The elements that require the most attention, he said, are assessments and teacher development, which have either been unaligned at various levels or, in the case of professional development, weak and undervalued.
“Assessment is an area where there is significant work needed,” he said.
“The Council report finds that teachers and staff are not confident that the districts assessments, including benchmarks are aligned to state standards, and there is a misalignment of the curriculum and assessments resulting in teachers not having the appropriate data to help inform needed changes in the curriculum or differentiated instruction.”
With respect to professional development, Hamlet said he has received a lot of feedback, much of it negative. Findings indicate that there is no formal professional development program for new teachers; is not differentiated; is not valued by teachers and school-based staff, and is weak for principals and assistant principals.
“What we want is a teacher development system educates and trains teachers by developing their skills over the course of their career,” he said. The Council assessed that the District had been more focused on the implementation of our Evaluation System and less on effective instruction.”
After thanking Hamlet for his visit and presentation, chamber President and CEO Doris Carson
Williams also thanked Kellyann Banks, vice president for corporate communication and engagement at the Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland, for bringing pieces of its exhibit on the Freedman’s Bank.
Chartered by the U.S. government in 1865 to encourage and guide the economic development of the newly emancipated African American communities in the post-Civil War period, the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company functioned until 1874. Its archives are valued as a trove of information regarding Black socio-economic life in the immediate aftermath of emancipation.
Williams also welcomed new members and reminded everyone that Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto will be the speaker for the March 17 PowerBreakfast.
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