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Teacher Evaluation meets Survivor

heather — Wed, 13 May 2009 04:08:26 +0000

I’m not a big Survivor fan. I mean, I really hate what the people become when pitted against each other. So I don’t watch it…at least not on TV. So when I read Scott McLeod’s post suggesting that school communities vote off their least popular teacher, “dismissal by consensus”, it’s not that I don’t feel his pain, I mean the bottom 10% of any school is enough to destroy the accomplishments of 90%, but I worry that schools are headed to that witch hunt place.

We all know there are teachers out these who shouldn’t be in the classroom, but many of them gave years of great service prior to burning out. Many of these teachers mean well, want to communicate content, but simply don’t have the skills. Yes, some need out, and the process to exit them is inappropriate in its difficulty, but we can’t be after blood.

Our anger should be less about the broken teacher, and more about the broken system. There are cruddy people in every profession, but cruddy teachers are allowed to remain longer, doing damage to the company (the schools) and their product (learning).

This article examines the anger and the levels of importance people desperately need to see the problem solved.

Let us all be warned: we need to be a part of the solution or let the games begin.

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Post tags: 100% accountability, school accountability, teacher evaluation, teacher evaluations

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How to be an Ed Tech Advocate

heather — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 01:26:24 +0000

OK, guys. So I got it from the horse’s mouth at CUE. According to the ISTE Director of Governmental Affairs, No Child Left Behind is not going away.

In the weeks leading up to the election, the Obama administration talked the talk, proving that Educational Technology was on their radar, but if you’ve been listening, the silence on Ed Tech has since become deafening. (...)
Read the rest of How to be an Ed Tech Advocate (515 words)

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Post tags: achievement gap, blog, budget, CUE, Ed Tech, education policy, EETT, equity, ETAN, fundraising, internet literacy, k-12, k12, learning, lobbyist, middle school, NCLB, obama, online, school accountability, school funding, technology, Title I, tween, UCI, writing

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Top 10: How to Take Control of Your Teaching

heather — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Occasionally, I repost this article so that new readers can find it more easily. Based on some very enthusiastic feedback, it has since morphed into a book proposal called The Top Secret New Teachers Handbook. I’ll share more as it evolves…

I’ve been developing this Top 10 list of ways to take control of your teaching even in the face of, well, teaching. It’s an advice list on how to encourage respect, and, if necessary, how to demand it as a means to make sure you aren’t being taken for granted.

Let’s face it, if you are feeling appreciated, you will be happier in this difficult job. Consequently, your students will be happier, and quite frankly, if they are happier, they will be more successful. After all, an unhappy teacher’s room has the smog of misery in it, and for a student, it hovers like a stench that affects their own victories. And while it benefits a school to keep its teachers happy, it is a teacher’s responsibility to demand those things that make this challenging job better than tolerable.

I think that finding those tricks or strategies to keep in your pocket is important in any career; but in education you need them even more so. Otherwise, the day-to-day duties of the job will eventually grind your enthusiasm to a halt and it won’t just be you who is affected, your students will be affected as well.

I will be expanding on each of these over time, but in a nutshell, here’s my TOP 10:

(...)
Read the rest of Top 10: How to Take Control of Your Teaching (1,396 words)

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Here’s why test scores shouldn’t be the only criteria…

heather — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:10:37 +0000

OK, so my first period’s “Advanced” group went up 40% between their 1st district assessment and their 2nd. Another period went up 37%. Even my Honors class went from 81% Advanced to 97% Advanced, with only 1 student found in the Proficient category. So why don’t I believe that my metal should be judged on test scores? Because I have one class, my 7th Grade ELA class that went down; and through careful reflection I’ve been analyzing why.

And these whys are the elements of teaching that are beyond my control. (...)
Read the rest of Here’s why test scores shouldn’t be the only criteria… (740 words)

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NewsHour with Jim Leher: Michelle Rhee

heather — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 21:31:56 +0000

I recently watched John Merrow’s interview with Michelle Rhee on the NewsHour. Michelle seems like a real mixed blessing for education. On one hand, she’s willing to clean house, and education does seriously need it. On the other hand, however, and much like the sweeping policies of NCLB, she’s a bit of an all-or-nothing authority. (She’s also known as a Chancellor, which gives me a mental picture of a Lilliputian bearing a sash and gold medal, so sometimes it’s hard to shake the image even while listening to her policies.) (...)
Read the rest of NewsHour with Jim Leher: Michelle Rhee (601 words)

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Sesame Street: Word on the Street

heather — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:37:52 +0000

OK, so as I write this I’m watching Sesame Street with my 2 year old. This big-feathered muppet just announced that the Word on the Street is, get this…Struggle. I kid you not. I guess times are tough even on Sesame Street. (...)
Read the rest of Sesame Street: Word on the Street (214 words)

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Post tags: 100% accountability, 2008, blog, character, Character Education, Childrens Television, education, education policy, ELA, k-12, k12, madoff, middle school, school accountability, school funding, sesame street, teaching, TLN, tween, UCI, Writers Project

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“Hit a Jew” Day. Um, er…

heather — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 22:41:05 +0000

I’m not sure what one can say about this latest story. AP reports that a number of students at a St Louis middle school are facing suspension for a spirit day gone awry. But how “Hug a Friend Day” de-evolved into “Hit a Jew Day” is beyond me. (...)
Read the rest of “Hit a Jew” Day. Um, er… (785 words)

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Post tags: character, Character Education, critical thinking, diversity, Ed Tech, integration, life long learners, new teachers, reform, school accountability, student safe, technology, Title I, tolerence, writing

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Kelly Gallagher’s Golden Line

heather — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 03:42:03 +0000

Kelly Gallagher, educator and author of Teaching Adolescent Writers, came and spoke to the UCI Writing Project on Friday and his focus of the presentation was a Golden Line: The Goal in Education is “Everybody Improves.”

Duh, you say, isn’t improvement always the goal of education? Actually, no. When you consider AYP scores, for instance, the goal is to hit a benchmark, not the level of improvement you made to hit it. (...)
Read the rest of Kelly Gallagher’s Golden Line (723 words)

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Post tags: 100% accountability, 2008, achievement gap, critical thinking, Curriculum, differentiation, Ed Tech, education policy, ELA, electives, equity, failing, k-12, k12, Language Arts, learning, middle school, PI, research, school accountability, school funding, Title I, Writers Project

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Joanne Jacobs comment:”Stop facilitating and start teaching”

heather — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 04:16:35 +0000

I commented on Joanne Jacobs article, “Stop Facilitating and Start Teaching,” based on Fred Strine’s article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Strine indicates that more student-centered teaching is somehow less taught and, consequently, less learned. Jacobs paraphrases that the “’sage on the stage’ is more effective than the ‘guide on the side,’” that students of today lack the discipline that they had in his day, as if handing over the ownership to the class is handing over the reins entirely. (...)
Read the rest of Joanne Jacobs comment:”Stop facilitating and start teaching” (573 words)

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The Carnival #178 is in town!

heather — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:49:35 +0000

An (aspiring) Educator is hosting this week’s Carnival of Education #178. I’ve tweaked my How to Take Control of Your Teaching list and although it’s still in an evolving state, you can read it here. Enjoy the Carnival and the post.

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Post tags: 2008, achievement gap, assessments, blog, book review, btsa, budget, Careers, carnival of education, character, Character Education, classroom library, collaboration, computers, concrete, contract, CORE, credential, critical thinking, CUE, Curriculum, curriculum design, curriculum development, differentiation, Ed Tech, education policy, ELA, electives, essay, essay starters, jobs, k-12, k12, Language Arts, life long learners, merit pay, metacognition, middle school, NCLB, new teachers, online, peer teaching, performance pay, PI, podcasting, powerpoint, professional development, Proficiency, school accountability, school funding, speeches, standardized testing, technology, tenure, Title I, TLN, top 10, union, voice, websites, Writers Project, writing

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Credential Programs: Give us your money and we’ll give you a classroom

heather — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:30:53 +0000

In Education Week’s article, “Busywork 101,” Jay Solomon writes that the credential programs of today are a “seemingly endless journey through the abstract and the ridiculous.” He also claims that these programs aren’t a conspiracy of arbitrary tedium. I beg to differ.(...)
Read the rest of Credential Programs: Give us your money and we’ll give you a classroom (406 words)

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Post tags: assessments, audit, budget, collaboration, credential, Curriculum, Dave Saba, Ed Tech, education, education policy, ELA, embezzlement, employment, induction, jobs, k-12, k12, Language Arts, merit pay, middle school, school accountability, school funding, teaching, technology, test, Title I

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Make an Offer They Can’t Refuse

heather — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:45:56 +0000

The Washington Post reported that the Washington Teachers’ Union is “proposing a three year contract…that would eliminate seniority.” This would allow administrators to retain newer but more effective teachers while relocating more veteran teachers to positions seemingly more suitable for the needs of the district as a whole. .

Now, while I would be totally devastated if I had to uproot and move my middle school life into another school in the district, the fact is that the union needs to have some flexibility here in giving administrators a modicum of power over their staff positions, even those with tenure.(...)
Read the rest of Make an Offer They Can’t Refuse (407 words)

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Post tags: 2008, achievement gap, competition, credential, differentiation, education policy, ELA, employment, learning, Math, middle school, performance pay, school accountability, school funding, standardized testing, teaching, tenure, Title I, Washington Post

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Ed Tech is the new Home Ec and Shop

heather — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:19:15 +0000

Mark Wagner of EdTechLife fame posted a great, comprehensive and layman’s look into the candidates’ educational policies. He discovered some surprising and not-so-surprising facts.

For one, McCain doesn’t even mention Ed Tech as factor in his education policies. For another, Clinton doesn’t either. Obama mentions it, but only in regards to the maths and sciences.(...)
Read the rest of Ed Tech is the new Home Ec and Shop (596 words)

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Post tags: achievement gap, CUE, Curriculum, data, Ed Tech, education, education policy, ELA, equity, k-12, k12, Proficiency, school accountability, school funding, teaching, technology, Title I

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Don’t Knock the Less Experienced Teacher

heather — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:41:59 +0000

Look, we all know the statistics. Many of the hardest-to-teach classes are being taught by the least experienced teachers. According to Education Week, a study was recently conducted in Philadeliphia evaluating 9th graders, “the make-or-break year for many students on the path to dropping out of school” which found that “students are more likely than their upper-grade peers to be taught by inexperienced, uncertified teachers.”

While I understand the argument, I also know that these young teachers have an advantage that I will not have years down the line: energy.

When I was in my early years of teaching in my mid-twenties, I was hired to teach at an inner city school. It was, in fact, the under-funded alternative school for those students kicked out of the other schools. We had broken glass in the halls, police tape from the weekend still strewn over the kindergarten yard come Monday, and no textbooks. A classic Michelle Pfieffer/Hilary Swank/Morgan Freeman movie in the making.

I actually jumped into the deep end of the pool, and there wasn’t any filter, so there was moss on the top and calcium deposits coming from the cracks in the bottom, but it was there that I learned to swim. (...)
Read the rest of Don’t Knock the Less Experienced Teacher (952 words)

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Sacramento’s Got the Students on Board with Learning

heather — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 04:49:10 +0000

In yesterday’s Sacramento Bee, principal Kevin MacDonald did what all principals should be doing: getting their students involved with their own learning solutions, and with solving the achievement gaps in their school.

You want success? It MUST involve four mighty branches: the home life, the school, and the student, and the government. Each branch has a responsibility in the success of a student. (...)
Read the rest of Sacramento’s Got the Students on Board with Learning (331 words)

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Post tags: achievement gap, education, k-12, kevin macdonald, school accountability, teaching

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