Teachers care less about poor pupils

[bubbleOseven]

according to this article in the guardian

The Independent I mean, sorry

I'd want to know what evidence they were using. Results and levels? Oral anecdotes from teachers or parents? Quality of the links in place between schools and parents/carers? OFSTED?
Who initiated the research, and did they find what they were looking for?

I'm not denying that it might be the case in some situations and areas, but I'd need to see the study rather than the conclusion.

What Goblinchild says.

I remember talking to a teacher from a school in quite a rough location a few years ago. My comment that it must be rewarding work was met with a sniffy... 'they'll never amount to anything' ... quite shocking. I'm certain that teachers are under more pressure to perform when their pupils have 'pushy parents' and that this affects outcomes.

'I'm certain that teachers are under more pressure to perform when their pupils have 'pushy parents' and that this affects outcomes.'

As the parent of an SN child, I'd agree that in many cases, the bolshier, more aware of your child's rights and clued-up you are, the better the deal that you get. You ask questions and demand answers and keep tabs on whether it is a sustained effort on the part of the school or just window-dressing.
I'd prefer the title to be
'Some teachers care less about poor pupils, and what is going to be done to resolve this'
I worked in one of the poorest areas in England for almost a decade, we fought bitterly for every pupil and we did make a difference.

Article should be titled 'Teachers care less about children without pushy parents'.
I'm a teacher and though pushy parents are a pain in the arse I would never give a lesser education to a child whose parents weren't pushy. It's an insulting (obviously, well done people at the Independent now your crappy, un-researched article is being discussed on a large internet forum) article that is bascially just another cheap shot at teachers .

That's why I want to see the original study, so that I can ask about the cohort they looked at and how they evidenced their findings. Then look for the generalisations, flaws and skewed conclusions.
I like to know what I'm up against.

I am pretty sure that teachers do not set out to give children from poor back grounds a lesser education.

However, it must be very difficult to provide a reasonable education to unsupported children. Those children are always going to get a worse experience that children who are supported.

And sure, teachers do become disheartened. I only volunteer in a difficult school and I often feel like throwing in the towel.

Yes Litchick, you are absolutely right. Children who don't get (but desperately need) support from home do end up progressing less but that doesn't equate to 'teachers care less' (I know you weren't implying that).

It's all very touching to give teachers the benefit of the doubt and defend them as 100% solid, public-spirited professionals, unswayed by circumstances and/or personal prejudice. But isn't the reality that there will be some in the job that are a bit lazy and, like the woman I met, subscribe to the 'they'll never amount to anything' school of thought?

There must be, it's a job like any other.
But that's not what the title said, it was a generic 'Teachers care less...' Not some, or lazy or overworked. The implication is that it's all of us.
More information on the study please.

I hate these generalisations.

Though I have to admit I was very taken aback when we visited secondary schools the other week and got to the one that caters only to the estates (the others have a fairly mixed intake, from professional to estates). We spoke to several teachers about GCSE options. They none of them seemed interested in the academic subjects at all, but would only talk of vocational courses and BTechs. There was no suggestion throughout the evening that a pupil from this school might, say, want to go on and do Alevels with a view to going to university (and looking at their results, very few do). I was tempted to ask "and how would you support a pupil whose ambition is to go on to a Russell Group university", except ds was standing next to me and would have shown me up.

The impression we got is that they have been so disheartened that they no longer think in academic, high-performing terms. Or at least, it doesn't occur to them to tell viewing parents that they do.