"Teachers & Parents for Real Education Reform"

Facts Not What They Seem on Teacher Evaluation Study -- Strauss Corrects Rhee

2012-01-22T13:27:00.003-05:00

Valarie Strauss responds in her Washington Post column to Michelle Rhee's inaccurate reference of a new study on use of value added student test scores in teacher evaluation. Evidently the shorthand sound bites used by Rhee grossly distort the actual study. Its amazing how tiny effects can be described in a way that makes them look big. Strauss teaches us all a lesson in this one about how not

Test Erasures Continue -- Questionable Investigation Remains Under the Rug

2012-01-06T10:15:00.003-05:00

In his DC Insider Column in the Washington Post, Sunday, Bill Turque continues to follow the ongoing pattern of test score erasures and the resulting effects on "student achievement" scores. Scores appeared higher when cheating was widespread under Rhee in 2008 and 2009, and inexplicably dropped when the issue came to light. Turque documents DCPS Leadership and the Office of the State

Illinois Facility Fund

2011-11-09T12:29:00.001-05:00

What does the Illinois Facility Fund know about education? Not much. What the Illinois Facility Fund knows a lot about though is real estate, specifically real estate for charter schools. The Illinois Facility Fund is a non-profit lender and real estate consultant that offers a full range of financial services for charter schools including below-market rate loans, credit enhancement of bonds

Parents Anticipate Report as Assault on Low-Income Neighborhood Schools

2011-11-08T11:52:00.001-05:00

The Deputy Mayor for Education, with a 100,000 dollar grant from the Walton Family Foundation, engaged IFF (Illinois Facility Fund) to study the capacity and performance of DCPS and public charter schools. Click Map to Enlarge IFF has authored reports in Denver, Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Louis, using a defined method to determine what they term "performing" or "non-performing

Illinois Facilities Fund Hired to Study School Closing/Opening Needs in DCPS

2011-08-19T14:44:00.013-04:00

Valerie Strauss correctly questions in her column today why DCPS would want to hire a pro-charter school company from Illinois to advise the city on which additional public schools might be closed and where charter schools might be opened. The contract with IFF is for $100,000. Meanwhile, our own local 21st Century Schools Fund has been studying DC's facilities needs and advising DCPS for years

Photos from the Save Our Schools Rally and March, July 30, 2011

2011-07-30T20:21:00.000-04:00

How High Stakes Testing Led to Cheating Scandals in Atlanta and Washington DC

2011-07-21T22:07:00.001-04:00

Dana Goldstein has penned another insightful column on the origin of the testing scandals and hits the nail right on the head. This time the piece appeared today in Slate Magazine. The only problem is that although what she says must be occuring in DCPS, as of now, there has been no real investigation of cheating in DC, so the article is based on conjecture. Why has there been no real

Wishing Erasuregate Away DCPS Learns Nothing from Atlanta

2011-07-08T18:41:00.008-04:00

In an article in the Post this morning, Bill Turque paints a picture of a stark contrast between the approach taken in Atlanta and DCPS with very similar testing scandals. In Atlanta employees lied initially and it was only when questioned under oath that they told the truth. It took 60 full time investigators with subpoena powers, to uncover the truth. At first the improprieties seemed

Robbing Schools to Fatten Central Administration

2011-06-12T20:36:00.000-04:00

There seems to be a need for greater DC Council scrutiny over the DCPS budget. Either DCPS budget expert Mary Levy is right and the proposed school system budget for next year is growing by $77 Million, none of it targeted for schools, or there is over $50 Million unaccounted-for in the DCPS budget for the current year. Mark Simon and Mary Levy's Op-Ed in the Washington Post today points out

Teacher Evaluation that Works -- Designed Together With Teachers

2011-06-06T12:59:00.006-04:00

Doug Prouty, MCEA President The NY Times reported today on the Montgomery County teacher evaluation system, built collaboratively with the union, and working perhaps better than anywhere else in the country. Although it is praised by Secretary Duncan as ..."where the country needs to go," it stands in stark contrast to what school districts are being incentivized to do. Praised by State

USA Today Features Teachers and Parents for Real Education Reform Petition

2011-05-05T16:28:00.003-04:00

With over 3,700 signatures collected on our petition for a federal investigation of "erasuregate," USA Today followed-up on their original expose with a report on our petition. Read their report here. UPDATE: And this afternoon, May 6th, Washington Post columnist Valerie Strauss wrote a great piece about our petition on her blog. It will be in the print edition on Monday.

Sign the Petition !!

2011-04-11T14:46:00.006-04:00

DC public schools, under former Chancellor Michelle Rhee, has become obsessed with testing. Teacher pay is tied to test scores. Principal bonuses are tied to test scores. Teacher evaluations are tied to test scores. School funding is tied to test scores. Students are pulled from their regular classrooms for days or weeks each year, to be prepped for the tests. What's this got to do with a

USA Today Reveals Possible Widespread Test Irregularities Under Michelle Rhee

2011-03-29T21:08:00.010-04:00

USA Today published Monday a lengthy analysis of possible widespread cheating at the majority of schools during the tenure of DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee, leading to test score gains that seemed to reinforce Rhee's draconian strategies. Defending her record, Rhee lashed out at the USA Today piece, but Diane Ravitch, one of the nation's foremost critics of test-based reform and privatization

DCPS Budget and Teacher Data Included in Testimony Presented Friday

2011-03-08T11:20:00.010-05:00

Findings from my analysis included in testimony to the DC Council on Friday, March 4 and presented again as testimony to Mayor Vincent Gray on Monday include: 1. The number of DCPS central administration employees rose by 112 or 18% from 2007 to 2010 (the tenure of Michelle Rhee), while enrollment went down by 6,600 or 12%. Since FY 2003 central office FTEs are up 38% while enrollment is

"Middle-America" Uprising in Wisconsin

2011-02-21T15:44:00.003-05:00

Student Achievement Under Rhee No Better than Her Predecessors

2011-02-14T22:45:00.002-05:00

According to a new study of DCPS student achievement on NAEP scores, "the nation's report card," Alan Ginsburg, former director of policy and program studies for the US Education Department, finds that improvements under Rhee were no better than the upward trend under Superintendants Vance and Janey. In fact, achievement improved the most under former Superintendent Paul Vance. Ginsburg makes

School Budget Allocations Under Scrutiny

2011-02-07T11:13:00.004-05:00

DCPS has now postponed for the third time release of local school allocations for next year. The question of hard to defend inequities in school allocations during the Rhee years got a bit of sunlight thrown on it in an article by Bill Turque in the Washington Post today. Drawing on testimony delivered by SHAAPE [the Senior High Alliance of Parents, Principals and Educators] the article voices

40% of DCPS Teachers Eligible for Bonuses Reject Them

2011-01-27T11:12:00.005-05:00

WAMU's Kavitha Cardoza reports this week in an important scoop that fully 40% of the teachers who earned cash bonuses under Michelle Rhee's IMPACT teacher evaluation system last year are refusing to take the money. This astounding expression of alienation from the IMPACT bonus program, which has received strong editorial support from the editors of the Washington Post, was also reported in Bill

New Study of Value-Added Modeling Reveals Problems

2011-01-27T10:33:00.002-05:00

Jesse Rothstein University of California at Berkeley researcher, Jesse Rothstein, has taken another look at a Gates Foundation study released in late 2010 that purports to show that value added scores are correlated with broader, higher level teaching and learning competencies. Rothstein's new analysis reveals that the data in the Gates research study actually shows the opposite of what

"Data craziness is starting to hurt," says Kaya Henderson

2010-12-03T15:33:00.001-05:00

In an interview with WAMU's Kavitha Cardoza, Tuesday, Kaya Henderson stepped away from the Michelle Rhee script and began, for the first time, to articulate what might be a different approach. "I think we've gotten something wrong," she said. "The goal is to educate children. And I think the swing of the pendulum from absolutely no accountability to what I might call data craziness is starting to

Diane Ravitch Responds to Bill Gates' Questions

2010-11-30T20:13:00.003-05:00

Bill Gates has increasingly come to articulate the dominant narrative on education reform in the US. In this week's Newsweek he takes on Diane Ravitch and terms her his main adversary. Ravitch responds today in Valarie Strauss' Post Column to the questions Gates poses to her in Newsweek. Its a thought provoking interchange, particularly Ravitch's response.

Is DCPS's new IMPACT Evaluation System Rigged?

2010-11-07T17:30:00.006-05:00

On November 1, Valarie Strauss invited Columbia Teachers College professor, Aaron Pallas to analyze just how the new IMPACT teacher evaluation system works and his simple description (here) is a shocker. It turns out that teachers are not being evaluated against a standard of good teaching, but rather against the student test score achievement of similarly situated teachers in DCPS. So half the

Responses to Simplistic Approaches

2010-10-20T09:10:00.009-04:00

Co-Chairs of the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education -- Helen Ladd, Pedro Noguera, and Tom Paysant -- issued the following statement on behalf of the network of thousands of individuals who signed the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education campaign statement in 2008, including the now secretary of education, Arne Duncan. The statement was issued as a timely response to "simplistic approaches."

What Went Wrong? Fenty's Real Mis-steps

2010-09-15T09:00:00.005-04:00

The election confirmed what polls had shown for several weeks, that Fenty and Rhee had squandered their opportunity to reform the schools and the city. The question is how did this happen? The final vote: after Fenty's $5 Million warchest had been spent and the Washington Post editors had cheerled unceasingly for the Mayor and his accomplishments -- Vince Gray won -- 57% to 42%! The Washington

"Rheeform" -- What Went Wrong?

2010-09-08T13:54:00.010-04:00

The meltdown of Adrian Fenty's re-election bid and the surprising Washington Post poll indicating that the Chancellor's approval/disapproval rating is 40% to 41% after three years has caused thoughtful DCPS watchers to begin to discuss the blunders that have been made that have so alienated parents and teachers. The Journal Rethinking Schools is publishing one analysis later this month that puts

Washington Post's blind allegiance to Michelle Rhee

2010-09-04T14:36:00.002-04:00

There is a larger story overshadowing the report on DC test score achievement gaps in the Washington Post dated Aug. 27, 2010 by Bill Turque: Michelle Rhee's "reform" program is a failure. DC test scores, which began to improve under Mr. Janey's tenure, have flattened. The Post struggles to defend Ms. Rhee by pointing to the nationwide pattern of lagging test score gains; quoting Ms. Rhee's

Civil Rights Coalition Calls for Changes in Obama Approach to Education

2010-07-26T15:16:00.009-04:00

A coalition of the leading Civil Rights organizations released today a 17 page report titled "The Opportunity to Learn Campaign," in which they take to task the approach of the Obama administration to the reauthorization of NCLB. Specifically, the report critiques the "Race to the Top" concept of competitive grants, stop-gap grant-driven innovations that amount to a revolving door of programs of

Drop In Test Scores Should Make Us Think

2010-07-15T08:52:00.004-04:00

Valarie Strauss points out in her Post blog column yesterday, that the whole house of cards that has been built by the Rhee administration in which tests scores are the be-all and end-all is brought into question by the reactions of the administration, and for that matter the editors of the Washington Post, to the recent drop in scores. Jay Mathews has had to have a similar "epiphony." The fact

New Study on Teach For America

2010-07-08T11:26:00.004-04:00

Valarie Strauss reports today that a new study that reviews the the national literature on Teach For America (TFA) out of the University of Texas at Austin, shows that 50% of TFA recurits leave after 2 years and 80% leave after 3 years. TFAers also get worse test score results in reading and math than fully credentialed recruits. The only clear win is when TFAers are brought in to a district

Wash Post Article Gets It Wrong on School Funding Equity

2010-06-24T11:16:00.004-04:00

The following is a response from Mary Filardo, Director of the 21st Century School Fund to the June 6, 2010 article on the front page of the Washington Post, entitled “Spreading D.C.’s money around, Recent data on projects indicate Fenty doesn’t favor particular wards”The quality of the physical school environment makes a difference to students and teachers—their health, focus, and curriculum—and

DCPS Teachers Approve New Contract Overwhelmingly - But What Does It Mean?

2010-06-03T08:41:00.006-04:00

Washington Post reporter, Bill Turque today summarized the new WTU Teachers Contract approved ovewhelmingly by teachers in the vote tallied yesterday, and reported some reactions to the agreement. Only Randi Weingarten was honest enough to accurately characterize the agreement. Far from being a model for the country, the WTU agreement is a very traditional, "industrial" style contract, said

Pedro Noguera Critiques Obama Administration Approach to Ed Reform

2010-05-30T17:32:00.003-04:00

NYU's Pedro Noguera, one of the nation's foremost advocates for equity in the schooling for poor and minority youth, writes this week's cover editorial in the Nation magazine and delivers one of the most articulate critiques of the Obama Administration's approach to reform. After the Obama administration was elected on the need for change away from the failed NCLB policy, Noguera maintains,

Valarie Strauss Again Sets the Record Straight on Charters

2010-05-23T20:23:00.005-04:00

In responding to the puff piece on charters and edu-entrepreneurs in the New York Times magazine today, Valarie Strauss pointed out that Steven Brill got his facts wrong on charters and a number of other things. The Times piece hailed the Obama administration, leaders like Michelle Rhee, and edu-entrepreneurs like John Schneur for standing up to the evil teachers' unions. But to make his case,

WTU Contract Funded, according to Gandhi. Now goes to members for a vote

2010-05-17T09:01:00.003-04:00

According to a Washington Post story by Bill Turque last week Fenty and Rhee announced that they had received Natwar Gandhi's blessing and had come up with the funds to pay for what they previously negotiated with the WTU. The tradeoff will be other cuts in the system.

Rhee Contract with WTU Invalid???

2010-04-28T18:10:00.004-04:00

Looks like there's an adult in the room. Natwar Gandhi, the DC CFO is refusing to certify the negotiated contract because it is premised on funds that might or might not be there. That's what the article in the Washington Post will read tomorrow. Certification by the CFO is a requirement in order for it to be sent out to the WTU membership for a vote.It just came to light in the past few days

DCPS Budget Mismanagement -- What A Mess!

2010-04-23T09:42:00.002-04:00

City Councilmemebers are demanding Michelle Rhee's "report card," and according to the Washington Post's Bill Turque, the unions want a meeting to get answers. All this because Michelle Rhee premised paying for the new teachers contract on a $34 Million surplus that DC Chief Financial officer Natwar Ghandi says isn't there. According to Ghandi, the Rhee administration overspent in the central

The Same Budget that Was in Crisis Causing Firings Now Finds $34 M Surplus to Fund Teacher Raises

2010-04-13T16:21:00.008-04:00

Teaching asks a lot of teachers. An effective school system is one that inspires teachers to give their all for a life of inspired teaching. A sick school system is one with a culture of mistrust, cynicism, and disrespect. It is one run at the whim of autocrats based on fear. The culture becomes us vs. them. As Diane Ravitch argued on her blog a few weeks back, there are two kinds of

My Thoughts on the Proposed WTU Contract

2010-04-10T23:25:00.003-04:00

On Wednesday, April 7th I attended the WTU informational session on the proposed new contract. Two things that jumped out immediately were the large pay increases and the assurance that tenure would not be removed. I was happy to see that we have moved beyond the false notion that tenure means a job for life, when in actuality it serves as protections for basic due process.We received an

Tentative Agreement Reached in WTU Contract Negotiations!

2010-04-06T22:05:00.003-04:00

WTU president George Parker has called a membership meeting for Wednesday, April 7th at McKinley HS, to review the details of the tentative agreement signed with DCPS. Mike Debonis of the City Paper published today a summary of the agreement and a leaked Q & A piece prepared by the WTU. The contract will be retroactive to 2007 when Michelle Rhee's tenure as Chancellor began. Negotiations have

Inexcusable: Empty promises to a D.C. school

2010-03-22T20:26:00.007-04:00

This is the very important story about Bruce-Monroe at Park View ES that was not explained in the print edition story (Three closed D.C. schools won't reopen soon) in the POST this morning. It appeared later in the Online Washington Post in Valerie Strauss' Blog today. Providing the perspective that was missing from this morning's story, Strauss calls it "inexcusable" to promise a successful

Reacting to the "Low Performing School" Label at T.C. Williams HS.

2010-03-21T10:51:00.003-04:00

Patrick Welsh, who teaches English at T.C.Williams HS in Alexandria, VA, writes today in the Washington Post, describing the reaction among teachers at his school when they found it was on the US Department of Education list of the nation's lowest performing schools. T.C. Williams has been celebrated as a school with great teachers who add tremendos value to it's low income students'

Two New Books Recommended by Valarie Strauss

2010-03-12T13:42:00.009-05:00

Washington Post columnist Valarie Strauss in her column today applauds the advice and the research from Linda Darling-Hammond and Diane Ravitch in their respective new books. It seems that there finally are some voices emerging -- even in the Washington Post -- with an alternative to the consensus that has dominated Washington for far too long. If only it was as simple as Obama and Duncan reading

Two Kinds of Superintendents.....Which One Do We have?

2010-02-09T14:31:00.015-05:00

Diane Ravitch's new book The Death and Life of the Great American School System is out. It takes on the so-called reform movement of the past three decades and declares it a failure. According to the Daily Kos, This is "a book of critical importance."Diane Ravitch has a post on her Ed Week blog that is full of insight into the two fundamentally different ways that school systems are being run

The Press Got it Wrong says Ravitch

2010-01-22T09:12:00.002-05:00

The editors and reporters at the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and Education Week, were flat out wrong about what Randi Weingarten said in her speech, says Education commentator Diane Ravitch on the Huffington Post today. We agree with Ravitch. The speech has particular relevance in DCPS, but its import was distorted by editors and even reporters who seem strangely locked into

Weingarten Proposes "A New Path Forward"

2010-01-12T17:22:00.007-05:00

In a comprehensive speech at the National Press Club, AFT president Randi Weingarten charted a new path for public education reform. With clear reference to ill conceived strategies "that fixate on the supposed silver bullet of doing away with bad teachers," born of her frustration with Michelle Rhee's approach, Weingarten offered instead an integrated approach with four components: 1. a new

Hardy MS Parents Confront Rhee

2009-12-07T15:39:00.003-05:00

Chancellor Rhee met with predominently African American parents and teachers who had demanded that she explain why their beloved, talented, principal was being "promoted" out to start an arts magnet school in antoher part of town. She may not have anticipated the firestorm she got. The history of Rhee's tenure in DCPS may record this as yet another misstep in the name of shaking things up. See

Showdown Over Individual Teacher Talent May Be the Wrong Focus

2009-10-24T12:42:00.006-04:00

The escalating conflict over firing and hiring individual teachers may be the result of an ill conceived reform strategy in DCPS. To the extent that even the budget crisis that led to firing 229 teachers after hiring over 900 over the summer fits into a long term strategy of turning over the teacher workforce, that strategy may fly in the face of research on what works.In a new Policy Brief

Uniting for Real Education Reform -- a teacher reports on the impact of the Oct. 8 Rally for Respect

2009-10-14T18:41:00.008-04:00

After a stressful few weeks of uncertainty from the impending RIFs followed by 16 lay offs at my school alone, it was a welcomed feeling to board a bus full of colleagues to last Thursday's Washington Teachers Union rally. New teachers alongside veteran teachers rode together as we joined the thousands of others rallying around the unjust budget cuts made a month and a half into the school

Rhee Fires Teachers, Apparently Without Cause -- Budgetary or Competence

2009-10-03T13:18:00.018-04:00

The RIFs came down Friday as 229 teachers and others totaling 388 school employees got pink slips. They will be put on paid leave until November 2, when they will no longer have jobs. The Washington POST dutifully wrote an editorial Saturday applauding the RIFs. Incredibly, the POST reasoned that since there are some bad teachers in DCPS, therefore any firing of teachers must be justified, no

SHAPPE Letter Questions $ Cuts and RIFs

2009-09-30T16:36:00.010-04:00

On this day when budget cuts were due to be translated into pick slips delivered to teachers in every school, the Senior High Alliance of Principals, Parents and Educators (SHAPPE) today delivered a carefully worded letter to the City Council. It called for Council hearings and closer oversight over DCPS to make up for a lack of central planning and accountability that schools need from the

The Cat's Out of the Bag on Budget Cuts

2009-09-23T10:30:00.005-04:00

Over the weekend City Councilmember David Catania revealed privately to "Teachers and Parents for..." member Kerry Sylvia that the purpose of the contrived budget cuts was to get principals to ID their least competent teachers for removal. Today the Washington Post announced the same thing in their lead editorial. So what's the problem with this?The problem is that the Chancellor has had more

Mass Hiring and Mass Layoff -- What Gives?

2009-09-21T10:57:00.003-04:00

DC teacher Dan Brown's September 18 Huffington Post article on the DCPS budget cut to schools hits the nail on the head. He explains why hiring 900 newbies over the summer and mass teacher layoffs in the fall is an ill conceived strategy.

Marginalized For Life

2009-09-13T23:47:00.002-04:00

Ten years working with students as a DCPS social worker and I can confidently say that David’s situation is not remarkable. Due to concerns about privacy I am not going to discuss specifics about his life but speak about typical circumstances of students like him.Who shares the blame for David being in the fifth grade and not being able to read? It is a multi-system failure starting with his

Marginalized taking the DC BAS

2009-09-09T23:10:00.004-04:00

Only two days after Labor Day and the high stakes testing frenzy is in full swing across DC Public Schools. At my school students started the first day of the DC BAS today. It is not as long as DC CAS and is supposed to serve as a baseline to track student progress for the April tests.Without getting into all of the politics of standardized testing, I thought I would share my experience today

2009-08-20T16:01:00.005-04:00

PROGRESS? IT DEPENDS HOW YOU MEASURE IT!By Guy Brandenburg, retired DCPS math teacherQuestion: Can the statisticians in the group check the following claim, made in the intro to the PBS segment on DCPS progress under chancellor Rhee? “…almost half of elementary students are now on grade level, according to the city’s year-end DC-CAS test. That may not sound like much,

2009-08-19T21:40:00.002-04:00

REGULAR DCPS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS OUT-PERFORM THEIR CHARTER SCHOOL COUNTERPARTS -- Situation Almost Exactly Reversed at the Secondary Level By: Guy Brandenburg, retired DCPS mathematics teacher The results from last year’s DC-CAS flatly contradict the media-spread ‘wisdom’ that public charter schools always do better than regular urban public schools. In fact, regular DC public

"Value Added" Test Score Method Probed

2009-07-18T08:45:00.012-04:00

An article in this week's Education Week (July 15) points to controversy over whether "value added" assessment of teacher effectiveness might be built on "shaky assumptions." The "Value Added" method is based on judgements as to whether individual teachers are getting greater, lesser or on par student test score gains compared with those historically predicted for their students. While

Testing Tactics Fuel DC CAS Gains

2009-07-17T09:00:00.005-04:00

In a surprisingly candid article in the Washington Post today, even the Rhee administration admits that they used strategies to target and test prep students on the cusp to bump the percentage of students deemed "proficient" under NCLB. In the piece, Kerry Sylvia calls it "less about serving children and more about making the adults who run the school system look good." Teachers and Parents for

What's Green Dot Got To Do With It ??

2009-07-03T11:13:00.011-04:00

In an article by Bill Turque in yesterday's Washington Post it turns out that Chancellor Rhee is actively exploring with education iconoclast Steve Barr offering Green Dot an opportunity to run schools in DC. The question to ask is what expertise, if any, does Green Dot bring to the equation? Steve Barr instigated a masterful political movement of parents and then teachers in LA through Green Dot

The Reform that's Needed

2009-06-26T11:10:00.002-04:00

After reading the previous post, I realized that my January 15th blog entry was my last one. I knew it had been a while, but hadn't realized just how long I've been silent. While there has been plenty to write about, I've allowed the oppressive conditions of working within DCPS to get the better of me this school year. After 9 years in DCPS, I was really feeling discouraged and began

"Saturday Scholars" Program Ripped in Ed Week

2009-06-24T13:54:00.005-04:00

In this week's Ed Week Commentary, Columbia University researcher Jennifer Jennings slams Chancellor Michelle Rhee for engaging in practices that make the adults look good but leave the neediest children behind. Echoing Teachers and Parents for Real Education Reform blogger Kerry Sylvia's post from January, Jennings describes how NCLB causes school districts across the country to do what makes

Is technology all that?

2009-04-26T19:46:00.003-04:00

I had the opportunity to visit the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics annual conference in Washington DC. Unfortunately, few DCPS mathematics teachers were able to attend because of DCCAS testing. I went after school on Thursday evening and Saturday until 12:00 just before the conference ended.I was struck by the number of exhibits that relied on expensive technology. Texas Instruments,

How to Reform a Teacher Salary Schedule...

2009-04-21T10:17:00.006-04:00

A new national study by Ed Sector demonstrates that not all teacher salary schedules are created equal. By studying how experience and credentials are valued differently in different school sytems policy makers and unions can tweak their existing single salary schedule to have a powerful impact without opting for risky and unproven pay for performance schemes. This study should make for

Juking the Stats

2009-04-19T13:57:00.012-04:00

As an Algebra and Geometry support teacher at The Duke Ellington School of the Arts, I am concerned about the influence that national tests have on my, and other teachers', teaching. David Simon, who is responsible for my all time favorite TV series, "The Wire", was on Bill Moyers last night. He referred to our national zeal for test taking as "juking the stats", a quote that comes from an

Scandal At Three Ed Reform Organizations

2009-04-01T18:15:00.011-04:00

In an unusual piece of investigative journalism by Juan Gonzales, reporter at the New York Daily News, a long-standing kickback scheme was uncovered involving Al Sharpton, leader of the Education Equality project of which Michelle Rhee and Joel Klein are key members, and a Connecticut hedge fund. Also implicated are Education Reform Now, Democrats for Education Reform, and Sharpton's

Dan Brown makes a great point...

2009-03-31T10:06:00.005-04:00

In his recent column on the Huffington Post, DC Charter School teacher, Dan Brown describes here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-brown/hey-nicholas-kristof-and_b_178124.html#comments the fallacy in Chancellor Rhee's argument, not just about the number of "bad" teachers in DCPS, but more importantly about where good teachers come from. This is the point that Teachers and Parents for Real

What's Wrong With Accountability By The Numbers?

2009-03-19T16:25:00.004-04:00

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.

Union Bashing Won't Reform Our Schools

2009-03-11T11:17:00.007-04:00

In a thoughtful Commentary in EdWeek today, CUNY Professor Jennifer Goldstein argues that union bashing and union protectionism are keeping us from the important work of collaborating on improving the quality of teaching and learning. Goldstein Commentary pdf version here

2009-02-22T10:54:00.008-05:00

In response to a note from Linda Darling-Hammond to friends that she is returning home to Stanford and will no longer be seeking a role in the Obama administration, two prominent education researchers, Gary Orfield and Diane Ravitch articulated a stunning critique of Arne Duncan's direction at the US Department of Education.Posted on Politico.com On Sat, Feb 21, 2009 by Diane Ravitch, Historian

New teacher evaluation system...the devil's in the details

2009-01-27T14:54:00.007-05:00

On January 16, City Council Chairman Vincent Gray organized a full-day hearing on the state of human capital development in DCPS. National experts and eloquent DCPS teachers testified for 11 hours before the full Council. Councilmembers heard different perspectives, but a powerful critique emerged of a lack of support for high quality teaching in the school system, and a teacher work force

What are DCPS’ priorities?

2009-01-15T15:58:00.003-05:00

Right before the holiday break I received an e-mail inviting me to be a teacher in this year’s 2009 Saturday Scholars program. After looking at the details provided, it seems like the program is going to be a huge investment—hundreds of teachers will be paid $30/hour for 5 ½ hours each Saturday, January 24--April 18, 2009 (with a few exceptions like Easter weekend).With so many students in DCPS

Marc Fisher Asks if Working Together Might Be a Better Approach in DCPS -- The Broad Acres Story

2009-01-08T07:44:00.004-05:00

In Today's POST Marc Fisher raises questions about Rhee's approach extrapolating from Montgomery County's effort to turn around its highest poverty, lowest performing school. If anything, he understates the extent to which the union/management collaboration was the key. Read the case study to the right here about Broad Acres written by the Mooney Institute and used in courses at Harvard

DC Teacher Chic Packs It In

2009-01-06T17:33:00.005-05:00

We were sorry, but not surprised earlier in the fall when our fellow blogger from the trenches -- DC Teacher Chic -- quit her teaching job in the middle of the year, and we're even sadder now that she has decided to leave education completely to take a job in another field. It makes us wonder why it is that some people come in to teaching with all the answers and then stay such a short time. Its

Rhee Plans Shake-Up... as described in the POST today

2009-01-05T09:45:00.004-05:00

While the headline and the first few paragraphs in today's Post article by Bill Turque empahsized removing a "significant share" of DCPS' current teacher workforce, a line which is not new for Michelle Rhee, the plan to focus on nurturing skillful teaching was very new and a turnaround of sorts. Its almost as if the Rhee administration and the WTU have both adopted the central message of Teachers

DCPS Reform -- getting the conversation right

2008-12-21T16:23:00.011-05:00

We liked the posting today on Eduwonkette's blog shown as a link on the right here because it makes some of the same points about New Yorks reforms that we make below in relation to DC.Three of us from the "Teachers and Parents for Real Education Reform" initiative met with Special Assistant to the Chancellor Jason Kamras and Deputy Chancellor Kaya Henderson Dec.18 to share our concerns about

A Voice from Chicago -- It's Duncan

2008-12-16T08:57:00.005-05:00

Education activist Mike Klonsky, from Chicago, posted this on his blog. Well, you can't win 'em all. While I had no expectations that the Obama team would select the only progressive educator on the list for Sec. of Ed, I had hoped he would steer clear of the hatchet-swinging, test crazy, union busting, NCLB-loving, privatization-minded, Klein-Rhee-Vallas-Duncan types. Now some of my friends

Defending Linda Darling-Hammond for Secretary of Education

2008-12-07T10:23:00.010-05:00

NY Times columnist and conservative, Republican David Brooks offered a scathing attack against the prospect of Stanford Professor Linda Darling-Hammond becoming US Secretary of Education. Today's online version of the Times printed our reply at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/opinion/lweb07brooks.html#Our response appeared in the Times, but here's the unedited version:David Brooks got it

Heedless 'Reform' in D.C. Schools

2008-11-26T09:32:00.003-05:00

Letter to the Washington Post Wednesday, November 26, 2008; A12I was pleased to read Larry Cuban's articulate commentary on D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's efforts to reform the District's failing school system ["Michelle Rhee: Better to Be a Marathoner," Close to Home, Nov. 23].I, too, am concerned that the urgency of her response has compromised her analysis of what is wrong with the

Michelle Rhee: Better to Be a Marathoner -- By Larry Cuban

2008-11-23T08:39:00.004-05:00

This article appeared in Sunday's Washington Post, Close to Home section, November 23, 2008; Page B08. It echoes the concerns raised by "teachers and parents for real education reform." In her second year as the District's schools chancellor, Michelle A. Rhee looks like a sprinter. In less than two years, with the full support of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, she has already cut central office

2008-11-22T21:39:00.005-05:00

The "Bad" Teacher

2008-11-15T20:46:00.001-05:00

They are infamous. Countless newspaper stories have been written about them. DC school leaders and politicians include classroom horror stories about them in their speeches. Parents lament about them. They are assailed in e-mail posts and comment sections of articles and blog postings. They’ve even gotten attention nationwide with the recent spotlight on DCPS’ chancellor in the national

Another way to reform--spelled out at tonight’s forum

2008-11-05T23:32:00.000-05:00

I am just getting home after this evening’s forum. I have to say that I was truly inspired by tonight’s event and the huge turnout. It mirrors my feelings toward Obama’s victory last night—although the problems we face may seem insurmountable right now, there is a vision and a way forward. I have never heard Randi Weingarten or John Deasy speak, but I was truly impressed. I thought it was

Good Teacher, Bad Teacher: What Parents Want

2008-10-23T10:06:00.000-04:00

As a DCPS parent I have had the good fortune that my daughter has been taught by some really great teachers. She's now in sophomore year of high school and I've been at this since Pre-K. I've felt the happiness and security of knowing that my daughter loved those teachers, enjoyed being in their classrooms, and was doing important and interesting work with them. Her second grade teacher went

Good Teacher, Bad Teacher: How Do We Decide?

2008-10-16T20:18:00.000-04:00

I’ve taught in six DC public schools under the supervision of six different principals who had six different ideas of what constitutes 'quality' or 'effective' teaching. My experience makes me very concerned about what I hear is the enhanced principal authority to get rid of teachers they don't like in the proposed contract. Current administrators may or may not be the best judges of quality

There Is Another Way!

2008-10-15T21:35:00.000-04:00

Kerry,You’re dead on target. Last week, I attended the quarterly meeting of the DC Area Writing Project (DCAWP) which is comprised of over 250 of the best and brightest teachers in our school district. When I arrived, teachers were discussing a letter writing campaign to our union leadership about the trade-offs proposed by Chancellor Rhee. The consensus was that such trade offs; (specifically

Thoughts on the Letter from the Chancellor

2008-10-13T22:37:00.000-04:00

A week ago Friday, teachers received a letter from Chancellor Rhee summarizing what she had given out at a press conference the day before. The letter began with: “Ensuring that our students—no matter what their challenges are—receive the education they deserve is the most important task that we face as a city and a nation.” No disagreement there. That’s why I became a teacher. But then she got

2008-10-13T10:28:00.000-04:00

The next meeting of "teachers and parents for real education reform" will be October 14 at 5:00 PM at the Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library - 5401 South Dakota Avenue, at Kennedy Street, N.E.. Please join us!

Update on Last Night's Meeting

2008-10-08T13:27:00.000-04:00

Turnout was good on Tuesday's meeting, with lots of teachers who had not come to previous meetings. The agenda included an update on negotiations including a clarification that the letter that teachers had received from the Chancellor on Friday was merely a continuation of negotiations by other means. The bulk of the meeting was devoted to deepening our common understanding of what this

Meeting Tuesday at Lamond- Riggs Library

2008-10-06T14:42:00.000-04:00

Our next meeting will take place this Tuesday, October 7, at 5:30 at Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library, 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE, at Kennedy Street, NE Washington DC 20011. All teachers and parents who believe in real education reform that is focused on improving the quality of teaching and learning, and doing it with teachers, are welcome to attend.

Eduwonkette Takes Rhee to Task

2008-10-06T14:06:00.000-04:00

The following was posted today on "Eduwonkette" one of the nation's most respected education blogs, hosted by Education Week Magazine:October 6, 2008In the Name of Reform? A Lesson About Michelle Rhee's Big Plans from Art SiebensReporter: “The teachers’ union is saying that their concern is arbitrary firing…. that it just isn’t possible to give everyone sort of a level of fair scrutiny.Rhee: “It’

Welcome to this Blog

2008-10-01T10:43:00.002-04:00

For those of you who could not attend Saturday's meeting, I wanted to give you an update. We had a group of approximately 20 teachers and parents who came to the meeting, which was quite impressive considering that it was planned with such short notice. Even more impressive is that we had teachers and parents on the same page and articulating a shared vision of education reform in DC. We decided