Teacher Ratings And The Gates Foundation

Teacher Ratings And The Gates Foundation

Teacher ratings and the Gates Foundation - this combination get me worried. The New York Times has an article on the issue of teacher ratings. and of course the Gates Foundation is involved. It appears as though Gates is investing $335 million into several big city school system’s personnel departments to help them figure out how to evaluate teachers more effectively.

One plus to come out of this is the Gates Foundation’s admission that more than value-added measurements are needed to effectively evaluate teachers.

Daily Kos: One week of teaching - the good, the bad and the ugly

Daily Kos: One week of teaching - the good, the bad and the ugly

One week of teaching - the good, the bad and the ugly

by teacherken

In reverse order. And then a little reflection on what if anything it might mean.

The Ugly - I have a problem class. 12 failed 1st quarter, and more had Ds (they are guranteed a C if they simply do all the work). This week two were put up for expulsion. While they are out of school I have to give them assignments, in case they are not expelled. The reasons for the expulsion are not for things in my class.

The Bad - . In my non-AP classes I am giving them all the terms and definitions for which they are responsible at the start of a chapter so that we can try to explore things in more depth. While doing a check of knowledge

Cathleen Black’s Waiver Challenged in Suit by Parent - NYTimes.com

Cathleen Black’s Waiver Challenged in Suit by Parent - NYTimes.com

Parent Sues to Block Schools Chief

By SHARON OTTERMAN

Published: December 3, 2010

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The father of two Brooklyn public school children filed a lawsuit against state education officials on Friday to stop Cathleen P. Black, a publishing executive, from becoming the next New York City schools chancellor.

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The suit, filed by Eric J. Snyder of Park Slope, was the first formal legal challenge to Ms. Black’s appointment, although more are expected.

The suit argued that David M. Steiner, the state education commissioner, erred in his interpretation of the law when he issued a waiver to permit Ms. Black to become chancellor even though she lacked the required education credentials and experience.

Citing state education law and the commissioner’s regulations, the suit claims that while the required graduate course work and teaching experience may be waived for “exceptionally qualified” people, they do not allow the commissioner to waive a separate requirement that the chancellor possess a master’s degree, and calls for Mr. Steiner’s decision to be annulled.

Ms. Black, 66, holds only a bachelor’s degree in English from Trinity University in

Teacher Evaluations May Get a Video Assist - NYTimes.com

Teacher Evaluations May Get a Video Assist - NYTimes.com

Teacher Ratings Get New Look, Pushed by a Rich Watcher

Travis Dove for The New York Times

Lindsey Cozat, a technology teacher at Croft Community School in Charlotte, N.C., set up a classroom recording device.

By SAM DILLON

Published: December 3, 2010

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PRINCETON, N.J. — In most American schools, teachers are evaluated by principals or other administrators who drop in for occasional classroom visits and fill out forms to rate their performance.

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• Video Eye Aimed at Teachers in 7 School Systems (December 4, 2010)

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Travis Dove for The New York Times

The aim is to capture what happens in the classroom of a fifth-grade teacher, Damien Kingsberry, and to evaluate him.

The result? More than 9 out of 10 teachers get top marks, according to a prominent study last year by the New Teacher Project, a nonprofit group focusing on improving teacher quality.

Now Bill Gates, who in recent years has turned his attention and considerable fortune to improving American education, is investing $335 million through his foundation to overhaul the personnel departments of several big school

Sparks fly at Gov. Christie's Parsippany town hall meeting regarding superintendent salaries | NJ.com

Sparks fly at Gov. Christie's Parsippany town hall meeting regarding superintendent salaries | NJ.com

Sparks fly at Gov. Christie's Parsippany town hall meeting regarding superintendent salaries

Published: Friday, December 03, 2010, 9:00 PM Updated: Saturday, December 04, 2010, 8:42 AM

Ginger Gibson/Statehouse Bureau
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EnlargeAristide Economopoulos/The Star-LedgerKeith Chaudruc, left, of Madison, debates Christie after he was invited to come up on stage with him. (Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger)Gov. Christie holds town hall meeting in Parsippanygallery (14 photos)

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PARSIPPANY — Gov. Chris Christie took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and warned the crowd: This, he said, is when his explosive town hall moments happen.

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He waded into Parsippany yesterday — the epicenter of his battle with school superintendents. He appeared to be looking for a fight.

And he got it.

The Parsippany town hall, his 15th such event, proved to be the governor’s most explosive yet. There were robust challenges to his economic and education policies from all sides, catcalls, heckling, and three people were removed by the police. And despite of all of that, or because of it, he ended the night with an ovation.

Keith Chaudruc, of Madison, got the final question of the night.

The Livingston school district elementary teacher launched into a list of complaints about drops in municipal aid, increasing NJ Transit fares

A right to say ‘Christmas’ and ‘Jesus’ — Joanne Jacobs

A right to say ‘Christmas’ and ‘Jesus’ — Joanne Jacobs

A right to say ‘Christmas’ and ‘Jesus’

by Joanne

Pencils stating “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” were confiscated from goodie bags distributed by an elementary student at a school holiday party in Plano, Texas. Another student was told not to give out pencils saying “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so” at her classroom birthday party. Students were prohibited from saying “Christmas” at school and could not write “Merry Christmas” on holiday cards sent to

Nanny state says no to brownies, pizza

by Joanne

Uncle Sam could ban school bake sales and pizza days under a child nutrition bill on its way to President Barack Obama, reports AP.

The legislation, part of first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to stem childhood obesity, provides more meals at school for needy kids, including dinner, and directs the Agriculture Department to write guidelines to make those meals healthier. The legislation would apply to all foods sold in schools during regular class hours, including in the cafeteria line, vending machines and at fundraisers.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will have the power to decide when a food-based fundraiser is “infrequent”

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Saturday coffee.

by Fred Klonsky

This is the latest we have had significant snow fall in Chicago in years. And the good news is that it is falling on a Saturday. No snow during the commute last night. None expected on Monday morning.

We haven’t even taken the shovels out of the basement yet. No supply of chemical “salt.” We’ll stop by Home Depot sometime today.

Ulysses ran around the yard like a nut case, digging his nose into the white stuff.

All the predictions are that we will have a very cold and snowy winter. But that’s for wo

Old School.

by Fred Klonsky

Tracy Chapman.

Clickers and Technology Integration | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Clickers and Technology Integration | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Clickers and Technology Integration

by larrycuban

So many techno-centrists believe in their heart-of-hearts that the road to student- (or learner-centered) instruction is paved with high-tech devices. New technologies can transform traditional teaching. That is what they want to happen.

Yet, as Judi Harris has pointed out, the decided tilt of techno-centrists toward student-centered instruction–a tilt that she called “pedagogical dogmatism”– is a bias that confuses integrating technology into daily lessons with the reform of traditional teaching methods. That confusion between changing the dominant pedagogy from teacher- to learner-centered lessons and finding the most effective ways of integrating technology into the

Queens Teacher: The View From Inside Teach for America

Queens Teacher: The View From Inside Teach for America

The View From Inside Teach for America

by Queens Teacher

The view from inside Teach for America

Eric Maroney recounts an encounter with the school "reform" movement.

WHEN I received an invitation to a Teach for America (TFA) benefit dinner, I thought, "Me? Really? They must have the wrong guy."

I, a Teach for America corps member, have a reputation for openly criticizing the organization's version of "school reform" and staunchly supporting teachers' unions--not to mention being an out-of-the-closet Marxist. Still, I'm curious, and so I respond with my RSVP.

The day of the benefit dinner arrives. I've asked a colleague to cover my last period class during dismissal because, although our contract has our day ending at 3:30 p.m., it's not infrequent that we're monitoring students until almost 4 p.m.

I run out of the building, while juggling a plastic crate full of papers to be graded and ease myself behind the