97% of Pittsburgh Teachers Get High Ratings
Billions of dollars have been spent to create new teacher evaluation systems. Here is one result: in Pittsburgh, 97% of teachers were rated either distinguished or advanced. Meanwhile budget cuts are harming children in Pennsylvania. For Immediate Release June 13, 2014 Contact: Marcus Mrowka 202/531-0689 mmrowka@aft.org http://www.aft.org Pittsburgh Teacher Evaluation Results Demonstrate Importan
Stephanie Simon: Are Teacher Unions Doomed?
In an article at politico.com, Stephanie Simon presents a gloomy portrait of the future of teacher unions. At the outset, she acknowledges that the unions have been the target of “a multimillion-dollar public relations campaign portraying them as greedy and selfish.” This campaign is funded by billionaires, millionaires, ALEC, powerful corporations (Koch brothers?), rightwing think tanks, and we
John Merrow on Vergara: The California Laws Are Indefensible
John Merrow says that the laws struck down by the Vergara decision are indefensible. Teachers get tenure after 18 months, but in most states it takes three or four years. Seniority, he says, discourages young teachers, who are first fired. The process of removing an ineffective teacher is far too complex, requiring some 70 steps. My view: The legislature should promptly remedy these defect
Professional Staff Congress at CUNY Opposes edTPA
This morning I posted a statement by a group of professors at City University of New York in support of the edPTA, which assesses the performance of those who seek certification to enter teaching. Let me make clear that I am not supporting or endorsing either side of this debate but am watching carefully, as I tend to be suspicious of all high-stakes testing. Soon after the post appeared this
Bridgeport: Where Is the Money for Néw Charters?
Bridgeport officials are worried. The state board of education approved the expansion of two charters and the addition of a new one. Local officials want to know where the money will come from and how the budget for the other 90% of the city’s children will be affected.
Teacher Educators at CUNY: Why We Support edTPA
In Support of a Performance Assessment of Teaching June, 2014 Beverly Falk, Professor and Director, Graduate Program in Early Childhood Education, The City College of New York Jeanne Angus, Assistant Professor and Program Director, Graduate Program in Special Education, Brooklyn College Greg Borman, Lecturer, Secondary Science Education, The City College of New York Nancy Cardwell, Assistant Prof
The Statistical Error at the Heart of the Vergara Decision
Jordan Weissman, a business correspondent for Slate, read the Vergara decision and noted that the judge’s conclusion hinged on a strange allegation. The judge quoted David Berliner as saying that 1-3% of the teachers in the state were “grossly ineffective.” The judge then calculated that this translated into thousands of teachers, between 2,750 and 8,750, who are “grossly ineffective.” Weissman ca
Virginia Court Declares State Takeovers Unconstitutional
A Circuit Court judge in Virginia declared unconstitutional a law that created a state takeover board for low-performing schools. Wonder if this was ALEC legislation? According to a release from the National School,Boards Association: “A Circuit Court judge has struck down a state school takeover board that would have stripped local school boards of their authority over low-performing schools, r
Randi Blasts Duncan for Betraying Teachers in Vergara Case
Randi Weingarten wrote a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, criticizing his sympathetic response to the Vergara decision, which held that tenure and seniority were unconstitutional in California. She wrote: “This week, we needed your leadership; to demonstrate that teacher and student interests are aligned; that we must press—60 years after Brown v. Board—for educational equity; that
FBI Raids 19 Gulen Charter Schools in Midwest
The FBI and two other agencies conducted raids with search warrants at 19 Concept charter schools in Illinois and two other states. “The FBI and two other federal agencies conducted raids in Illinois and two other states at charter schools run by Des Plaines-based Concept Schools, FBI officials said Tuesday. “Search warrants were executed at 19 Concept schools in connection with an “ongoing white
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-12-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Kevin Welner: The Silver Lining in the Vergara DecisionKevin Welner, director of the National Educational Policy Center in Colorado, is both an education policy analyst and a lawyer. He read the Vergara decision and saw a bright side. While he was struck by the weak evidence for the judge’s conclusion, he thinks the case might open