There’s a huge gusher of stories coming out this week. Fasten your seatbelts!
Our guest today is Jeffrey Pfeffer, Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. We find it intriguing, given the current obsession with “accountability” in education reform. It is reprinted with permission from Dr. Pfeffer’s blog, Rational Rants, found athttp://www.jeffreypfeffer.com.
People seem to love to exact retribution on those who screw up—it satisfies some primitive sense of justice. For instance, research in experimental economics shows that people will voluntarily give up resources to punish others who have acted unfairly or inappropriately, even though such behavior costs those doing it and even in circumstances where there is going to be no future interaction to be affected by the signal sent through the punishment. In other words, people will mete out retribution even when such behavior is economically irrational.
All of this would be of only academic interest except it plays out in the organizational world in ways that often inhibit learning from mistakes and preventing future mishaps. Consider, for instance, the horrendous BP oil spillin the Gulf of Mexico. There were many entities involved on the oil rig and drilling in deep water is a complex engineering task. As BP CEO Tony Hayward repeatedly stated during his ill-starred congressional testimony, the cause, or more likely, the causes (plural) of the accident remain to be fully understood. And, of course, i
In an effort to learn about Cathleen Black, the woman that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg chose to succeed Joel Klein as head of the city’s public schools, I turned to the book she wrote: “Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life.)”
Black was the surprise choice when Klein unexpectedly stepped down from running the country's largest public school system last week after eight years. Black, who had been running Hearst Magazines and has
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| Sebastian and Robin Weston talk about their son being handcuffed and shackled |
Passaic NJ has now suspended an award-winning special education teacher for telling the story of a colleague who used a racial slur to address a student but didn't get in all that much trouble -- effectively paying a greater price for recounting a story (that seemed to disgust her) than the person who actually spoke the racial slur to students in school. Her remarks were caught on tape and uploaded
“It’s a chance to change the world.” (N.Y. Post)
We’re in danger of making the New York City public schools a plaything for the rich and famous. Perhaps the thinking is that directing schools is something you do when you’re finished doing your real job; an avocation that starts with a love of learning and warm remembrances of being in school yourself.(NYT)
Charter schools, explained Whitney Tilson, the founder of T2 Partners and one of their most ardent supporters, are the perfect philanthropy for results-oriented business executives. For one thing, they can change lives permanently, not just help people get by from day to day. For another, he said, “hedge funds are always looking for ways to turn a small amount of capital into a large
American Education Week (AEW) spotlights the importance of providing every child in America with a quality public education from kindergarten through college, and the need for everyone to do his or her part in making public schools great.
The involvement of parents in their child’s education is key to their success. Ongoing research shows that parental involvement in schools improves student achievement, reduces absenteeism, and restores confidence among parents in their children’s education.
Check out our resources here.
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"Let me help you pack." That's what Gov. Chris Christie told one of the state's top administrators when that administrator commented publicly that he could leave New Jersey and go to another state if his $242,000 total compensation were to be capped under the governor's proposed rule.
Earlier in the day Christie discussed the Parsippany Board and Seitz at a town hall meeting in Toms River. "Let me tell you about the new poster boy for all that's wrong with the public school system that is being dictated by greed," the governor told the audience. "This contract is the definition of greed and arrogance. I'm
"As a result, a narrow argument regarding budget improprieties was presented to the court. But I believe this lawsuit addresses Rhee's improper administrative actions within the schools themselves."
Washington, DC (PRWEB) November 15, 2010
Willie J Brewer Jr., an instrumental music teacher who was fired amidst the mass firings by former Chancellor Michelle Rhee, has filed a private lawsuit alleging wrongful termination. The case was filed yesterday in the D.C. Superior Court case number- 2010 CA 008565 B.
Brewer, who taught for over 25 years in the D.C. Public Schools, alleges in the complaint that he was wrongfully terminated, in part, because the stated reason for his termination, a Reduction-In-Force or (RIF) due to “exceptional budget pressures”, was not truthful or accurate. Brewer alleges that his firing was made in error based upon performance and that his competitive evaluation was based upon a comparison with another teacher in his school who did not teach the same subject, hold the same certification, and who was on the job for only a few days prior to Brewer’s firing.
“Unfortunately, the Washington Teachers' Union lawsuit (DC Superior Court case number- 2009 CA 007482 B), which we hoped would resolve the firing of hundreds of teachers was doomed from the start. For the union to fully represent the interests of the fired teachers presented a conflict of interest because the union represents all the teachers, the old and new, whose respective plights in this situation adversely affect the other group”, says Brewer.
"As a result, a narrow argument regarding budget improprieties was presented to the court. But I believe this
When it comes to big spenders on California propositions, the usual suspects are oil companies, the California Teachers Association and the Chamber of Commerce.
But to find the biggest spender in the latest election, you have to go to a trailer at the Stanford linear accelerator, where a geeky guy with a gaptoothed smile and bow tie is studying experimental physics.
Meet Charles T. Munger Jr., a Stanford University physicist and the son of Warren Buffett's billionaire investment partner. Munger just poured $12.6 million of his inherited wealth -- or 10 percent of his net worth -- into redistricting reform, a less-than-glamorous cause that nonetheless packs the seismic power of the Big One when it comes to California politics.
Munger's multimillion-dollar contribution amounts to more than Cisco Systems, tobacco giant Philip Morris, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and Chevron spent on the election combined. And it paid off in a landslide -- much to his gratification -- with 61 percent voter support for Proposition 20, the measure he backed.
"You need to go into the world and do something that's nee
Walt Gardner, writing in his EdWeek blog, concluded recently: “The latest reminder that freedom of speech for teachers in K-12 is an illusion came from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati on Oct. 21. In Evans-Marshall v. Board of Education of the Tipp City Exempted Village School District, the court ruled that teachers cannot make their own curricular decisions.”
This significant court case revolved around an English teacher asking her students to choose among often banned books, to read the chosen books, and then to examine why the books were banned. Many would consider this assignment a rich and engaging lesson ideal for high school students.
But this ruling comes amid an unmatched season for examining teachers and teaching.
In Little Rock, AK, on 25 August 2010, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan presented a speech laced with civil rights rhetoric, mentioning teachers over four dozen times (and poverty none). In this speech, which echoed similar talks by President Obama, Duncan placed public school teachers front and center:
“[T]he big game-changer for us, in terms of both formula and competitive programs, revolves around the issue of teacher quality,” adding:
“Nothing is more important and nothing has a greater impact on the quality of education than the quality and skill of the person standing in the front of the class–and there is so much that needs to change in the way that
Changes at the top, week 2:
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