UPDATE: Senate passes SB 736 by a 26-12 margin, with one Democrat voting in favor and two Republicans in opposition. The Florida Senate and the Florida House Education Committee are currently debating a closely watched measure to revamp the way teachers are evaluated, paid and — perhaps most significantly — how[Read More…]
Teacher Quality
On sacrifices, legacies and roundhouse kicks to red tape
Three (more or less) similar conclusions on the state of public-sector unionism and the future of public education from three very different commentators: David Brooks at The New York Times : “The sacrifice should be spread widely and fairly … Trim from the old to invest in the young. We should adjust pension[Read More…]
What local control means today
The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by John Kline, R-MN, heard today from several educators and policy analysts on the challenges facing public education today. In announcing the hearing, a press release from the committee made no attempt to conceal its contempt for the growing federal role[Read More…]
Merit pay the MLB way
As redefineED editor Adam Emerson observed last week, Andy Rotherham and I both like using professional sports comparisons when discussing how to improve teacher employment and compensation practices. But whereas Andy thinks school districts should “act more like professional sports franchises so they can protect and incentivize the talent they[Read More…]
The consequences of treating all teachers alike
Andrew Rotherham, in his weekly Time.com column, explores the move among many states to reform laws governing teacher tenure. But when weighing ending the practice of tenure altogether or at least expediting the process of removing teachers guilty of misconduct from the classroom, Rotherham’s commentary takes an intriguing turn toward teacher[Read More…]
President signals support for district school that operates more like a charter
Most policy watchers measuring the impact of the State of the Union have responded to President Obama’s calls to reform public education with disappointment, but some have leavened their criticism with details that have been slow to stand out. “The education passages didn’t have a lot of substance but they[Read More…]
In reform, ownership matters
RedefinED editor Adam Emerson’s blog entry on Tuesday about the importance of teacher ownership reminded me of an experience that has informed my approach to improving education for the last three decades. In 1983, I moved back to St. Petersburg, Fla., to help start an International Baccalaureate (IB) program at[Read More…]
Unions must fear lost membership more than lost teacher tenure
Rick Scott will be inaugurated as Florida’s 45th governor in just eight days, following one of the nation’s closest gubernatorial races, and it is worth reflecting on what drove the Florida Education Association to call it “the most important election of our lifetime.” Those who think efforts to reduce tenure[Read More…]