AFT QuEST presentation slides on performance pay
I am not in DC, but I do catch things online: the presentation slides for the AFT QuEST session on performance pay are available, and while Edward Tufte thinks Powerpoint is awful, a stack of straightforward, well-written slides provides a wonderful vicarious outline for those of us who Were Not There.
Hechinger Institute hypes the obvious — this is a role model for reporters??
I received an e-mail advertisement for a “webinar” on “The Dropout Crisis” from the Hechinger Institute. This is an organization that claims it “exists to equip journalists with the knowledge and skills they need to produce fair, accurate and insightful reporting.” Both the e-mail and the webpage for the seminar claim that “new research shows […]
Those evil union supporters who denigrate objective measures…
Quick: who said the following recently? We do see the incredible power of setting stretch goals. But if you set a goal that’s really not within reach, people will just give up on it and you really don’t have a goal. We’ve seen this over and over. I think there’s as much talking down of […]
Combining qualitative and quantitative evidence for teacher evaluation: What does “predominant” mean?
According to Gotham Schools, former NSVF and current USDOE official Joanne Weiss "said the Obama administration aims to reward states that use student achievement as a 'predominant' part of teacher evaluations with the extra stimulus funds" (emphasis added). I followed up with a USDOE representative, who emphasized after talking with Weiss that she meant a […]
A word to the wise on accountability
Dear fellow Americans who support equal education and are inclined to attack teachers unions when you get frustrated (e.g., Charles Barone and Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights): Borg-like rhetoric (“Those who resist the school reform movement are going to find they are on the wrong side of history. They may affect the pace of reform, […]