"Teachers & Parents for Real Education Reform": What's Wrong With Accountability By The Numbers?

Thursday, March 19, 2009

What's Wrong With Accountability By The Numbers?

Education researcher Richard Rothstein makes a powerful argument that the current accountability system under No Child Left Behind makes all the mistakes that have been proven wrong in the private sector. He argues for a very different kind of accountability system in this month's AFT Magazine (click here). Its a must read for everyone in public education today.

1 comment:

Mrs. Facilitate said...: EVERYBODY'S ACCOUNTABLE

There are so many theories circulating about how to improve accountability measures, and the one proposed in this article will cost $40 million dollars more in tax dollars we currently cannot afford. I like the idea of having random inspections from non-education inspectors. The results will be less biased, but it will take years or decades to reach an agreement on this method.

The question is, how do you increase student achievement? I don't think the accountability methods are the problem. NCLB was created with the best of intentions by our former president. However, the penalties involved pushed schools to the limits. That's why more teachers are forced to do reading and math drills and everybody is teaching to the test. If every teacher in every school district or charter school focused on helping students meet the State Standards in a particular subject, then test scores would automatically increase. It is not how long you spend on a subject matter, it is whether or not you are teaching to mastery. Students must master the standards and each student must be held accountable for his or her own success. When we hold a child accountable for their own progress, and they fully understand that the standards must be learned to mastery, a shift in focus occurs. Teachers must move from teaching to facilitating.

The reason why so many children fail these tests is because they don't understand why they are being tested, and are not motivated to achieve on these tests. Some children are pushed to the extreme to perform well, and then fail the tests because they are overwhelmed. When students master the standards, they will master the student achievement assessments. All state exams are based on the state standards. So, why not focus on individualized and group instructional methods, which reward students for mastery of state standards.

Many teachers do not teach standards, but teach to the test. This is a mistake that many schools have made. This is a result from state and federal accountability measures. Students can read better and compute math better, but are horrible writers and are in physical atrophy. All other subjects are neglected and this is a major problem. There needs to be balance.

Also, there is not teaching if there is no classroom management. So, no matter what curriculum you put in front of a teacher, he or she cannot and will not succeed at teaching if every student is not quiet and attentive. Even if they are quiet and attentive, if they are not motivated intrinsically, there will be no high achievement.

In conclusion, we must focus on classroom management, and developing a culture of high achievement in every school in the U.S. We must teach to the standards, instead of the test. We must also create individualized instruction plans and hold every student accountable for his or her own success. Students should buy into their education and seek the rewards of becoming a master of their subject matter rather than barely passing through.

Accountability should exist on all levels, student, teacher, principal, superintendent, school board, state, and federal. Everyone is responsible for the success and failure of the American Education System. Every person in the community as well. There are not enough volunteers in the world. There are not enough involved parents in the world. There are not enough dedicated teachers in the world. Not enough dedicated businesses in the world. Everyone should invest their energies into helping education by serving the children. Businesses should donate money and resources. Community members should dedicate their time and energy by volunteering. If not, the American Education System is doomed forever.; March 20, 2009 at 10:25 AM

What's Wrong With Waiting for Superman?

This month's The New York Review of Books has a powerful critique of WfS by Diane Ravitch titled "The Myth of Charter Schools" in which she puts the message of the film in a broader context.

An expose of where the funding for the film came from reveals its political agenda in Barbara Miner's article on the Not Waiting for Superman Web Site.

Here's a thoughtful review by Columbia University educational sociologist, Aaron Pallas... An Inconvenient Truthiness.

Read this careful, point-by-point reflection on the film by Rick Ayers, professor in teacher education at the University of San Francisco: "What 'Superman" Got Wrong, Point by Point."

The Nation magazine writes "Grading 'Waiting for Superman," an in-depth piece responding to the film and media coverage of public education in recent months.

Comment from the Education Law Center, "Superman Is from Another Planet."

Here are talking points,"Why We Can't Wait for Superman," from our partners at the National Opportunity to Learn Campaign.

Here are "The Real Facts about Waiting for Superman" according to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, FairTest.

Education historian, Diane Ravitch, responds to the film in "Stop Trashing Teachers."

Here is a reflection by NY Times columnist, Gail Collins, "Waiting for Somebody."

Check out this reflection by Nicholas Lemann in the September 27 issue of the New Yorker magazine.

In this thoughtful piece, President of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten answers her critics.

Mark Phillips, professor emeritus of secondary education at San Francisco State University, attempts to create what he considers a balanced view of the movie: "Strengths and Weaknesses of 'Superman'."

Our testimony October 28,2008 before the City Council on the Council Hearing Amendment Act

Chairman Gray and members of the Council,

We come before you today representing a growing group of DCPS teachers and parents we call “teachers and parents for real education reform” who very much care about improving the quality of teaching and learning in our schools. We support much needed education reform. We have a new blog at http://realeducationreformdc.blogspot.com/.

Most of those involved in this new initiative are teaching students this morning or working other jobs as DCPS parents. If you held this hearing in the evening or on Saturday, I would not be the one giving this testimony, and we would have a large group here adding emphasis to our words. We are all volunteers in this work. If you could consider evening or weekend hearings in the future, we would certainly appreciate it.

Our point today is really quite simple. In the past year transparency, accountability and the opportunity for citizen input into school system decision making has drastically diminished. There is no reason for this to be the case, even under mayoral control.

As you heard in the one budget hearing you held last year, principals have never before been so in the dark about the budgets for their schools, which makes local school planning very difficult. Even Mary Levy, who may know more about the DCPS budget than anyone in the school system, had trouble figuring out what was and was not in the budget. This isn’t right in a democracy.

At this time in the history of our school system, the opposite is needed. Even among those who advocate dramatic reform of our school system, which we do, there are very different philosophies and very different directions that reform can take. Those differences need to be debated out and the Chancellor and the Council need to hear from informed citizens now, like never before.

Some would have you believe that there are only those who favor reform and those who do not, and of course there is no point in hearing from those who oppose change. This is a distortion. In fact, there are many knowledgeable people in this town who believe in urgent change and are critical of aspects of the current reform effort.

We wrote, quite knowledgably we believe, in the pages of the Washington Post’s Close to Home section September 28th, that if the Chancellor is serious about improving the quality of teaching and learning, that there are five programmatic elements that need to be in her plans. None of these necessary components of a system that supports good teaching seem to be part of current DCPS plans. We need to see and be able to comment on the budget and the extent to which it does and does not support what most educators would consider essential for systemic improvement in the quality of teaching and learning.

The context here is important. There seems to be a stark philosophical contrast between the approach being taken by the Chancellor in DCPS and that being taken in all the surrounding jurisdictions – Montgomery, Prince Georges, and Fairfax; between Chancellor Rhee’s approach and that advocated by education researchers, educational testing experts, and that supported by those who for decades have advocated the creation of a professional teacher workforce. The approach being taken in DCPS is perceived as a radical outlier, nationally. At the very least, there is a need now, more than ever, to have an opportunity for some debate, some discussion and public input before the DCPS budget is finalized and decisions are made. That will not happen without Council action.

At any time, the dialogue between those empowered to make decisions about our schools, and those impacted by those decisions is essential, but it is more so now than ever before.

Please restore the hearing process that used to exist before mayoral control. We support the requirement in the bill before you that the Chancellor annually make public, on the DCPS web site, a detailed estimate of the projected overall budget request, and a school-by-school breakdown, before the request is final so that the public can really come to understand the vision and comment.

There Is Another Way

The proposed WTU contract does not address many of the problems teachers face and will not make DCPS a better place to teach or learn. Successful reform of education in DC will require more than what we’ve seen, and we believe you know that too.

We who chose teaching as a profession want support for teachers to improve their craft but see nothing but disrespect and blame in the proposed contract.

The proposed raises and bonuses rely on private funding, which is not guaranteed. The green and red salary tiers will result in a teacher workforce that is a revolving door of short-timers. We think this approach disrespects the profession of teaching.

We need dramatic improvement in teacher salaries and high standards for teaching quality, but this contract is not the answer. It won’t work and it may bring disrespect for teachers and teaching that cannot be reversed.

Arbitrary, unaccountable power in the hands of principals to make every teacher an “at will” employee does not lead to better teaching. DCPS hasn’t clearly defined what good teaching is, but wants teachers to put their fate in the hands of principals, or worse, unreliable student test results as the measure of school and teacher quality.

The AFT is a national leader in fixing teacher evaluation systems, support systems for new and veteran teachers, and accountability to standards of good teaching practice. Why weren’t they brought in to help develop the WTU’s reform proposals? It’s not too late for the AFT to work with the WTU and put forward a new plan.

How do we create a stronger contract?
1. Vote “no” on the tentative agreement! We can do better.
2. Demand that the WTU leadership and negotiating team bring in the expertise of the AFT to develop and bring our proposals to the table.
3. Don’t worry! Voting against the proposed contract means that the current contract remains in force. We do not lose if we work for a better approach.

Learn more and join with your colleagues who see another way to reform. Please fill out the index card with your name, email, school, and contact information. Drop it in the box as you leave.

To find out more fill out an index card and give it to: Liz Davis (lizday_1951@yahoo.com),
Kerry Sylvia (kerrysylvia@yahoo.com), or any of the teachers distributing this flyer.