Shanker Blog » Creating A Valid Process For Using Teacher Value-Added Measures

Shanker Blog » Creating A Valid Process For Using Teacher Value-Added Measures:

Creating A Valid Process For Using Teacher Value-Added Measures

by Douglas N. Harris

Our guest author today is Douglas N. Harris, associate professor of economics and University Endowed Chair in Public Education at Tulane University in New Orleans. His latest book, Value-Added Measures in Education, provides an excellent, accessible review of the technical and practical issues surrounding these models. 

Now that the election is over, the Obama Administration and policymakers nationally can return to governing.  Of all the education-related decisions that have to be made, the future of teacher evaluation has to be front and center.

In particular, how should “value-added” measures be used in teacher evaluation? President Obama’s Race to the Top initiative expanded the use of these measures, which attempt to identify how much each teacher contributes to student test scores. In doing so, the initiative embraced and expanded the controversial reliance on 

Pass / Fail : School funding changes debated at educators meeting | 89.3 KPCC

Pass / Fail : School funding changes debated at educators meeting | 89.3 KPCC:

School funding changes debated at educators meeting

by By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

Educators at a private meeting Tuesday sounded off on an expected proposal to increase state funding to disadvantaged school districts. Conversation focused on Governor Jerry Brown's proposal to redistribute education funding pots known as categoricals among districts with high proportions of kids in poverty and English learners. Credit: Rich Pedroncelli/AP
Educators at a private meeting Tuesday sounded off on an expected proposal to increase state financial support to disadvantaged school districts. The 90-minute meeting was convened in Hawthorne by area State Senator Rod Wright. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson attended, as did representatives of nearly a dozen public school districts.
The conversation,Wright said, focused on Governor Jerry Brown's proposal to redistribute education funding pots 

Education Foundation Or Estate Tax Dodge - Remains To Be Seen - Forbes

Education Foundation Or Estate Tax Dodge - Remains To Be Seen - Forbes:

Education Foundation Or Estate Tax Dodge - Remains To Be Seen

+ Comment now

Seal of the United States Internal Revenue Service. The design is the same as the Treasury seal with an IRS inscription. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Educational Assistance Foundation for The Descendants of Hungarian Immigrants in The Performing Arts, Inc. (EAFDHIPA ?)  A couple of times I have made up the names of not-for profits.  There is for example Southern Baptists Against Clergy Tax Abuse, a total figment of my imagination, although I did decide that a real person theReverend William Thornton would be its President.  EAFDHIPA - I could not have made up.  Of course I did not have to. EAFDHIPA is real.  It is currently in District Court fighting the IRS denial of its exempt status.

EAFDHIPA filed Form 990 for the years 2005 and 2006.  It took in over two million dollars in contributions and handed out a little over $200,000 in 

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH Gangnam Style 11-28-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Diane Ravitch Gangnam Style

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

What You Need to Know About Play

by dianerav

From a reader who is passionate about child’s play:
Let’s talk to Arne about Play Science? We have schools in Asia setting up Play Science Institutes. They know that they need to innovate. The teacher is the one who can identify and scaffold upon the innate talents of the child. No computer program can see, feel, connect and mentor that deeply. Data is not knowledge. Metaphoric thinking is developed through three dimensional play, something one cannot develop from a two dimensional screen. It has everything to do with hand-brain co-evolution and the neuroscience of tinkering, object play, or other three dimensional forms of play. Real world problem solving necessitates nuanced metaphorical thinking, 

Gary Rubinstein Asks: Is Poverty Destiny?

by dianerav

Gary Rubinstein ponders the familiar phrases “poverty is not destiny” and “poverty is not an excuse.”
He understands that many poor students succeed in school, but most don’t.
The typical claim of the “reform” movement is that every student, regardless of poverty, would perform at high levels of proficiency if their teacher has high expectations or if they attended a “no-excuses” charter school.
Gary suggests it might be more fruitful to ask whether insufficient resources are destiny.
He writes:
A suburban school where the students don’t have to contend with so many out of school factors might not need 

Should Arne Be Our Next Secretary of State?

by dianerav

This is not a joke.
Tom Friedman of the New York Times thinks Arne Duncan should be the Secretary of State because he can do to the world what he has done to education.
Wonder what a a Race to the Top would look like internationally?

John Kuhn Explains Why the Status Quo is Wrong

by dianerav

John Kuhn is superintendent of a small school district in Texas. But his voice is mighty and powerful. Those who have heard him wish he were Commissioner of Education for the state of Texas or in another position where everyone would learn from his wisdom.
Kuhn was the first person to be named to the honor roll for his eloquence and courage in support of public education.
November 02, 2012 07:21 PM CDT November 02, 2012 09:04 PM

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/sunday-commentary/20121102-point-person-our-qa-with-john-kuhn-on-schools-over-reliance-on-testing.ece

Point Person: Our Q&A with John Kuhn on school’s over-reliance on testing

What You Should Know About School Closings in Chicago

by dianerav

Mayor Rahm Emanuel in Chicago plans to close as many as 100 public schools because they are under enrolled. But he also plans to open dozens of new charter schools. It is the dynamic of privatization: as public school close, privately managed charters open, accelerating the destruction of neighborhoods and public education. The charters, of course, will almost all be non-union.
“Kurt Hilgendorf, a CTU researcher and legislative activities staffer, spoke November 20, 2012, at the Chicago City Council Education Committee Hearings on School Closings. Kurt Hilgendorf taught history, economics and 

Diane in the EveningDiane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Mississippi Bests Florida by dianerav For years we have heard about the Florida miracle, supposedly the result of Jeb Bush’s tough accountability measures. But whoa! The latest federal data show that Mississippi has a higher graduation rate than Florida. Is there a Mississippi miracle? New Report on New Jersey Charter Schools by dianerav Bruce Baker here analyzes the new CREDO report on charter schools in New Jersey. Charters in Newark outperform district schools, and Baker explains the secrets of their success. Outside of Newark, charters were no differen... more »

UPDATE: "Despite these challenges, Governor Malloy is committed to…NO tax increases." - Wait, What?

"Despite these challenges, Governor Malloy is committed to…NO tax increases." - Wait, What?:

Malloy’s Blueprint for this time of economic crisis: A disproportionate cut to public higher education

by jonpelto

Faced with a $365 million budget deficit in this fiscal year, Governor Malloy and his budget chief, Ben Barnes, released a list of $170 million in cuts today.

Their list of cuts is quite a commentary on Malloy’s vision of shared sacrifice and on where cuts can actually be made.

After implementing the deepest cuts in Connecticut history to Connecticut’s public colleges and universities…Governor Malloy is now cutting another $10 million from UConn, another $14 million from CSU and the Community Colleges and $1.3 million in student financial aid. (But Malloy is only cutting the financial aid that goes to students attending public colleges; the financial aid to the students attending Connecticut’s independent 

Another day, another six figure state job goes to an out-of-state PR person

by jonpelto

Today’s double barreled lesson; (1) There is always room for one more Director of Communications on the ship of state, even in the face of a billion dollar deficit, and (2) there are simply no qualified PR people in Connecticut.

Last week came the news that UConn President Herbst had to go all the way to Iowa to get her $227,000 PR person.

Today comes news that Stefan Pryor, Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, is bringing in yet another out-of-state person to help him run Connecticut’s Department of Education.

This time it is a new Communications Director, the third he has had since becoming 

“Despite these challenges, Governor Malloy is committed to…NO tax increases.”

by jonpelto

Grover Norquist  said that I can't

Oh, yeah, ah….

Except for that 4 to 8 cent gas tax increase that is already scheduled to kick in on July 1^st 2013. (And well, maybe a few other efforts to enhance revenues).

Ben Barnes, Governor Malloy’s budget chief addressed the General Assembly’s revenue and spending committees yesterday about this  fiscal year’s $365 million deficit and next year’s projected $1.2 billion shortfall.

Much of the discussion surrounded Malloy’s position on increasing taxes and the meaning of a PowerPoint presentation that Barnes’ provided that included a slide that read;

“Despite these challenges, Governor Malloy is committed to:

• Ensuring the state lives

Working for Change in Higher Education: The Abysmal State of Adjunct Teacher Pay | toteachornototeach

Working for Change in Higher Education: The Abysmal State of Adjunct Teacher Pay | toteachornototeach:

Working for Change in Higher Education: The Abysmal State of Adjunct Teacher Pay

by aristotlethewise

Working for Change in Higher Education:
The Abysmal State of Adjunct Teacher Pay

By Jeff Nall
The recent Chicago teachers’ strike provoked a great deal of thoughtful discussion on the topic of K-12 education and teaching conditions.
Important aspects of higher education, however, continue to be overlooked. In particular, the broader public is likely unaware of the unfair and even damaging teaching conditions adjunct or part-time professors are increasingly facing.
The average salary for a college professor is in the realm of just under $60,000.[1] Most full-time University professors teach around six courses a year while also engaging in a variety of scholarly research.  Full-time

College application fees are a barrier to getting an education

by aristotlethewise

College application fees are a barrier to getting an education

by Keith Veronese
This is the time of the year when senior high school students are furiously applying for college — a process that will decide where they will spend the next several years of their life, and shape their futures. And a lot of them will face a common problem: They have the grades to get into a particular school, but they can’t even afford to apply.
Why are college application fees so high? And how much money do colleges make from charging such insane fees just to be considered?
Stanford University charges $90 per undergraduate application. The school receives over 34,000 applications a year, adding up to $3 million in revenue for the school. That’s not the highest application fee in North America, 

Teachers For Social Justice: 2012 TSJ Curriculum Fair Photos

Teachers For Social Justice: 2012 TSJ Curriculum Fair Photos:

2012 TSJ Curriculum Fair Photos

by sarah-ji

Popout

(Click on slideshow to see photos from the fair.)

Much thanks to all of the exhibitors, workshop presenters, performers, speakers, attendees and wonderful volunteers who helped to make this year's Curriculum Fair successful, and the largest ever with 850-900 people! We hope you had an enjoyable & inspiring time creating this space with us once again, that you are recharged, reconnected, recommitted...and ready. To everyone working for social justice in education, thank you for the work you do and we'll plan to see you at an upcoming meeting or next year's fair! 

In solidarity,
TSJ Family

Charter School Proponents To Announce Major Focus On Shutting Down Failing Schools

Charter School Proponents To Announce Major Focus On Shutting Down Failing Schools:

Charter School Proponents To Announce Major Focus On Shutting Down Failing Schools

by Joy Resmovits

Charter schools are about to get a reality check.

As someone who has observed the breakneck pace of the growing charter school movement up close, Greg Richmond, who leads the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), is taking a step back.

"We didn't start this movement in order to create more failing schools, but that's what we have," Richmond told The Huffington Post. "Hundreds of them."

On Wednesday morning, Richmond will join New Jersey Schools Commissioner Chris Cerf and California charter schools advocate Jed Wallace at Washington D.C.'s National Press Club to announce a new campaign, "One 

Charter school amendment debate far from over: Next up in the Georgia Legislature, redefining “public” schools. | Get Schooled

Charter school amendment debate far from over: Next up in the Georgia Legislature, redefining “public” schools. | Get Schooled:

Charter school amendment debate far from over: Next up in the Georgia Legislature, redefining “public” schools.

by Maureen Downey

I think this is the Death part

Here is a guest column by Lee Raudonis, former executive director of the Georgia Republican Party. He also worked for Paul Coverdell in the Georgia Senate, state GOP and U.S. Peace Corps. A former private school teacher, Raudonis is now a communications consultant and writer whose clients include the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.

By Lee Raudonis
Be forewarned: the recent referendum on Constitutional Amendment 1 related to state-approved charter schools is being viewed by its authors and key supporters as much more than an endorsement for increasing the number of charter schools and — they have promised us — improving academic achievement. They view it as an endorsement for drastically altering public 

Nine questions about ’21st Century curriculum’

Nine questions about ’21st Century curriculum’:

Nine questions about '21st Century curriculum'

by Valerie Strauss

If you have heard the phrase “21st Century curriculum” and wondered exactly what that is,you aren’t alone. Here, veteran educator and curriculum expert Marion Brady explains. Brady, who was a classroom teacher for years, has written history and world culture textbooks (Prentice-Hall),  professional books, numerous  nationally distributed columns (many are available here), and courses of study. His 2011 book “What’s Worth Learning” asks and answer this question: What knowledge is absolutely essential for every learner? His course of study for secondary-level students, called Connections: Investigating Reality, is free for downloading here. Brady’s website iswww.marionbrady.com.

By Marion Brady

Willie Sutton, asked why he robbed banks, is supposed to have replied, “Because that’s 

South Carolina teachers take on state superintendent

by Valerie Strauss

Teachers are taking on South Carolina Superintendent of Education Mick Zais as he tours the state to discuss his plan to evaluate educators by a method that includes standardized test scores as a big percentage of the overall assessment. Teachers repeatedly tell him that it is unfair -- not to mention unreliable -- to use student scores to evaluate the effectiveness of a teacher. This video shows a recent contentious meeting in which Zais dismisses these concerns, "What I'm hearing is that teachers can't be accountable for student learning." The teachers, naturally, disagreed.
Read full article >>

“Traditional”: An Unpleasant Word to Reformers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

“Traditional”: An Unpleasant Word to Reformers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

“Traditional”: An Unpleasant Word to Reformers

by larrycuban

I was startled last week when one of my students was presenting her project report to our seminar. She had been examining a “flipped” course that she and 41 other Stanford students were taking along with 40,000 other in this Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). A “flipped” class means that students see professor-made video lectures at home rather than the professor taking up class time to lecture and ask students questions. During the one afternoon a week allotted to the seminar, they would then discuss in small groups, pairs, and the large group the concepts covered in the video. Thus, a “flipped” class mixes online instruction for homework with a seminar where the professor and students explore concepts, raise questions, collaborate with one another, and practice analytic skills. At least that the theory of a “flipped” class. Whether it turned out that way, I do not know.
What startled me was her comparison of that course to the class I was teaching. She said my seminar was “traditional” as opposed to the “flipped” course she and the other students were taking. I did not sense criticism 

Rural district serves as model for offering healthy meals | EdSource Today

Rural district serves as model for offering healthy meals | EdSource Today:

Rural district serves as model for offering healthy meals

November 28th, 2012 | Add a Comment | 
By Susan Frey

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By emphasizing partnerships with community nonprofits and businesses, taking advantage of statewide grants and making good nutrition a financial priority, rural Fort Bragg Unified has continued to provide healthy food and nutrition education to its primarily low-income students, despite budget cuts. 

A favorite meal at Fort Bragg Unified: Whole grain spaghetti with sauce loaded with local vegetables, fresh salad with house-made yogurt-based dressing, fruit and local milk.

The state Department of Education has recognized Fort Bragg as a model for Northern California under its Stepping Up to the Challenge, Creating A Healthy School Environment program. Pilar Gray, the district’s nutritional services director, does trainings for other small districts that are interested in improving their school meals.

“A lot of what we do is what happens when communities pull together,” she said. “Could this be done in large districts? Probably.”

Fort Bragg Unified is located in a small town of the same name along Highway 1 on the rugged coast of Mendocino County in Northern California. About two-thirds of the district’s 1,900 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: More BBB sleight of hand

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: More BBB sleight of hand:

More BBB sleight of hand

by Mike Klonsky

Damn! No sooner had I posted about Byrd-Bennett's school-closing trickery, then she came up with another bit of Three-Card Monte. She's really good.

BBB's enigma, wrapped in a riddle, surrounded by mystery, goes like this: When is a moratorium not really a moratorium? Answer -- when BBB calls it a turnaround, instead of a closing. Sure, you're firing all the school's teachers and replacing them with lower-paid, non-union newbies. Sure you're handing the school over to private charter operators. But that's not exactly the same as closing -- is it? And finally, the post-moratorium closings aren't about "right-sizing," says CPS liar-in-chief Becky Carrol. They will be done for "academic reasons." Get it?

Thanks to PURE's Julie Woestehoff for finding the pea under the middle card.

She says a “turnaround’’ has the same affect of a “closure” on adults in a school. “This seems to be more evidence to suggest that this is a phony moratorium. It’s a moratorium whose details are 

Schools Matter: In memory of Harvey Milk: teacher witch-hunts are nothing new

Schools Matter: In memory of Harvey Milk: teacher witch-hunts are nothing new:

In memory of Harvey Milk: teacher witch-hunts are nothing new

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

First published on Robert D. Skeels for School Board on November 27, 2012.

---

"Gay people have been slandered nationwide. We've been tarred and we've been brushed with the picture of pornography." — Harvey Milk
The current crop of teacher-bashing political opportunists including Michelle Rhee, Ben Austin, Peter C. Cook, Gloria Romero, and Andy Smarick, are nothing new. While it's always been in vogue to attack the female dominated profession, teachers have really been in the crosshairs of reactionaries ever since they won the modicum of protections that unions provide.
San Francisco's Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated 34 years ago today. Milk, who had been a teacher early in his career, was a man who always spoke truth to power. When right-wing extremist John Briggs coined Proposition 6, he relied on the same bigoted thinking that we've seen in recent times with Proposition 32, and other anti-teacher, anti-student, anti-worker initiatives. While the defeat of the Briggs Initiative was clearly a watershed victory for the Gay Rights Movement, it was also victory for labor and public employees, especially school employees.
Milk was no stranger to supporting and partnering with organized labor. His successful partnership with the Teamsters was an excellent example of what today's activists need to be emulating. Milk was savvy to realize