Be sure to enter your email address in the Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.
MORE PRIVATIZATION FOR IPS
Charter allies sweep IPS school board election to win four seats
A sad Election Day for IPS students and communities...and for public education.
From Chalkbeat*
The victories in the hard-fought campaigns all but ensure that the district will expand partnerships with charter schools. The strategy has won it attention from national observers and advocates for “portfolio” districts, where the central office runs its own schools and also oversees the quality of independently managed schools.
Charter-friendly political action committees invested heavily in the IPS board election, and the four winning candidates raised over $390,000 combined — nearly 10 times as much as their opponents did.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TEACHER EVALUATIONS
New Teacher Evaluation Report Released by the Network for Public Education
It's way past time to stop using student test scores to evaluate teachers.
From VAMboozled Blog
1. We recommend an immediate halt to the use of test scores as any part of teacher evaluation.
2. We recommend that teacher collaboration not be tied to evaluation but instead be a teacher-led cooperative process that focuses on their students’ and their own professional learning.
3. We recommend that the observation process focus on improving instruction—resulting in reflection and dialogue between teacher and observer—the result should be a narrative, not a number.
4. We recommend that evaluations require less paperwork and documentation so that more time can be spent on reflection and improvement of instruction.
5. We recommend an immediate review of the impact that evaluations have had on teachers of color and veteran teachers.
6. We recommend that teachers not be “scored” on professional development activities nor that professional development be dictated by evaluation scores rather than teacher needs.
EACS SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION
Bid for 3rd term dashed
Read more about the EACS School Board Election results.
From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**
Voters in East Allen County Schools apparently wanted a change despite a candidate's wish for a third and final term.
But they also endorsed the board's pick for the District 4E seat, which became vacant last fall and required an appointee to carry out the remainder of the term.
Scott Garner challenged incumbent Steve Screeton for the District 4E seat, viewing the election as a chance to let the voters – not the school board – decide who's best for it.
Garner got 2,397 votes, not enough to upset Screeton, a retired teacher who received 2,955 votes – about 55%, according to unofficial election results released Wednesday.
In District 5R, newcomer Jennifer Blackburn won more than half the votes in a three-way race.
Her 10,968 votes led incumbent Bob Nelson's 7,415 and Lee James Wilson Jr.'s 1,670.
Nelson, who has served as board president, sought his third and final term.
Blackburn, a mother of four EACS students, thanked everyone who took time to vote.
FWCS SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION
FWCS seat fate unclear: Smith, 78, gets reelected despite planning to resign
Read more about the FWCS School Board Election results.
From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**
Voters in Fort Wayne Community Schools apparently didn't listen to a candidate's insistence that he doesn't want the job.
They also overwhelmingly supported the board's longest-serving member in a race against a college student and ousted a two-term incumbent in favor of a parent with students in the district.
Board President Julie Hollingsworth doesn't know how incumbent Tom Smith's narrow win against Bill Critell will play out.
A total 7,021 voters – or about 51% – reelected Smith to the District 3 seat, while 6,782 supported Critell, a retired principal, according to unofficial election results released Wednesday.
Smith, who turns 78 in January, decided after the August filing deadline that a second term isn't best for him or District 3. He has said he plans to resign at the end of his current term even if voters thought otherwise.
DEVOS BASHES PUBLIC SCHOOLS ONE MORE TIME
DeVos New NAEP Baloney Sandwich
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos jumped at the chance to bask public schools one more time before she leaves office. January 20th can't come soon enough for the US Public Schools.
From Curmudgucation
Betsy DeVos would like you to know--again, some more--that public schools are failing.
Her exhibit this time is the newly-released NAEP results for 12th graders in 2019. And as usual at NAEP time, her brief exhortation is riddled with baloney.
America is the greatest country on the face of the earth, and we should deliver our rising generation the greatest educational opportunities possible. Sadly, today’s results confirm America’s schools continue to fall far short, and continue to fail too many kids, especially the most disadvantaged.
Wave that flag. But recognize that the NAEP 12th grade scores did not break out students by low-income levels, so DeVos has no idea which students, exactly, are holding the fuzzy end of the test score lollipop. Also, let's not lose sight of the fact that the NAEP is administered to public and private schools, so the same schools that she wants a voucher-paved path to for students--those beloved private schools are in this mix, too.
*Note: Financial sponsors of Chalkbeat include pro-privatization foundations and individuals such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, EdChoice, Gates Family Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, and others.
**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has changed its online access and is now behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both, are available with a subscription. Staying informed is important, and one way to do that is to support your local newspaper. For subscription information go to fortwayne.com/subscriptions/
###
No comments:
Post a Comment