San Diego Schools Zig on Reforms While Obama Zags
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In the annual State of the District address, school board President Richard Barrera outlined his vision for school reform, which differs from many ideas pushed by President Barack Obama.
Posted: Sunday, March 28, 2010 6:03 pm | Updated: 6:26 pm, Sun Mar 28, 2010.
As President Barack Obama has unveiled many planned school reforms, San Diego Unified has steadily steered in the opposite direction from many of the controversial changes the feds seek.
San Diego Unified didn't join in when California competed against other states for more school stimulus money -- partly because the federal contest required reforms. Obama wants to beef up teacher evaluations and include student test scores in how teachers are judged; San Diego has made evaluations less frequent for senior teachers and wants to deemphasize tests. Obama has praised experiments that pay teachers more for boosting scores or working in disadvantaged schools; San Diego has avoided them.
The school district wants to put tremendous trust in teachers and principals -- the same people the Obama Administration wants to oust when test scores drag. The district prizes gradual change; Obama wants big shakeups for failing schools.
School board President Richard Barrera called San Diego's example a competing "community
