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Hi HN, my wife and I are both teachers and we've both worked in schools that looked really good on paper - good attainment, great inspection reports etc - but w
by mraa 8y ago
Hi HN, my wife and I are both teachers and we've both worked in schools that looked really good on paper - good attainment, great inspection reports etc - but were not very nice places to work in. Speaking to friends, this is a common problem because almost all the publicly available information about schools is for parents, students and sometimes inspectors.
The things teachers care about you can only discover by talking to other teachers, but without a personal connection that's almost impossible. When applying for a new job, schools know a lot about the candidates but the opposite is rarely true. We're trying to redress the balance a bit with Chalkscore. We hope it will let teachers make a more informed decision about where to work, and in doing so, that it will exert a gentle pressure on schools to pay more attention to working conditions and environments for teachers.
Happy to answer any questions!
- hathawsh 8y ago1) As someone who is committed to improving schools, what is your reaction to the current praise for schools in Finland? This video in particular makes Finland look almost incredible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHHFGo161Os https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHHFGo161Os 2) In some places, the environment at the school is determined more by the district than the individual school, since there is mobility within the district. Have you thought about tracking reviews of districts?
- mraa 8y agoFinland's reputation is well deserved! My wife took part in an exchange visit there and spent a week in a Finnish classroom. They are more selective for teacher trainees than the US and UK, and their training program is more rigorous than the UK, but once completed, teachers are trusted as professionals and left to do their jobs without being micro managed. There was also a lot more focus on subjects outside reading, writing and maths and a lot less focus on testing. District reviews are on the road map!
- simmanian 8y agoYour link seems to be down. But I have a question regardless: how do you plan on making money?
- mraa 8y agothanks for the heads up. Should be working now. Two options for revenue that I'm considering: charging schools for profiles with photos and videos aimed at potential candidates and job advertisements.