Last week Green Dot Charter Schools held an evening information session to share proposed changes with their teachers. These changes will be implemented when they receive a portion of $60 million from the Gates Foundation. (The money is not secured, but Green Dot is in the final stages of the proposal. The actual announcement will come mid November.) The Gates money is contingent on Green Dot (and the other charter schools in the proposal) implementing certain polices, including merit pay for teachers.
Merit pay ties teacher pay to student performance (how they do on standardized tests). Basically, students are tested at the beginning of the year and again at the end of the year. Teacher salary is determined by these test scores. This "alternative compensation" can add 3 to 22 thousand dollars to a teacher's base pay. The extra pay comes with a controversial mandatory extra month of service each year and added responsibilities like coaching and mentoring other teachers. Furthermore, these teachers will be placed in the "highest need classrooms." No teacher will be able to rest on his or her laurels. Teachers that do not consistently raise test scores will be "counseled to leave" (fired).
When the program begins, all teachers will spend two years in the residency and entry level (no merit pay) stages. After two years, standardized test scores are analyzed and the teachers with the most desirable test scores will quickly move through the ranks-and the pay scale.
The crowd of (mostly young) teachers seemed apprehensive. A heated question and answer time left us with more questions than answers. Many questions stumped the speaker including: what about art, PE, or Chicano/African American studies teachers (there are no standardized tests for these subjects)? What about Special Education teachers? (Can a Special Education students be expected to improve as much as other students?) What about those teachers who are content where they are-the ones who don't want to become master teachers or coaches?
The merit pay system is flawed, but the current system (based on years of teaching and degrees) is far worse. I have met teachers making $100,000 based on their ability to stay at one school district for a decade and getting extra degrees from online universities. Neither of these things guarantee a better teacher. These teachers know how to jump through hoops to move up the pay scale, but they have no incentive to increase their effectiveness in the classroom.
Merit pay may be controversial, but it has powerful allies-President Obama and Arne Duncan. But, are they more powerful than teacher unions (the biggest opposition to merit pay)?
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Baby College
Geoffrey Canada is sending babies to college. Although it's actually their parents attending, and technically it's not college, it is almost as ambitious. Baby College is a critical training program for inner city parents that aims to stop the cycle of poverty. The "college" teaches good parenting skills that most middle and upper class parents already know-how to discipline your child and the importance of reading to him or her every night.
By starting these programs at infancy, and continuing them to college, Canada hopes that this will be the "tipping point" in the fight against urban poverty. This idea follows the idea in my previous post-that education must start early (before preschool). It's working. He has the statistics and a book (Whatever it Takes by Paul Tough) to prove it.
By starting these programs at infancy, and continuing them to college, Canada hopes that this will be the "tipping point" in the fight against urban poverty. This idea follows the idea in my previous post-that education must start early (before preschool). It's working. He has the statistics and a book (Whatever it Takes by Paul Tough) to prove it.
Saturday, 15 August 2009
Head Start
This article is fantastic.
The author argues that preschool programs like Head Start are necessary to thwart the high cost of illiteracy and incarceration. His main points are:
1. "[B]y waiting until kindergarten [to spend money on education], we throw money at kids when it's too late."
2. "Early-childhood nurturing has traditionally been the province of families. But families are deteriorating."
3. Kids who received early childhood education "were more likely to be employed—and to earn more—and less likely to be on welfare. They also committed less crime and had lower rates of teen pregnancy."
4. Preschool spending, with a rate of return around 16%, is a "sound economic investment."
Promoting early childhood education isn't about doing the "right" thing, it's about doing the logical thing. Investing in early childhood education raises our standard of living and costs less in the long run.
According to CNN, one billion was cut from the Head Start program. Won't we just pay for this later?
The author argues that preschool programs like Head Start are necessary to thwart the high cost of illiteracy and incarceration. His main points are:
1. "[B]y waiting until kindergarten [to spend money on education], we throw money at kids when it's too late."
2. "Early-childhood nurturing has traditionally been the province of families. But families are deteriorating."
3. Kids who received early childhood education "were more likely to be employed—and to earn more—and less likely to be on welfare. They also committed less crime and had lower rates of teen pregnancy."
4. Preschool spending, with a rate of return around 16%, is a "sound economic investment."
Promoting early childhood education isn't about doing the "right" thing, it's about doing the logical thing. Investing in early childhood education raises our standard of living and costs less in the long run.
According to CNN, one billion was cut from the Head Start program. Won't we just pay for this later?
Now Hiring
As a Special Education teacher, I have an aide/paraeducator in my classroom. Yesterday, I went to school to look over resumes to choose one. The job pays 15-20 an hour. People with the following qualifications were applying:
1. BA from an Ivy league school
2. Juris Doctor degree
3. Peace Corps volunteer
4. Master of Arts/Education (about 6 with this qualification)
5. As much as 10 years experience in education
Really? Either they are liars, or this is another indicator of the downturn.
1. BA from an Ivy league school
2. Juris Doctor degree
3. Peace Corps volunteer
4. Master of Arts/Education (about 6 with this qualification)
5. As much as 10 years experience in education
Really? Either they are liars, or this is another indicator of the downturn.
Friday, 7 August 2009
Grits
This article: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/08/02/the_truth_about_grit/
inspired me to start this blog. This blog will be about education and what works in education. My theory is that our current public school system does not to teach different kinds of intelligence, nor does it value different kinds of intelligence.
Lehrer's article was amazing. The idea of "grit" (sticking with something as an indicator of success) is interesting because grit may matter as much, if not more, than intelligence. According to the article, grit is the ability to stick with, and achieve, a long-term goal. Success isn't necessarily IQ and/or ability, a big part of success is sticking with something. Thus, grit seems to be a type of intelligence.
As an educator, I can see how it's difficult to teach students "grit". I imagine the best way to do this would be to teach about people who have worked hard and failed often, but never gave up. Since effort may matter as much, if not more, than intelligence, teachers should praise more for hard work than for intelligence.
On a personal note, I am am one who struggles with "grit." Academically, I dropped out of five colleges before I finished one. In my personal life, I've had dozens of jobs and addresses. So, I have a vested interest in the idea that grit can be learned. And this blog will be the test. Can I blog once a week for this academic year?
inspired me to start this blog. This blog will be about education and what works in education. My theory is that our current public school system does not to teach different kinds of intelligence, nor does it value different kinds of intelligence.
Lehrer's article was amazing. The idea of "grit" (sticking with something as an indicator of success) is interesting because grit may matter as much, if not more, than intelligence. According to the article, grit is the ability to stick with, and achieve, a long-term goal. Success isn't necessarily IQ and/or ability, a big part of success is sticking with something. Thus, grit seems to be a type of intelligence.
As an educator, I can see how it's difficult to teach students "grit". I imagine the best way to do this would be to teach about people who have worked hard and failed often, but never gave up. Since effort may matter as much, if not more, than intelligence, teachers should praise more for hard work than for intelligence.
On a personal note, I am am one who struggles with "grit." Academically, I dropped out of five colleges before I finished one. In my personal life, I've had dozens of jobs and addresses. So, I have a vested interest in the idea that grit can be learned. And this blog will be the test. Can I blog once a week for this academic year?
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