people will realize they have taken the facts written in the article and made some assumptions that weren't true. I don't know how exactly AAPS will decide on who to hire, but I can see why this would be an important thing to consider. Should it be the number one priority? Definitely not. But is it worth considering? Absolutely.
towncryer
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 4:45 p.m.
"We always want our staff to try to mirror our student population," she said. "We believe it's nice for our young people to see someone like them ... making a difference." What about those that are not making a difference or the wrong difference at say, one of the middle schools. Just how many parents need to complain before anything is addressed?
J. A. Pieper
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:48 p.m.
Common situation in AAPS, once hired, never fired. Especially true of a certain...
Piledriver
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 4:40 p.m.
Call me crazy, call me nuts, but how about recruiting the best qualified candidates, no matter what their race is. These are our children's education we're talking about, not some social research project in race relations.
Unusual Suspect
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 11:31 p.m.
No, we have to do things according to "fair share" these days.
Dog Guy
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 3:07 p.m.
Diversity: I know it when I see it.
Mike
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 2:53 p.m.
"Ryan explained if 15 percent of the district's student population is African American, then the district tries to have 15 percent of its teacher population be African American." Dr. Martin Luther King would roll over in his grave. His words obviously mean nothing anymore to those who would discriminate on the color of a persons skin or ethnicity instead of their character. It's amazing this is becoming this blatant, it used to happen in the background and now we trumpet it to the world. There will never be racial harmony until stuff like this ends, this is disgusting.
johnnya2
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 6:40 p.m.
@ SMB, They have to look for underrepresented minorities because hiring practices of the past have made many not even attempt to apply at certain places. There are also many that will not apply at a place if they are the only minority. There is nothing wrong or illegal about trying to find more minority APPLICANTS. A larger applicant pool is never a bad thing, except to the right wing. who think 400 years of blacks being treated as second class citizens was suddenly fixed in the last 40.
smb
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 5:25 p.m.
Works both ways Basic Bob. I could just as easily argue: there must be thousands of well-qualified applicants of all different races so just hiring based on merit is bound to produce a diverse staff. So why do we have to explicitly go looking for minorities to hire? Funny, you seem to imply that people who are criticizing this fair want to hire "exclusively People Like Us". How do you know the race of the posters? Also even if they're white who says they only want to hire only white people? Seems to me most people are saying they should just hire based on merit regardless of race. In fact, based on this quote from the article: "We always want our staff to try to mirror our student population," she said. "We believe it's nice for our young people to see someone like them ... making a difference." it seems to me the people organizing this job fair are the ones who are obsessed with matching skin colors.
Basic Bob
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 5:06 p.m.
Oh, now you are assuming that you can judge an applicant's character at a job fair. I would assume that there are thousands of well qualified applicants so it would be easy to select some from a variety of backgrounds instead of exclusively People Like Us or People We Know.
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 2:52 p.m.
Should upper management be forced to comply with the mandate of 15% African American educators? If so, I can't imagine Green will be happy.
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 6:25 p.m.
In other words, use racism to compromise the quality of education, and hope that somehow it works itself out because we're so proud of our racism?
J. A. Pieper
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 5:24 p.m.
The goal is to have the middle management level of all principals be of a certain race, then the GAP will magically disappear because of the "positive" role models.
Youwhine
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 2:35 p.m.
Is this like the modern-day equivelent of hanging a sign in the window which reads "Whites need not apply"?
EyeHeartA2
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 4:49 p.m.
If you leave off the: "Is this like the modern-day equivelent of hanging a sign in the window which reads" ..then you have exactly my comment (which got deleted). Funny that. Evidently, more words are better than less words. Is there a minimum word count? I know that there is a maximum. Maybe it is a secret word count minimum. Perhaps a double secret word count minimum. Regardless, I am trying to make my comment long enough to stay up. I hope I have succeeded.
Jim Mulchay
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 1:25 p.m.
I'd suspect that one goal is to try to get experienced teachers - from other schools / districts or educational professionals who may be working in another field. If your primary source of recruitment is college fairs you are going to get new college graduates - in most cases with limited "real world" experiences. While the goal may be to get more "diversity" (and I assume that Asian, Hispanic, Muslim, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, etc. are also proportionately considered) I think the schools may be able to find some new blood but with more experiences than a new college graduate. About how many new teachers does the district generally hire in a year? Does the school district provide a racial / ethnic breakdown of staff like they do for students?
John of Saline
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:04 p.m.
Please. "Holiday tree." Public school and all that.
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 6:23 p.m.
No. They just like Christmas Trees. A lot.
John of Saline
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 5:29 p.m.
Druids. Recruited to teach forestry, presumably?
Chester Drawers
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 1:35 p.m.
'Muslim' is not an ethnicity, it is a religion. Do we look at our numbers of Catholics, Baptists, Jews, Buddhists, Druids, Methodists....?
local
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 1:24 p.m.
I am a teacher in the district and this type of stuff irritates everyone involved. I have had awesome student interns come through my classroom and not even get an interview because they didn't make up the right ethnic background. As a teacher and parent of kids in AAPS I want to best, most qualified person teaching my kids, regardless of race. That should be the focus, not skin color!
local
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 7:40 p.m.
Basic Bob, wanted to be at school, things I need to get accomplished before break. I don't make the call on ice days, your sarcasm is pointed in the wrong direction.
Basic Bob
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 4:55 p.m.
Enjoying your day off? There are loads of qualified applicants, and not all of them interned with your school.
thecompound
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 1 p.m.
Here a gap, there a gap, everywhere a gap gap.......better hire a consultant!
bruceae
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 12:53 p.m.
So basically if you're a good teacher but not a minority you might as well skip this job fair.
J. A. Pieper
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 5:18 p.m.
So true bruceae! Everyone knows this, they just won't put it in print.BUT, if you graduate from a one year's Mater's program in Education, they'll take you, think though, one year learning how to be a teacher?
EyeHeartA2
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 12:55 p.m.
I just said exactly that and got deleted. Evidently I need to be more verbose. Although, you calling it like you see it is likely to find your comment in the bozo bin as well. Truth is a tough thing for AA to swallow.
conundrummy
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 12:46 p.m.
I have a bad feeling responses are going to turn into a unfriendly debate. I would normally recommend ketchup to cool tempers. But today I am offering my favorite cookie recipe to help cool people off and celebrate a "slick road day" for kids, parents and others. Enjoy. Mix and cook at 350 for 10-14 min. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled) 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups rolled oats 1 1/2 cups raisins 1 package (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
LXIX
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 11:51 p.m.
Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate. No oats. No raisins. 1 cup Honey Roasted peanuts. 375 And I am still unfriendly : +
ypsibeer
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:14 p.m.
These sound yummy, thanks for posting.
smokeblwr
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 11:42 a.m.
Hopefully the same quality standards apply to all applicants.
GoNavy
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 9:14 p.m.
@garrisondyer - I remember learning about those things you mentioned when I studied economics. They were alternatively called "barriers to entry" and "rent seeking," based on the usage. The barriers to entry occur when a group (such as lawyers, teachers) band together and restrict entry into the profession by requiring degrees where none are truly necessary. A "teaching degree?" What does that qualify anybody to do? Go to the Aveda "Institute" on Maynard to learn about these "professional degrees" - everybody there is striving just to cut your hair. The rent seeking behavior occurs when schools collude with the plenary powers of a given country to become the "sole providers" of these "professional degrees." Want to teach? You can't just go out and share your knowledge. Nope, you have to get one of our degrees - from an "accredited" (rent seeking) institution. Regardless, given the quality of much of our teaching force (vs. the quality of countries such as Norway or Singapore), I'd say it isn't too difficult to get a hold of the "professional certifications" you've mentioned. I'll pay my rent to the rent seekers, get the pieces of paper to get past the barriers to entry and - voila - I'm now a "teacher," "qualified" to "teach" things to people based on my pieces of paper.
garrisondyer
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:16 p.m.
@GoNavy, Do you have a teaching degree? Do you have a current teaching certificate? Have you passed the teacher certification exams? You probably could be a great teacher! If you've got your mind set on it, go for it!
GoNavy
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 8:10 p.m.
I graduated at the bottom half of my university class, and I love to be with children! I think I'd make an excellent teacher.
tdw
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 1:20 p.m.
Mich Res....Why would you even think it would ? Past history of this sort of thing ?
Mich Res and Alum
Mon, Feb 11, 2013 : 12:24 p.m.
Why would you even think it wouldn't?