What is Happening in RTT applications? � The Quick and the Ed

What is Happening in RTT applications? � The Quick and the Ed

What is Happening in RTT applications?

by Rob Manwaring

Everyone knows about the huge move that Colorado has made to lanch it into one of the frontrunner spots in the second round of Race to the Top. But, what have other states been doing to improve their chances. Democrats for Education Reform have been keeping a close eye on things. Take a look at what some key states are up to (here).

A Middle Ground on Seniority Policies

by Rob Manwaring

The back and forth in the last couple of weeks over seniority layoff policies goes something like this. When districts are forced to lay off teachers based on seniority policies, those layoffs happen disproportionately at schools serving low income students. Research has shown that high rates of teacher turnover impacts the achievement levels at schools. This results in a civil rights issue because of the disproportionate impact that these policies have on the most disadvantaged students. (SeeNational Journal discussion and new CRPE report for more details on the debate and research).
On the other side, the best argument seems to be that districts do not have good teacher evaluation systems,