Bobby Jindal’s most anti-teacher legislation was struck down as unconstitutional last fall on procedural grounds. It included too many subjects.
Jindal assumed he could ram through his proposals again but this year was different. The House shelved his bills.
Is the destructive Jindal machine losing steam?
Has reactionary reform run its course in Louisiana?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Fantastic. The party of stupid got smart.
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How much craziness is the public going to put up with. It looks like the parents and public in Lousianna might have had enough. This, if true, is a great bell weather. Could this be the beginning of the end for the crazies? Will rationality come back finally? Will real data drive the system? We shall see.
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Hopefully he starts losing elections as well.
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From Lottie Beebe, La. BESE member (posted on FB):
“Report from the House Education Committee: a favorable approval of delaying the “punitive consequences set forth in Compass for one year” to allow for the actual piloting of the teacher evaluation program. While this may be perceived as a major victory, there will be forthcoming debates on the House Floor and Senate.
“An observation made was there was no objection. My point is two major players were absent from the table. Superintendent White and Chas Roemer, BESE President, did not speak to the item. Does this mean another agenda? You bet. My gut feeling is there will be a move to support an evaluative process advocated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The process contains multiple measures which many have been promoting. The sad reality in this debate is the number of educators (quality) who have made decisions to walk away from a profession that appears to no longer be a noble one. Where is the respect?
“Louisiana has become a giant educational experiment. The first rubric used in the “pilot” was Dr. Strong’s. After four months, there was a move to Charlotte Danielson. (Because Ms. Danielson was honest and conveyed her instrument would lack reliability and stability if used in piecemeal fashion, she becomes a “pain”, or is “lame”–according to email conversations between LDOE staff reported recently.) Now, there is a move to distance from Ms. Danielson. It is evident the MET Project will be implemented in Louisiana shortly. However, I have access to an analysis done by Jesse Rothstein, an economist from the University of California at Berkeley (2009-010). Simply put, Rothstein notes the Met Project is assembling an unprecedented database of teacher practice and measures that promise to greatly improve our understanding of teacher performance. Rothstein succinctly states they are unlikely to be useful measures of teacher effectiveness.
“In closing, my point is time is needed to research various instruments, methods, etc. before we jump onto another “band wagon”. Let’s hope our Legislators will heed the concerns of our educators so we can get this evaluation process right.”
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We are lucky to have leaders such as Lottie, as well as all of the others, who keep us informed and fight for our public school students and teachers. It was amazing to be in that House Education Committee meeting yesterday, surrounded by these incredible leaders. They are the role models for true advocacy of public schools. They inspired me to get up and speak on behalf of my hard working teachers, to testify in their support. Thanks to our representatives who listened to our truths. The fight is not over yet, as Lottie’s stated. We must keep our voices loud and continue contacting our legislators. It took us a whole year, but our voices are finally being heard. Teachers across the nation must continue contacting their state legislators and keep them informed. Let them know you are watching them and make your voice heard. Show up and stand together. Democracy in action.
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I am taking the day off of this reform junk to work at the Jazz Festival. I get in for free will be able to eat great food and listen to great music.
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Same here, except I am heading to Festivale Internationale in Lafayette Louisiana. Have tix for Jazzfest next weekend. Just heard that Louisiana is the second least stressed state, behind Hawaii. Thank God for our festivals. Great way to recharge our batteries after a long week of work with the students. Y’all come visit us and “pass a good time”!
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