NYT editorial: Enforcing School Standards, at Last

[ProSense]

Editorial

Enforcing School Standards, at Last

Published: March 30, 2010

Washington has historically talked tough about requiring the states to reform their school systems in exchange for federal aid, and then caved in to the status quo when it came time to enforce the deal. The Obama administration broke with that tradition this week

It announced that only two states — Delaware and Tennessee — would receive first-round grants under the $4.3 billion Race to the Top iniative, which is intended to support ambitious school reforms at the state and local levels. The remaining states will need to retool their applications and raise their sights or risk being shut out of the next round.

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To get the maximum number of points, states needed to show that they could build a clear consensus among unions and school districts for programs that would improve training for teachers and principals, turn around failing schools, encourage the creation of high-performing charter schools, create data-driven instructional systems and promote high-quality science instruction.

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The politically powerful teachers’ unions reacted fiercely and predictably to this provision. But the two winning states dispensed with the issue with strong teacher effectiveness laws. The Delaware plan requires teachers and principals to show growth in student achievement as a condition of receiving favorable ratings and allows schools to remove “ineffective” teachers from the classroom. Tennessee passed a strong law mandating that 50 percent of a teacher’s or principal’s evaluation be based on student achievement data.

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[JackDragna]

1. Utter madness.

I'd sure love what "student achievement data" are to be collected for physical education, art and music teachers. I also love the line "encourage the creation of high-performing charter schools," as if all of them were.

[msongs]

2. key words = creating charter schools ie privatizing the money but not results nt

[Clio the Leo]

3. My HS did something like that a LONG time ago ....

.... it was an early type charter of school (insert scary theme music here.) Teachers were assigned to my school based on performance, a type of promotion for City School teachers.

Their tenure (as it were) was based on their ability to continue to produce results. If WE didn't perform up to par ... back to the others schools they would go.

We were in the heart of the inner city.

Every member of my class received a diploma on graduation night, yep, even me.

It was in TN btw. ;)

[lamp_shade]

4. Kick and recommend.

[Jakes Progress]

5. Wow. Corporate giveaway and union bashing all together.

Throw in a little gay-bashing and it could be a trifecta.