Dear Colleague,
In the world of
education, teacher evaluation has become a hot topic of late. In that vein, California
state senator Ron Calderon introduced SB 441 in February. The bill, amended
last week, can be read here - http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140SB441 . If
you have any thoughts on this proposed legislation, it would be a good idea
to make them known to your state legislator.
On the
subject of teacher evaluation, the National Council on Teacher Quality is
continuing its in-depth study of evaluation policies in various school
districts. Its latest report covers Oakland. The report is worth reading no
matter what school district you work in because there will undoubtedly be
aspects of the report that are similar to your circumstances. Some key
findings:
·
Schools have too little say regarding
who joins their faculty, meaning that they have no assurance that a
teacher will be a good fit. Having this staffing authority is at the top
of the wish list of principals we spoke to.
·
Oakland's teacher evaluation system
is confusing, unhelpful to both teachers and the district, and is in
dire need of an overhaul. It identifies only a few teachers a year
for extra support and does nothing to identify the district's
superstars.
·
The school day for elementary
teachers is woefully short at 6-3/4 hours, leaving little time for
Oakland's elementary teachers to meet with their colleagues.
The
yearly California dropout report was released last week and the news would
appear to be good. According to the press release (http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr13/yr13rel42.asp),
Graduation rates among
California's public school students are climbing and dropout rates are
falling, with the biggest gains being made among African-American and
Hispanic students, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson
announced today.
Overall, nearly eight out
of 10 students, or 78.5 percent, who started high school in 2008-09 graduated
with their class in 2012. That is up 1.4 percentage points from the year
before (Table 1). Among African-American students, 65.7 percent graduated
with their class in 2012, up 2.9 percentage points from the year before.
Among Hispanic students, 73.2 percent graduated with their class, up 1.8
percentage points from the year before (Tables 2 and 3).
But is
the news really good? Whereas middle school dropouts have been ignored in the
past, they are acknowledged in the press release, but not included in the
dropout report. Also, there was no mention anywhere about those students who
leave their district school for a county school and drop out from there.
Bottom line: don’t take the report’s numbers too seriously.
Our
website has a lot of information about agency fee logistics as they pertain
to NEA/CTA, but we don’t have information about AFT/CFT. If you who are an
agency fee payer in an AFT/CFT district, I would appreciate your contacting
CTEN and letting us know how your district handles union resignation. It
would help us assist teachers who want to go the agency fee route.
If you
haven’t heard of Agenda 21 yet, you certainly will in the near future. People
from both sides of the aisle are weighing in and most seem to be against it.
For a general description, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda_21
For an
opinion from the left side - http://www.democratsagainstunagenda21.com/ and from the right - http://www.eagleforumofcalifornia.com/ExposeAgenda21TaskForce1.html. Interestingly, there is a defense of Agenda 21 from a
conservative former mayor –
Michelle
Rhee’s organization, StudentsFirst is looking for candidates for its
Transformation Academy.
Formerly known as the Teacher Fellows
Program, the Teachers for Transformation Academy is now accepting
applications for the 2013-14 cohort.
StudentsFirst is seeking current,
high performing teachers who believe all children can succeed despite
challenges they face and who regard teaching as a high impact profession that
should be structured to match the values of the responsibilities at stake.
The program offers teachers the resources and tools to build and lead active
networks of educators who want to create meaningful change across the
education landscape.
To learn more, go
to http://www.studentsfirst.org/pages/open-jobs?jvi=obUgXfw2,Job If you have questions, please direct
them to teachers@studentsfirst.org
CTEN sent out the
results from its Survey Monkey poll a couple of weeks ago. In case you didn’t
receive that email, the results can be seen here - https://www.surveymonkey.com/sr.aspx?sm=Fo8bQGAy905_2fSULK_2fSc5fB9LL42y9F2I9yNqP5ABstA_3d
Many thanks to
those of you who took the time to respond. Not surprisingly, among other
things, the results show that not all teachers are in lock-step with teacher
union orthodoxy.
Also, in case you
missed it, we sent out an email last week concerning a possible lawsuit in
California with the subject line, “Lawsuit against teachers' unions'
forced collection of non-members' dues.” The body of the email:
Dear Colleague,
I have been contacted by attorneys from Washington, D.C., who are interested in bringing a lawsuit against teachers' unions' forced collection of non-members' dues. The basic theory of the lawsuit would be that the First Amendment prohibits the unions from forcing non-member teachers to subsidize their activities because those activities are inherently political. If they win the lawsuit, it would eliminate any obligation of public school teachers to pay dues to teacher unions if you don't want to. To help bring this lawsuit, the attorneys are looking for individual teachers who would be willing to participate. Participation would be completely free. If you are interested, the best way to get involved would be as a plaintiff in the lawsuit. This would mean that when they file the lawsuit, you would be named as one of the people challenging the unions' legal authority to deduct dues from your paycheck. While the attorneys do not anticipate this taking much of your time, it is possible that, at some point, you would have to provide some information about your employment status and your school's collective bargaining agreement. It is also possible that you would someday be deposed about these issues (basically interviewed by lawyers for the other side). I am told that participation in this lawsuit is unlikely to require a major time commitment. Because the success of this suit would be a major benefit to all of you who object to subsidizing the teachers' unions, we encourage you to get involved. If you are interested, please let me know and I will pass your name along to the attorneys organizing the case. Thank you very much. Larry Sand
We have
received emails from a few teachers interested in becoming plaintiffs, but
the lawyers would like to have more. So please shoot me an email if you are
interested. Also, the lawyers would like to have a copy of an agency fee
rebate letter. If you any of you have one, and are willing to share it,
please scan and send a copy to cteninfo@ctenhome.org Thanks.
As
mentioned in last month’s newsletter, I was on a panel discussing education
reform with Terry Moe, Gloria Romero and CTA president Dean Vogel. Before the
panel discussion I taped a program called “The Right Side” which aired in northern
California in March and is now available on YouTube. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHTh1HYAC6w ) Gloria Romero also taped a segment, which can be seen here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mck1CIqHy-I
CTEN has two Facebook pages. If you
have a Facebook account, we urge you to visit ours and let us know your
thoughts. Having a dialogue among teachers is an effective way to spread
information and experiences and to share ideas. Our original Facebook page
can be found here http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=125866159932&ref=ts
Our second page,
which deals with teacher evaluation and transparency, can be accessed here - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=126900987357825&ref=ts
In any event, if you
enjoy these letters and find them informative, please pass them along to your
colleagues. We know that there are many independent-minded teachers in
California who are looking for alternative sources of information.
Thanks for your continuing
support and interest.
Sincerely,
Larry
Sand
CTEN
President
|
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Recently,
CTEN conducted a poll of its members. Just a few observations:
- Almost 2/3 of you are between 46-65 years old.
- Only one in six live in an urban area.
- About 7/8 of you have been on the job for over 10 years.
- Over 1/2 are full union dues payers.
- The most one-sided results, as you will see, are contained in the questions about the teachers unions.
Also,
please note that for questions where response boxes were used, you can
see all the responses that teachers entered in those boxes. I think you
will find some of them to be quite interesting.
To see the results of the survey, go to -
Larry Sand
CTEN President
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Dear Colleague,
The always interesting Education
Matters, a publication of the Association of American Educators, has a very
interesting cover story in its March 2013 issue. “International Case Study:
Real Lessons from Finland” by Fordham Institute scholar Kathleen Porter-Magee
examines how Finland developed a world-class education system.
In the 1960s,
Finland’s education system looked far different than it does today. Achievement
was much more uneven and not all students had equal access to quality
schooling. In 1968, as part of a nationwide focus on better preparing students
to compete in the knowledge economy, the Finnish Parliament enacted legislation
to create a new basic education system that was built around the development of
a common “comprehensive” school for grades 1 through 9—a system that spread to
every municipality in the nation by 1977. Three things characterized the
new Finnish standard:
1. The development and
adoption of a mandatory national curriculum that ensured all students were held
to the same rigorous standards.
2. Dramatic changes in
teacher preparation and certification requirements.
3. A central state
inspectorate that evaluated school-level teaching and learning.
Can we replicate Finland, using their methods as a roadmap?
Maybe. Maybe not. To find out more, go
to http://www.aaeteachers.org/images/em/2013marchnews.pdf and see
what you think.
On February 27th, United Way sponsored a major
reform event in Los Angeles. The “Mayor’s Panel” wrapped up the six hour
event. Three education activist mayors –
Los Angeles’s Antonio Villaraigosa, Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel and Newark’s Cory
Booker had a conversation about what is going on in their cities. Whether you
agree with mayoral control or not, it is becoming a trend and needs to be
examined. To watch the panel event, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdr2avJk9Bc
On March 5th, I participated in a panel
discussion in Mountain View, the video of which is
now available. Stanford professor Terry Moe, former state senator Gloria
Romero, CTA president Dean Vogel and I each gave a 10 minute opening talk.
Then, before the Q&A, we were each given 5 minutes to expand on what we
said in our opening or to rebut what another panelist had said their opening.
Unfortunately, the format did not allow for any direct engagement. I say
“unfortunately" because I had about 500 or so questions that I would have
loved to pose to Mr. Vogel. In any event, if you are interested in watching a
part of this, I suggest going directly to the secondary comments which begin at
12:00 of the second tape. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4ARL1hESEE&list=PL0z6BttMYc9yMcV0tcrLegP0qE57xc8ow)
In the “hubris” department, Mexico
has (had?) a union boss who perhaps went a “bit” too far. A few weeks ago, Elba
Esther Gordillo, 68, leader of the powerful, 1.5 million-member National Union
of Education Workers, was arrested at the Toluca airport near Mexico City and
charged with embezzling 2 billion pesos (about $160 million) from union funds.
Prosecutors said they
had detected nearly $3 million in purchases at Neiman Marcus using union funds,
as well as $17,000 in U.S. plastic surgery bills and the purchase of a
million-dollar home in San Diego.
…Gordillo displayed her opulence openly with designer clothes and bags, bodyguards, expensive cars and properties including a penthouse apartment in Mexico City's exclusive Polanco neighborhood. She has been widely lampooned for her many plastic surgeries and depicted in political cartoons as ghoulish. Meanwhile, Mexico's teachers are poorly paid and public education has long been considered sub-par.
To read more, go to http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/02/27/authorities-jail-head-mexico-powerful-teachers-union-on-embezzlement-charges/
According
to a new study, students in KIPP charter schools experience significantly
greater learning gains in math, reading, science, and social studies than do
their peers in traditional public schools.
The study, which analyzed data from 43
middle schools run by KIPP, officially known as the Knowledge Is Power Program,
was conducted by Mathematica Policy
Research, a research
center based in Princeton, N.J. It concludes that students in the charter
program, over a three-year period, gained an additional 11 months of learning
in math, eight additional months in reading, 14 additional months of learning
in science, and 11 additional months of learning in social studies when
compared to students in comparable traditional public schools.
To read more about the study’s findings, go to http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/charterschoice/2013/02/kipp_schools_boost_academic_performance_study_finds.html
The “value added” debate continues. In a recent National
Council on Teacher Quality blog, Hannah Putman reports on researcher Dan
Goldhaber’s study on whether or not the “‘one
score fits all subjects’ assumption holds for elementary teachers, who often
teach multiple subjects. Is an elementary teacher who teaches math effectively
also an effective reading teacher, and vice versa?” She goes on to say that the
findings suggest
…that while teachers' efficacy is largely
consistent, it is not exactly the same across all subjects. Applying a VAM
score from one subject to encompass a teacher's overall ability may be right
most of the time, but stronger policies will recognize that this supposed VAM
mirror image has some imperfections.
To
read the rest of Putman’s post and access Goldhaber’s study, go to http://www.nctq.org/p/tqb/viewStory.jsp?id=33584
The
recent school board election in Los Angeles received much media attention, in
part due to the fact the vote was seen as something of a referendum on
Superintendent John Deasy’s reform measures. But perhaps the bigger issue – for
some, including the teachers unions – was the fact that “outside money” was
given to the reform candidates, most notably a $1 million contribution from New
York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. To read a balanced view of the outside money
v. inside money debate, former Los Angeles school board members Marlene Canter
and Yolie Flores wrote a very even-handed op-ed –http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_22701724/marlene-canter-and-yolie-flores-lausd-board-race
Early
childhood education continues to be a hot topic, with various pundits and
politicians claiming that money spent on pre-school will reap benefits far
exceeding the costs of such an endeavor. President Obama weighed in, using his State
of the Union address to try to sell the country on his new plan which is based
upon “successes” in Georgia and Oklahoma. However, there is another side to
this story, as Reason Foundation’s Lisa Snell and Shikha Dalmia basically
debunk his assertions in the Wall Street Journal:
Oklahoma
implemented its program in 1998 and is the pet of universal preschool activists
because it’s a red state that has diligently applied their playbook. It spends
about $8,000 per preschooler, about the same as on K-12. Its teachers are
credentialed, well-paid, abundant (one per 10 children) and use a
professionally designed curriculum. Georgia expanded a pre-K program for
high-risk children to all 4-year-olds in 1995.
Both
programs are voluntary and involve the private sector. Oklahoma pays churches
and other community providers for the children they enroll. Georgia effectively
hands parents a $4,500 voucher for a qualified preschool. Both states have
participation rates well above the 47% national preschool average, and
Oklahoma’s 75% enrollment rate is the highest in the country.
Yet
neither state program has demonstrated major social benefits. The first batch
of children who attended preschool in Georgia, in 1995, are now turning 22, so
Mr. Obama’s claim that they are better at “holding jobs” and “forming stable
families” can’t be true.
But
what about, say, teenage girls staying out of trouble? Teen birth rates have
declined in the past 10 years in Georgia and Oklahoma (as they have
nationwide), but both states remain far above the national average. In 2005,
Georgia had the eighth-highest teen-birth rate and Oklahoma the
seventh-highest, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Now Georgia has
the 13th-highest, Oklahoma the fifth-highest. Many states without universal
preschool have a far better record.
To read the rest of the op-ed, go to http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324662404578329873460933586.html
And finally, we still have a limited number of t-shirts
available. They are navy blue with the CTEN logo on front and “A resource for
all who care about education” printed on the back. They come preshrunk, in
small, medium, large and extra large. If you would like one, all you have to do
is make a $15 donation to CTEN via PayPal - http://www.ctenhome.org/donate.htm - and let us know
what size and where to send it and we will get it out to you promptly.
As always, thanks for your continued interest and support
of CTEN.
Sincerely,
Larry
Sand
CTEN President
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Dear Colleague,
Richard Lee Colvin, former Executive Director of Education
Sector and currently a Visiting Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship
Foundation, has written an article for the Spring 2013 Education Next, in which he claims that
A new analysis
examines the growing array of groups spawned by the “teacher voice” movement,
which promotes opportunities for teachers to have much greater involvement in
shaping and improving their profession than they have had under the traditional
union-dominated system. More than half of all teachers now have fewer
than 10 years of experience, and this younger generation is driving the
movement.
It seems that we have been hearing these claims for a while
now, but maybe this time it’s for real. To read Colvin’s piece, go to http://educationnext.org/taking-back-teaching/
In another piece in the same issue of Education Next, writer June
Kronholz, documents the amount of education lost when a teacher calls for a
sub.
…Duke researchers
found that being taught by a sub for 10 days a year has a larger effect on a
child’s math score than if he’d changed schools, and about half the size of the
effect of poverty. Columbia researchers Mariesa Herrmann and Jonah Rockoff
concluded that the effect on learning of using a substitute for even a day is
greater than the effect of replacing an average teacher with a terrible one,
that is, a teacher in the 10th percentile for math instruction and the 20th
percentile in English instruction.
To read more, go to http://educationnext.org/no-substitute-for-a-teacher/
The history wars continue. Professor Larry Schweikart
recently came out with “A Patriot's History of the Modern World: From America's
Exceptional Ascent to the Atomic Bomb: 1898-1945” as a follow up to his 2007
tome, “A Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus's Great
Discovery to the War on Terror.” Whereas too many modern textbooks give a
revisionist brand of history (and in Howard Zinn’s case, a fictitious one), Dr.
Schweikart’s heavily documented tomes go into great detail to ensure the reader
that there is a singular truth to be learned. To read more about Dr. Schweikart
and his books, please go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Schweikart
On a similar note, back in 2010, AEI launched a major new
initiative,
…the Program on
American Citizenship, dedicated to strengthening the foundations of American
freedom and self-government by renewing our understanding of American
citizenship. The ultimate goal of the Program is to deepen Americans’
appreciation for and attachment to those principles that are necessary to keep
the United States free, strong, and democratic.
AEI is now in its second phase of its program, “Counting on
Character: National Heritage Academies and Civic Education.” This part of the
initiative focuses on National Heritage Academies (NHA) charter schools. Here
they focus on Ridge Park, a NHA school. Every day starts
with
the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star-Spangled Banner, and the school creed: “I am
a Ridge Park scholar. I strive to achieve academic excellence. I exemplify high
moral character. I work
diligently to prepare for the future . . .”
Character education is ubiquitous and relentless at
NHA schools. Each month is assigned a
“moral focus” or virtue, which teachers are supposed to weave into their
lessons and students write about from kindergarten through eighth grade. Signs
in classrooms and hallways honor examples of virtue. Like other charter
schools, NHA promises parents to teach a rigorous curriculum that will prepare
their children for success in college. It also promises a moral education
imbued with traditional values such as love of country and family. Good
character is not just a private asset, NHA leaders believe. It leads to good
citizenship.
To
learn more about the AEI project, please go to http://www.citizenship-aei.org/projects/ and http://www.citizenship-aei.org/2013/01/aei-report-counting-on-character-national-heritage-academies-and-civic-education/
The
National Council on Teacher Quality is out with its latest state by state
report on teacher preparation, and it’s not pretty. You may not be shocked to
learn that NCTQ gives California a “D.” To read about the report, go to http://www.nctq.org/p/tqb/viewStory.jsp?id=33564 To read specifically about CA, go to http://www.nctq.org/stpy11/reports/stpy12_california_report.pdf
In
the light of the Sandy Hook massacre, California state assemblyman Tim Donnelly
has written AB 202, which would make it legal for qualified teachers to carry
firearms on school grounds anonymously. Needless to say, the bill is
controversial and it will be a tough sell in the legislature. To read more, go
here - http://politichicks.tv/column/ca-assemblyman-proposes-marshal-program-in-ca-schools/ To read the bill, go to http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/asm/ab_0201-0250/ab_202_bill_20130129_introduced.html Independent of Mr. Donnelly’s proposed law,
Fontana has gone ahead and bought AR-15s to protect its students. (http://news.yahoo.com/fontana-calif-schools-high-powered-rifles-184934771.html) CTEN will be surveying its members in the
near future. One of its questions will concern itself with the level of armed
security that you are comfortable with on your campus.
Looking
for a way to celebrate Black History Month? A viewing of Dr. Ben Carson’s
National Prayer Breakfast talk may be an uplifting experience for your
students. Please preview the video and see what you think. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8kJbNPLSR8)
For a shorter video, in which Dr. Carson talks about role models, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxXGSbam7JE
And
finally, there is the very sad story about Hamlet Garcia and his family. As
former California state senator Gloria Romero reports in the Orange County Register,
The Garcias are naturalized citizens. They own a local business. They were separated, during which time Mrs. Garcia moved out and went to live with her father in neighboring Montgomery County, enrolling their child in the local school. Eventually, the couple reconciled. Rather than further disrupting the child's life, they left her in the school to complete the academic year.
This is a school that is under-enrolled. It has less than 10 minority students. The district dispatched a private investigator to follow the parents. Based on this, the Garcia's were arrested. Their offer to make financial restitution to the district was declined. The district attorney vowed to "make an example of them." Their first court appearance occurred this week.
This
case has drawn national attention and you will very likely be hearing more
about it. To read the rest of Romero’s piece, go to http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/school-495499-education-arrested.html
- · thoughts on Props. 30 and 32
- · the Students Matter case
- · armed presence on school campuses
- · common core
- · the Smarter Balanced assessment
If you would like to add any suggestions to this list we will consider using
them in the poll.
As always,
we at CTEN want to thank you for your ongoing support. Please keep providing
feedback so that we can continue to meet your needs by keeping you informed as
well as provoking lively discussion.
Sincerely,
Larry
Sand
CTEN President
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