Archives for the month of: May, 2014
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Russ Walsh: “Reformers” Don’t Know What Motivates Teachers

By dianeravitch
May 29, 2014 //
72

Russ Walsh writes that corporate reformers have no idea what motivates teachers so they impose their own flawed ideas. Few have ever taught. They listen to economists, most of whom see education as an economic activity, not a humanistic activity.

First, they decided that the teacher is the most important determinant of student test scores (not true, the best predictor of student scores is family income and education). Then they decide that the best way to motivate teachers to work harder is to devise a system of rewards and punishments. Scores will rise, they reason, if teachers are threatened with loss of their careers.

But this is all wrong. Teachers are not motivated by carrots and sticks.

What motivates teachers?

Teachers are motivated by students.

“Nothing can motivate a teacher to be well-prepared and perform at peak ability more than the simple fact their will be 25 or so faces looking at you in the morning, waiting for you to teach them. When students have a moment of insight, teachers feel empowered. When a student is struggling to understand, the teacher is motivated to find a way to get through.”

Teachers are motivated by teaching.

“Teaching is intrinsically rewarding. For those of us who chose to go into the profession, teaching is fun. It is energizing. I have had many times in my life when I didn’t feel particularly well or when I was tired and then I began to teach and I felt better, more energized. I can teach myself awake and I have seen many other teachers who do the same thing.”

Teachers are motivated by good working conditions.

“While a reasonable living wage is certainly important to every teacher, in my experience in hiring teachers, I have found them to be more interested in the working conditions they will find in the school where they will work. What working conditions matter? Reasonable class sizes. Adequate resources to do the job. Adequate planning time. A clean building in good repair. Supportive administrators. Suportive and engaged parents. Friendly and supportive colleagues.”

Please, reformers, read the whole post and learn what motivates teachers.

Categories Teachers and Teaching

Cleveland Elementary School: Why Close an Excellent School?

By dianeravitch
May 28, 2014 //
42

Cleveland Elementary School in upstate Cleveland, New York, was once designated a “failing school.” But with a united community and hard work, the school improved and was named a Blue Ribbon school of excellence in 2010. It was recognized again in 2013. It continues to enjoy strong community support, but the Central Square Board of Education decided to close the school because of declining enrollment, state budget cuts, and rising costs.

The parents are trying to save the school but the local school board is adamant.

Why close an excellent school?

Below is a letter from a parent at Cleveland Elementary School. My advice: Organize the community, run candidates for the school board, write letters to the editor, meet with elected officials, appeal to Governor Cuomo.

Here is a letter from a parent:

Dear Ms. Ravitch,

I am reaching out to you because of your strong views and commitment to the education of our children. It is my hope that raising your awareness to the situation our community is facing will gain your support in our fight to save the community schools in our district.

Cleveland Elementary School is a school in Upstate New York that has experienced a transformation in the past seven years – due entirely to character education and an intentional focus on building relationships with students and the larger community. The school now stands as the pride – and hub – of the community.

The Central Square School District, one which was recently honored in Albany with a NY State District of Character Award, voted to close Cleveland Elementary – a National School of Character, only days apart in the same week. This noble district-wide achievement would not be conceivable without the model and leadership of Cleveland Elementary. Cleveland Elementary, Home of the Shamrocks, was honored by the US Department of Education as a 2010 Blue Ribbon School for Academic Excellence. In 2012 Cleveland Elementary sought and received a New York State School of Character Honorable Mention Award and continued on to earn a 2013 National School of Character Award. This school of academic and character excellence, who also proudly serves as the local food pantry, is among less than 1% of the schools across the country with such distinction.

To many, a school is nothing more than brick and mortar. While that may be the case in other schools, I have to say Cleveland Elementary has been so much more to us. Behind its doors is a sense of community—a family. A culture of developing ethical, responsible, and caring children- in addition to academic principles. The teachers and staff are passionate about their roles as mentors to the children; their dedication and love for what they do is evident in every interaction. If given the opportunity I am certain every parent would want this for their children. This type of education is LOST in over-crowded class rooms and schools….positive relationships cannot be fully developed due to time constraints and demands on the teacher; a student becomes just a student. Our Cleveland Family wants to maintain the ability to engage ALL children—get to KNOW them as people, TEACH them how to be a part of something bigger than themselves. I will never understand how anyone could put a price tag on our children’s development when it matters most.
As a parent of a first grader, the decision to close Cleveland Elementary is truly disheartening and unacceptable. What does it say about the value of education? Cleveland Elementary is so much more than brick and mortar…..It is the HEART of our Community….and the children are our future. Our community takes great pride in the collective efforts and accomplishments our school has achieved. The reputation of our school has been a draw for many families to move to this rural area. Closing this vital part of our community will have devastating effects to us, our community, as well as to those that rely on the services the school provides outside of the academic day.

Although I am certain this decision was not taken lightly, I am concerned it was made in haste under the pressure of a budget crunch. There are detailed options that are more viable and fiscally responsible than closing a Nationally Recognized School that only represents 1% of the tax levy. Perhaps it is easier to target schools that are in less economically prosperous areas. The district has not shared information with its members or been open to conversations regarding these options. We are unaware of a projected long term plan, and truthfully it does not appear there is one. Our concerns lie in knowing the impact closing ANY school with have on ALL of the children in our district? Over-crowding the class room is not the answer to our current situation of low enrollment. This consolidation will put students at 107% capacity. While I know there are no easy answers….I would ask that someone revisit the numbers, the current aid our district just received ($960,055 above what was expected), as well as the goal for our district as we move forward.

What is the incentive for dedicated teachers to strive for excellence in the education of children, if the reward is having your successful award winning school closed? How will our Country ever be Leaders in Education if we cannot see the value in community schools?

Please take the time to visit our Facebook Page, and see for yourself the struggle we are facing.

https://www.facebook.com/saveclevelandelementary

Our concerns have not been addressed by the board. They will not answer any questions, and have been dismissive and rude. There has yet to be even a letter to parents from the Administration regarding the closure, which is not only a little over a month away.

Thank you in advance for your consideration and time. I appreciate your anticipated support for our Community Schools.

Sincerely,

Jennifer S. Leahy

Proud Parent, Community Member &
President of American Legion Auxiliary Unit 858
Cleveland, NY

Categories Closing schools, New York

Beardsley Reviews Huffman’s Claims About Tennessee

By dianeravitch
May 28, 2014 //
9

Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, one of our nation’s pre-eminent experts on value-added assessment, here reviews a TED-X talk by Tennessee Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman, boasting of the tremendous growth in test scores as a result of his policies. Beardsley points out the curious fact that Tennessee started using VAM in the 1990s with little to show for it. But, there were those Tennessee NAEP scores, proof positive, according to both Huffman and Se rotary of Education Arne Duncan that Race to the Top–or Huffman’s personal presence–was creating strong results. Nd in the end, results (test scores) are what matter most, right?

But what about those NAEP results that Huffman and Duncan tout?

Beardsley writes:

“While [William] Sanders (the TVAAS developer who first convinced the state legislature to adopt his model for high-stakes accountability purposes in the 1990s) and others (including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan) also claimed that Tennessee’s use of accountability instruments caused Tennessee’s NAEP gains (besides the fact that the purported gains were over two decades delayed), others have since spoiled the celebration because 1) the results also demonstrated an expanding achievement gap in Tennessee; 2) the state’s lowest socioeconomic students continue to perform poorly, despite Huffman’s claims; 3) Tennessee didn’t make gains significantly different than many other states; and 4) other states with similar accountability instruments and policies (e.g., Colorado, Louisiana) did not make similar gains, while states without such instruments and policies (e.g., Kentucky, Iowa, Washington) did. I should add that Kentucky’s achievement gap is also narrowing and their lowest socioeconomic students have made significant gains. This is important to note as Huffman repeatedly compares his state to theirs.”

Read the post. It is a very good demonstration of how data get used and misused for political purposes.

Categories Accountability, Teacher Evaluations, Tennessee, Testing

Heilig: A Tribute to Maya Angelou

By dianeravitch
May 28, 2014 //
18

Julian Vasquez Heilig here recalls some of the words of Maya Angelou, one of our nation’s greatest writers. She was born in 1928 in St. Louis, raised in Stamps, Arkansas, and died at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

I met this great woman once, when she spoke at the 100th anniversary dinner of the New York Public Library. She said that the beauty of the public library was that its great treasure of books belonged to the public and its doors were open to all, without exception.

Categories Education Reform

A Hero in Los Angeles: Stuart Magruder

By dianeravitch
May 28, 2014 //
26

When I first learned that Superintendent John Deasy planned to spend as much as $1billion to equip everyone in theLos Angeles school district with iPads for Common Core testing, I was amazed that the district could afford such a large expenditure. Then I learned from reading Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times that TE district would pay for the iPads from a 25-year construction bond fund approved by the voters who thought they were paying for the construction and repair of public schools. I was shocked. I wondered if anyone cared. The useful life of the iPad was probably 3-4 years. How could the money come from the construction bond, and would there be money to build nd repair schools if it was used for short-term technology purchases.? Would voters support future bonds if their purpose was so easily ignored?

It turns out that one member (perhaps not the only one) did care, and that was Stuart Magruder. He is an architect, and he was a member of the district’s Bond Oversight Committee. he was doing his job. For daring to ask questions and be a critic, the LAUSD board failed to renew his appointment. He was ousted.

For his courage and integrity on behalf of the public interest, he is a hero of American education.

Categories Honor Roll, Los Angeles, Technology, Computers

Help Sponsor Researchers to Study Failure of Vouchers in Chile

By dianeravitch
May 28, 2014 //
7

Professor Julian Vasquez Heilig of the University of Texas is trying to raise funding to take a research team to Chile to study the failure of the voucher progr. He needs your help. Tickets cost either $1,000 round trip or 30,000-60,000 frequent flyer miles. Please consider sponsoring a member of his research team. We can learn from what happened in Chile. With so many states adopting voucher plans without evidence, we should get the facts now from the world’s longest running voucher program.

Chile has had vouchers for decades. They did not improve education, and they increased social segregation. The newly elected government of Chile plans to pare back the choice system that was launched during the regime of the military dictator Pinochet. Help Professor Heilig and his team gather the facts about vouchers and inform our policymakers.

Categories International, Vouchers

Thankful for John Ewing

By dianeravitch
May 28, 2014 //
36

John Ewing wrote a brilliant article called “Mathematical Intimidation.” If you haven’t read it, please do. It demolishes VAM. He calls on mathematicians to speak out. And at Brown, we read here, he spoke out:

“John Ewing, Executive Director of the American Mathematical Society and President of Math for America, was the speaker at a Brown commencement forum today. He spoke to a packed audience on the question, “Is There an Education Crisis?” Since it’s unlikely that the media was there for this one, here’s a synopsis for those following the public education debate:

“Ewing briefly described the various reports going back to 1958 that proclaimed the so-called crisis, and listed the forces that benefit from keeping it “in the forefront of the news”: politicians; the education/industrial complex; and that aspect of the American character that likes a crisis because a crisis “demands action and demands it now.”

“He focused on three areas in which the crisis has been manufactured. First, the falling scores on the Program for International Assessment (PISA) scores really haven’t fallen; scores have been roughly the same over the years in both reading and math. Second, the reporting of the National Assessment of Educational Proficiency (NAEP) has been misleading; scores have been reported as showing “only” one-third of students as proficient or above proficient, but actually one-third of students received a grade in the A range, which is really pretty good. As for the “dropout crisis,” Ewing pointed out that while the graduation rate looks low at 76%, it’s hard to get right and also a poor measure compared with the completion rate (percent of 18-24 year-olds getting a degree) at 90%, or the dropout rate, which at 8% is about half of what it was in 1970.

“Ewing acknowledged that some things in public education are very wrong – namely endemic poverty, awful textbooks published by an industry that’s only interested in profits, and lax teacher education programs – but condemned the crisis mongering. It leads to public alarm, an obsession with testing and accountability, a failure to focus on the real problems, and, worst of all, the destruction of the public education infrastructure, its teachers. He warned that good, experienced teachers are leaving, and young people no longer see teaching as a worthy career choice. We need to recognize that successful reform is a slow process, to turn down the volume on the alarm, and to make our teacher education programs both appealing to our best college graduates and difficult to gain admission to.”

Categories US Education

Jon Pelto Exploratory Committee for Governor of Connecticut Is Open

By dianeravitch
May 28, 2014 //
3

Jon Pelto has taken the first steps towards running for Governor of Connecticut. He has formed an exploratory committee to determine strategy and a course of action. If you want to help Jon, the information is available in this post.

In a democracy, anyone should be able to run for office, but the process is so cumbersome and expensive that it discourages those like Jon who don’t have access to vast wealth.

Jon is running in large part to demand that the government of Connecticut strengthen and protect the public schools for which it is responsible. His campaign is a protest against Governor Malloy’s favoritism towards charter schools and his antagonism towards the state’s educators. Jon wants a great public school system for all children, not a dual school system of publicly funded schools, one funded and controlled by the people, the other funded by the public but free to choose its students and run by a private, unaccountable board.

Categories Education Reform

Peter Greene: Don’t Blame Obama for Failure of CCSS

By dianeravitch
May 28, 2014 //
80

Conservatives who support the Common Core like to blame Obama for making it radioactive. They say that if he and Arne had stayed out, CC would have been non-controversial. Their involvement awakened the Tea Party and others who reflexively dismiss whatever Obama is for.

Peter Greene says balderdash.

“It’s Obama’s fault.

“The state-led initiative was chugging right along, moving forward without any interference from the feds, when somehow, they decided to leap in. Or as Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday recently put it, things were fine “until the President and secretary of education took credit for the Common Core.”This is part of the current conservative CCSS support narrative (you can find put forth by, among others, the boys over at the Fordham). The story goes something like this:

Once upon a time, some noble governors and dedicated corporate guys got together and created the Common Core, and people pretty much thought it was swell. Then the Obama administration tried to get involved with cheerleading and with Racing to the Top and NCLB waivers. This was a Bad Thing because it woke up the Tea Party folks, who began shrieking about federal over-reach. People who wouldn’t have cared one way or another suddenly were against it because Obama was for it and whatever he’s doing, it must be evil. If the feds had just stayed home and tended to their knitting, we would not be having all this CCSS fracasization……….

Even if we pretend that the feds weren’t involved from day one, even if we pretend that the feds haven’t been angling for this for several administrations, even if we pretend that the Obama administration wasn’t sponsoring slumber parties and buying the refreshments for CCSS-writing parties, the feds must still take responsibility for the prime motivator for the whole mess.

States were not open to CCSS because of some burning desire to revamp their education systems. They were all sitting on the ticking time bomb that was (actually, is) No Child Left Behind, otherwise known as ESEA, otherwise known as federal law. The feds were always involved. Always….

“For Pearson et al, CCSS represent a marketing opportunity sent from heaven. CCSS opened up the US education market faster and more completely than a velociraptor fileting a sleepy cow. To open a national market, they needed national standards, not the state-by-state patchwork of the past. They were always going to use every tool at their disposal to make this happen across the entire country, and that toolbox includes the federal government….

“Who can seriously argue that all the states were going to say, “Yeah, we should totally implement this untested set of standards, sight unseen. Especially since they come with a huge price tag. Yes, let’s do it.” Particularly states that had perfectly good standards already. “Now that we’ve paid off this beautiful Lexus, let’s junk it and get a Yugo for twice the cost,” said no car owner ever,

“No, a wave of bribery (Race to the Top) was needed to get the ball rolling. Or do you seriously want to suggest that states would have raced toward the Core for free. And when states wouldn’t fall in line for the bribe, we moved on to the extortion– “I’d hate to see anything happen to your state just because of some crazy No Child Left Behind law; you should really consider getting our special protection waiver plan.”

“Selling CCSS required a federal-sized stick and a DC calibre stick. States do not generally volunteer for massive unfunded mandates. Only a federal-sized sales job would do, even if it had to be carefully calibrated to avoid looking illegal….

“So say what you like. It’s impossible for the administration to have avoided involvement in CCSS. And if by some miracle it had kept its hands off, CCSS would now be an interesting experimental set of standards being tried out in four or five states, maybe. It’s true that Obama didn’t do CCSS any favors, but it would have died on the vine without him.”

Categories Common Core, Obama

Marie Corfield: In Honor of Retiring Educators Everywhere

By dianeravitch
May 27, 2014 //
22

Marie Corfield, tireless advocate for children and teachers, prepared a speech to honor her retiring colleagues in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

She noted that on that night, the schools of New Jersey were losing 500 years of experience.

Too many good teachers leaving, retiring.

She writes:

“Within the first 6 months of Christie’s first term the number of public school employees who filed for retirement almost doubled that of the previous year. While I don’t have statistics on the past 4 years, I have personally spoken to many retiring educators who are simply fed up. A special education teacher with whom I had the honor to work for 10 years, who worked miracles with our most challenging children for over 20 years, told me that while she didn’t want to retire, she could no longer subject her students to education ‘reform’. Another is taking an early retirement, sacrificing part of her pension, because she just can’t take it anymore. This is how we ‘attract and retain the best teachers’? This is how we make a great public education system better? We make educators’ jobs so unbearable that they leave rather than inflict damaging policies on their students?”

We have had a barrage of damaging policies and attacks on hard-working teachers. Marie is one of those teachers who has been a model for others. She won’t give up. Neither will we. Don’t retire if you have the fortitude to persist. Stay in your position. Fight for your kids and your profession. Outlast the Know-Nothings..

Categories Teachers and Teaching
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