I had written about how the chance for big bucks had gotten California and New York to change their laws prohibiting the use of student test scores in evaluating teachers, and suggested the other two states, Nevada and Wisconsin, with such laws, would be doing the same.
Earlier this week I was excited that education was front page in Denver and that you could feel the interest in education there.
Now today, right here in Boston, there are three significant articles on school reform.
The first
Union blocks teacher bonuses talks about the Boston teachers Union’s opposition to paying Advanced Placement Teachers a $300 bonus for each of their student who passes the test. The union claims the whole school is responsible for a student’s success and the money should be divided among the staff. One of our readers, Ligea Norieaga, Headmaster of Excel High School, feels the individual bonuses encourage teachers:
“These incentives push people to work a little bit harder,” Noriega said. “We have to start thinking outside the box.”
The second article
City takes aim at a dozen lagging schools
Superintendent would shut or remake facilities highlights Boston’s efforts to get rid of failing schools by closing them down and reopening them again with new administrators and teachers. This is in response to a previous proposal limiting some school choice to zones and realizing that some zones had no high performing schools. Closing down failing schools is also one of the criteria for Race to the Top Funds so Boston gets a twofer.
The third article
Senate passes sweeping changes for underperforming schools
goes right to the heart of the matter, i.e. Race to the Top Funds, and details the Massachusetts Senate education bill that addresses school performance, a system for specialized schools in local districts and the expansion of charter schools, all criteria of the Race to the Top application.
Thought the bill passed the Senate, the House needs to fashion its bill and then have a joint Senate/House committee to come up with a final package. The Senate bill is being hailed as the most far reaching education measure since the original ed reform legislation in 1993.
This is just the beginning. Applications for Race to the Top money are due mid January. We should be hearing about the applications and whose involved. I still think we'll see the American Federation of Teachers as part of many applications even though it had opposed many of the criteria .
June is the deadline for a second set of submissions so be looking for lots on education over the next 6-9 months at least.