Gates and Duncan know little of teacher improvement

This article (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/06/09/33stigler_ep.h29.html?tkn=ZXNF%2B5NPgtYLpASFzplp5bezZXJ5ujZ0x1%2FM&cmp=clp-edweek)  provides a much better approach to teacher improvement than what the high and mighty U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan and Bill Gates are proposing.   I find it extremely frustrating that those in a position of power, either in a monetary sense or political sense, propose, support and push for things that are completely inapprorpiate for education.  Most of what the federal government proposes for education harms us, instead of helps us (ie, NCLB).  This is yet another example.  Duncan and Gates are supporting merit pay based on student performance.  This is not how to improve teacher performance.  If either one of these individuals had spent anytime in education they would know the following: One, it is unreasonable to base teacher pay on student performance because teachers do not control the make up of students they get from year to year.  Second,  Duncan is also an advocate of standardized testing, which I’m guessing is what he would want this based on.  Seriously?  Standardized testing?  My worst teaching occurs when I’m cramming information into my kids head for standardized testing; this is information they will soon forget because it was simply memorized to get a better score for the district.  My best teaching occurs when I don’t give a darn about tests; I am solely focused on student learning. 

I am not always an advocate of doing what other countries do in education simply because they have better test scores than us (which is another ball of wax I will save for another writing).  However, the approach suggested by Deming in this article is great.  It is similar to the Professional Learning Communities so many districts have found to be successful in the United States.  It requires colleagues to come together in a respectful and  collegial nature to help one another figure out what they’re doing that’s working and what they’re doing that’s not.  This team approach has proven to yield some of the highest results in student achievement.

The tough part is that it will require a change of culture in many buildings.  It requires teachers to not be afraid of admitting that something they’re doing is not effective. And, beyond that, it requires them to purposefully change their approach. (I find that some teachers continue to do a certain strategy, method, etc. despite the fact they know it’s not effective).  This will also require teachers to work together.  For so long, teachers have been isolated in their own little classroom where the only reflective person is themself.  Two (or more) minds are always better than one.  In addition, administrators must take the lead on requiring this of their building AND being a part of these teams.  We need administrators to be instructional leaders, not just managers.  Their experience and expertise can shed light on a situation that otherwise wouldn’t exist. 

So, how do we make things like this happen?  We need leaders IN the education field to step up and make changes in their buildings and their districts.  Otherwise, changes will be forced upon us by the high and might people like Gates and Duncan.  I certainly don’t want this? Do you?  I encourage you to step up to the plate in your district and be part of the positive change that can happen when teachers take on this responsibility.

Accountability

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 1.  It is written by Grant Wiggins.

“During my nineteen-year career in the classroom, I taught for sixteen years in grades 9 through 12 in three good schools and for several years at the college level at an Ivy League institution.  In all those years, I was never hired on the basis of a real job description or a performance-based test of my abilities. Rather, as in almost all teacher hiring, I responded to a notice about a content-area slot that needed to be filled.  I was never required to directly show that I could teach.  More importantly, perhaps, I was never given a real job description framed in terms of performance standards and learning goals.  I merely had to provide reference in which I was praised and that verified my paperwork was accurate concerning my readiness to handle the job to be filled.”

This excerpt had real meaning for me.  Let me first say this, I think there are many effective teachers out there.  As a teacher myself, I certainly don’t want to go on a teacher-bashing tirade.  It’s important that I don’t  do that because there are so many out there that blame public education; those people often don’t understand the field of education at all and have no clue about how to improve it.  However, being a teacher and a teacher leader, I have seen first-hand some issues that need to be addressed.  One of these issues is real accountability.  We use that word so much in education, but don’t always hold ourselves or each other to the level at which we should.  I think the aforementioned quote by Grant Wiggins is a perfect example.  His experience, unforutnately is what many experience when looking to be hired.  We really don’t have to prove ourselves to a great degree.  And school district rarely give a job description as far as standards and expectations.  The business world is notorious for expecting results. Education does not need to fully function as the business world does, but we have something to learn from the business world in the aspect of accountability and expectations. We need to step it up a notch.

Summer Reads

I am loving the fact that so many of my colleagues are sharing great educational books…books that have caused them to contemplate their teaching habits and practice.  Two such book sare The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller and Comprehension Connections by Tanny McGregor.  I’m looking foward to reading these books this summer.  I’m also interested in Robert Marzano’s Formative Assessment and Standards-Based Grading.  I would love to hear about books you plan on reading this summer.  I love that summers gives me the opportunity to become a much better teacher!

Entering the world of blogging!

Looking forward to starting my first blog.  It is a blog for professional purposes: an outreach and discussion forum for all those interested in education.  I often think how times have changed–how hundreds of years ago people sat around and discussed worldly issues with the sole purpose of learning how to be proactive in making it better.  Perhaps this blog could be the 21st century avenue for such discussions.