[Ohiogift] Public Education NewsBlast — November 4, 2014

[Gifted and Talented in Ohio Discussion List]

                                                   November 4, 2014 - In This Issue:
       The unions' dilemma
  What Tuck versus Torlakson is actually about
  SIG: Kind of a bust
  The many costs of principal churn
  Moving the hiring process from subjective to effective
  Making teacher leadership count
  Needed: My Sister's Keeper
  The sorry state of special ed for incarcerated Mississippi youth
  BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
  BRIEFLY NOTED
  GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
                                            The unions' dilemma
The failure of national teachers' unions to lead reform flows from the difference between what they are versus what they'd like others to think they are, writes Mike Antonucci on the Education Next website. This difference generates two messages, one internal and one external, but in today's world, where anyone with a phone or internet access can play reporter, the messages overlap and contradict. Unions face an environment in which enemies are emboldened, allies are deserting, and activists are questioning the leadership. One faction, existing in both national unions, wants to man the barricades, fight over every inch of territory, and take no prisoners. Karen Lewis of the Chicago Teachers Union, Alex Caputo-Pearl of United Teachers Los Angeles, Bob Peterson of the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association, and Barbara Madeloni of the Massachusetts Teachers Association fall in this group. The other, establishment faction includes leadership of both unions, which must somehow co-opt the militant message without alienating the education world or general public. None of this addresses the fact that union adherence to a mission designed for the 1960s has a cautionary precedent: The International Brotherhood of Teamsters was a massive political and social force in the 1950s and 1960s. It still exists and can deliver PAC money and campaign workers, but no one worries about its power and influence anymore. More
 What Tuck versus Torlakson is actually about
Interest groups rarely pour millions into races for offices with little real power, but the campaign for California superintendent of public instruction has spending likely to hit $25 million, reports Stephanie Simon for Politico.com. The race has become symbolic of internal struggles in the Democratic Party and a test of waning teachers-union power. The incumbent, Democrat Tom Torlakson, is a former teacher and veteran legislator backed by traditional constituencies: public-sector unions, environmentalists, reproductive-rights groups, and the party apparatus. The California Teachers Association (CTA) has put $7 million behind him. His challenger, former charter executive and Democrat Marshall Tuck, has been endorsed by every major newspaper in the state and by a bipartisan array of billionaires, including William Bloomfield Jr., Alice Walton, and Michael Bloomberg. California is one of the few remaining states where teacher unions have major clout in the legislature. Analysts say the CTA must propel Torlakson back into office or risk being seen as weak. Tuck fully supports collective bargaining rights but aims to abolish seniority-based layoffs, and would like to double or quadruple the years teachers must work before getting tenure. He has also proclaimed the state Democratic Party is too beholden to the CTA, which has seven lobbyists in Sacramento and has spent $170 million on campaigns in California since 2000. More

 
Related:
SIG: Kind of a bust
A new brief by the Institute of Education Sciences reports that no schools it surveyed employing either "turnaround" -- which calls for firing the principal and half the staff -- or "transformation" -- which calls for an array of strategies, including extended learning time and performance pay for educators -- under the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program did everything they were encouraged to do. More than 96 percent of schools in the survey undertook practices such as using data to inform instruction, using technology to bolster teaching and learning, and giving educators time to collaborate. However, just a quarter of schools used teacher-evaluation results to inform compensation, and less than 24 percent had autonomy over issues like budgeting, length of the school year, hiring, or discipline. The least popular intervention was extra compensation to attract turnaround principals, which only 7 percent of schools attempted. SIG as a whole posted mediocre results: Two thirds of participating schools improved, some only marginally, after two years in the program; another third slid backwards. Poor implementation of the models could be at fault, but a 2012 GAO report also found that SIG money was pumped out too quickly for schools, districts, and states to carefully plan how to use the funds. More
The many costs of principal churn
A new report from the School Leaders Network indicates that schools, students, and teachers bear significant, unnecessary costs from principal churn because little is done to offer principals reasonable support after their second year. The report highlights critical education resources, disruptions to classrooms, and weakened student-learning opportunities that occur because principals leave jobs at a rate higher than nearly all other white-collar professions. Research shows that a minimal reduction in principal-turnover rates could save districts $163 million annually. Keeping the same school leaders in place for years has positive effects on student achievement, particularly at high-poverty schools, since principals constitute ¼ of total school influence affecting student outcomes. The negative effects of high principal turnover are evident a year after a vacancy, and it can take the next principal up to three years to regain positive momentum in math and English language arts performance. Moreover, it takes an average of five years to put a vision in place, improve teaching staff, and fully implement policies and practices that positively impact a school's performance. The report calls upon decision-makers and funders to value and prioritize principal retention as much as principal pipeline development. More
Moving the hiring process from subjective to effective
A new paper from the Center for Education & Data Research evaluates hiring tools used by the Spokane Public Schools (SPS) to predict teacher-applicant value-added scores, absence behavior, and attrition rates. The study encompassed all applicants, both hired and rejected, and found that those hired had more effective value-added scores, as well as tending to be less absent or likely to quit. The SPS hiring process has four stages: acceptance of applications; a 21-point pre-screening by Human Resources; a 60-point screening by principals; and an in-person interview. Screening scores on the two rubrics had strong correlation to positive characteristics, though had stronger relationships with some subcomponents than others. Scores on the 21-point rubric, which included the subcomponents of Experience, Depth of Skills, and Recommendations, had a positive but insignificant relationship to teacher effectiveness in math and reading. On the 60-point rubric, the subcomponent of Classroom Management had large effects on student outcomes for math and reading. Training, Flexibility, and Instructional Skills also significantly impacted math. Certificate and Education subcomponents had little impact. For the 60-point rubric, predictive power was centralized in the components of Experience, Classroom Management, Flexibility, and Instructional Skills; Interpersonal Skills and Preferred Qualifications predicted significantly less. The SPS screenings validate that this type of guidance on interpreting applications is an improvement on the ad-hoc hiring processes typically seen in schools. More
     Making teacher leadership count
A new paper from the Aspen Institute offers concrete strategies to districts for maximizing the potential of highly effective teachers to influence colleagues, shift school culture, and advance teaching, learning, and student achievement. Currently, districts across America are investing in new career pathways for their best teachers as a reward and retention strategy, but often do so without regard for impact these teachers could have or how the initiative can reinforce and strengthen other reforms. As a result, these programs have yet to stem attrition or improve achievement in any consistent or widespread fashion. The paper cites several examples of effective teacher leadership initiatives at the state, district, and school levels, including programs in Tennessee, Chicago, the District of Columbia, and Denver, among others, and indicates that these have several commonalities: they are aligned with key school priorities rather than just used to recognize successful educators; they are predicated on strong and well-defined systems to identify effective educators; they are built on a broad, well-communicated vision of longterm and leading indicators of success; and they redistribute responsibility in ways that make the principal job more manageable. More
Needed: My Sister's Keeper
A new report from the National Women's Law Center looks at the significant barriers that African American girls face to educational attainment, including lack of quality educational opportunities; pervasive racial and gender stereotypes; discriminatory discipline practices; high rates of exposure to sexual harassment and violence; juvenile-justice system involvement; and lack of support if pregnant or parenting while still in school. In almost all states, the high school graduation rate for African American girls is significantly below that of white girls and the national average for all girls, and African American girls are behind on a range of academic measures related to college readiness. The report urges educators, school leaders, community leaders, advocates, policymakers, and philanthropic organizations to take action to advance the success of African American girls, complementing the important ongoing work to improve educational outcomes for boys and men of color. It calls for targeted philanthropic funding domestically that is aimed toward providing social services, support systems, and programs that address the needs of all African American girls, especially the most vulnerable -- those who are low-income, in the child welfare system, victims of child sex trafficking, struggling to complete school, or in the juvenile-justice system. More
The sorry state of special ed for incarcerated Mississippi youth
Each year, thousands of Mississippi teens cycle through the justice system, report Sarah Butrymowicz and Jackie Mader for The Hechinger Report. Incarcerated juveniles have the same educational rights as those outside -- five hours of instruction daily, including special education --yet many who need help most aren't getting it: students already academically behind, whose early encounters with the justice system only increase likelihood they'll drop out or become incarcerated adults. Legally mandated services are rarely provided, despite a 2010 federal survey that found 30 percent of youth in custody have a diagnosed learning disability -- six times the general population. The Mississippi Department of Education budgets $1 million annually for educating juveniles in 15 detention centers, and in 2011-12 spent an additional $844,000 in federal money to educate minors in juvenile and adult facilities. Yet the Mississippi Department of Education and the Office of Public Safety both thought the other agency tracked special education numbers in state centers, when asked. (The Mississippi Department of Education plans to track those data going forward.) And though the Department of Public Safety is tasked with monitoring the centers, districts are directly responsible for education. Legal action by the Southern Poverty Law Center around general conditions and abuse has forced several center closures to date, adding to the lack of clarity. More
          BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
 
 
Faring poorly
A biannual report by Children Now shows that kids across 58 counties in California are faring poorly overall when it comes to education, health, and socio-economic outcomes. More
 
Problems looming
California officials have identified 304 schools that will have difficulty offering online statewide tests scheduled in the spring unless their internet capacity is improved. More
 
New cutoff
For the first time since the state enacted kindergarten legislation in 1891, California children must be 5 years old by Sept. 1 to enroll in kindergarten. More
 
It never ends
The new $130 million MiSiS student data system, blamed for student scheduling chaos at some Los Angeles Unified campuses earlier this school year, is now turning out student transcripts with incorrect information on grade-point averages, classes taken, and class rankings. More
 
On the bright side, they have internet
With the departure of John Deasy, the future of the Los Angeles School District's controversial one-to-one technology program hangs in uncertainty. More
          BRIEFLY NOTED 
 
 
Little surprise
Seventy-six percent of U.S. public school teachers react positively to the primary goal of the Common Core -- to have all states use the same set of academic standards for reading, writing, and math in grades K-12 -- but this positivity fades around using computerized tests to measure student performance (27 percent) and linking those test scores to teacher evaluations (9 percent). More
 
Further dissent
A coalition of groups -- including the AASA, the American Youth Policy Forum, and the National Opportunity to Learn Campaign -- with support from the two national teachers' unions, is calling for a different take on school accountability that reduces annual testing and includes a broader mix of school outcomes. More
 
Not amused
Teachers, parents, and union leaders gathered in front of TIME magazine headquarters to protest the publication's latest cover. More
 
Smart move
Arkansas lawmakers are recommending an increase of almost $1,800 in base pay for new teachers. More
 
Reshuffle
A West Virginia commission has recommended shifting some of the counties' managerial duties to the state's eight Regional Education Service Agencies to allow counties to better focus on student achievement. More
 
Oh, no you don't
Federal education officials have blocked a Kansas plan to let high-schoolers skip state mathematics and English tests and instead focus on college entrance exams and career-oriented tests. More
 
Hmmmmn
The American Federation of Teachers has spent almost $450,000 on the Jefferson Parish School Board elections in Louisiana. More
 
They agree
Fourteen public education advocates and two organizations filed an amicus brief in support of the attorney general's motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that the District of Columbia has failed to provide equal funding to charter and traditional schools in accordance with the law. More
 
Stirrings of trouble
The New York City comptroller has announced plans to audit the Success Academy charter network, as well as three other charter schools, setting the stage for a possible legal fight with the schools and their advocates. More
          
GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

 
 
 
U.S. Dept. of State: Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching
The Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching program sends highly accomplished primary and secondary teachers from the U.S. abroad and brings international teachers to the U.S for a three to six month long program.  Maximum award: Program costs such as tuition, room and board, and transportation are covered by the grant; participants will receive a maintenance allowance designed to assist with the costs of food and lodging during the program. Distinguished Teachers will also have the opportunity to apply for professional development funds to support development and research, or cover the expenses of attending a conference or workshop related to their fields of teaching expertise. Eligibility (for U.S. applicants): U.S. citizens who are employed full-time at an accredited school in the U.S. or its territories, hold a Master's degree (or be enrolled in a Master's program at the time the grant begins), and are in at least the fifth year of full-time teaching. Deadline: November 5, 2014. More
 
NSTA/PASCO: STEM Educator Awards
The National Science Teachers Association PASCO STEM Educator awards recognize excellence and innovation in the field of STEM education at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. Maximum award: $1,000 to cover travel expenses to attend the NSTA national conference and be part of a STEM share-a-thon workshop; a $500 monetary gift; a $5,000 certificate for PASCO scientific products; and recognition during the Awards Banquet at the NSTA national conference. Eligibility: K-12 STEM educators with a minimum of 3 years teaching experience in the STEM fields, who implement innovative inquiry-based, technology-infused STEM programs. Deadline: November 30, 2014. More
 
 
NSTA: Ron Mardigian Memorial Biotechnology Explorer Award
The National Science Teachers Association Ron Mardigian Memorial Biotechnology Explorer Award recognizes an outstanding high school teacher who has made biotechnology learning accessible to the classroom. Maximum award: $1,000 towards expenses to attend the NSTA National Conference; $750 in Bio-Rad products; and recognition at the National Conference Awards Banquet. Eligibility: high school teachers. Deadline: November 30, 2014. More
 
Vernier: Engineering Contest.
To recognize creative teaching, Vernier Software & Technology is sponsoring a contest for high school and college teachers. Maximum award: $1,000 in cash, $3,000 in Vernier technology, and $1,500 toward expenses to attend the 2014 ASEE conference in New Orleans. Eligibility: teachers in schools serving grades K-12, as well as post- secondary undergraduate college departments are eligible. Deadline: January 15, 2015. More
 
Fund for Teachers: Grants
The Fund for Teachers provides funds for direct grants to teachers to support summer learning opportunities of their own design. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: teachers who work with students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12, with a minimum of three years teaching experience, full-time, spending at least 50 percent of the time in the classroom at the time grants are approved and made. Deadline: varies by state. More
 
 
Quote of the Week:
 
 
"The cover was unmistakable: teachers need to be smashed, and that tech millionaires had a way to do that, and that's just dead wrong. We said the article was by and large balanced; in fact the article suggests that what the Silicon Valley techies were doing wasn't supported by evidence." - Randi Weingarten, regarding the AFT's protest of TIME Magazine's latest cover. More


 

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