The final MET study supposedly show that value-added modeling really does work and that test scores really do show who the best teachers are.
But Bruce Baker says the study is full of holes and circular reasoning.
When Bill Gates and the top executives at Microsoft put their own children in schools that use test scores as the measure of good teaching, then we will know that they believe in what they advocate.
This is the kind of school that the connoisseurs prefer. True, the school is in Silicon Valley, not Seattle, but I expect the education at the Waldorf School of the Peninsula looks a lot like the Lakeside School (where Bill Gates went) or Maumee Valley Country Day School (where Michelle Rhee went).
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The difference between a con man and a cult leader?
The cult leader believes his own con.
Still, I don’t want either one of them running our schools, do you?
Here’s a devastating article that points up Bill Gates’ hypocrisy when it comes to the variation between what he demands for his own children, and what he subjects children from lower income communities:
http://seattletimes.com/html/dannywestneat/2014437975_danny09.html
THE SEATTLE TIMES’ Danny Weastneat takes Gates to task for promoting policy all over the country that jacks class size sky high, with Gates using the common-sense-defying logic that kids will fare better in larger classes.
Well, Weastneat sends his own kids to public schools, and will eventually attend Garfield High School (in the news of late). These are the schools that—once Gates has his way—will have obscenely large class sizes… A bit fed up, Weastneat did what perhaps no other writer has yet dared to do:
he investigated the two rich kids’ private school where Gates sends his own children and—doncha know it? —these schools major selling point is that they have… wait for it… EXTREMELY SMALL CLASS SIZES:
WEASTNEAT: “I bet (Gates) senses deep down as a parent that pushing more kids into classes isn’t what’s best for students. His kids’ private-sector grade school has 17 kids in each room. His daughter’s high school has 15. These intimate settings are the selling point, the chief reason tuition is $25,000 a year — more than double what Seattle schools spends per student.”
Calling out Gates’ hypocrisy, Weastneat ends the article with a knockout finish:
WEASTNEAT: “Bill, here’s an experiment. You and I both have an 8-year-old. Let’s take your school and double its class sizes, from 16 to 32. We’ll use the extra money generated by that — a whopping $400,000 more per year per classroom — to halve the class sizes, from 32 to 16, at my public high school, Garfield.
“In 2020, when our kids are graduating, we’ll compare what effect it all had. On student achievement. On teaching quality. On morale. Or that best thing of all, the “environment that promotes relationships between teachers and students.”
“Deal? Probably not. Nobody would take that trade. Which says more than all the studies ever will.”
For Bill Gates, wasting $50 million is about the same as you spending $10 on something that turned out to be junky. You’d be annoyed, but you probably wouldn’t go to too much trouble to get your money back.
Of course, the difference is that you would actually recognize that your $10 was a waste. I’m sure Bill Gates thinks that $50 million was money well spent.
I love schools like this. It’s all very simple…Teachers teaching, kids allowed to be kids.
Here is the Seattle Times version of the article about the Gates Foundation’s study.
Seattle Times
Originally published January 8, 2013 at 3:21 PM
Gates: Test scores not enough for teacher reviews
By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP/Associated Press
After three years of research on measuring teacher performance, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Tuesday that it takes multiple measures to most accurately judge educators.
The Seattle foundation concluded in its final report on its Measures of Effective Teaching research that test scores or principal evaluations are not enough on their own. The findings mirror what teachers unions have been saying.
The federal government has been pushing states through incentive grants and waivers to update their teacher evaluation systems because it felt existing systems were inadequate. At the same time, the Gates Foundation was studying these issues, saying it wanted to add to the discussion. Most states and big city districts have adopted some elements of the recommendations.
Foundation officials say the more reliable systems include a balanced mix of evaluation methods: student test scores, lesson observation and student surveys.
“If you do it right, you can generate measures that will help identify teachers that are having a bigger impact. That’s a really big deal,” said lead investigator Thomas J. Kane, professor of education and economics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
The foundation studied 3,000 teachers across the country. The research included classroom videos of 13,000 lessons, interviews with students and administrators, test scores and experiments to test theories.
Classrooms were studied in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the Dallas Independent School District, Denver Public Schools, Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Fla., Memphis City Schools, The New York City Department of Education and Pittsburgh Public Schools.
One of the new conclusions of the report is that having a second person, other than the principal, evaluate a teacher greatly enhances reliability.
The researchers also established a baseline for how much influence test scores should have on teacher evaluations, saying tests should not represent more than half the total teacher evaluation score, unless the district is just trying to determine future test scores.
Vicki Phillips, director of the foundation’s K-12 education program, said the focus of teacher evaluation systems should be on giving feedback to help teachers improve.
Several districts involved in the research acknowledged that student surveys were the most controversial part of the process, and some, like Hillsboro County Public Schools in Florida, have opted to leave them out of the mix when scoring teachers.
Jean Clements, president of the Hillsboro Classroom Teachers Association, said her district decided the results of student surveys, which ask questions like “do you feel challenged to do your best work,” may not be trusted by teachers.
The researchers found, however, that student surveys help teachers improve their practice because those results evoke the most emotions.
Test scores and principal evaluations don’t bring tears to many teachers’ eyes, Kane said. “Getting these student surveys back … hits you where your heart is.”
Waldorf schools are wonderful. Teachers follow their students from first through sixth grades, make their own curriculum, incorporate the arts, crafts, stories, the outdoors, and lots of physical activities to teach concepts. There is no standardized testing, and each child is allowed to blossom in their own time. This kind of education is the polar opposite of what the educational “reformers” tell us we should be doing with our children who can’t afford a Waldorf educarion. Does anyone else see the hypocrisy?
Waldorf schools are great for some, but not all. That is why choice is important.
And only for those who can afford it since it is a private school. I would suspect it is at least $20,000 a year. I don’t see Gates sending his kids to a cyber school where kids sit in cubicles staring at screens and devices for hours staffed by temporary TFAers. When it is good for his kids, it will be good enough for all kids.
You can still work the philosophy into public schools and many do. I know.
This post just reminded me of Chem Teacher’s story about rejecting a Waldof School precisely because of the lack of technology.
Parents in that income bracket don’t have to worry. They can compensate at home when they are ready.
Well said. They are very good for the neurotypical student, but people such as my brother are asked to leave. He has Asperger’s syndrome and the school was unwilling to make accommodations for him. My parents took me out of Waldorf and some of my friends parents did the same because we were progressing faster than other students. The Waldorf school teachers would not allow us to move on.
In public school, which I am a large advocate of, I had teachers willing to pay attention to their students, and change the lesson to fit us. Instead of being told “you are to young to read that” like I was in Waldorf, the teachers gave me the challenge of reading harder books. My brother was given the emotional support he needed. My friends who left the Waldorf school later wished they had been given that support.
All “research” funded by Gates reaches the conclusion that Gates is right or it doesn’t get published, no?
I found this regarding the principal investigator:
The Harvard Graduate School of Education announced today that Professor Thomas Kane will serve as a deputy director of education for US Program at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Kane will remain Professor of Education and Economics and continue his work as faculty director of the Project for Policy Innovation in Education.
Read more: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news-impact/2009/01/kane-to-serve-on-bill-melinda-gates-foundation-education-team/#ixzz2HcK6bypf
In other words, he works for them. I share your concerns Linda.
It is a Gates love-in. He is their master and must be worshiped. He can never be wrong. Hail to the King and God Bless Gateserica!
Which is an education that all children should have and be afforded! (I’m still an idealist.)
I am quite sure the Gates children attend a private school where prospective studentsmust complete a test to be selected. Having a ton of money helps, too. The private,high-sclaed, high-academic schools in my city also reflect the highest scores. Of course,there is no magic to this phenomonen…schools that accept the wealthiest and mostintelligent students do score well on standardized tests. Gates is pissed because of the intense pushback his cronies are receiving around thecountry and he now realizes that control of all of it is a myth, or at least a moving target.The Savior of American schools isn’t the Messiah he hoped to be. That being said,his foundation is doing extraordinary philanthropy around the world. I just think heshould stick with what he knows. Despite his immense notariety, he doesn’t knoweverything.
Sandy Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2013 21:06:20 +0000 To: sjhume@msn.com
With all of his money do you really think his kids wouldn’t be accepted if they didn’t meet the cut off for whatever test they used for admission? I don’t.
Not sure all of his philanthropy somehow doesn’t somehow benefit him. I will search, but chemtchr had a great article about just that.
I absolutely agree with you Sandy. I applaud Mr. Gates on his philanthropic efforts around the world, but I do not believe he has any insight in to how to best effectively address the issues in public schools in America, where students have parents who do make their children the priority. As an African American founder of a nonprofit working in the schools, I was shocked by many of the attitudes and dispositions of teachers and students in Title One and lowering performing schools. It took a five year research project, and daily activities with like students to create Love In Abundance College Must Begin in 8th Grade Life and Pre-College Preparatory program. I think those who want to talk about the changes that need to occur in like schools needs to spend some real time in the schools, because the reality of attitudes and dispositions is vastly different, than even 10 years ago.
I am quite sure the Gates children attend a private school where prospective students
must complete a test to be selected. Having a ton of money helps, too. The private,
high-end, high-academic schools in my city also reflect the highest scores. Of course,
there is no magic to this phenomenon…schools that accept the wealthiest and most
intelligent students do score well on standardized tests.
Gates is pissed because of the intense pushback his cronies are receiving around the
country and he now realizes that controlling it is a myth, or at least a moving target.
The Savior of American schools isn’t the Messiah he hoped to be. That being said,
his foundation is doing extraordinary philanthropy around the world. I just think he
should stick with what he knows. Despite his immense notoriety, he doesn’t know
everything.
The “Gates” legacy is becoming tarnished.
Can they adjust? Not likely, Gates=Rhee=Koch=……
Too many variables to lay down a simple answer to the question. One thing to test for sure and that is to take the teacher from the most advantaged school and put them in the least advantaged school, then take the other teacher and put them in their school. Now let’s see what happens. Same person, different set of circumstances. Can they excell at both is the question or is only where it is easy and you look the best. Even though when you get to the top and there is no where to go how do you go up? Are you bad because of no achievement or have you finally achieved the goal? For instance Whitney High School has this problem, they are at the top.
George, the best would be to switch the entire staff of the highest performing school and the lowest performing school. A year later, see what happened to the scores.
This is the problem facing the empirical economist: we don’t get to experiment on people’s lives. Physicists get to do anything they want to those electrons.
And reformers can experiment on children’s lives and get to do anything they want to them, because they are mere assets.
I would encourage teacher unions to think about moving teachers every 5 years or so to teach at schools with different demographics within their districts. By doing this, teachers would become more unified through their experiences. Teachers who teach at one school throughout their career, especially at a high performing school, is a sin. They need to appreciate their colleagues who work in the real world (low performing schools) to better themselves as teachers, human beings and be in support of their profession especially in these times when we need numbers to fight reform.
There have been several studies about what churn does to students and schools. Artificially creating churn like this would be a huge mistake, particularly for struggling students.
That being said, I agree that all teachers should work at a struggling school for at least a while in their careers. I started my career working at the alternative school in my district. I taught three years there (two of which I was pregnant!) and moved with the entire school to three different campuses. While it was an incredibly difficult experience, and not necessarily one I want to repeat, I feel like I am a much better teacher as a result.
I would be happy to simply not be penalized if I wanted to switch school districts! After 27+ years of teaching – and I am only 48 – to move to a neighboring district I would have to take over a $10,000 cut in pay as you are only allowed to transfer 8 years of experience. This policy traps teachers in districts, and is bad for both sides. This is a board policy, not under the purview of unions.
I suspect there is much larger variation in student situations across school districts than within school districts.
If we are assessing Gates’ work on a scientific basis, then indeed he has wasted his money.
However, these are political documents, and as such, just based on the news coverage they receive, Gates may feel he has received an adequate return on investment.
But who is benefits by his thoughts or perceptions? If philanthropy was indeed his objective; there should have been several people, be it children or adults, to have benefited; right?
Vickie,
There’s a mini-industry – staff, consultants, researchers, grantees, advocates, media outlets, et.al. – that directly fattens off Gates’ purported philanthropy, so there are benefits to them. Then there’s the multiplier benefits to the technology industry that created his fortune in the first place, as digitalization is applied to every last corner of the schools.
If schools and children should be marketized, then we can call what Gates has done (which is purchase educational policy and help fund its implemetation) philanthropy.
I think it should be called malanthropy, the use of tax-free money to indirectly benefit your personal or class interests.
An interesting thing about the Waldorf Schools is that they do not use technology. From what I’ve heard there are no computers in the building – not even the main office.
Dropping $50 million on a pet project would be nothing to a person as wealthy as Gates. With a net worth of $61 billion (2012), $50 million to Gates is the same as $63.36 to the average American (average net worth = $77,300 in 2012).
http://money.cnn.com/2012/06/11/news/economy/fed-family-net-worth/index.htm
The scale of the wealth held by these plutocrats is basically unfathomable to the rest of us.