Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Oakland University
THE MASTER TEACHER EXPERIENCE 2
Abstract
This critique reviews the Master Teacher Program at Detroit Public Schools Community District
(DPSCD). The program was designed to offer support to teachers and address the teaching
shortage as well. The master teacher is to offer support to teachers for half of the day while also
maintaining a classroom for the other half of the day. This design was implemented to support
student growth and to close educational gaps. On the surface it appears to be a good idea,
however, I’ve observed several pitfalls that have emerged already during this process. The
district is in dire need of a redirect in the way they approach their educational process.
Their aggressive approach has caused server growing pains because they made several changes
all at once. The district would benefit from a gradual change model. Changing positions,
curriculum and assessments stimulatingly has its consequences. Master teachers received the
training at the same time as the teacher’s they are responsible for coaching. So, everyone is
making the transition concurrently. A better strategy would have been to roll out the new
materials and training to the support staff first, so that they may assist with the transition. Also,
self-contained teachers are charged with attempting to learn multiple new curriculums, it’s a
daunting task! As always, the students suffer for poor planning on the parts of adults.
THE MASTER TEACHER EXPERIENCE 3
Durfee Elementary/Middle school has 586 students. The school services grades pre-K –
8th grade. Their students are primarily African American making up 96.1% of their student
population. The male population accounts for 57.5% of their student count. They provide special
education services for 123 pupils. Durfee has a small population of bilingual students comprising
of a total of 3. Also, 72.5% of their students participate in the free/reduce lunch programs.
Currently, the district has been plagued with an overwhelming teacher shortage. Firstly,
not enough teachers to fill all vacancies. Secondly, a long arduous on-boarding process which
discourages applicants. Lastly, teacher retention is a huge obstacle, once an employee joins the
organization and experiences their unique growing pains, regret sets in. These growing pains are
results of the district’s many simultaneous on-going initiatives as they introduce, new
curriculum, staff, job titles/positions, standardized testing tools and revised student code of
conduct all at the same time. One of the many new adjustments is the addition of the position of
the Master Teacher. We are going to take a closer look and analyze how this new job title affects
The four pillars forming the foundation of school success that are core to defining the
school culture. That culture reflects the collective commitment and values of those in the
organization (Blankstein 2013). Currently, the mission and vision are not clearly defined at
Durfee. Extensive clarification of the mission and vision is needed. more specifically I’d
district role relationships and the obligations and expectations associated with each (Blankstein
2013). I’ll examine this from the lenses of a practicing master teacher who belongs to a
community of master teachers, who have expressed their feelings, fears, concerns and victories
openly in our PLC communities. Also, I’ve received feedback from staff as well as the students
Many teachers have taken offense to the title “Master Teacher” as to imply that we are
not all masters at our craft. It also implies that Master Teachers are somehow better than our
counterparts. As a marketing major myself, I agree that, perhaps, support teacher would have
been received better because it would have implied that we are servant leaders here to work with
the teachers.
Master teachers have to get over this fact when engaging with our counterparts that we
were not all hired with continuity. The initial requirements stated that in order to be considered
These were the requirements for phase 1. Then when you moved on to phase II you needed to:
Once all three phases were successfully completed then and only then were you to be
added to the eligibility pool for principals to pull you into their school and offer you this
position. Upon review/through discussions it was revealed that not all Master Teachers arrived at
their schools via the established protocol. Some, did not complete all three phases, some did not
meet all the requirements, some principals appointed seasoned staff members and they
circumvented the process all together. You can only imagine how this made the rest of us feel
after we did meet all the requirements and fulfilled all the district was asking. This created a lack
of respect for the district’s process. I was unclear about the direction the district was moving in
so I asked my school leader about our mission, vision, core values and goals and she directed me
BLUEPRINT 2020 is the district wide initiative which has strategic plans for rebuilding
Detroit Public Schools by the year 2020. Prior to this schoolyear every school had their own
individual mission, vision, core values and goals. Moving forward there is just one mantra for the
entire district. The mission states,” We educate and empower every student, in every community,
every day, to build a stronger Detroit.” To date teachers are not able to print, copy or scan and
THE MASTER TEACHER EXPERIENCE 6
we don’t have a 1:1 ratio of computers to execute computer-based learning. I’m not convinced
The vision states, “All students will have the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary
to thrive in our city, our nation, our world.” To date The Master Teachers don’t have the training
and skills needed to help the teachers, therefore, the vision will not become fruitful until staff is
empowered with the tools needed to support the instructors so that they may develop the
students. Whereas the mission statement reminds us of why we exist, a vision paints a picture of
what we can become (Blankstein 2013). It seems so far off to see the picture pained by this
vision statement as I’m surrounded by the current day to day chaos. Clearly there are currently
no specific values or goals tied to the Master Teacher program that support the 2020 Blueprint.
As a whole the Master Teachers don’t feel like we have a handle as to what is going on.
Also, because it’s a new position, who do you ask? The mentor in charge of the program seems
deadlines. However, I need support with day to day operations and no one has been defined as
the go to person to field these concerns. Some members of the school community have had
experiences that, to them confirm the worst (Blankstein 2013). These are my sentiments exactly.
Having clarification on my role as well as support in place will ensure I’m able to
successfully execute my job functions. Providing continuous support for the teachers on a
consistent basis will help to ensure achievement for all students. Also, systems for prevention
and intervention can run more smoothly when job functions are performed with continuity on a
consistent basis.
THE MASTER TEACHER EXPERIENCE 7
spearheaded by City Year. They are not certified teachers; however, they are willing to run the
afterschool enrichment program for invited students. These students have been identified based
on their current assessment scores. They will receive computer-based learning, enrichment and
homework assistance. The counseling department has several wholistic initiatives in place to
support families such as uniform purchase program, purity and abstinence, anger management,
home visits and adopt a family. Once some of the student’s basic needs are met perhaps they will
be able to focus more on school. Also, having a closer look on the dynamics of their family
should inform staff on how to better support our pupils. My suggestion would be to make
referrals for at-home tutoring programs for our at-risk student population.
Personally, I don’t feel that the district has any regard for me as a professional. Their
onboarding process took 9 weeks! I’ve lost valuable time this summer. I could have been taking
advantage of pertinent training and professional development. Because of their negligence, I’m
learning these processes right along with the staff I’m responsible for coaching. Of course, this
(Blankstein 2013). We need the ability to be able to collaborate on a more consistent basis.
Schedules are dictated day to day depending on classroom coverage. This is inappropriate!
Students appreciate routines and structure. I am not able to let a teacher know in advance that I’ll
be there to observe, plan or debrief because currently, I’m being used as a glorified substitute
teacher. Another contingency needs to be put into place for absent instructors. It’s very
THE MASTER TEACHER EXPERIENCE 8
disheartening to be dumped upon to cover at the last minute. The program will not thrive if value
is not placed/redirected on Master Teacher adhering to the appointed duties. I’m certainly going
to ask at our upcoming meeting with Monica...our mentor. The suggestion is for an afterschool
paid common planning period which would include 4 team members working collaboratively
after school for 1.5 hours. While it’s a good concept, it stretches the teachers and master
teachers. We must push and persevere after a full day’s work, brave rush hour traffic, and
provide additional paperwork that supports our sessions. It was further recommended that we
invite our principal so that she can see the breath of what is required. Growing the leadership
capacity to collaborate, with a focus on teaching for learning, and a basis and foundation of trust
(Blankstein 2013). Collaborative teaming is essential; however, it should be built into the master
schedule so teachers are not required to pour from an empty cup by working late and pilfering
Upon reflection of my standardized test score, none of my 22 students are on grade level.
The students’ scores range from 1st grade level to 5th grade level. I teach 7th grade. Data without
relationship merely causes more information glut (Blankstein 2013). It’s hard for me to break
this news to my students and we are just getting to know each other. Also, only 20% of the
families showed up for open house. So, for some families their first interaction with me will be
through receiving these unfavorable test results, accompanied with their first progress report
going home this week. Unfortunately, I did not receive formal training on this assessment, before
I administered it to my students. I was sent some instructions; an email and it was briefly touched
upon at a staff meeting. There is a whole class and manual that I should have been apprised of
THE MASTER TEACHER EXPERIENCE 9
prior to the implementation/administering of this new assessment tool. At a minimum useful data
should be multisource, relevant, timely, consistent and disaggregated. Training on I-Ready, our
current assessment tool, is being offered to district employee so everyone can have a clearer
understanding of how to use the data to drive instruction. The data/curriculum committee is
brainstorming ideals on how to utilize this hard data to close educational gaps while attempting
growth towards staggering low-test scores. In order for assessments to indicate trend lines,
outcomes from the same assessment instruments are viewed at different points in time
(Blankstein 2013). This monthly meeting is not going to support the outcomes we desire. Data
analysis will need to done more frequently especially in the early stages. My recommendation is
that the academic leadership teams should also be looking over the data collectively during their
meetings and the Master Teacher facilitated PLC agenda should also include some time for data
dialogs.
The research shows that the most accurate predictor of student academic achievement is
the ability of the student’s family to create a home environment the encourages learning
(Blankenstein 2013). I need the parents on my side to alleviate these staggering stats, I have 3
out of every 11 of my students are at a 1st grade level. We need to work collectively to devise a
plan. We also need to be on the same page. It is crucial to their success! I saw their faces as I
conducted teacher-student conferences with them and distributed their scores. We set goals and
established strategies they could utilize to improve; however, my students are going to need the
support of their families with this kind of a learning deficit. Develop positive feedback systems
to show appreciation of social emotional intelligence, small amounts of progress, and academic
THE MASTER TEACHER EXPERIENCE 10
success (Blankstein 2013). Durfee is taking a run at this approach with classroom Dojo. Students
receive rewards/consequences for their behavior. Parents are invited and given access so they can
view their children behavior. Students can earn treats, gym time, movie days and recess. My
suggestion at our last meeting was that we should have a caught being good campaign where
student could be rewarded immediately for positive behaviors in addition to the current weekly
The teacher will need to assume leadership roles to turn thing around at Durfee. Three key
words for long-term school success: leadership, capacity and sustainability (Blankstein 2013). It
has to be all hands-on deck in order for us to pull our scores of out the slump we find ourselves
currently in. There are too many new positions, initiatives and programs running simultaneously
for two administrators to govern alone. The principal and assistance principal are both new
administrators. They will need support from their team to help elevate the school to new heights.
Master Teachers will need to receive the proper training along with other support staff to be able
to be proficient in supporting the district new initiatives. The vision is clear, the path and proper
protocols to take in order to get there, is blurry at best. As we work toward developing teachers
as leaders, we must move beyond the narrow definition of leadership and the minimal number of
roles that it comprises (Blankstein 2013). Teachers are the experts as many of the principals have
not engaged in curriculum training to the point of mastery. Master Teachers were asked to invite
their leadership team to the PLC meeting that they will be facilitating so that they may have a
full understanding of the execution on the new curriculum. Shedding light on what is required is
paramount. How can you evaluate what you don’t fully understand?
THE MASTER TEACHER EXPERIENCE 11
Conclusion
If in fact the district desires to have the master teacher position to be regarded with respect
1. Change the title for this position to something that will be embraced by all.
2. Hire candidates with continuity
3. Streamline the onboarding process
4. Front load all training
5. Provide Support
The district will need to have the PLC meeting with Master Teachers before school starts
moving forward to address concerns to ensure everyone is on the same page and feels competent
Human resources need to conduct themselves with professional courtesy by hiring enough
personnel to process applicants in a timely manner and to ensure they get exposure, empowerment,
training and all tools needed to perform their job duties that they have been hired them to fulfill.
Lastly, the Master Teacher needs support with day to day operations over and above the
administrative paperwork to ensure the integrity of the program. The lines of communication need
to remain open so that all can benefit, especially the students from this new initiative. The district
has responded with a plethora of training opportunities. The majority of this training takes place
evenings and weekends which is not always ideal. My suggestion would be to access webinars,
conference calls and online modules. These learning opportunities would allow teachers to be at
home. While building communities is our charge, there has to be a balance in place for our families
to give them the time and attention they so richly deserve as well. Align focus with SMART goals
for the organization and choose a starting point (Blankstein 2013). The 2020 Blueprint is the
district’s plan to align their core values with the needs of their pupils’ academic needs. This is only
a year away. While I do see growth/progress this aggressive turnabout may not happen in the time
THE MASTER TEACHER EXPERIENCE 12
slot allowed. One of the biggest challenges school leaders face is the tendency towards
fragmentation of efforts and focus (Blankstein 2013). In my assessment time is the enemy. In light
of this obvious hurdle we need to develop more creative ways to save time and money while still
accomplishing our SMART GOALS without burning out our teachers. The focused becomes
fragmented because currently there are too many new initiatives running concurrently. The focus
excellence. After forming teams to work on different aspects of teaching and learning in your
schools, teams establish protocol (Blankstein 2013). Establishing structure is lacking in every
aspect of this educational turn around model. Systematic strategic next steps need to be in place as
a bridge to help get us from where we are currently, to where we desire to be. Alternatively, it is
the use of formative teacher assessments (for coaching purposes only) to assist in better outcomes
on final summative assessments(s) that are used for evaluation (Blankstein 2013). Master Teachers
have administrative rights to view all the data is an effort to provide coaching and support to the
teachers they service. The end result to offer support to both the teachers and the students and
move toward growth/development by utilizing the data as a blueprint to do so. Create opportunities
for community service and more meaningful, widely participatory student government (Blankstein
2013). Durfee has students currently writing essays and running for student government and I think
it’s a wonderful ideal. In addition to this opportunity for parent involvement. We need to also
partner with the local churches in our area to seize further outreach opportunities. Instructional
learning walks contribute to building shared understanding of quality instruction within the
professional learning community through the process of defining indicators of quality instruction
(Blankstein 2013). Ultimately, this is the goal of the Master Teacher to observe, model and support
instructional staff in an effort to provide access to the exceptional learning environment. All six
THE MASTER TEACHER EXPERIENCE 13
principal need to be implemented with fidelity to adopt the core values outline in the Detroit Public
School Community District 2020 Blueprint. Master Teachers are a part of a grass roots initiative
to help grow Dr. Nickoli P. Vitti aggressive new plan to reform the district.
THE MASTER TEACHER EXPERIENCE 14
References
Blankstein, A.M. (2013). Failure is not an option: 6 principles that advance student achievement