Assigned Reading

Diane Ravitch has created a list of 10 reasons why states should not participate in the Race to the Top. While I agree with some and disagree with others, it is the tenth reason on the list that, as I have repeatedly said, is most significant.

10. Race to the Top erodes local control of education by prompting legislatures to supersede local school boards on any issues selected by federal bureaucrats.

RTTT is the next giant step towards a federal school system. Only a fool would think this will better the education we provide our kids.

The invasion of Silly Bandz has reached local schools. And just as quickly, teachers and administrators are taking steps to curb the fad.

For those who don’t interact with elementary school kids, Silly Bandz are skinny strips of silicone molded into particular shapes. Kids collect them, and display their collections as bracelets around their wrists. They trade shapes and colors like baseball cards.

Trades gone bad have resulted in scuffles between students. Those without bracelets feel left out (don’t even bother trying to find them in stores as they are sold out everywhere). Some cases of thievery, from parents and other students, have been reported.

So as is typical, school administrators are banning these bracelets from schools. It seems ridiculous that such a simple toy can cause such disruption. But apparently it’s bad enough to garner the attention of Time magazine.

“It’s a distraction,” says Jill Wolborsky, a fourth-grade teacher at my son’s school, who banned them from her classroom before the principal implemented a schoolwide ban. One student stole some confiscated Bandz from her desk, choosing them over the cash in her drawer.

Students fiddle with them during class and arrange swaps — trading, say, a bracelet with a mermaid for one with a dragon — when they should be concentrating on schoolwork, teachers say. Sometimes a trade goes bad — kids get buyer’s remorse too — and hard feelings, maybe even scuffles, ensue.

That’s what prompted Karen White, principal of Snow Rogers Elementary School in Gardendale, Ala., in October to become one of the first administrators to forbid students their Bandz.

While they may be distracting at times, teachers should integrate the fad into their instruction as a way to stimulate kids during these final hot days of the school year. Like baseball cards of old, this fad is cheap so all kids can join in the fun.

As a first lesson, teachers might want to review the correct way to pluralize regular nouns. What’s with the Z?

The Journal’s front page feature on three teachers at Central Falls High School was a great read. It’s heartening to know there are talented and committed teachers working for the best interests of students. No one can honestly disagree with Commissioner Gist, who argues only the very best educators should be teaching at difficult, urban schools like CF. The three highlighted by the Journal appear to be exemplars.

My criticism is reserved for the newspaper and reporter Jennifer Jordan. While it was nice to read about these committed educators, it’s a shame their opinions about the recent controversy were omitted. All three teachers stay after school to help students, seem current on educational theory and strategy, and have strong personal relationships with students. So were these teachers opposed to the transformation goals originally proposed by Dr. Gallo? Was the union leadership effectively representing them when it ignored Dr. Gallo and allowed the mass firing to occur?

One wouldn’t expect the teachers to speak negatively in the press about their boss, or to throw their fellow unionized teachers under the bus. But the reporter could have asked, and shared their responses.

These talented teachers could help us learn so much more, if only the reporter had asked.

Mark Patinkin is right. His column in today’s Providence Journal praises CF Superintendent Fran Gallo. Despite all the attacks (read the comments following Patinkin’s column), Dr. Gallo stood her ground, and in the end got what she wanted for the students at the high school.

Supt. Gallo herself was the target of profane hate mail. She was ridiculed in school hallways and at public rallies. It’s a disgrace what they put that woman through. For Gallo, it was a horrific period of attacks and derision. And yet she did not back down.

Dr. Gallo remained steadfast, even when under personal assault. Like it or not, the way administrators and unions deal with failing schools has forever changed.

Rick Hess, on his blog and at National Review Online, shares similar sentiments about Dr. Gallo.

The Rhode Island story is a truly encouraging development. As with Michelle Rhee’s new contract in D.C. or Commissioner David Steiner’s ability to win new language on teacher tenure in New York, this story shows how leaders with backbone can eventually force union leadership to accept a new reality. Yes, Gallo walked back the bold action that won her many education reformers’ approval, but good management is about discipline, not bloodlust. The point of school turnarounds is not to count scalps, but to win necessary changes, force out lousy teachers, and reset the board.

The union losses in Central Falls and East Providence have shaken the pedestal upon which the union leadership has stood for so long. Expect it to get nastier as the union position becomes more perilous.

Hopefully there will be more like Dr. Gallo, who will firmly stand for what is best for students. We, as teachers, should do the same.

Congratulations to Dr. Fran Gallo.

Despite attempts to demonize the superintendent by unions and their friends in the media, Dr. Gallo stood strong for reform at Central Falls High School. Back in February, her proposals were all but ignored by the union, which insisted on more money for any additional time with students. This was money the city simply couldn’t afford.

So Dr. Gallo terminated them all. Teachers were most likely assured by the union leaders that their jobs were not in danger. But as hundreds of applications poured into Dr. Gallo’s office, and current teachers were forced to reapply for their jobs, it must have become clear that this was no bluff.

Tonight, the Providence Journal is reporting the two sides have reached an agreement that will allow all teachers to keep their jobs.

In return, teachers will have to “recommit to their jobs” and interview with the school’s new principal. They will also be expected to work a longer school day, provide more after-school tutoring, accept a new evaluation system and participate in “targeted and embedded” professional development sessions, according to a joint news release issued Sunday.

These conditions just happen to be the very same reform proposals put forth by Dr. Gallo at the beginning of the year. Whether teachers will be paid any additional salary is not yet clear.

Dr. Gallo has won this battle. And so have the students.

In a post Friday, Brian Hull at the RIFuture blog worries how changes will affect education at Central Falls High School. Writing from a union viewpoint, Hull’s worries are reserved mostly for the teachers, and he claims those who seek to put students first are taking the debate to “new lows”. In truth, the situation in Central Falls is about kids more than teachers. Questionable are the motives of those who claim otherwise.

I was more than a little surprised to hear that over 800 applications have been received to fill the 93 positions that are available at the high school.

To be surprised is to misunderstand the employment opportunities for teachers. There are so many who want to make education a career, but cannot find jobs. More importantly, there are many professionals who believe that all students, regardless of their home environment or socioeconomic status, can learn, graduate, and be successful. I suspect many of those applications received from outside the state are from teachers up for the challenge.

There seems to be an assumption that “operational flexibility” will force teachers to be better instructors because their job depends on their performance. In this scenario, teachers are the problem. Teachers are lazy, teachers are spoiled, and teachers never care about the students, only about their huge salaries and benefit packages that come without fear of losing their jobs, no matter how poorly they perform. I don’t agree with this vision.

Dr. Gallo believes change is necessary at Central Falls High School. With the low student achievement and graduation rate, who can argue against the need for change? But Hull’s assumptions are faulty. The reason for the mass firing is because current teachers were unwilling to make the changes necessary to better meet the needs of the students. Proposals by Dr. Gallo were rejected or ignored. Backed by the union, teachers demanded the status quo be maintained. Student performance simply could not allow this. While the change of faculty will mostly likely have an impact, it will be the change in the way instruction is delivered that will bring about the most change.

On the other side of the coin is job security, high wages, and decent benefits as incentives for attracting the best and brightest to be teachers, and a commitment to support teachers with additional training and development so that they can be the best instructors possible. Stripping away the safeguards and protections will make the teaching profession less attractive (especially for math and science teachers), and in the long run students will suffer by not having the most qualified and effective teachers in the classroom.

This has been the long-term position of the unionists. Only if teachers are given more will the best become teachers. The 800 applicants for the positions at CFHS, many willing to relocate, should end this argument. Dr. Gallo and the hiring committee will have a giant pool from which to choose the strongest teachers. Undoubtedly applicants will be asked if they are willing to work longer school days, use some Saturday mornings for professional development, and eat lunch with students. Those who agree will be hired, or rehired, and the community at the school will begin to change almost immediately. Because all of the teachers will be non-tenured, it will not be difficult to send packing those that don’t meet the higher expectations.

My fear is that because the assumption from the reform movement seems to be predicated on “bad teachers are the problem and all teachers are bad,” there is no movement toward fixing the actual problems that exist in the state’s education system which lay outside of the classroom: poverty, stable education funding, language barriers, teen pregnancy, special needs students, family instability, lack of professional support, lack of stability in curriculum, lack of stability in school leadership, etc. etc.

The real fear of unionists and union supporters is that education at CFHS will improve. But it’s sophomoric to suggest those who seek reform simply believe “bad teachers” are the cause of all problems in education. In fact, most praise the work of individual teachers. I understand that school funding, language barriers, special education laws, and educrats are all factors that negatively impact public education. And while social conditions are a significant, if not the most significant, factor that causes our public schools to fail, I realize this is the most difficult factor to change. Decades of time, effort, and money have not made families more stable, have not decreased poverty or teen pregnancy, and have not helped to maintain the nuclear family that can provide the best foundation for children. Such social conditions will not change overnight, but we must do what is best to educate the kids in our schools right now.

I do not solely blame teachers for the failings at Central Falls High in particular, or in public education in general. Those who regularly read my opinions should know I believe many are to blame, including administrators, bureaucrats, unions, and the society at large.

The situation in CF has not been about blaming teachers. Dr. Gallo pointed to the failings at CFHS and explained to teachers that the kids needed more from them. The teachers, on the advice of their union, refused. The city’s leadership is now looking for teachers who are willing to provide more. The kids in Central Falls, more than more, deserve it.

When teachers at Central Falls High School were laid off earlier this year, some of their supporters asked who would apply for these jobs. With such insecurity and the challenging population, certainly those seeking teaching positions would go elsewhere. Right?

Dr. Gallo answered that question today. More than 700 people have applied for the 87 positions that could become vacant at CFHS. Apparently there will be plenty of competition.

Those applying, or reapplying, can expect more than a traditional interview process.

Gallo said Tuesday she hopes to hire a new principal next week. Once in place, the principal will play a major role in screening and selecting teachers for the 2010-2011 school year. Teachers will be required to submit written work, conduct a five-minute “mini-lesson” and interview with the school’s leadership team.

CF leadership is looking to provide its students with the very teachers. We shouldn’t expect anything less.

Rhode Island Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist continues to push for union support of the state’s Race to the Top grant application. A video released this week attempts to clarify for educators what the RTTT grant will do for teacher evaluations, and how our schools will benefit from the federal funds.

The commissioner explains that a new evaluation system is forthcoming, regardless of the RTTT results. Fifty-one percent of the new evaluation will rely on student performance. This time, however, Gist states any district that does not support RI’s application will be ineligible for a share of the funds, and will not be allowed to participate in developing the new evaluation system.

This “threat” is an example of how RTTT grant funds will strengthen the bureaucracy at the expense of local district control. Support our goals and put our plans into action, or get nothing.

Commissioner Gist’s intentions may be good, but local leaders should be leery of selling their souls for a capital fix. When the funds dry up, the bureaucratic control will remain.

Charters succeed because decision-making power is maintained by the shareholders. We need to allow such power at individual public schools as well. The RTTT grant will only weaken local decision-making, and empower state and federal bureaucracies.

Despite the appeal, I don’t think it’s worth the money.

H/T: Anchor Rising

The incident in Morgan Hill, California, where high school students were asked to remove or turn inside-out their clothing displaying the US flag, leaves much to consider. The principal and assistant principal certainly made mistakes, although they may have been trying to avert confrontation among students.

The students’ behavior is most alarming, particularly those who were offended by the American flag, even on Cinco de Mayo. Never should an American feel uncomfortable displaying the US flag in his own country. It would seem other issues are involved. Perhaps there is a heightened sensitivity because of the new law in Arizona. But clearly ethnic tensions exist in this community.

Education blogger Joanne Jacobs offers the best advice.

After five Live Oak High students were sent home for wearing U.S. flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo, some Live Oak High students wore white and purple to school as a sign of unity. Others marched to Morgan Hill’s City Hall to demand respect for Mexican traditions. The student protesters “discussed a possible community-wide celebration of diversity and asked for ideas about how to bring the community together, said the city manager.

I think the best way to bring the community together is to avoid a “celebration of diversity” and focus on what students have in common.

The students are aware of their diversity; some just don’t seem to understand they have a lot in common. They are Americans. We all should celebrate that…everyday.

From an interesting interview in the Spring issue of CommonWealth magazine, RI Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist:

Many teachers begin to believe that because their students come from difficult circumstances or have challenges in their lives, they can’t achieve at higher levels. Just that shift in the thinking means that the expectations are lowered.

h/t Joanne Jacobs