ICPE Candidates' Forum

From: Mark A. Burkhart
Date: Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 4:33 PM
Subject: ICPE Candidates' Forum

Friends of Public Education:

The Delaware County Chapter of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education (ICPE) is sponsoring a legislative candidates’ forum Tuesday afternoon, May 1, 2012. The forum will be held at the Muncie Area Career Center Presidents’ Room, 2500 N. Elgin Avenue, Muncie (park in the south lot for nearest entry). Indiana House of Representatives candidates from all districts (31-32-33-34-35) covering Delaware County have been invited A meet-and-greet with light refreshments will start at 4 p.m. with a formal program at 4:30 p.m. It is anticipated that the entire event will conclude no later than 5:30 p.m. Please invite anyone interested in public education. Thanks.

Mark Burkhart
External/Corresponding Secretary
Delaware County ICPE

Revolt Against Testing is Growing

Palm Beach County Florida is the third largest county in the state of Florida and the county school system is the 11th largest school system in the country. It's also the first Florida school district to come out against the overuse and misuse of high stakes testing, following the lead of over 400 school districts, representing 40% of all school districts in Texas.

According to the Palm Beach Post Extra Credit blog, the Palm Beach County School Board added their name to the growing list of individuals and organizations supporting the National Resolution on High Stakes Testing.

The resolution calls for an end to the over reliance on high stakes testing required by the federal No Child Left Behind law, the Obama administration's Race to the Top and various state accountability systems.

The resolution calls on

...the governor, state legislature and state education boards and administrators to reexamine public school accountability systems in this state, and to develop a system based on multiple forms of assessment which does not require extensive standardized testing, more accurately reflects the broad range of student learning, and is used to support students and improve schools...

It further calls on the U.S. Congress and the current administration

...to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as the "No Child Left Behind Act," reduce the testing mandates, promote multiple forms of evidence of student learning and school quality in accountability, and not mandate any fixed role for the use of student test scores in evaluating educators.

Groups and Individuals may sign the Resolution by clicking HERE.

In another story about the growing public outcry against the overuse and misuse of standardized tests see NY principals: A ‘wrecking ball’ of reform aimed at schools. A group of more than 1400 New York State Principals have sent an open letter to the State Board of Regents asking them to rethink their "reform" agenda.

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National Resolution on High Stakes Testing

...from Valerie Strauss's Answer Sheet

National resolution against high-stakes tests released

[A National Resolution on High Stakes Testing was] released Tuesday by a coalition of national education, civil rights and parents groups, as well as educators who are trying to build a broad-based movement against the Obama administration’s test-centric school reform program.

This is the latest in a series of recent initiatives taken around the country by academics, educators, parents and others to protest the use of student standardized test scores for high-stakes decisions, including teacher and principal evaluation, student grade promotion and high school graduation...

...Many researchers in the assessment field have warned against using standardized test scores for high-stakes decisions, saying they are unreliable for such a purpose. High-stakes standardized testing, they say, has led to the narrowing of the curriculum; classrooms where “teaching to the test” is paramount; and unfair evaluation of students, teachers, principals and schools.

The resolution (see text below) is modeled on one passed in recent months by more than 360 school boards in Texas, where the Republican state education commissioner, Robert Scott, made news in February by saying the mentality that standardized testing is the “end-all, be-all” is a “perversion” of what a quality education should be, and calling “the assessment and accountability regime” not only “a cottage industry but a military-industrial complex.”

The organizers want organizations and individuals to endorse the resolution, which asks officials in every state to “reexamine public school accountability systems” and to “develop a system based on multiple forms of assessment which does not require extensive standardized testing” and “more accurately reflects the broad range of student learning.”

The resolution also calls on Congress and the Obama administration to rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the federal education law known in its current form as No Child Left Behind, in a way that reduces the mandate for standardized tests, promotes multiple forms of evidence that students are learning and does not mandate that student test scores be used to evaluate educators...

...The national resolution was written by Advancement Project; Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund; FairTest; Forum for Education and Democracy; MecklenburgACTS; Deborah Meier; NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.; National Education Association; New York Performance Standards Consortium; Tracy Novick; Parents Across America; Parents United for Responsible Education - Chicago; Diane Ravitch; Race to Nowhere; Time Out From Testing; and United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries...

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National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing

WHEREAS, our nation's future well-being relies on a high-quality public education system that prepares all students for college, careers, citizenship and lifelong learning, and strengthens the nation's social and economic well-being; and

WHEREAS, our nation's school systems have been spending growing amounts of time, money and energy on high-stakes standardized testing, in which student performance on standardized tests is used to make major decisions affecting individual students, educators and schools; and

WHEREAS, the over-reliance on high-stakes standardized testing in state and federal accountability systems is undermining educational quality and equity in U.S. public schools by hampering educators' efforts to focus on the broad range of learning experiences that promote the innovation, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and deep subject-matter knowledge that will allow students to thrive in a democracy and an increasingly global society and economy; and

WHEREAS, it is widely recognized that standardized testing is an inadequate and often unreliable measure of both student learning and educator effectiveness; and

WHEREAS, the over-emphasis on standardized testing has caused considerable collateral damage in too many schools, including narrowing the curriculum, teaching to the test, reducing love of learning, pushing students out of school, driving excellent teachers out of the profession, and undermining school climate; and

WHEREAS, high-stakes standardized testing has negative effects for students from all backgrounds, and especially for low-income students, English language learners, children of color, and those with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, the culture and structure of the systems in which students learn must change in order to foster engaging school experiences that promote joy in learning, depth of thought and breadth of knowledge for students; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that [your organization name] calls on the governor, state legislature and state education boards and administrators to reexamine public school accountability systems in this state, and to develop a system based on multiple forms of assessment which does not require extensive standardized testing, more accurately reflects the broad range of student learning, and is used to support students and improve schools; and

RESOLVED, that [your organization name] calls on the U.S. Congress and Administration to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as the "No Child Left Behind Act," reduce the testing mandates, promote multiple forms of evidence of student learning and school quality in accountability, and not mandate any fixed role for the use of student test scores in evaluating educators.

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Click HERE to sign the resolution.

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Application Overview for Newly Proposed Charter School in Fort Wayne

Crossposted from A Teacher's Fight

 

Sun Academy of Fort Wayne

Charter School Application Overview

Who is proposing this school?

Keith Birkhold who is the CEO of Stellar School Services, LLC located here in Ft. Wayne. SSS is a limited liability for-profit company est. in 2006 under the name Stellar Educational Management Servies, LLC. http://www.stellarschoolservices.com/

Keith Birkhold has been trying to establish charter schools for several years.  He first tried to open up virtual charter schools in Indiana, but was denied each time. He does have one school in Ohio called Star Academy of Toledo which is managed by a company called Mosaica.

Key Findings: He is looking to create 5-10 schools. His strategic goals for the SSS business: “expand SSS’ (Stellar School Services) impact through strategic messaging and outreach efforts with key influence makers”; “research, develop and build a long-term brand and marketing strategy”;  “integrate the brand and marketing strategies”

What kind of school?

A K-12 (at full enrollment) school beginning with K-6. The focus will be a bilingual/STEM school.

Where?

1025 West Rudisill Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN – on the former Taylor University of Fort Wayne campus

What is being proposed?

• Will adapt the Sakai digital learning platform to support SSS managed school
• SA will establish a 4 month marketing strategy by utilizing the teaching staff for marketing, community outreach, and enrollment activities.
• 1^st year - Two highly qualified teachers per classroom to promote collaboration and be more effective at addressing remediation needs – then in year two they would separate
• All students will have a tablet PC.
• Typical school day for a 2^nd grader – 7-7:55 Early Arrival/Breakfast; End of day 4:00 (tutoring till 5 if student is struggling)
•  Teachers report 7:30 am and leave at 4:45 pm.
•  If students are below 70% mastery – summer school will be mandatory.
• Will work closely with Turnstone and admit any SPED students – faculty list has 2 SPED teachers budgeted.
• Since they aim to be a bilingual school – all staff and administrators will be hired with training in ELL or training will be provided. Staff will engage in training to become fluent in Spanish in one year.  They know it will reduce the pool of applicants so they are going to try and recruit from teacher colleges in Chicago, Texas, and California. First, will recruit locally. Then also work with TFA. Look to areas with high percentage of bilingual teachers (Chicago, LA, South Texas) All teachers must be fluent in Spanish within 12 months. Anticipates hiring teachers with 0-5 years in the beginning years.
•  Targeting Hispanic families – through FW Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Cinco de Mayo celebrations
• Will begin an aggressive recruitment campaign once approved.
•  NWEA testing will be used along with all the other state testing requirements.
• Will implement a continuous and rigorous system of data collection – they are extremely specific on how this will be done. Realistically, it’s going to be quite the challenge for a teacher esp. if they hire recent college grads. They are pushing the use of the Sakai Learning Management System (which all I could gather was that it has been used in higher ed)
• Using many ideas from the Camino Nuevo Charter Academy (CNCA) in L.A. and the Denver School of Science and Tech. School (which is supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)
• Teacher aides for every classroom
• Atyani Howard from CNCA will work with SA to design a professional development program that integrates with the data-instruction looping system.
•  “Our strategy will be to out-compete local schools for the best new teachers by partnering with local colleges for training their teachers, identifying top performers, and offering a better starting employment package and work environment.” Merit pay system yet to be determined. NWEA will be used for performance bonuses.
• Min. 1 year increase for those already on grade level and 3 years to catch kids up. Of course it says that the performance pool will be tied to the financial strength of SA.
• NO TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED
• Curriculum – Houghton Mifflin as a resource with mostly technology resources to be used. Singapore Math to be used. 

Education Issues 2012 #3

Changing Direction, Teaching as a Career, Investment in Education, VAM in Teacher Training

(Click on the titles below to read the complete articles.)

NSBA President’s letter to Obama: please change direction!

We want for each American child the same things that you and Michelle want for Sasha and Malia—inspiration, aspiration, creativity. I know you don’t want an overemphasis on testing. I have heard you say it. Experience in schools and communities, supported by research, tells us that relentlessly focusing on standardized tests erodes our national competitiveness and deadens curiosity and drive. Clearly, we need some testing to gauge student learning, and we have no problem with appropriate accountability. But we have swung to a far extreme that is significantly hurting children. “Students are numbing over testing for testing’s sake…. We can’t test this country into excellence.” (Sonny Savoie, LA)

...the present narrow focus on accountability and trend of demonizing those in public education, arrogantly focusing on “failing schools,” is diametrically opposed to fostering excellence.

Mr. President, public education in the U.S. is on the wrong track. As we have moved decision-making farther from teachers and children, we have jeopardized our competitive edge and keys to our national success: our ingenuity, our openness to innovation, and our creativity.

The Hardest Job Everyone Thinks They Can Do

Are there billionaires who insist on making public policy for professions other than teaching? Does money qualify one as an expert in public education? How about attendance? Does having attended school give one the expertise needed to improve public education?

Can anyone be a teacher? Does it take any special training or development?

I realize now how little respect teachers get. Teaching is the toughest job everyone who’s never done it thinks they can do. I admit, I was guilty of these delusions myself. When I decided to make the switch from “doing” science to “teaching” science, I found out that I had to go back to school to get a teaching credential.

“What the f—?!?,” I screamed to any friends willing to put up with my griping. “I have a Ph.D.! Why do I need to go back to get a lousy teaching credential?!?”

I was baffled. How could I, with my advanced degree in biology, not be qualified to teach biology?!

Well, those school administrators were a stubborn bunch. I simply couldn’t get a job without a credential. And so, I begrudgingly enrolled in a secondary teaching credential program.

And boy, were my eyes opened. I understand now.

Teachers deserve our trust

No other profession is as readily dismissed in debates about their work. Politicians, businesspeople, parents, Treasury - we all know better how to "fix" the education system. Teachers matter, everyone agrees; but mostly when we're looking to apportion blame for education failure.

No Funds Left Behind

Why is it that those people who send their children to expensive private schools or well funded public schools are the ones who cry the loudest that money doesn't matter in education?

Last spring, as the Texas Legislature debated massive cuts to public schools—one of many desperate measures to close a $27 billion biennial budget deficit—10,000 protesters massed in Austin for a “Save Our Schools” rally. In the end, the damage to the state’s already-underfunded schools added up to $5.4 billion, forcing districts to lay off tens of thousands of teachers and staffers. In the city of Austin, public schools with rapidly growing enrollment found themselves facing a 5.5 percent cut in the 2011–2012 school year and 8.5 percent the next year. The quandary was far from extraordinary—37 states spent less on education in 2011 compared to 2010. Neither was one of the Austin schools’ solutions: seeking grant money from the world’s largest philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Ed Dept seeks to bring test-based assessment to teacher prep programs

We know that using Value Added Method (VAM) to evaluate teachers -- evaluating teachers using student test scores -- isn't valid. Why would the US Department of Education want to extend that use to evaluate teacher training institutions?

The Education Department just tried — and failed — to persuade a group of negotiators to agree to regulations that would rate colleges of education in large part on how K-12 students being taught by their graduates perform on standardized tests. As part of this scheme, financial aid to students in these programs would not be based entirely on need but, rather, would also be linked to test scores.

The department’s plans assume that standardized test scores can reliably and validly be used for such accountability purposes . Most researchers in this field say they can’t — for a number of reasons, including the limitations of the tests themselves — and therefore shouldn’t be used for any high stakes decision in education anywhere. They say that making test scores so important is one of the negative consequences of the last decade of No Child Left Behind, and shouldn’t be continued.

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Florida Privatizer Stumps for Bennett

Patricia Levesque is a proponent of online learning schools and is a Florida associate of Jeb Bush. She is definitely not a friend of public education and is a supporter of Indiana's Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Bennett.

The Nation has an article titled Online Learning Companies Bought America's Schools, as well as an interactive national map, The Privatization of Education, showing how charters and online schools are making inroads against regular public schools.

Levesque has been a strong player in the privatization movement in Florida. The Nation wrote,

Patricia Levesque, a top adviser to former Governor Jeb Bush, spoke to fellow reformers at a retreat in October 2010. Levesque noted that reform efforts had failed because the opposition had time to organize. Next year, Levesque advised, reformers should “spread” the unions thin “by playing offense” with decoy legislation. Levesque said she planned to sponsor a series of statewide reforms, like allowing taxpayer dollars to go to religious schools by overturning the so-called Blaine Amendment, “even if it doesn’t pass…to keep them busy on that front.” She also advised paycheck protection, a unionbusting scheme, as well as a state-provided insurance program to encourage teachers to leave the union and a transparency law to force teachers unions to show additional information to the public. Needling the labor unions with all these bills, Levesque said, allows certain charter bills to fly “under the radar.”

Levesque runs a lobbying firm in Tallahassee which lobbies on behalf of ed-tech companies. The advice above, however, was given to

a group of education philanthropists at a conference sponsored by notable charities like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. Indeed, Levesque serves at the helm of two education charities, the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a national organization, and the Foundation for Florida’s Future, a state-specific nonprofit, both of which are chaired by Jeb Bush. A press release from her national group says that it fights to “advance policies that will create a high quality digital learning environment.”

Despite the clear conflict of interest between her lobbying clients and her philanthropic goals, Levesque and her team have led a quiet but astonishing national transformation.

A "national transformation" which encourages privatization.

Levesque sent the following mass e-mail, trying to raise out of state support for Bennett. We need to respond. Following the letter from Levesque is a list of talking points which explains why our legislators should not support Tony Bennett. Below the talking points are the names and emails of the members of the Select Commission on Education.

Letter From Levesque

Friends,

We need your help. I know you all are very busy, but if you could spare 15 minutes to write a few emails, we would be extremely grateful.

Tony Bennett, Indiana’s incredible reform-minded leader in education is getting a lot of “friendly fire” pushback on Indiana’s education reforms.

The Legislature has formed a Select Commission on Education which will have its first meeting on Tuesday and will meet for several weeks. While the public message is that this Select Commission is to get an update on the state of the reform policies and the implementation process, behind the scenes we have learned that the legislature will likely rake Tony over the coals. A lot of this is the normal tension between the legislative vs. executive branch. However, some of this hostility is due to legislative allies of charter schools who are concerned with the strong accountability Tony is putting in place to ensure all public schools, including charter schools are effectively educating their students.

Legislative leaders do not realize that thanks largely to Tony’s leadership and vision, Indiana is a national leader for reform. States across the nation are watching what Indiana is doing and trying to replicate or, to use Louisiana as an example, supersede them. If they force Tony to turn back the clock on the reforms – including school accountability, reading, school choice and teacher reforms – there will be national consequences.

Would you take a moment to email the commission members (attached is a list of the email addresses for the commission members)? The message should be focused on policy, not the person of Tony Bennett. But it would be good for these members to hear from folks outside of Indiana that what Indiana is doing is important. They must stay the course. Indiana’s students need them to; other states who want to follow Indiana’s lead need them to.

Even if you can’t support Tony/Indiana’s reforms as an organization, if you would write a personal email stating that as a citizen watching education reform across the country that you hope they stay strong, that would be greatly appreciated.

Please join us in supporting Tony and Indiana’s education reforms.

Let us know if you have any questions. Please feel free to email the members directly, but if we can be helpful in getting the letters to them, we are happy to do so. If you would like to copy us when you send your emails that would be great. We want to let Tony’s team know the volume of support that these legislative members will be receiving.

Thanks,

Patricia

Ps. Here is a link to the official committee page and meeting notice http://in.gov/legislative/interim/committee/sedu.html

Also, here is a really short summary of the work Tony has done with the Legislature as a partner in the past 3 years. Feel free to pick out issues to include in your emails.

• Modernizing the teaching profession – including alternative routes to certification for teachers, tying student data to teacher evaluations, eliminating LIFO and ending tenure as they know it
• Complete overhaul of the state funding formula
• Statewide scholarships for low-income students to go to the private school of their choice
• Charter school expansion and accountability
• A-F school grade accountability
• Reading for learning – a focus on early literacy and end to social promotion in the third grade

Talking Points

Here are some talking points you may use in your email to legislators regarding the Indiana Department of Education's policies. Feel free to leave comments adding additional ideas.

• There is no evidence to show that data driven teacher evaluations have any bearing on teacher quality. If one teacher has all AP classes with highly motivated students and another teacher has special needs students who are struggling to keep their heads above water, how exactly is that an adequate method to evaluate a teacher?
• "Tenure" is another issue which Dr. Bennett thinks is important. Tenure in Indiana is simply due process. Removing a teacher's job security just eliminates the teacher's ability to voice an objection to policies that he/she may think are unsound educationally. Teachers in Indiana can be removed from their positions if they are not doing their job. Administrators must, however, give teachers due process.
• Dr. Bennett's statewide "scholarships" are just another word for vouchers, which is an additional drain on already financially troubled public schools. The Superintendent of Public Instruction should be an advocate for public schools; however, it seems as though Dr. Bennett's goal is to undermine regular public schools in favor of charter and private schools.
• The IDOE states that they are expanding charter schools and making them more accountable. Only the first part of that sentence has been accomplished. Charter schools are expanding at an exponential rate, but since they don't have to accept all students and can pick and choose who may attend, they are hardly accountable. The playing field is definitely uneven.
• I-Read 3 is an example of the IDOE's lack of consideration given to the educational value of programs and the unintended consequences of poor planning. There seems to be no clarity about whether students who do not pass are to be retained in 3rd grade, a practice not supported by research, or whether they will be socially promoted and moved on to 4th grade while doing 3rd grade lessons.
• During your interim session, I hope that you will address some of these issues, and I hope that you will hold Dr. Tony Bennett and the IDOE accountable for the consequences of the policies they have instituted without thoughtful deliberation or the input of public school teachers, parents and concerned citizens.

Select Commission on Education- Indiana

200 West Washington Street, Suite 301Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2789
Tel: (317) 233-0696 Fax: (317) 232-2554

Members:
Rep. Robert Behning, Co-Chairperson
h91@IN.gov

Rep. Rhonda Rhoads, Rep. Timothy Brown
h70@IN.gov

Rep. Edward Clere
h72@IN.gov

Rep. David Frizzell
h93@IN.gov

Rep. Kathleen Heuer
h83@IN.gov

Rep. Cindy Noe
h87@IN.gov

Rep. Jeffrey Thompson
h28@IN.gov

Rep. Greg Porter
h96@IN.gov

Rep. David Cheatham
h69@IN.gov

Rep. Clyde Kersey
h43@IN.gov

Rep. Vernon Smith
h14@IN.gov

Rep. Shelli Vandenburgh
h19@IN.gov

Sen. Dennis Kruse, Co-Chairperson
Senator.Kruse@iga.in.gov

Sen. Carlin Yoder
Senator.Yoder@iga.in.gov

Sen. James Banks
Senator.Banks@iga.in.gov

Sen. James Buck
Senator.Buck@iga.in.gov

Sen. Luke Kenley
Senator.Kenley@iga.in.gov

Sen. Jean Leising
Senator.Leising@iga.in.gov

Sen. Scott Schneider
Senator.Schneider@iga.in.gov

Sen. Earline Rogers
S3@iga.in.gov

Sen. Frank Mrvan
s1@iga.in.gov

Sen. Timothy Skinner
s38@iga.in.gov

Evaluate Pediatricians using Child's Growth?

Parents Across America suggests that using a Value Added Model for evaluating teachers is like using children's physical growth to evaluate pediatricians...

What’s next? Judging pediatricians on patient “growth”?

Judging pediatricians on the changes in the height and weight of their young patients as measured at their annual physicals from one year to the next makes just as much sense as using student “growth” on annual standardized reading and math tests to evaluate teachers.

But that’s just what the Chicago Public Schools will be doing beginning this fall, despite warnings from some 100 local education experts, who spoke out last week about the dangers of this evaluation model. Chicago Public Schools is rushing into a system in which test scores will soon account for up to 40% of a teacher’s job evaluation.

Click here to read the entire article.

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April 18, 2012: Question of the Day

NEIFPE has done considerable research on a number of topics regarding education. We have found a huge amount of information, yet this information has led us to ask even more questions.

Here are questions that we think you might want to ask your state legislators,
your school board members, your administrators, and the IDOE:

• With regard to IREAD, what happens to kids who don't pass?
• What are your school's plans to handle this?
• Will the 3rd grade students who do not pass be retained or will they be
  moved to 4th grade?

Get information about how to contact your legislators HERE and HERE.
Contact the Indiana Department of Education HERE.

Click the question mark below to see all our Questions of the Day or click the link in the sidebar.

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Book Review: The Shame of the Nation

The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America by Jonathan Kozol

Reviewed by Susie Berry

Jonathon Kozol has been writing about education and schools (particularly schools that support children of poverty) for more than 40 years. The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America provides compelling evidence that the poorest children in this country are being short-changed. For example when this book was written (2005), the amount of spending per pupil in Detroit was $9,576 compared to $12,825 per pupil in nearby, suburban, Bloomfield Hills. Kozol describes the horrible conditions of many schools in New York – mold, bugs, collapsing ceilings, and severe overcrowding. He quoted a letter from a child named Alliyah (an eight-year old from the Bronx) who said, “We do not have the things you have. You have clean things. We do not have. You have a clean bathroom. We do not have that. You have Parks and we do not have Parks. You have all the thing and we do not have all the thing … Can you help us?”

While making observations about the poor physical conditions of so many of these schools – and often comparing these conditions to the much better conditions of the schools in the suburbs, Kozol described teachers who were striving to do their best with kids despite all these obstacles. The descriptions of activities in classrooms and the high expectations of so many principals and teachers were heart warming. Kozol’s theme seemed to be that many principals and teachers are doing their best to be good teachers despite disturbing conditions.

Kozol and others (quoted in the book) are concerned about the discrepancies in money spent and the increase in “prescribed lessons” (He used “Success For All” as an example.) in the schools with underprivileged children. He compared that with more creative and joyful lessons in the schools with higher test scores. He sees a shift; schools are becoming segregated again – almost a case of “haves” and “have nots.” He quoted Congressman John Lewis (who was born to a family of sharecroppers in Pike County, Alabama) who spoke about the dismantling of court-ordered integration and the recent movement toward school vouchers. Lewis says that all these changes are leading us to “turn away from one another” and to “retreat into separate tribes.” This, contends Kozol, is “the shame of the nation.”

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Evaluating Pediatricians like Teachers

Parents Across America suggests that using a Value Added Model for evaluating teachers is like using children's physical growth to evaluate pediatricians...

What’s next? Judging pediatricians on patient “growth”?

Judging pediatricians on the changes in the height and weight of their young patients as measured at their annual physicals from one year to the next makes just as much sense as using student “growth” on annual standardized reading and math tests to evaluate teachers.

But that’s just what the Chicago Public Schools will be doing beginning this fall, despite warnings from some 100 local education experts, who spoke out last week about the dangers of this evaluation model. Chicago Public Schools is rushing into a system in which test scores will soon account for up to 40% of a teacher’s job evaluation.

Click here to read the entire article.

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