A letter to Barack Obama: want to join us in signing it?

[LWolf]

Obama has admitted that his ideas about public education sometimes "get him in trouble with teachers." Here are some prominent educators, and others, reaching out to him to put the real concerns of educators "on the table." Will you join us?

<snip>

Of all human drives, the need to satisfy curiosity, to learn, to understand, to make sense of experience, appears earliest in life and is more powerful than any other. That the current thrust of public education reform has not moved us significantly closer to meeting that deep human need is now apparent.

Consider: Standards have been imposed. Art, music, recess, history, civics, geography, and other "frills" have been eliminated. Students and teachers have been shamed, intimidated, pushed out, fired. Vast amounts of money and instructional time have been spent on corporately produced tests and test prep materials. "Bars" have been raised. Students have been sorted, labeled, and retained indefinitely in grade. Distrust of educators has been publicly demonstrated as politicians, business leaders, and other non-educators have replaced professional educators in positions of authority.

And what is there to show for this radical, punitive reform strategy, a strategy now known to have been designed to undermine confidence in public schooling and pave the way for alternatives? Look past the ideology-driven, cherry-picked and manipulated data and it is clear that systemic problems not only persist but have intensified. The achievement gap has not closed. New teachers quit at an alarming rate. Homeschoolers continue to abandon the system. Conscience-stricken educators risk job loss to protest policies that are at odds with research and common sense. Experienced teachers resign or seek early retirement. Preoccupation with test scores brings educational innovation to a standstill. The worst and best students are neglected as resources are concentrated on those whose scores might be raised enough to save a school from reorganization or closure.

It is accepted that economies are too complex to be centrally designed and controlled, and that America’s long dominance of the world’s economy is due in large part to the imagination, flexibility, creativity, and initiative of individuals. What must also be accepted is that educating—discerning and altering the images of reality in others’ minds—is more complicated and challenging than maintaining an economy, and therefore even more dependent upon those personal qualities.

Continuing on our present educational course, propelled by the simplistic notion that educating is a mere matter of setting standards, covering the material, and then testing, is a recipe for institutional and societal disaster. Standards? Of course! But standards tied not to a random handful of disconnected school subjects but to the personal qualities essential to individual and societal well-being. Tests? Of course! But tests not of what can be remembered of something read or heard in class and stored in short-term memory, but tests of the ability to make more sense of the present moment, of the trends of the era, of life.

These kinds of standards and measures of accountability cannot be mandated by centralized political authority or acquired by the letting of contracts to corporations. They are products of a constantly bargained agreement between individual learners and their teachers or mentors, based on mutual trust and respect.

We urge you to appreciate the dangers of standardizing education, of focusing narrowly on achieving minimum standards, of locking static subject-matter standards in place in an era of accelerating change, of seeing the young as mere cogs in the wheels of commerce, of assuming that doing more diligently what we have been doing since the 19th Century will see us safely through to the 22nd. We urge you, in short, to reject the superficial "standards and accountability" approach to education reform and the reactionary policies to which it has led.

There are, of course, constructive roles the federal government can play. Welcome, for example, would be actions encouraging broad dialog to clarify the institution’s overarching aim, policies promoting more equitable and stable funding, measures increasing support for research and innovation, and, of course, comprehensive programs addressing poverty, cultural deprivation, environmental degradation, and other problems directly affecting student performance.

But attempts to manipulate what teachers and students actually do must be entirely abandoned. The inherent complexity of the task, its dynamic, constantly changing nature, the importance to its success of imagination, flexibility and creativity, and the gross inadequacy of presently available standardized measures of performance, make centralized control of the classroom dangerously counterproductive.

Let us help you build a system of education we can believe in.

To add your signature, go here:

http://www.avwebnet.com/EducationReformLetter.asp

[ulysses]

1. done.

:)

[LWolf]

2. Thank you.

:hi:

I'm off to spend the day scoring state writing exams. Sitting all day, scoring about 50 papers for six writing traits.

I'll check this thread when I get home tonight.

[Jakes Progress]

30. Yep, I've seen that program.

Sure. All of good writing can be boiled down to six things. This simplification of learning will be the end of us. Pretty soon, every writer will be producing the same style, the same argument, the same thinking as everyone else. I spent several years working at the state and national level with evaluation standards, everything from massive portfolios to simpleton checklists. In the end, after several years and millions of dollars, what was found is that there is no perfect testing program and that the ones that came close cost more to administer and evaluate than we spend on the rest of education programs.

I feel for you in your scoring situation. I took part in, trained other teachers for, and helped work on these kinds of sessions. Some were grueling and some were energizing. None of them work. If what you care about is learning taking place, high stakes testing will always limit the teacher and the child. They will always narrow the scope of instruction and make education less than it was before. The testing culture has become a profit culture. I finally retired a few years early - after only 37 years - because I didn't want my final efforts in the field to be spent helping the neocons produce worker drones. I live in Texas, and this testing culture comes from george's backers. That should be enough to condemn it.

[LWolf]

31. I know several

teachers who took early retirement to get out of the current climate. Several others who were new to the profession. They stayed long enough to complete a different masters, and then left education behind.

The worst thing about the state scoring process is calibrating my scores to state expectations. If I score it the way I do in my own classroom, I'm "too severe." When I second-guess myself and try to figure out what the state really wants, I'm too "lenient." They post statistics on each scorer's "accuracy" several times a day so that we can make sure we are all "in line" with each other, and with the state.

Today is the last day of scoring in this round. I cannot tell you how glad I will be to NEVER see those 4 writing prompts again.

[ulysses]

3. thread title needs more cowbell, apparently.

:kick:

[anigbrowl]

4. Nope. Here's why...

"But attempts to manipulate what teachers and students actually do must be entirely abandoned. The inherent complexity of the task, its dynamic, constantly changing nature, the importance to its success of imagination, flexibility and creativity, and the gross inadequacy of presently available standardized measures of performance, make centralized control of the classroom dangerously counterproductive."

No standardized evaluations of any kind are acceptable? Sorry, I think that's just as foolish as attempting to micromanage every classroom up and down the country. A complete absence of testing isn't going to prepare students well for the SAT. Exams are certainly not the whole thing but they're not devoid of value either; I am OK with them making up for 50% of evaluations.

Meantime, I can't help being aware that quite a few teacher's unions put more emphasis on seniority than merit and oppose measuring teachers' performance or ability in any way. That embeds quite a few bad teachers who may know how to navigate the politics of their union and the school board and use that ability to get around their lack of academic ability. Unfortunately there have been cases of teachers who are incompetent in math or suchlike but manage to hold down a teaching job (involving the teaching of math) for far longer than they should. A lot of newly-minted teachers get discouraged and leave the profession because they're frustrated when they find it's not merit-based and the best teachers do not automatically rise to the top.

Unfortunately low academic or disciplinary standards give an excuse to people like homeschoolers or anti-evolutionists. I value teaching and think it should be worth a lot more, but I also think the entry requirements should be stiff and that there should be objective measurements of productivity from time to time.

[ulysses]

5. how would you measure teacher merit?

[anigbrowl]

6. Regular testing (every 2-4 years) of teachers...

mandatory refresher courses/workshops on new pedagogical developments, measures of relative student improvement, inspections and so on. It's not easy but you need to conduct some kind of objective measurements to root out bad teachers and reward exceptional ones. Unfortunately I feel that in many cases teachers' unions are more concerned with the welfare of teachers than their students, and can't be relied on to advance quality for its own sake.

While I very much favor the idea of unions, I don't consider them an unalloyed force for good. The interests of their members may take precedence over the interests of their 'customers', just as shareholders often approve corporate decisions that are not in the interests of their customers. I think of a union as a type of labor-supply corporation rather than an entirely selfless organization.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. LOL

So what do you do for a living.

[ulysses]

10. regular testing - what would you test?

Lesson plans? Knowledge of pedagogical developments? We already have to have enough credits to renew our licenses every several years.

measures of relative student improvement, inspections and so on

For those of us who teach special ed, who's going to set the "standard" for relative improvement? Inspections of what? At my old school we could count on having administrators in our rooms 2-3 times per week - at my current school they're not around very often. Yet, achievement at my current school is much higher. Why? (Hint: the neighborhoods are different)

It's not easy but you need to conduct some kind of objective measurements to root out bad teachers and reward exceptional ones.

I'm fine with that. Let me know when you find a fair method.

[LWolf]

16. We already have mandatory continuing education.

That's how we keep our teaching licenses. We NEVER stop going to school.

Student improvements are not an objective measure of teacher merit. They are an objective measure of the student.

The job of the teacher, as I mentioned in another post, is to offer abundant opportunity to achieve academic and intellectual success. It's the students' job to take advantage of those opportunities and apply themselves; to achieve the learning.

Abundant opportunity would include: content depth as well as breadth; regular opportunities designed for all learning styles, modalities, and multiple intelligences; appropriate pacing; abundant support, encouragement, and opportunity to ask questions and get help when needed; a climate that inspires confidence and risk taking, that honors every step forward; regular, clear communication between teacher and families; there are more, but not all of them are within a teacher's control.

[LWolf]

13. When someone discovers an authentically objective

measure of teacher productivity, let me know. There isn't one on the table at this point.

Meanwhile, pretending that standardized tests measure teachers, rather than students, is counter-productive, to say the least.

The job of the teacher is to provide abundant opportunity to learn. The job of the student is to take advantage of those opportunities and apply themselves to learning.

Standardized tests don't measure the opportunities. Using them to evaluate teacher performance leaves the students, and the students' responsibilities out of the equation, which is ludicrous.

High stakes testing actually REDUCES opportunities to learn. It narrows curriculum, and narrows instructional methodology.

As a teacher, I've been told for my entire career that I have higher than usual standards for my profession, my colleagues, and my students. Poor performance on the part of a teacher is not okay. I would like to see an objective, accurate way to measure performance. I'm open to suggestions.

[RNdaSilva]

19. Suggestion?

Student evaluations. Neophyte teachers are usually evaluated by administrators. Written student evaluations might prove to be more meaningful. We all know who our favorite, better, teachers and/or professors were. The ones we actually learned from, the ones that we wanted to learn from.

There are many outstanding teachers in our schools. However, there are few that do not belong and hide behind tenure protection. Teachers, like cops, doctors, nurses, any profession for that matter, have their own code of protection. This is not right and each profession should have a method to weed out the nonproductive members of their respective group. Once an educator gains tenure this becomes very difficult. It has been many years but problems often ensued when mention was made in re teachers not deserving of the title and certainly not tenure protection.

I've held three education credentials in the state of California, teaching, counseling and psychometry.

I also thought it wrong that the better teachers got the better students and vice versa...thought that somewhat ludicrous.

Students learn much from other students, e.g., was also somewhat against grouping - to an extent.

Again, it's been years...better stop here. Many stories to tell but best left unsaid.

Obviously not an English major.

[LWolf]

20. That suggestion has possibilities,

but I'm hesitant.

I hold a Clear Multiple Subject credential in CA as well as a license in OR.

While I've taught K-8 over the course of my career, my experience with middle school leaves me skeptical about having them evaluate their teachers.

Many of my students could do a fine job. Many wouldn't. Their idea about what constitutes a good teacher too often includes criteria like not holding them accountable for anything. Some of my students have asked me, regularly, why I have to make them THINK so much; why I can't be "more like Mr. ____________," who doesn't require as much of them. Why I make them read, when I know they "hate" reading.

Many of those same students, as 8th graders leaving for high school in June, thank me for challenging them and for taking them so far. More come back as high school students to do the same.

They aren't so appreciative during the middle school years, though, when their priorities are all social, and not at all academic. They want the grades, but they don't value the learning until later.

I really don't want to be evaluated by students who come to school, not to learn, but first because they have to, and second, to conduct their social lives.

I'd rather do peer evaluations. Evaluations by people who have current experience with classroom teaching, who know the realities, and whose job would be to mentor weak teachers to help them improve their practice.

That process would have to include more than a classroom visit once or twice a year. When EVERY teacher's practices are transparent and under regular discussion and observation, then teachers will do more to meet expectations.

In the mid 90s in CA, I had a principal for 3 years that did observations differently. Any teacher who requested it would get, not the 2 formal, scheduled observations, but many random visits. Unscheduled, with no lesson plans submitted. He would just drop in, observe, interact with students, take notes, and then write a narrative evaluation of his observations at the end of the year. Often, after a visit, he would meet briefly with teachers to talk to them about what he'd seen, to ask questions, make suggestions, etc..

That was, imo, a more authentic evaluation than the once or twice a year, formally scheduled observation. Many teachers, under that system, plan a lesson to fit what they want the admin to see, that has nothing to do with their every day practices.

I also firmly believe that the whole purpose of teacher evaluation is, not to "get rid of them," but to continuously improve their practice. In other words, to support their professional growth and raise the quality of teaching across the board. I don't think you do that by threatening, just as I don't think you increase student achievement with high-stakes testing.

[ulysses]

21. we had a couple of kids in class this year,

general ed kids, who threw total fits if they received the grades they earned. I was informed, loudly, that I was "messin' with their grades" if they got less than a B on a spelling test for which they obviously hadn't studied.

Like LWolf, I think (hope?) that those kids will remember me as a good teacher, but they'd have probably given me an interesting evaluation in mid-year. Teachers aren't customer service representatives.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. So 50% of my evaluation should be based on how my kids perform on standardized tests?

Should I follow them home, maybe even move in with them, to be sure they do their homework, don't overdose on video games, go to bed at a decent hour and eat a good breakfast in the morning?

The rest of your post is just uniformed garbage.

[LWolf]

26. It's a simple concept that simple minds should be able to get:

Look at what I do to evaluate me.

Look at what the students do to evaluate them.

Of course, it's not that simple. Teachers, and even student effort, are not the only factors in this equation. Making teachers OR students accountable for results when they don't control the factors is a corrupt evaluation.

Some of us have that figured out. ;)

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. It's like holding a mechanic responsible when something goes wrong with your car

All he did was change the oil and you drove it. But when something goes wrong it's his fault.

Or how about holding Jenny Craig responsible when you don't lose weight?

Every cavity in my mouth - my dentist's fault.

And the Celtics won the NBA championship the other night because of great coaching. Didn't have a thing to do with the players.

[pleah]

7. I have already signed, but here is a kick!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. Obama's spoken out against standardized testing.

And other problems facing modern education. The quote reads like something taken out of context by somebody who's "very concerned."

[ulysses]

11. yeah, but he's spoken in favor of merit pay.

The concern has some basis.

[LWolf]

12. Which quote?

You mean the whole letter, or the quote I took from Obama?

Here's the quote from Obama:

<snip>

Merit pay ok if based on career instead of a single test

Q: As president, can you name a hot-button issue where you would be willing to buck the Democratic Party line & say, "You know what? Republicans have a better idea here?"

A: I think that on issues of education, I've been very clear about the fact--and sometimes I've gotten in trouble with the teachers' union on this--that we should be experimenting with charter schools. We should be experimenting with different ways of compensating teachers.

Q: You mean merit pay?

A: Well, merit pay, the way it's been designed, I think, is based on just a single standardized test--I think is a big mistake, because the way we measure performance may be skewed by whether or not the kids are coming into school already 3 years or 4 years behind. But I think that having assessment tools and then saying, "You know what? Teachers who are on career paths to become better teachers, developing themselves professionally--that we should pay excellence more." I think that's a good idea.

http://www.ontheissues.org/social/Barack_obama_Education.htm

And yes; that does get him "in trouble" with many teachers, and teachers' unions. Charter schools are a republican tool for privatizing education. There is no OBJECTIVE way, that does not politicize the process and pit teachers against each other, instead of fostering collaboration that improves the practice of all, to determine "merit."

Merit pay and charter schools are both republican ideas, which he clearly references, and neither of them are good for public education. Like many republican proposals, they SOUND good, but are detrimental in practice.

He has spoken out against some uses of standardized tests. Is he willing to back that up with action? Here is a group of prominent educators reaching out to him to find out; to work with him to achieve AUTHENTIC improvement in the system.

I hope that the general public will back this effort, and that Obama will listen and work with us.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

14. Signed!

Of course, my real name isn't Lydia Leftcoast. :-)

[LWolf]

17. Thanks!

Mine isn't "L(one) Wolf," either. ;)

[ThatsMyBarack]

15. Dunnit!

:patriot:

[LWolf]

22. Thanks! n/t

[ulysses]

18. zoom!

:kick:

[ulysses]

23. we WILL discuss education, we WILL discuss education...

[LWolf]

25. Perhaps if I put "Russert" in the thread title?

I thought "Obama" would draw them in, but no...

It's still okay to discuss issues in GD, even during an election year, isn't it?

;)

[ulysses]

29. Russert, Russert, Russert, Russert, Russert.

:7

[sandyd921]

28. Done!

Couldn't agree more!

[LWolf]

32. Thanks! n/t