Enough Flaming of Arne Duncan!

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

Easy Now - Set Those Flamethrowers On "Stun" For Right Now.

It seems to me that we have a problem with public education. Kids are not learning at nearly the level we would like, and the drop-out rates are unacceptably high. Just an observation on my part - It appears that these problems are isolated in poor communities because wealthy suburbs seem to be doing just fine.

So.

Everybody wants these schools to do better.

At some level, everybody wants to be sure that teachers are doing their job, and doing it well.

If judging progress from the results of standardized tests is NOT the way to go -- and certainly this method leads to "teaching to the test" and a generally poor overall educational experience -- then what IS the way judge performance?

So that's Question #1: How SHOULD schools and teachers be evaluated?

And aside from a massive influx of money to hire a quarter million new teachers to reduce class sizes and to pay teachers commensurate with the education and experience, what are some approaches that public schools could pursue to improve outcomes? Public-run Charter Schools? Magnet Schools? Something else altogether?

And that's Question #2: How can schools address the drop-out rate and improve outcomes?

Please post your creative solutions.

[zipplewrath]

1. School by school

And to some extent class by class. The issues in each school, and to some extent each class, need to be identified and then an action plan created to address those issues. In many cases the metric is going to be behavior as much as test scores. Then the teacher is tracked against the action plan. Did they execute it? Did they identify short comings in the plan and respond? Did they keep the stakeholders informed and involved about the success or failure of the plan? You do 4 reviews a year of progress. At each review plans are established to improve areas that are falling short, and leverage areas that are over performing. At the end of the year, the total level of success is evaluated. If there is unsuccessful results, the cause of the failure has to be identified. If that can be traced to the teacher, remedial actions have to be taken. These will predominately be either cases where the teacher ignored problems with the plan or its implimentation. Basically, you can't get to the end of the year and THEN start complaining that the plan sucked. The flip side is that if the plan was fully executed, but still fell short, the sources of the problems probably exist outside of the classroom structure.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

2. Curious....

Two hours and no response

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. Most of us are back in school

[LWolf]

3. NOT enough flamethrowing.

The answers to # 2 are embedded in # 1.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=219&topic_id=26438&mesg_id=26493

[T Wolf]

4. How about actually asking TEACHERS what would work in their classrooms?

Instead of spending all the money enriching the standardized test makers, do a 100% survey of every teacher in the country and find out from them.

I am willing to bet that a total survey would mediate the extremes of the fundies, the union hacks, the nepotism-appointees, the lazy slackers, the hate-kids-but-like-summers-off, the brain-washers (left & reich) and all the others who really should not be allowed anywhere near our children.

The majority of teachers are dedicated people trying to do an impossible job in ridiculous conditions. Let's trust them to tell us what to do.

* by definition, this survey would exclude administrators and others who are not in the classroom.

[Angry Dragon]

5. I was wondering if

#3 LWolf and #4 T Wolf are related??

[T Wolf]

7. Just in our views. nt

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

9. That's sort of what I'm asking for....

I can't believe that the NEA (or others) hasn't surveyed their membership to ask THEM what should be done.

[LWolf]

10. Then read the link I gave you upthread.

It has nothing to do with whether or not teachers know what should be done. We do.

We haven't been allowed at the table. Instead, 3 decades of anti-teacher propaganda has portrayed us as "the enemy."

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

12. Oops. Sorry. Reading Now (nt)

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

19. OK. Done Reading

I'm going to ignore the first six for now. I think we both agree that a massive infusion of funds would do wonders. We could have smaller class sizes and adequate teaching materials and a two-year intern (nice). But you're cheating -- It's like my asking how do we improve America's health and you respond "Cure Cancer." Yeah. Sure, but that's easier said than done.

One general theme I see here is the inclusion of parents and the community in the educational process. For a lot of voters, the only time they come into the school house is to vote (and ironically, they vote against the school levy). Having the neighborhood school be the center of social life in the neighborhood would, I think, do wonders for how schools are perceived.

Your Point #18 about the Family Action Network (what state are you from) is a cool idea. Having a free clinic literally operating out of the public school -- even if it were limited to certain days of the week -- would be good for public education AND public health. Now I'm cheating -- this sort of thing would cost money, but I can't believe that the local healthcare system wouldn't rather have a kid treated for a minor health issue at school rather than have him/her should up in the (expensive) Emergency Department.

And of course, having parents be partners with their child's teacher would do wonders for student outcomes. I know that some private schools have REQUIREMENTS that parents take a turn helping out at the school -- is there any analgous model in the public education system? I don't know for sure how to go about it, but there should be an expectation that you don't just drop your kid at the schoolhouse door and expect somebody else to provide education.

Year-Round School, Open Early and Late. This could be a big change that could happen with only a minimal amount of additional funding, especially if the school could create partnerships with social service agencies, local teaching colleges and others. Especially this time of year, I think a lot of parents would go for the idea of more frequent, but shorter breaks. I can almost hear last year's education oozing from my twelve-year-old's brain. It also makes sense if the school is the center of the community and providing a panoply (new word alert) of services to students and their famlies.

Ban Junk Food - From school and everywhere else!

[LWolf]

36. The school system can't do #1.

That has to be a committed, sustained effort on the part of government at every level.

The rest? If you had any idea the way we twist a dollar, and the great things we DO accomplish despite the under-staffing, under-funding, over-crowding, and top-down authoritarian mandates, you'd know that we've already gotten as much blood out of that turnip as there is to be had.

You get what you pay for. If you want the best system, you have to be willing to invest in it.

Parents as partners? I worked in a fully public school that did exactly that for many years. I'd like to see that happy condition widespread. There is nothing to stop it. Except, oops, for $$$. You see, when I worked at that school, we'd built TEN, yes TEN non-student parent conference days into the year, and we met with every single family a minimum of 5 times a year. In addition to inviting them in to be a part of the classroom, we spent significant time meeting with them to discuss their students' strengths, goals, and progress; to plan together how to achieve those goals.

The rest? It takes funding to staff school programs early and late. I think it's worth it, though. And, having worked year-round schedules and traditional schedules, the positive effect on both students and teachers makes me wonder why so many are so invested in those long summers.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

40. The low-hanging fruit...

Stop the testing. The time and resources that go into this exercise could easily go for more productive uses.

As I kid back in the Stone Age, they gave us an annual achievement test -- it was just a way for parents, students and teachers to see where a student was strong and where he/she needed extra assistance. They didn't threaten to shut down the whole friggin' school if we didn't do well -- and they did absolutely nothing to prepare for it - other than remind us to bring #2 lead pencils to class that day.

[LWolf]

45. I took those, too, and that was probably BEFORE the stone age.

There was no risk attached to the test, no prep, and we moved on. Everybody understood that a standardized test result was not the ultimate determiner of achievement. It was just on of many ways to look at achievement, and no more important than any other way.

And it was understood that test results reflected the STUDENT, not the teacher or school.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

47. AMEN to your last sentence....

The principal didn't get fired if we did poorly on a test -- which is a good thing, because many of us probably would have failed intentionally!

But seriously, a test is only a moment in time. Kids learn at different rates and using different styles of instruction. Any standardized test is nothing more than a more-or-less accurate(ish) barometer of how a kid is doing on August 18th, 2010.

[mzteris]

41. From the Blueprint for Education

(which I couldn't seem to get people to actually READ!!! - they just bashed sans knowledge 'cause, you know, "he" put it out there. . . :eyes: )


Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students

Supporting student success requires deploying every tool at our disposal. The students most at risk for academic failure too often attend schools and live in communities with insufficient capacity to address the full range of their needs. The result is that students cannot always focus on learning and teachers cannot always focus on teaching.

Preparing students for success requires taking innovative, comprehensive approaches to meeting students' needs, such as rethinking the length and structure of the school day and year, so that students have the time they need to succeed and teachers have the time they need to collaborate and improve their practice. It means supporting innovative models that provide the services that students need; time for teachers to collaborate to meet academic challenges; environments that help all students be safe, healthy, and supported in their classrooms, schools, and communities; and greater opportunities to engage families in their children's education and strengthen the role of schools as centers of communities.

A New Approach

* Providing a cradle through college and career continuum in high-poverty communities that provides effective schools, comprehensive services, and family supports.
* Supporting programs that redesign and expand the school schedule, provide highquality afterschool programs, and provide comprehensive supports to students.
* Using data to improve students' safety, health, and well-being, and increasing the capacity of states, districts, and schools to create safe, healthy, and drug-free environments.


Promise Neighborhoods

Our proposal will provide new, competitive grants to support the development and implementation of a continuum of effective community services, strong family supports, and comprehensive education reforms to improve the educational and life outcomes for children and youths in high-need communities, from birth through college and into careers. Programs must be designed to improve academic and developmental outcomes for children and youths through effective public schools, community-based organizations, and other local agencies. Programs will be encouraged to take a comprehensive approach to meeting student needs, drawing on the contributions of community-based organizations, local agencies, and family and community members. Grantees will conduct a needs assessment of all children in the community in order to establish baseline data against which the grantee will aim to improve outcomes, and will promote and coordinate community involvement, support, and buy-in, including securing and leveraging resources from the public and private sectors.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

Our proposal will provide competitive grants for states, school districts, nonprofit organizations, and partnerships to implement in school and out of school strategies that provide students and, where appropriate, teachers and family members, with additional time and supports to succeed.

Competitive grants will be awarded to states, school districts, and community-based organizations to leverage models that comprehensively redesign and expand the school day or year, provide full-service community schools, or provide services before school, after school, or during the summer. All programs will focus on improving student academic achievement in core academic subjects, ranging from English language arts, mathematics, and science, to history, the arts, and financial literacy, as part of a well-rounded education, and providing enrichment activities, which may include activities that improve mental and physical health, opportunities for experiential learning, and greater opportunities for families to actively and meaningfully engage in their children's education.

Priority will be given to applicants that propose to carry out programs to support the improvement of Challenge schools identified under the College- and Career-Ready Students program, and those that propose to implement comprehensive and coordinated programs, including comprehensively redesigning and expanding the school schedule for all students, providing comprehensive supports to students and families through full-service community school models, or establishing partnerships between school districts and nonprofit organizations for in school or out of school strategies.

Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students

Our proposal will provide competitive grants to support states, school districts, and their partners in providing learning environments that ensure that students are successful, safe, and healthy. To better measure school climate and identify local needs, grantees will be required to develop and implement a state- or district-wide school climate needs assessment to evaluate school engagement, school safety (addressing drug, alcohol, and violence issues), and school environment, and publicly report this information. This assessment must include surveys of student, school staff, and family experiences with respect to individual schools, and additional data such as suspensions and disciplinary actions. States will use this data to identify local needs and provide competitive subgrants to school districts and their partners to address the needs of students, schools, and communities.

Grantees will use funds under the Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students program to carry out strategies designed to improve school safety and to promote students' physical and mental health and well-being, nutrition education, healthy eating, and physical fitness. Grantees may support activities to prevent and reduce substance use, school violence (including teen dating violence), harassment, and bullying, as well as to strengthen family and community engagement in order to ensure a healthy and supportive school environment.

Priority will be given to applicants that propose to support partnerships between districts and nonprofit organizations, including community-based organizations. Priority will also be given to grantees willing to direct funds to schools with the greatest need, including Challenge schools, as identified under the College- and Career-Ready Students program, or schools with the greatest needs as identified through the school climate needs assessment.

http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/blueprint/publication_pg8.html#part8

*****

Year round schools are great! Wake County NC has quite a number of them and for most - they are very popular. The teachers and students get a three week break every nine weeks. It helps everyone, including space concerns (which is Wake's main problem). Students learn more and forget less and progess faster. It's good for the local economy as the "track-out" programs have bolstered local Y's and childcare and other camp facilities. You get to "take a vacation" several times a year, you're not locked into "prime rates" (if you go anywhere). For the working parent, being able to have child care spread out, instead of trying to pony it up for just the summmer works, too. And teachers LOVE IT! They get to "destress" regularly and come back to work happier, too.


*******

For school lunches - see this most excellent program: http://www.farmtoschool.org/

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

43. This is the stuff I'm talking about....

A couple of sneaky ways to improve education outcomes without more funding for education --

More funding for services like police (those law and order Republicans love that shit) who can be assigned to the neighborhoods around inner-city schools. Let's see what happens when kids don't have to walk to and from school past crackheads and gang-bangers every day.

More funding to the USDA to provide a breakfast program. There have been multiple studies that show a good breakfast promotes learning -- and having the USDA purchase and distribute farm products from Nebraska and South Dakota helps gain Red State support.

[mzteris]

44. you won't get many on here to admit

that ANY damn thing - not one - that Arne Duncan has done is a "good thing". The "we hate him" so "every single thing he does is crap" mentality just doesn't strike me as a very Democratic - nor liberal - way of thinking.

There is a whole lot of very good ideas in the Blueprint, but will any one of them admit it? Of course they'd have to actually READ it first!

[LWolf]

46. I've read it.

I didn't need any encouragement to do so.

It's all written in eloquent, inspiring terms. The priorities are on page 3:

Priority # 1 suggests that every student who earns a diploma should be "college ready." Despite the fact that not every student wants to go to college. It assumes that everyone SHOULD go to college. Now, to be honest, when I think "college," I'm thinking university. I'm not thinking community college. When I went to high school, those of us who planned to go to college took the classes that we needed to get in. Those of us that didn't took the classes needed to graduate. If someone changed their mind later, they took their first 2 years at the Community College to prepare for a 4-year university. If it said "college or trade school" I'd be happier with it. It would be more realistic.

Priority # 2, while vague in specifics, is the basis for the current focus on merit pay, firings, and moving in under-qualified teachers like TFA.

Priority # 3 is the basis for using standardized test scores for those firings and closings.

Priority # 4 is the basis for using competition, rather than cooperation, to drive the system, and to use public money to fund the expansion of privately-run charter schools. This blueprint doesn't recognize the fact that you don't need a charter, or to go outside the public system, to offer choice.

Priority # 5 invites those outside the system to be the ones to develop "innovative ideas" to drive the change: "Non-profit leaders." Like Gates and Broad.

Those priorities, no matter how fine the language they are couched in, are counter-productive. They will drive everything else that follows. I'm happy to see support for good things later on in the document. The focus on testing, punishing, and pushing out locally elected boards and teachers for outside control trumps everything that follows. For that blue-print to be successful, it needs different priorities.

[mmonk]

6. No chance.

As an advocate for a free and appropriate education for all of our children, it is my only stand.

[Orsino]

8. I'd like us to stop worrying so much about evaluating teachers and students...

...until we fully fund them.

If I were flailing about to find something to blame for the sad state of American education, poor teaching would be way down the list. Give teachers smaller classes and the tools they need, and that'll go a long way toward improvement. Anything else is window dressing designed to distract us.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

11. Here's the thing with that...

I have a good friend who serves on a local School Board -- a job that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, which makes me a little guilty because I encouraged him to do it!

In most states, the funding for local schools comes from local taxes, and that means a school levy. The school levy is one of the few times that voters get to pass judgment on a tax hike. Predictably, they vote no until the School Board threatens to cut football.

I think that getting more funding for schools is nearly impossible (politically) until the schools can show some kind of path forward to improve outcomes. This is where educators need to be creative. They need to find ways to move the needle that doesn't cost a fortune.

[Orsino]

26. If that is the only path to success, then all is lost.

We won't see performance improvements--partly because no one seems to agree on how to measure them--until we give teachers and students reasonable class sizes and equipment.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

28. I hope you're wrong...

And I think you are. I'm convinced that there must be program and initiatives out there that are showing improvement, but they're getting lost in the discussion.

[mzteris]

42. there ARE schools and programs and initiatives "out there"

that ARE showing improvement.

They're just few and far between and getting lost in the epic proportions of schools where schools are failing - or at least not doing very well.

(psssssssssst - and no one on here wants to talk about the successful - (whispering) charter public schools.) They're not the only ones, of course, and not all of them are as going gangbusters, but the innovations are there. The parent involvement is there. The cut red tape is there. The more efficient use of funds is there...

What is supposed to be happening is that these incubators of ideas is supposed to demonstrate what works and what doesn't, THEN - the local trads - are supposed to implement those ideas! It's happened already here in Madison, WI.

[EFerrari]

13. Are you kidding? Our school system is being destroyed right in front of our faces.

And you want people to stop objecting? And you set aside the most obvious, best solution at the outset? And then you're surprised at the lack of responses?

I don't understand.

High stakes testing is useless and even counter productive because children don't learn how to learn. But I guess Arne Duncan is so in love with his failure and his cronyism that he wants to spread it all over the nation. Who are we to get in his way.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

17. The problem with obvious solutions is that they're obvious

If that was the whole answer, I wouldn't bother posing the question.

And as I remarked upthread, politically speaking, getting full funding for education is wildly difficult. I'm nearly 50 years old and I remember being in high school when the "Bake Sales for Bombers" poster came out. We've been having that discussion for more than 30 years.

The best way to convince voters that we should invest more in schools is to show some progress with what we've been given now.

And so, what are some ways to improve education without boatloads of money (hint: follow LWolf's link upthread).

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

18. Oops

Deleted

[EFerrari]

23. Are you kidding? You don't fund education and you want progress?

What the hell kind of reasoning is that. :)

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

30. Not kidding....

I think that a lot of voters are saying, "Show me you can improve before I throw good money after bad." Now if schools can find creative ways to improve that don't involve massive infusions of cash (not saying there won't be additional costs -- just not in the billions), they'll be more successful at convincing voters to put up more funding.

How can schools do that?

[EFerrari]

31. The premise is simply false. When we funded education

we had one of the very best systems in the world. Now, we're somewhere around 17.

We're 17! USA!

You get what you pay for. And no amount of creativity will compensate for starving our schools of the resources they need.

[Irishonly]

15. Teachers are not the enemy

I taught for 22 years before cancer sidelined me. Since I have been out of the classroom I have watched the morale of teachers tank.

A couple of weeks ago I went to a One LA meeting. Our local teacher's union also sends representatives and to see the despair is disheartening. They were so excited when Obama was elected but the enthusiasm has waned. It started with Duncan's appointment.

From my years of experience I have met very few "bad" teachers. If asked and more importantly listened to, teachers would roll up their sleeves and get this mess straightened out. Now they are being ignored. BTW, One LA helped the local schools fix their ridiculous volunteer policies but got no credit. The local superintendent told the papers he did it. The teachers had wonderful ideas but got no credit.

[johnaries]

34. No one has said "teachers are the enemy". That is a false meme.

If I may point out, one of the main reasons that Arne himself stated TN won in the first round of RTTT was BECAUSE of teacher buy-in and involvement.

Of course, the "nay-sayers" then claimed this would be an excuse to "force" teachers to cooperate. Some people are going to be negative no matter what you say or do.

[gratuitous]

16. So, do anything you want, just don't spend money?

Gee, sorta hamstrings the whole thing, doesn't it? The solution to all kinds of other problems is always more money, but schools always seem to be the exception. Sure, the "free market" can drop millions on star basketball player Sacha Vujacic, but pay a teacher more than 35 grand a year? Unheard of!

We have to pay CEOs and other business executives fat salaries and fatter bonuses, otherwise, they'll take their awesome business acumen to the multinational across the street. It's just good business sense. But build modern schools with class sizes of 20 or fewer students? Why, that's creeping socialism, if not outright communism, that is!

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

20. My point here....

Is that the cavalry (in the shape of a buttload of cash) is not going to charge over the hill anytime soon.

So given that reality, what can we do to improve public schools?

There must be creative initiatives going on out there that aren't getting the attention they deserve.

What are they?

[KharmaTrain]

21. The Value Of Education...

I'm the proud father of two teachers and have long supported the teacher unions however there is a problem that is not an easy fix...nor a one-size fits all. As my kids have pointed out, each school is a reflection of their neighborhood and environment. Wealthy and affluent areas have not just the tax base but also a local committment to a quality education system; while inner city schools where unemployment can reach 50% and social structures are frayed will suffer from high drop-out rates and other problems as the value of the education is superceded by the battle for survival and the need to provide for a family over attending classes. Some do rise above but with overwhelming odds...and the teachers at those schools face the toughest challenges with the least number of resources. It's not only the materials but the overall community interest and/or support of education. Again, a complex problem that has festered for decades.

Unfortunately we also have many in our country who either are suspicious or have outright contempt for the educated. Mooselini is their cheerleader. Many have been brow-beaten with the mantra of "liberal elite" and how the education system is some kind of brainwashing operation. Initially it was to try to get federal funds channeled to private (religious) schools but now has turned onto an overall assault of the value of an education and the push to "privitize" and "incentivize". NCLB was a cynical ploy by the GOOP to ruin the system with divisive and unfunded mandates that have created turmoil and more problems at the poorer schools who have to meet higher standards and when they failed they lost what precious funding they had.

Again, this is a complex and societal problem, not one involving teachers...they're the ones who are in the crossfire.

[Edweird]

22. Privatizing government is not the answer - never has been and never will be.

For that, Arne and whoever appointed him deserve to be lambasted mercilessly.

[EFerrari]

29. It didn't work out very well in Haiti and in Somalia, did it. n/t

[ljm2002]

24. My suggestion...

...first and foremost, distribute education $$ equally throughout the school district. No more well-funded schools in the rich suburbs while the inner city schools are starved for funds.

Just that one simple change is my proposal for starters.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

33. Are you from Ohio by any chance?

Live there for 20 years, and that was a HUGE issue. You literally had adjacent school districts where one would be nearly broke and the other rolling in cash, dependingon their local property tax base.

I live in Wisconsin now, and there must be some alternate system of funding because (to date) the only school levies I've seen have been for construction and not for operations. At one point just before I left Ohio, there were something like 300 operating levies on the ballot in any given year.

Equally funding public education is a very good place to start.

[ljm2002]

48. No, I've never been to Ohio...

...but it always amazes me the disparities you can see even within a single school district. That's why I want to see the $$ distributed evenly just for starters.

[ipaint]

25. The guy is an opportunist hack who might as well be in the employ of the Gates

foundation considering his staff is.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2009/03/do_all_ed_dept_roads_lead_to_g.html

[asdjrocky]

27. Was Arnie ever a teacher?

Wouldn't it be a good idea to have a teacher in that role?

[LWolf]

35. Not even close. I wanted a teacher appointed as Sec. of Ed..

I knew when Duncan was appointed what we were in for. I paid attention to Chicago.

:(

[MadHound]

32. Wow, you just hit the nail on the head, and didn't even know it

Your post is exactly why we're having problems in education.

You posted:
"And aside from a massive influx of money to hire a quarter million new teachers to reduce class sizes and to pay teachers commensurate with the education and experience, what are some approaches that public schools could pursue to improve outcomes? Public-run Charter Schools? Magnet Schools? Something else altogether?"

And that's Question #2: How can schools address the drop-out rate and improve outcomes?"

IE, I don't want to do what is right, what know will work, namely spend the money we need to invest in a high quality educational system, so how can we half ass our way through it without spending lots of bucks.

Sorry, but nothing makes up for the need to fully fund our schools, nothing. Not charter schools, magnet schools, testing, whatever. What is needed is cash. If Americans want a quality education system, then we've got to spend the money for it. Take a look at the top two education systems in the world, Finland and Japan. They fully fund each and every single school. They insure that students and teachers have the supplies and facilities needed to pursue a quality education. They also treat, and pay, teachers like we do doctors over here, ie a six figure salary and position of respect and honor in their society. Here, we pay teachers worse than garbagemen and berate and beat them, blaming them for all that is wrong in education.

If you want high quality education, there is no short cut, no cutesy trick, no way to half ass it, you have got to lay out the money for it. If you don't do so, then nothing you do, magnet schools, testing, what have you, is going to cause the quality of education to rise.

We're spending a trillion a year on war. Gee, imagine what would happen if we invested that in education instead.

[KamaAina]

37. Change funding formulas that penalize low-income districts for hgih absenteeism

funding is based on the actual head count in the classroom, so Westport, Conn. gets 98% of the funding it would get based on enrollment, while nearby Bridgeport gets maybe 60%.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

38. Good Point....

Does it cost less to heat the school when a kid is absent? Do teachers get paid less?

[femmocrat]

39. My two cents. My fellow educators have already given great answers, IMO.

Question #1: How SHOULD schools and teachers be evaluated? There is no current crisis with teacher evaluations. That is a myth. Teachers don't want inept, untrained, unprofessional people in the profession either and these people are quickly weeded out unless they have "political" connections (Nepotism is another topic!).

And aside from a massive influx of money to hire a quarter million new teachers to reduce class sizes and to pay teachers commensurate with the education and experience, what are some approaches that public schools could pursue to improve outcomes? Public-run Charter Schools? Magnet Schools? Something else altogether? Sorry, that infusion of cash is the best way to go. We already have public charters and magnet schools. Some are terrific; others are scams. Magnet schools tend to be better, IMO, but the transportation is problematic.

Where would the money come from? Uh.... easy one for a democrat!

Question #2: How can schools address the drop-out rate and improve outcomes? There is probably tons of research and I won't pretend I have read much of it. One solution is more parental involvement and how can one mandate that? Another solution, at least for urban districts is the need for male role-models. Pay teachers what they are worth and recruit more men into high-need districts.

Finally, a broader curriculum (arts, humanities, vocational ed.) is better than more testing. Kids want electives, not more drill, rote, and regimentation. Obama promised during the campaign to support these subject areas and has not followed through.