ProgressEd

Mapping Teacher Leadership

2012-01-14T12:12:00.006-05:00

Comments from 60+ teachers when asked, "What does teacher leadership mean to you?" The words "teacher" and "leadership" were removed before the word cloud was created. Check out Wordle for a fun word cloud tool.

Everything's amazing and nobody's happy

2011-12-22T19:28:00.001-05:00

Over at Education Week, my buddy Patrick Ledesma posts an insightful article about the use of technology, a sense of immediacy, and the implications for [public] education. The idea is that public access to privatized messages from teachers can increase an individual teachers' wealth.

The video, Everything's amazing and nobody's happy, is pretty funny, and Patrick infers that creative teachers can wrangle technology for personal gain. Perhaps.

I appreciate Patrick's insightful perspective -- and I never really liked all those zeros (watch the video). But why is it that we sometimes align the maximization of individual liberty ('...a level of voice...") with economic prowess ("... financial security...")?

I like money, but I want democracy AND sustainable wealth. If we privatize, what mechanisms are left in place to sustain the public democracy AND sustain wealth?

Teacher Professionalism and Leadership

2011-12-21T19:48:00.006-05:00

In a recent USA Today article, Wendy Kopp (CEO of Teach for America) and Dennis Van Roekel (President of the National Education Association), recommend “3 steps improve the USA’s teachers.”

Of course everyone wants to improve, but it would be helpful to determine what the specific problems are before we create policy guidelines. Once the problems are identified, teachers should be directly involved in creating, implementing and evaluating the solutions.

Specifically, Kopp and Van Roekel suggest that we:

Use data to improve teacher preparation.
Bring new talent to the teaching profession.
Give teachers opportunities for continuous professional development.

Of course teachers are life-long learners and we are, therefore, interested in continuous improvement. However, when it comes to student learning, the focus on teachers is incomplete. We should also consider the students' readiness to learn when they arrive at school.

In order to learn, students need to be well-rested, well-fed, safe, and curious when they arrive at school. If that's not the case, then we need to look to the social and economic context in which the children live outside of school. And yes, teachers do have some perspective on that context.

An over-emphasis on teacher quality is a distraction from what truly ails us: students' and teachers' diminished ability to make informed (and careful) decisions about their learning.

Over-emphasis on teacher quality as the "...single biggest factor in student success..." implies that if students are not succeeding, or learning, then teachers should be held accountable. Yet research from the Center for Teaching Quality has shown that teachers are less effective when they have poor working conditions.

The onus is on teachers to advocate for effective working conditions, among other things. Teachers should be involved in the design and implementation of curriculum, instruction, assessment AND policy -- all aspects of our working conditions. This emphasis on teacher leadership ties in very well with the US Department of Education's Blueprint for Reform that emphasizes teacher professionalism.

Within the article, it is not clear if Kopp and Roekel are referring to worthwhile assessments of "student learning" -- or simple measurements of "student success." Poorly-designed standardized tests CANNOT be used to correlate the quality of teacher training programs.

Why use bad data to create wishy-washy (or worse) policy?

Big Money In Education Reform

2011-12-14T12:41:00.001-05:00

I know a lot of extraordinary teachers, so please consider applying for this award below :).

A Major New Award for Extraordinary Teaching
Amazing teachers deserve more attention. That’s the idea behind the Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice, a new award that honors extraordinary teachers with $25,000 and the opportunity to share their expertise with educators nationwide. Offered by TNTP, a nonprofit organization [led by Michelle Rhee for its first 10 years] led working to ensure that more students learn from excellent teachers, the prize will be given to up to five teachers each year. Any full-time teacher working in a high-poverty public school, including charter schools, may apply. The deadline for applications is Friday, February 3, 2012. Learn more and apply online at www.tntp.org/fishmanprize.

[COMMENTARY] There is some big money behind some types of education reform. Not all of that money is designed to sustain democratic public education.

When Michelle Rhee, or others, say that "...the single most important factor determining whether students succeed in school is not the color of their skin or their ZIP code or even their parents’ income — it is the quality of their teacher...," more questions are raised than answered. On the surface, one might think that teacher quality would imply that teachers should somehow be involved in creating the schools (and policies) that influence their effectiveness. Yet many reformers -- conservative, neo-liberal or heavy-handed Marxist -- often overlook teachers as the experts in the room. Quite undemocratic.

Some messy questions to consider:

If students are not doing well (on standardized tests), does this imply that teachers are merely "ordinary" or just plain lousy at their jobs?
If teachers are not as effective as they could be, are there other in-school variables that influence student learning? What does it mean when we isolate the teachers as a single variable and ignore the other variables that could affect student learning? What if smart teachers are saddled with stultifying working conditions, dangerous hallways or classrooms, or children arrive at school hungry, tired and/or stressed?
If you take an effective teacher and move her/him from 5th grade to 3rd, and then to 4th, will her/his effectiveness be compromised year to year?
Why is it that under-performing schools often have higher teacher turn-over and higher rates of newer teachers?

[/COMMENTARY]

PA Charter Schools and Democratic Accountability

2011-11-04T06:40:00.000-04:00

The School District of Philadelphia has decided to close 9 schools in an attempt to reduce the excess capacity by 14,000 seats. Since 2000, the District has lost over 50,000 students. And since PA approved charter legislation in 1997, over 48,000 students have enrolled in charter schools.

There is a clear connection between the loss of students to charters and the disinvestment in traditional public education, i.e. the closing of schools.

But charter schools can co-exist with traditional public school districts, provided that the state-level charter legislation is more teacher-friendly. By involving more teachers in democratic educational reform, we are more likely to benfit from their professionalism, creativity and expertise.

Charter legislation in Pennsylvania is presently not that teacher-friendly in that it marginalizes teachers (and local unions) from the innovative charter school process: teachers who work at the school can't serve on the board of a charter school. Nor can they be members of the local bargaining unit. These two provisions exclude two important groups that could actually sustain worthwhile educational reform.

It could get worse.

According the the Education Law Center, PA state Senate Bill 904 and House Bill 1348 are designed to change charter school legislation so that there is actually less democratic accountability: 10-year renewals rather than 5, conversion of any school to a charter, and a state-level commission to directly approve charter schools.

If we're gong to revise charter school legislation, we can do better:

Charge the PA State Commission with explicitly helping LEAs, parents, teachers and unions study, modify and/or adopt effective innovations within the charter school networks.
Modify the oversight of individual charters to require teacher representation. If the argument has been that teachers have had little influence over the direction of traditional public schools, then teachers should be able to effectively influence public education through charters, if necessary.
Allow PA charter employees to opt-in to (or cooperate with) the membership of the local union's collective-bargaining unit. This will help the employees within a charter ensure due process. As for "seniority" that is associated with unions, charters should be explicitly permitted to retain site-based hiring (a provision that already exists within traditional public schools). Charters should also be required to design their budgets that do not penalize (or discourage) experienced teacher applicants due to their higher salary expectations.
Allow/encourage local unions (or their partners) to open and supervise charter schools. If the argument is that the LEA and it's policies hinder teacher effectiveness, then local unions should be able to manage charters effectively while maintaining union membership within the LEA.
Require that charter schools provide opportunities for teacher leadership through teacher-led professional development, peer evaluation, common planning time, and engagement-oriented (rather than compliance-oriented) administrative supervision.
The legislation should also be explicit about using "multiple measures of teachers' effectiveness" in determining faculty retention, teacher salaries, etc. Assessing teachers' effectiveness on high-stakes standardized tests is an incomplete and ineffective strategy. The use of multiple measures to determine teachers' effectiveness is in alignment with position statements by the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers and the US Department of Education's Blueprint for Reform - Reauthorizing ESEA.

It's time for more democratic accountability -- in all aspects of educational reform.

What do well-funded schools look like?

2011-10-16T21:15:00.000-04:00

Below are a few things we could do to create well-funded, dynamic and engaging schools. What would you add, take away or modify?

Create smaller class size; I don't care what the research says, I just know I can be more effective when I can know fewer students more deeply. Right now, I have 125-145 students, depending on the day. When I taught at an independent school, I had about 60-80 students/day.
Build and maintain beautiful school facilities with a fully funded library, computer centers (or 1:1 laptops as needed), resplendent arts studios and athletic programs, well-funded class trips, and access to green space. These sorts of things already happens in some schools, but it sometimes means we create privilege rather than cultivate democracy.
Have healthy, sustainable and tasty lunch programs - free to all, including faculty and staff.
Foster flexible teacher leadership so that individuals can have one foot firmly in the classroom (with benefits) and another foot in research-world (for policy, curriculum studies, or professional development). Each school would formally have at least 1 such teacher leadership position for every 10 teachers, and the capacity for other positions to be created.

Education for Democracy is Patriotic

2011-10-16T08:48:00.007-04:00

The more-than-adequate financial support of public education is an expression of democracy. Unfortunately, public education is under-funded. Teachers need to balance defense (how can we manage budget cuts?) with advocacy: the full funding of public education (smaller class size, for starters*).

What can we do to help advance the idea of public education as a foundation for our democracy (assuming we agree)?

CLICK ON THE GRAPHIC below for an clearer image that helps me visualize the relationship between democracy and education. Comments/suggestions welcome.

* What are some features of adequately-funded democratic education? See subsequent post.

Reclaiming Choice

2011-10-08T04:17:00.004-04:00

Gary Olberman, an effective advocate for progressive democratic education, shared an article from Forbes entitled "Why I Support the Teachers Unions." One of many lines from the article that caught my attention:

Once they take away job security and collective bargaining rights, what’s to stop them from taking away pay, benefits, and everything else?"

There's also an interesting discussion about how school choice has been used to undermine public education. I agree.

Though I'm unsure about the demonization of "choice." I think choice has been redefined, inappropriately, by some sectors within our society, as a method to privatise public education. But what if we reclaimed choice as an expression of democracy?

For example, why not advocate for teacher-led public schools that offer a variety of choices in terms of curricula, instructional strategies, community partnership, etc.? One-size curriculum for all, where all students have to be tested on the same day, doesn't give teachers or students much choice about how or what or where they learn.

At the school level, effective teachers can provide choices for individuals within any particular curriculum. Yes, we will study "cells as building blocks," but what are the myriad of ways that well-supported teachers can help engaged students choose how they develop, or experience, that scientific understanding?

And we've got to give teachers choice in the schools they serve. In the larger districts, such as Philadelphia's, teachers are assigned without any consideration of "best match" to a specific community. Students, parents and teachers should be able to interview prospective teacher candidates and then choose those that are best aligned with that community's pedagogical approach -- all in the name of democracy.

We've got to develop the capacity of our schools to make smart choices that maximize individual freedom while also honoring collective equality (if not equity). And if we can't trust our teacher leaders to do this, then we have a serious problem.

The Excellence Myth & Poverty in America

2011-09-15T21:49:00.002-04:00

Over at transformED, Dan Brown discusses the impact of poverty on over 46 million Americans. Part of the problem is that it's hard to be poor in America. And when poor people go to school, it's often hard for them to learn well. And when students don't learn well, teachers get blamed. Dan argues that the "No excuses" mantra about teachers doesn't really address the debilitating violence of poverty.

I think Dan has also picked up on the myth of excellence. It's the same ideology that produced "Waiting for Superman," as if teachers just worked hard enough, everything would change.

Although individual teacher excellence is important, we also should look at lateral relationships, or capacity, or what some call social capital. If our society can help cultivate each person's or community's social capital, then kids (and teachers) will show up at school well-rested, well-fed, feeling safe, curious and nurtured, and ready to learn.

Poverty diminishes social capital in that people have little influence over their environment/surroundings (i.e safe neighborhoods, stable networks, access to healthcare, libraries, food, etc). If you're a teacher, your social capital is diminished when policy decisions happen without you, when PD is done to you, and when your creativity and initiative are smothered by standardized testing or teacher-proof curricula.

It shouldn't be a crime to be poor in this country, but it is. And families and children (and teachers) are punished for their proximity to poverty.

Effective Teacher Evaluation: Stuck in the Middle

2011-09-13T12:53:00.001-04:00

According to an article in EdWeek, New groups giving teachers alternative voice, "...52% of teachers now have 10 or fewer years in the profession...." Many of these new teachers are interested in new models of compensation, teacher leadership and career choices. Not all teachers, regardless of their experience, agree on what it means to be an effective teacher.

Some of the newer teachers are finding their voices in new teacher advocacy groups, some of which are aligned within unions (see NEWTLA in Los Angeles) or outside of the local (see Educators 4 Excellence in NYC). Some of these groups receive funding from the Gates Foundation, while others do not. It is arguable that E4E could be characterized as neo-liberal in its call for 1) teacher evaluation to be based on student growth and 2) the elimination of seniority. Other groups, such as Teachers Union Reform Network, seek to integrate labor, professional and social justice models of unionism. And as a member of Teacher Leaders Network, I've seen my own positions on educational policy be characterized as either too conservative or too liberal.

Some of our own colleagues may agree with some or all of these new teacher groups' platforms.

There is no clear political designation for these emergent groups, yet I would argue that our unions could be more communicative, both horizontally among members, and vertically between members and the union officers. For example, with Philadelphia's upcoming negotiations about the teacher contract (which expires in 2012), effective communication is a concern. Where and when do teachers get to influence the direction of contract negotiations?

The issue of "teacher evaluation" is moving towards Philly, and it would be wonderful for teachers to have more of a say in what it could look like. In order to do that, we'll all have to do a lot more research on effective teacher evaluation policy. If we're going to influence our union to cultivate teacher voice more often, then we're going to have to have concrete ideas that we can get out in the public discourse.

I'm delighted that some site-based unions will be taking a closer look at teacher evaluation. I wonder where Philly's Teacher Action group is.

What do you think is effective teacher evaluation? What does it look like? How can it be designed to foster student engagement, teacher voice, and professional growth?

18 year-old Advocates for Worthwhile Teaching

2011-08-26T21:44:00.006-04:00

Check out Sinnea Douglas, a 2011 grad of Philadelphia's Science Leadership Academy (SLA), share her take on worthwhile teaching in the poem "When I become a teacher."

Sinnea started working with poetry in Matthew Kay's lunch-time poetry club at SLA in 2009. By 2001, Sinnea and her buddies from Philadelphia's Youth Poetry Movement won the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival.

Rock-on Sinnea, you're beautiful. And thank you!

(Thanks to Laurie Calvert from the US Department of Education for finding an opportunity toi share Sinnea's words on the teacher landing page at the ED.gov website.)

U.S. annualized corporate profits: $1.68 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2010.

2011-06-04T14:55:00.010-04:00

This past Wednesday, May 31, 2011, Philadelphia's School Reform Commission passed the District's budget. The SRC also passed a resolution to cancel previously approved collective bargaining agreements if they are not re-negotiated by Jun 30, as if unions were somehow responsible for the District's budget deficit.

When it comes to laying off teachers, eliminating programs, or dishonoring the legacy of teachers unions, where is the focus on the incredible wealth being amassed in the private sector? If there's a shortage in funds for public education, then raise taxes. This is an argument that the SRC can stand behind.

Although it may not be the most well-received (at least nationally), I wish the SRC had said something like "We call on local, state and federal governments to structure taxes to support public education as a foundation for a civil democracy." After all, the New York Times reported that as of "...Jun, 2009, U.S. annualized corporate profits rose 42 percent, to a record $1.68 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2010."

Stumbling towards democracy

2011-06-01T15:25:00.005-04:00

Over at CTQ, we're wrapping up our Teaching2030 bookclub. One thing I've learned is that good people don't always agree on educational reform. And that disagreement is a source for learning; check out what a Susan Graham, a CTQ colleague, had to say about educational reform funding cycles:

And since the funding cycle for grant money isn't all that long, I can't wait years for evidence of success, so long term results like the 30 year Tennessee kindergarten study aren't feasible measures. Besides, end of year test scores are funded by someone else and don't eat into my grant budget.

Susan, thank you for the frank description of educational reform cycles. There's a lot here to help us be more effective with our efforts. For example, if funding cycles are driving reform schedules, then we'll have to work on that -- as long as the cycles are stultifying.

I'd like to offer another perspective of educational reform. The funding of public education, and reform, represents a revenue stream. That stream can be directed towards 1) the cultivation of democratic education or 2) the accumulation of private wealth.

I know that educational reform is not as black and white as democracy v. privatisation, and that there is some overlap. For example, non-profits participate in educational reform, whether they are the "good guys" or the "bad guys."

However, I'd rather stumble towards democratic education than disrupt valuable learning by:

demonizing teachers
entrapping students in endless standardized test-prep
marginalizing families
ignoring the fundamental social issues that create educational inequities in the first place.

We are all teacher leaders. Some of us may dabble in, or even embrace, teacherpreneurism. But no matter how we identify ourselves, I think we should closely examine what it is we think is the purpose of public education. If we want to make some extra money as we lead, or teach adjunct, or administer grants, or facilitate PD, then fine. If teacher leadership is a means for us to be more effective and to exercise our voice and to influence reform efforts, then terrific.

Whatever we do, we should be intentional. For me it's about democratic education. So invite me to your next PD and we can tear into some good readings, map curriculum, or develop professional development plans. And we can work out the remuneration at a later date ;).

If I were Secretary of Education...

2011-05-23T13:34:00.000-04:00

Education Week blogger and school teacher Nancy Flanagan tells us about her plan for national education reform -- especially if she had the resources of the Department of Education at her fingertips.

If I were Secretary of Education, I'd revise Race To The Top so that --

"civil democracy" was promoted as a central aim of education;
college and career readiness were framed as natural outgrowths of a civil democracy;
teachers had the time and resources to develop meaningful assessments that tell us about students' critical and creative thinking strategies;
teachers were invited to participate in policy discussions, teacher education, research and program administration (perhaps with modified, i.e. reduced, classroom assignments);
resources were leveraged for systemic reform that supported safe communities, stable families, national healthcare, and meaningful employment.

What would YOU do, if you were the Secretary of Education?

Mind the gap -- on education for democracy.

2011-05-22T08:38:00.005-04:00

Is there is a gap between the power of the Gates Foundation, what teachers do everyday in the classroom, and what Teaching 2030 (T2030) proposes? How closely are these three aligned?

The Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ) has emphasized the importance of cultivating and sustaining teacher involvement in local and national education policy. What infrastructure has to be in place so that this happens more effectively and more frequently? And how can we financially sustain such initiatives? Supporting smart professional learning communities, and then publishing books like T2030, are no easy tasks.

Where, when and how do we look at the bigger picture? Are we just fish, swimming is a school, hoping to influence the sway and swirl of our fellow educators, policy-makers, legislators and advocates? Diplomacy is an anchor with CTQ, and sustained collaboration with the Gates Foundation would be nice.

Yet where, when and how do we draw the line? Do the authors of Waiting for Superman merely have an accurate, however incomplete, picture of public education? Or is there a coordinated effort to redirect the public education funding stream towards privatisation? If so, what do we lose in the process?

In an article in today's New York Times (Behind Grass-Roots School Advocacy, Bill Gates), we are reminded of the Foundation's leveraged interest ($373 million since 2009; $3.5 billion projected 2011-2016) on education reform:

Gates Foundation funding:
Teach Plus - Indianapolis: "...outspoken teachers helped persuade state lawmakers...to eliminate seniority-based layoff policies." (partial).
American Enterprise Institute - DC: "...to influence the national education debates." $500,000 (2009).
[P]hilanthropic advisory firm, - NYC: "...to mount and support public education and advocacy campaigns." $3.5 million.
Harvard University: "...to place 'strategic data fellows' who could act as 'entrepreneurial change agents' in school districts...." $3.5 million [emphasis added].
campaign lobbying of presidential candidates: $16 million (2008).
Alliance for Excellence in Education (Jeb Bush), DC: "...to grow support for the common core standards initiatives...." $550,000 (2009).
Fordham Institute (Chester Finn), DC/OH: "...review common core materials and develop supporting materials...." $959,000.
Center for Education Policy, DC: "...to track which states adopted the standards." $1 million (2009-2011 est.).
AFT & NEA, DC: $6.3 million (2008-2011).
social action campaign focused on the film Waiting for Superman. $2 million (2010).

To what end? What is the Gates Foundation (and others) trying to accomplish? The educational mission statement from the Gates Foundation websites prioritizes college readiness: The foundation has set an ambitious goal in K-12 education: to graduate all students college-ready. Currently, only a third of students graduate on-time with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed beyond high school. Together with our partners, we are working to provide all students—especially low-income and minority students—with the opportunity to realize their full potential.

Is college readiness an adequate platform for meaningful educational reform? How does eliminating teacher seniority for layoffs increase college readiness? How can the change levers within T2030 be leveraged to find common ground?

What if public education was about the cultivation of a civic democracy?

A New Teacher Unionism

2011-04-28T22:16:00.003-04:00

Steve Owens, one of my colleagues from the Teacher Leaders Network, recently posted some interesting questions on his ED.gov blog:

What constructive role do you see for unions in education reform?
What suggestions do you have for how the Department can build the capacity of stakeholders to participate meaningfully in the great policy debates of our time?

Steve is a music teacher, president of his NEA local, and a classroom-based Teaching Ambassador Fellow with the US Department of Education. Steve helped me understand about the three branches of a new unionism that, if integrated, could help enrich public education. For Steve, and many of his colleagues within the Teachers Union Reform Network, new unionism includes the integration of industrial, professional and social justice models. I'll write more about new unionism later, but I wanted to address Steve's questions.

I think unions can have a much stronger role in advocating for teacher leadership. For example, I’d like to see more unions working with districts to create regional (if not school-based) “fellowships” in which teachers have 1/2 classroom responsibilities and 1/2 policy/research responsibilities. What a terrific way to cultivate teacher leadership and give teachers the time and resources to refine their understandings of policy and research.

The Department can get more stakeholders involved by focusing on state-level school board associations, parent groups, administrators and student unions. I’ve attended school board meetings and have been concerned about the adversarial comments flying back and forth between these stakeholders.

The Department is in a position to leverage relationships so that more people are talking about more of the same things. For example, how can the stakeholders work together to protect teacher (and principal!) pensions? If we want the best teachers (and principals) for our students, then we can surely collaborate to create the best working conditions that attract and retain highly qualified, creative and synergized educators.

Even if we don’t all always agree on specific solutions, the shared understandings will help us keep the conversation focused.

So, back to Steve's questions:

What constructive role do you see for unions in education reform?
What suggestions do you have for how the Department can build the capacity of stakeholders to participate meaningfully in the great policy debates of our time?

What do you think?

Teaching for profit -- say what?

2011-03-23T19:39:00.004-04:00

Over at The Future of Teaching, John Holland has raised some interesting questions about the differences between "teacher leaders" and "teacherpreneurism." Check out John's graphic (below) to get a sense of where John is heading:

With this graphic, John has done a terrific job of probing the differences between “Teacher Leader” and “Teacherpreneur.” I like money as much as the next person, but I wonder about the “non-profit v. for-profit” dichotomy.

By associating teacherpreneur with profit, we embrace a extrinsic reward model of education. The implication is that teachers would do more/better only if we were paid better. I certainly would like a higher salary, but I think we’ve got to focus on effective working conditions that help teachers flourish. Nor are many of our colleagues just plain “lazy.”

Besides, in order to garner “profit,” you have to exploit some resource. What services are we going to cut in order to create this profit? If we insert profit into public education, then the goal becomes more about making money and less about fostering democratic habits of mind and body [& spirit]. Is "for-profit" a model we want for public education?

Why not just pay teachers really well for their important, child-rearing endeavors and elevate collaboration, creativity and critical thinking as our aims?

Why Teachers Like Me Support Unions

2011-03-22T22:07:00.001-04:00

I support unions because they are fundamental to a healthy and vibrant democracy.

Unions foster individual liberty while ensuring social equality. Unions exist on the "commons" of our lives and stand for the sustainability of collective bargaining, safe and effective working conditions, and justice.

The good folks at EDUSolidarity are leading a campaign to support unions. Read about them HERE, and consider showing your support.

Staying on Message

2011-03-14T16:20:00.001-04:00

What's your message about public education?

How can we continuously engage the public without sounding like a broken record?

The short list:
1) Refer to investments in public education as an expression of patriotism. Divestment in funding of education is unpatriotic.
2) Describe smart spending at college (pre-service teaching), district and/or school level so that the ideas get out there. What programs need to be in place to foster love of learning (or "engagement" or "sustained learning")? Inform as you advocate.

The longer list:
1) Stay on message. Public education is about love of life-long learning and civil democratic engagement. Even though it is exhausting, we've got to have everyone rehearse, investigate and explore this #1 assumption.
2) RTTT emphasizes student preparation to "... succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy." RTTT and other federal, state and local programs should also promote democratic engagement. Public education is an opportunity for students to learn about the infrastructure of democracy.
3) America's economic, political and social prowess depends on creative and critical thinking. Standardized tests do an incomplete job of assessing either. Invest in professional development so that teachers can develop engaging and rigorous curricula that foster both critical and creative thinking.
4) Assess students' growth using a variety of measures, including 8-9 multiple intelligences (MI). Standardized tests incompletely assess verbal & mathematical. Creative and critical thinking has to rely on other domains such as collaboration (interpersonal), time management (temporal -- I think I just invented that MI), and analysis of mistakes/course correction. Failure is an essential ingredient of learning. On this count, high stakes testing measures the wrong things.

We can also assess (K-12 and beyond):
-student attendance
-parent participation
-graduation rates
-employment rates
-sense of civic engagement
-health statistics
-student post-secondary employability
-students growth towards stable home ownership or renting
-students access to libraries, parks and safe neighborhoods
--EMPHASIZE THAT STUDENT GROWTH IS SYSTEMIC
5) Develop a rubric with schools, parents, students for "school readiness." What do students need to benefit from a rigorous, engaging (and therefore joyful) curriculum?
6) Assess teachers growth in collaborative "aims" [not "goals"-pet peeve] that are aligned to everything above -- or parts of above because we are not gods -- and bench-marked progress (1/4ly, yearly).

International Teaching Standards?

2011-01-28T12:37:00.004-05:00

My colleague Zac Chase just shared an article that a national emphasis on reading and math has resulted in a drop-off in science education -- as compared to students scores in other countries. That's certainly possible. However, I think we can view literacy and numeracy alongside, or integrated with, science education. How can we do this? By providing the time and resources for teachers to co-plan effective K-12 curricula, especially within elementary schools.

Elementary teachers are especially well-situated to create integrated curricula that help students identify problems, create solutions, measure outcomes, and co-present with classmates. For example, the study of an urban brownfield (or the African savanna) could easily develop students' language, social studies, math and science skills.

Back to the international comparison of students' test scores. If NAEP is going to be used to compare students' scores with other countries, then what metrics are the other countries using? There's something very unscientific about standardized test scores in general, and when comparing NAEP to other types of tests, in particular. Perhaps the TIMMS tests are better for international comparisons -- but to what end?

I was a bit annoyed when President Barack Obama said that we have to beat other countries in science and math education. US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has been saying the same thing. Both Obama and Duncan have suggested that America's economic future is a stake if we fail to enrich math and science education. Yet if our educational prowess is a means to economic dominance, then somebody, somewhere, has to lose. (Besides, it's American capital that is outsourcing, junk-bonding and/or embezzling. Where is American corporations' sense of patriotism? Oh, I digress).

Of course I want America to have a healthy and sustainable approach to education. Yet I thought the purpose of education was to bring us together as a people on the planet. Where are the international content (and instructional) standards that all people, all over the world, are collaborating and reflecting on? When do we say we have to work with people all over the world to develop the wide range of learning experiences that meet all children's needs?

When do we say that teachers, all over the world, have to have the working conditions where they and their students can thrive?

10 Minutes of Bliss -- for the Effective Teacher

2010-12-08T15:06:00.006-05:00

What makes you feel like an effective teacher? What is it about where you work -- or how you work, that makes you effective?

I feel effective as a teacher at Science Leadership Academy (SLA) because of my working conditions. I have a lot of bright and thoughtful colleagues, well-organized classroom resources (paper, printers, markers, warmth, lab materials, etc.), energetic and curious students, and a supportive administration. I have opportunities to collaborate with colleagues and co-plan curriculum, programs and our professional development. All of these wonderful elements create a platform for consistent effectiveness, whether over a 9-week period, or within a short 10 minutes. Below is an example of 10 minutes that were especially productive.

Earlier this quarter, I worked with "KM," one of our 9th grade science students who hasn't had a lot of experience with writing and organizing. By using a collaboratively-developed lab proposal process, KM has been able to develop his exciting ideas about science and then make them more concrete through structured coaching, encouragement and direct experience in the lab. KM has been able to identify an d describe an unexplained event, develop a hypothesis and procedure and then experiment to find out more about his questions.

The 10-minutes I spent with KM in September carried him through October and November. Each time that I've worked with KM since September, his inquiry has become deeper and his knowledge is deeper. KM now visits my classroom during his free period to work with other 9th graders. KM could have easily become frustrated and lost in the mix, but because of his persistence and my availability, he is engaged and enthusiastic about learning.

These 10 minutes have been so effective because of the explicit commitment from colleagues within the science division to develop a common language around lab proposals (and lab write-ups). Our discussions and deliberations over the last few years have really helped me to refine and enrich my understandings abut what student need in relation to the philosophy and process of science. The professional collaboration at SLA has provided the context and support for me to be more effective. It's also nice to have a functioning lab -- with running water! -- that is attached to the traditional classroom space.

So what makes you feel like an effective teacher? What is it about where you work -- or how you work, that makes you effective?

Fun with Wordle!

2010-12-06T11:13:00.004-05:00

As you may know, we just published a report of teachers' effective working conditions. I then dumped some of the text into Wordle, a fun, word-clouds type graphic arts program. Try it, you'll like it!

Effective & Progressive Unions

2010-12-04T15:51:00.005-05:00

Unions should serve as advocates for 1) effective working conditions and 2) worthwhile education.

I'd like to see a more progressive union in Philadelphia that emphasizes:
1) Teacher-lead professional development.

2) Healthier lunch choices, regardless of school size or vendor contracts.

3) Full-time nurses in each school, every day of the week. Think of the opportunities for "wellness studies" link to science, physical education, social studies and electives.

4) Re-negotiated school calendar that emphasizes time for civic engagement, family time, rest and recreation. Why in the world are children off on Election Day when their parents and teachers are working? How can we re-organize our school calendar so that families have more time to be together? And let's recognize an Indigenous People's Day.

5) Site-based decision-making with regard to hiring, budgeting and curriculum choices. Let's emphasize students' love of learning, collaborating and presenting rather than isolated content. Make district-wide curricula optional and collaborative.

6) Flexible site-based scheduling that emphasizes teachers' co-planning and reflection.

What do teachers unions look like where you're from? What can we do to help our unions be advocates for worthwhile education?

Teachers' Effective Working Conditions

2010-12-02T10:23:00.008-05:00

As a parent, I want engaging learning experiences for my daughter. As a citizen, I think education should foster and model democracy.

As a teacher with the Philadelphia School District, I am very concerned about meaningful student achievement. Over the last year, I've been honored to research and co-author a report on the working conditions that make teachers more effective. A link to the report (pdf or on-line media) is here: http://www.teachingquality.org/publications/ts-twc-report. Here is a synopsis:

Teacher Recruitment: The teacher residency is a good model for recruitment and support of teacher candidates because it aligns college, district and community policy around student needs.

Accountability: Assessment and evaluation systems for students and teachers need to be reciprocal, broad and holistic.

Life-long Learning: Teachers are more effective with the development of professional networks within and across schools to support teaching and learning.

Teacher Leadership: Teachers need diverse opportunities for teacher leadership that do not require removal from the classroom.

Social Capital: As a society, we need to invest in community resources to develop and support effective schools. Children who are safe, healthy and well-rested are more likely to do well in school.

What do you think are the working conditions teachers need in order to be effective?

Teacher Salary Project

2010-10-18T23:57:00.001-04:00

There's been some excitement over at the Center for Teaching Quality boards about a new film project called "The Teacher Salary Project." Of course it's very important to include the voices of teachers in discussions about national, state and local educational policy. Yet the project may actually being doing more to isolate teachers from the general public.

You can check out a clip from the film and decide for yourself. I watched the "Before 9 a.m." clip and was a bit disappointed if not embarrassed.

I don't think teachers are going to build allies with other American workers by suggesting that we work harder than they do. Of course child care is incredibly important and teaching is a noble profession. But to suggest that people who take care of their families and put in a hard days work are less worthy than teachers demeans diversity and democracy. We need all kinds of people to be deeply engaged with their families, communities and society in general.

Heck, I'd love to have time to eat a more relaxed and nutritious breakfast with my family every morning. Good for the real estate broker and the choices he has made.

Managing "October Exhaustion"

2010-10-13T17:43:00.001-04:00

Today in our "school reform" personal learning community (PLC), we acknowledged that it's very challenging to juggle student engagement, curriculum planning, life-coaching and family communications. And when would we have time to study and discuss national education policy?

We all work pretty hard (and I'd say pretty effectively), but we may also be susceptible to "October Exhaustion." Although this usually hits me -- hard -- in November, I do my best to pace myself so that I am relatively healthy and sane in June.

Elena Aguilar, a colleague from the Teachers Leaders Network, has posted an interesting (and somewhat controversial) survival guide for October Exhaustion in EdWeeks' Teacher Magazine. Her main points are summarized below:

Take some time off
Refresh your surroundings
Re-ground yourself in the “why”
Celebrate the successes
Optimize your time
Get some helpers
Learn to say no
Make good health a priority

What do you think? To what extent is this a fair and professional list?

The Limits of Value-Added Models of Assessment

2010-10-11T11:15:00.000-04:00

Diane Ravitch (and others) have a lot to say about the limits of the value-added model (VAM). For those in need of a tune-up on VAM, here is a nice synopsis from the Value Added Research Center.

One of the strengths of the VAM is that is suggests that there is a context in which "learning" takes place: schools, teacher prep programs, families, communities, teacher:student ratios. What has to happen within the context so that children are ready to learn and teachers are supported?

Taken in isolation, VAM has limitations. For example, effective teachers may be miscast as ineffective, and therefore unworthy of employment, recognition and/or bonuses*. Perhaps worse -- ineffective teachers could be identified as effective due to stand-alone standardized test scores.

And what if Oak Tree A is transplanted to Garden B? Or how much time would Gardener B need to be effective in Garden A? Think about switching from teaching 11th grade physics to 8th grade general science, for example. Or switching from 5th graders to 3rd graders. How much time, planning and coaching would you need to get to know the students, the 35rd grade teaching team, the curricula and the families? How long would it take for you to be "effective?"

We can also ask whether standardized tests scores are an adequate measure of learning, no matter how you adjust the numbers.

* For more on teacher bonuses, "Teacher Bonuses Don't Improve Test Scores."

John Dewey is an old-head!

2010-09-06T12:03:00.001-04:00

A colleague recently asked "How do teachers with different years of experiences work collaboratively to engage our students effectively in the classrooms? I've been puzzling over a few comments:

Effective teachers use a variety of strategies to meet their students' needs, whether the teachers are 25 or 65.
I remember that, as a student, my best K-12 experiences were when I was collaborating with classmates on projects ---whether in chemistry or history classes. We could use a variety of approaches to solve problems or unexplained events, we had a degree of flexibility with our use of time, resources were abundant, and we were encouraged to share our findings via unique and creative presentations.
Although I am committed to constructivism, I have found that my students sometimes benefit from a sprinkling of behaviorism.
The biggest challenge for me, whether working with older or younger colleagues, has been understanding, if not agreeing on, the purpose of [public] education. I think that if school communities could work that out (i.e. "What is the purpose of public education?"), teams of teachers, students and families would be in a better position to provide engaging experiences for students.

A younger colleague recently told me that Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences was passe because "...he was looking really old." What does that say about John Dewey (1859-1952)? And a older colleague protested the use of web-based course-ware (such as this platform) because "Technology won't help the kids [learn]." In some sense, both perspectives are a-historical.
I appreciate both the sense of immediacy and the sense of caution. But worthwhile teaching is timeless, and effective teachers use a variety of strategies to engage students. Always have, and always will.

K-12 Copyright fear --- we don't want that here!

2010-08-15T10:31:00.001-04:00

Any advice on how to help public school districts extricate themselves from the clutches of "copyright infringement fear?" Some of our work at my high school has been less effective because the district has blocked such information sites as Netflix, YouTube or blip.tv.

One challenge for us has been access to Netflix. Colleagues of mine had used the streaming feature for instructional use and critique in arts, humanities and science classes --- but the Philadelphia School District blocked Netflix last year. The explanation was that they didn't want to infringe on copyrights.

Another challenge has been the blanketed blocking of YouTube. There are some fantastic educational videos of protein synthesis, for example, that we cannot access because PSD has blocked YouTube content. We had originally wanted students to create their own video animations and were referencing some wonderful material on the web for context. For a high school that emphasizes responsible use of computers in a 1:1 environment, it's been pretty frustrating.

In 2008-2009, our students of African American history made 30-second "commercials" about civil rights. By the time we had uploaded and indexed them on on blip.tv, and then linked them on Wikispaces (http://orange08-09.wikispaces.com/Commercials), we learned that PSD blocked blip.tv when in the PSD network. Forget about in-school cross-curricular reflection and collaboration. (We use TeacherTube now.)

Why not coach students on smart use of educational technology?!?

Effective personal learning communities (PLCs)

2010-08-14T16:26:00.001-04:00

What are the characteristics of effective K-12 teachers' personal learning communities (PLCs), and can they be digital?

I think that for PLCs to be effective, they need 3 things: focus, responsibility and authority. The careful balance of these three results in teachers who are engaged, who have a sense of purpose, and who can influence the school's culture. Most importantly, the PLCs need to cultivate individual's and/or the school's social capital.

PLCs will be more effective if they have a particular focus, whether its departmental (science or history teams, pedagogical (instructional or assessment strategies), operational (grant$ review or school culture) or interest-based (shared readings or other).

Effective PLCs need to have specific responsibilities such as completing a project, reporting back to the larger faculty and/or making policy recommendations. Responsibility implies accountability, and the interaction between PLCs fosters accountability. Schools need a deep leadership bench, and teachers can contribute to a school's strengths (and their own strengths) via PLCs.

A PLC's sense of authority is a tricky one. Some teachers or administrators dispense authority to groups or individuals without proper and gradual experience with cost-benefit analysis, diplomacy, or communications etiquette. If this is true, one solution is to have clear organizational goals and to understand how a specific PLC's aims fit into or advance the larger goals. PLC members also need to develop 6, 12 and 18 months goals (more or less depending on the project) so that they can gradually raise the general social capital of the school overall. PLC's authority need to be honored and administrators, in particular, need to make sure they have provided enough context so that the PLCs understand the implications of their choices and recommendations.

On a side note, PLCs are more likely to be effective when administrators are participants.

Worthwhile education - Part 2

2010-07-23T10:58:00.002-04:00

The program description from the RTTT includes four goals, one of which references competing in a "global economy" (see 4 goals below). I commend Secretary Duncan and his OESE team for crafting an educational plan that includes an orientation to economy - we all need to eat and we all need energy:

"Through Race to the Top, we are asking States to advance reforms around four specific areas:

Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy ;[emphasis added]
Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;
Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and
Turning around our lowest-achieving schools.

I have to ask if the first goal is worthwhile. Is this really what we want for our children?

There is nothing in the program description about a "sustainable" economy, which is much more egalitarian. In fact, I would prefer "...participate in a global democracy" rather than "...complete in the global economy." After all, the purpose of public education is to cultivate an engaged democracy that can make critical and creative decisions about the economy --- not the other way around.

I bring it up because I think the emphasis on economy (rather than democracy) reflects 1) an interest in privatizing public education, and/or 2) a technocratic mindset where education has a utilitarian, measurable function. The assumptions of RTTT (and Nation at Risk before it) have permeated our social discourse to the point where we are deliberating obediency & compliance (re.: accountability) and how and where to build prisons -- rather than liberty, equality and creativity.

As Chris Lehmann says in Practical Theory, we've got to dream about and create what we want for public education. Worthwhile education is built on those dreams.

What are your dreams? What has to be in place for the dreams to be realized?

"Worthwhile education..."

2010-07-14T20:42:00.001-04:00

With all of recent emphasis on standardized tests as a means to identify ineffective teachers, I realized that this is really a distraction form the real challenges we face. Of course there are bad teachers, but what percentage of our profession qualifies?

I think the real challenge is looking at the context of education; students come to school un-rested, under-fed and under-stimulated (with regard to measuring and reading). The onus is on families to take care of their children. This is not to suggest that we can simply blame families; it's hard being poor in America.

I think we have to look even broader. What are the conditions that are creating and maintaining a class of poor people in the first place? And who benefits? (It's like a blame game re: the Deep Horizon oil leak; everyone---including the media---is pointing fingers without asking the important question of energy sustainability).

Having teachers focus on managing ineffective teachers is a distraction. I'd rather work closely with faculty/admin/students & community to cultivate the characteristics of worthwhile public education*:

Well-rested, well-nourished and engaged students

alongside a political economy that provides meaningful & flexible employment, access to healthcare, safe neighborhoods

Equitable building resources (playing fields, books, science equipment, travel/experience budget)
2 year-long co-teaching/internships for new teachers (at a respectable salary)
Teacher-led professional development
Democratic distributed leadership
curricular and instructional flexibility in alignment with content area concepts/principles and developmentally-appropriate learning
site-based budgeting & site-based hiring

What do you think are the characteristics of worthwhile public education?

What are liberal values?

2010-07-07T13:41:00.002-04:00

Although I cannot speak for all liberals, there are several values that we often share. For example, liberals value universal healthcare. All Americans should be able to afford medical and dental regardless of income. Right now, over 40 million Americans do not have healthcare. And roughly 18,000 Americans die every year because of lack of health insurance (Institute for Medicine; Jan 14, 2004; http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3809/4660/17632.aspx). And how many of our neighbors, whether liberal or conservative, think that getting a routine check-up should be easy and affordable?

Another liberal value is energy conservation. You can be certain that liberals appreciate our high standard of living. Many Americans have warm, comfortable homes that use natural gas, oil, and/or electricity to cook food, clean clothes and run lamps. Liberals also understand that there is a finite amount of energy available to support our way of life. In order to sustain our fortunate wealth in the long-term, we will have to be a lot smarter about how we use energy. At the very least, the words “reduce,” “re-use” and “recycle” have an important place in our lives---as liberals and as Americans.

The value of efficient transportation is closely linked with energy conservation. We need local, regional, state and federal transportation planning that makes it easier to get around. Are daily traffic jams on I-95 good for our economy? Liberals also understand that communities should be walkable and bikeable. Right now, there are a smattering of disconnected sidewalks near schools---and no bike lanes. How many of our neighbors, whether conservative or liberal, would like their children to be able to walk or bike more safely to school?

Liberals value public education. Public education exists to cultivate individual freedoms that are attuned to social responsibility. A rich civic life is possible through direct experience with arts, athletics, humanities, math, sciences and vocations. The possibility of a rich civic life may be compromised when you have disparate funding of public education. In the 2006-2007 school year, Radnor, PA spent $17,105 per student while Upper Darby,PA spent $9,727 (Report Card on the School-2007; Philadelphia Inquirer: http://inquirer.philly.com/specials/2007/report_card/. What can we do, as a society, to maintain Radnor’s excellent educational programming while providing comparable funding to less wealthy districts?

America

is a rich and beautiful country because of the myriad of people who have been coming here over the last 500 years. Although parts of our history are not pretty, we’ve had so many wonderful accomplishments because of religious and cultural exchange. The Constitution of the

United States

was designed to foster this exchange in that the majority is expected to act to protect the minority. Anytime a person or group acts to oppress another individual or group, the majority has the responsibility to act judiciously to protect the rights of the minority. Liberals seek to hear and understand differences so that we may be better informed and thereby make better decisions in the common good. Liberals value diversity.

These are five values that liberals often agree on. Sometimes, conservatives may agree with the value but not on liberal policies that support the value---and that’s okay. It is rich and informed discussion about these values that will help America to be a tremendous place to live, work and raise families. Interestingly, some of these secular values have their roots in Jewish, Christian, Islamic or other religious texts that emphasize compassion, caring, and civic engagement. America’s great tradition of secular values will ensure that we will continue to grow and prosper as a vibrant, diverse, and healthy democracy.

Reciprocal Accountability

2010-03-17T21:54:00.000-04:00

I think the idea of "reciprocal accountability" is a breath of fresh air.

I think educators should go further and set up reciprocal accountability at a local, state and national level. For example, teacher effectiveness should be correlated to a range of factors that are informed by students' SES. What is society doing (via a local, state or national infrastructures) to foster the conditions that will help teachers be more effective? Suggestions include:

Children are well-rested and well-fed.
Children have opportunities for quiet-time to reflect about their learning and/or do homework.
Children have safe and numerous opportunities to play/participate in recreation outside of the school environment.
Children have access to fully-funded libraries with fully-supported technology.
Children have access to school facilities and programs, via public funding, that reflect those in wealthy independent schools.
Teacher:student ratios reflect those of highly successful independent schools (after all, if it's good enough for wealthy kids, it should be good enough for poor kids).
Children have access to full healthcare.
Children's families have access to home ownership and job counseling.

Susan Moore Johnson, John Papay, Randi Weingarten and W. James Popham all refer to the acute impact of SES on effective teaching. Give urban or very rural teachers these pre-conditions and we will reciprocate!

"Teacher Effectiveness" & Self-Assessment

2010-03-13T07:11:00.001-05:00

I don't think you can assess teacher effectiveness through students' test scores. Standardized state tests assess student effectiveness --- at taking tests.

Alternatively, I would like "teacher effectiveness" to be a reflection of my ability to:

Cultivate safe classrooms (physically, emotionally, intellectually)
Advise and mentor individual and groups of students
[Re-]organize curricula to meet students' interests
Vary instruction and assessment to address students' needs
Communicate with colleagues, families, school partners
Design professional development that enriches the above criteria

If you could design the criteria for your own "teacher effectiveness," what would it look like?

Teacher Effectiveness and Reciprocal Accountability

2010-03-09T20:33:00.003-05:00

According to an article in the Washington Post (Mar 2, 2010), President Barack Obama has condoned the mass firing of teachers at Central Falls High School, one of RI's poorest high schools:

"If a school continues to fail its students year after year after year, if it doesn't show signs of improvement, then there's got to be a sense of accountability," he said. "And that's what happened in Rhode Island last week at a chronically troubled school, when just 7 percent of 11th-graders passed state math tests -- 7 percent."

-Barack Obama

Of course such low scores on the state's math tests are sad. However, before we conclude that the teachers are accountable for such low scores, we should consider the issue of reciprocal accountability. Specifically, we can ask what kinds of supports were in place to make sure that teachers could be effective. If teachers are going to be accountable for student achievement, then teachers can require that schools, LEAs and state education departments provide the context for student achievement.*

Within schools, reciprocal accountability can mean many things. Most importantly, teachers need to have the time to co-plan and influence school-wide policies. I wonder if Central Falls had any reciprocal accountability in place?

Questions to consider with regard to reciprocal accountability:

Professional development (PD): Are teachers involved in creating and facilitating their own PD? Teachers are in a perfect position to align district priorities with the interests and needs of their students. Why not create working groups in which teachers run PD alongside school and district administrators?
School Climate: Are teachers examining the research on school climate and then developing policy that matches their school's needs?
Assessment: Arguably sub-set of PD, teachers could be looking at a variety of assessments that help them know how students are growing academically - - - and socially. Everything from state-level standardized tests, district-mandated tests, formal and informal assessment, portfolios, rubrics and project-based learning should be up for discussion. Each of these has a profound impact on how teachers organize their curricula and how students experience their learning.

By providing time for teachers to reflect and co-plan, schools and districts will be providing one aspect of reciprocal accountability. What does reciprocal accountability look like to you?

* Up next: considering society's reciprocal accountability to teachers.

Assessing Teacher Effectiveness

2010-02-25T13:22:00.001-05:00

How do we know if a teacher is "good" or "effective?"

Part of the national discussion is (has been) "teacher accountability." According to both No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, assessment of teachers should be associated with overall student growth. Should teachers be held accountable for student learning? If so, how does one measure student learning?

HERE* is an interesting animation that contrasts an "attainment model" of assessing learning --- i.e. how much a child grows over time, vs. a "value-added model" --- i.e. how measurements of child growth are adjusted for environmental variables. Just think of your student as a tree - - - .

How do you want to be assessed as a teacher?

* (Thanks to CTQ's Ali Kliegman for sharing this resource.)

What am I, a bowling ball?

2010-02-25T13:10:00.001-05:00

I believe that professional development (PD) is most effective when teachers have a clear understanding of the larger issues: What's at stake? Administrators (building, district or county) often make the mistake of not cultivating teachers' shared understanding of the larger issues. Teachers therefore do not see how the PD is linked to student engagement, personal growth, or pedagogical concept development.

I recently received an email indicating that district administrators were going to "...do professional development to teachers." What am I, a bowling ball?!?

What is meaningful assessment?

2010-02-14T07:15:00.001-05:00

How do we know children are learning? Do we have to use standardized tests, or are their other ways to make this determination?

In a recent New York Times Op-ed (Feb 2, 2010; Op-Ed. p A23), Susan Engel, director of the teaching program at Williams College, discusses several important components of assessing student learning: reading, writing, computation, pattern detection, conversation and collaboration. Why not develop criteria that assess these skills (or broader, school-based values) as a measure of student learning?

If we assess these broad skills, rather than merely test-taking skills, Engel believes that we will cultivate our students' long-term success. Engel argues that if students are able to demonstrate these skills (by age 12), then "...they would be prepared to learn almost anything in high school or college." While teachers can collaborate on the specifics of the curriculum, Engel has anchored the discussion of student assessment in values, i.e. what is it we value in public education.

According to Engel, one value is raising children rather than raising test scores. Rather than measuring factory-like outputs via a "...curriculum that is strangling students and teachers alike...," she wants educators and policy-makers to consider their process values, i.e. what experiences students and teachers could have.

At Science Leadership Academy (SLA) where I teach, we organize our curriculum around 5 core values that integrate of focus our learning (see Fig. 1 below). Although these criteria are not the same as Ms. Engel's, perhaps we need to extend some flexibility to schools to determine their own values that meet their specific students' and teachers' needs and interests. Once these values are in place, perhaps we can develop meaningful assessments that reflect students' and teachers' relation to the values.

Fig. 1: SLA's Core Value & sample assessment criteria

CORE VALUE	SAMPLE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Inquiry	Student demonstrates a variety of strategies to frame questions about, and investigate, the fictional and non-fictional world.
Research	Student demonstrates a variety of strategies to gather and organize information.
Collaboration	Student demonstrates a variety of strategies to work with and learn from a variety of people.
Presentation	Student demonstrates a variety of strategies to share learning with a wider audience beyond the teacher.
Reflection	Student demonstrates a variety of strategies to modify and enrich the learning process and outcomes.

Democracy & Educational Leadership

2010-02-13T08:59:00.000-05:00

What is it that makes an effective educational leader? Of course we need leaders who can help reform and enrich education --- but to what end? NYTimes columnist Bob Herbert may have some answers.

There's one major problem with Bob Herbert's perspective on educational leadership. He assumes that public eduction exists to advance our country's international economic prowess ("In Search of Education Leaders," Dec 5, 2009). Alternatively, public education exists to cultivate democracy.

A vibrant economy is certainly a worthy goal for any society, but it is democracy that helps individuals make smart choices that advance the common good---both locally and globally. This lesson can be learned at home and in our schools. Yet public education should represent our civil commitment to a democracy that fosters liberty and equality. Worthwhile educational reform requires leadership that is guided by such a democracy.

As Ariel Sacks writes, we should also be careful about programs for educational leadership that are not explicitly linked to classroom teaching. Teachers make hundreds of decisions that help students navigate the complexities of democracy, i.e. the aligment of personal liberties with social equality. Without this direct experience of teaching and learning, what kind of reform can educational leaders provide?