Teachers can't do that when they are looking over their shoulders, and principals will not encourage it when they are responsible for test scores. And everyone is so fearful of test scores, I'm just waiting for the next test-cheating scandal to emerge. Woestehoff was the only individual among several who expressed reservations about the remediation process who agreed to speak on the record. The others, which included both critics and supporters of the current administration, declined to be named some out of fear of retaliation, others out of concern over their relationship with school system bosses. Vallas does not see fear as a negative.
Fear is a consequence of poor performance.
A majority of teachers and principals have a lot of confidence in what we are doing and are delighted that we are focusing on raising student achievement. However, Penny Sebring, a director from the Consortium on School Research, says it's not fair to say schools were not creative before remediation. Johnson had wanted to reconstitute Austin High School but was advised by school lawyers to go to remediation first. Vallas started out with remediation. However, one principal he dismissed, Debrona Banks of Tilton Elementary in West Garfield Park, challenged her firing in court and won.