By Tom

I’ve been thinking a lot about the difference between problems – which can be solved – and polarities, which can’t. A problem would be like a broken copy machine. You call the repairperson and tell them to fix it. Soon. And when they do, the problem is solved.

A polarity is different. A polarity is a situation for which there are two opposite approaches, or “poles.” Each pole has positive as well as negative aspects. It looks like this: (pay attention to the arrows)

An example of a polarity would be classroom management; One approach, represented by Pole 1, would be fierce accountability and rule enforcement. Pole 2 would be a more relaxed, fun approach. A teacher might start out acting really strict and quickly notice the benefits: a quiet room, a serious atmosphere, etc. This is represented by Box A. Soon, however, our teacher might notice that there are negative aspects to being ultra-strict: nobody’s having fun, nor are they really engaged in the learning. This is Box B. As a result, the teacher relaxes things a bit and the mood lightens. The kids are more engaged and the atmosphere is livelier. Now we’re in Box C. Soon, however, things get out of hand, and the classroom becomes a zoo: Box D. In response, the teacher gets all strict and rigid again and we’re back in Box A.

The best teachers aren’t the ones who find the perfect balance between strict and fun. In a polarity, balance is only an illusion. The best teachers are able to nimbly transfer from one box to another in response to the situation. They dwell mostly in Boxes A and C, reaping the rewards that are found there. As soon as they dip into B or D, they change it up and move on. The best teachers can go from Vince Lombardi to Jimmy Buffett and back again in the course of a single lesson, knowing full well that both approaches are essential to effective classroom management.

This paradigm is also useful to explain Education Reform. Specifically, teacher evaluation, which I see not as a problem – something to be fixed – but as a polarity; a situation for which there are two opposite, yet equally valuable, approaches.

The two poles of teacher evaluation are accountability and flexibility. We need both. But in order to have both, we need to engineer and sustain a system that’s nimble enough to use both. If our system seems too rigid and focused on accountability and data, we need to be able to quickly tweak it, making it more flexible. And vice-versa.

As we speak, Congress is mulling over the reauthorization of ESEA. One thing they’re mulling is teacher evaluation; specifically whether each state should have an evaluation system that uses data from student test scores. The high accountability camp – which includes most Ed-Reform groups, as well as the Obama Administration – sees this as essential to ESEA’s original purpose as a tool in the War on Poverty.

The other camp – which includes the NEA and the AFT, as well as conservative politicians – doesn’t. They would like to leave the specifics of any teacher evaluation system up to individual states. Anyone who sees teacher evaluation as a polarity would have to agree. Personally, I have questions about the validity, reliability and fairness of using student data to evaluate teachers. But even if I didn’t – even if I loved the idea – I would still want a system that had the capacity to make large or small changes as the need arose.

Federal laws do not have that capacity. Take NCLB. (please) That law started out looking sweet. We were identifying low-performing schools left and right and doing something about it. Test scores were rising. We were solidly in Box A. Then we started seeing the negative effects: decent schools being mislabeled, hyper-focus on tested subjects, test-prep at the expense of real teaching; and we knew we needed to recalibrate.

But we can't. We're in Box B with no way of getting to Box C. The Federal Government is many wonderful things, but it is not nimble. It was actually designed to not be nimble. When a system literally needs an Act of Congress to tweak itself, it is not nimble.

Teacher evaluation is something that will never be solved or figured out. There will always be a push and pull between those who favor more accountability and those who want more flexibility. That’s as it should be. A healthy system respects a polarity and has the capacity to change, nimbly harnessing the best of each pole.

A well-run district would have that capacity. A well-led state might. The Federal Government?

Not a chance.  

By Tamara

When I first started hearing the RTI (Response to Intervention) drumbeat I didn’t think much of it. My district is quick to adopt the latest education silver bullet to solve all that ails us. Even after reading Rena’s Post, I figured it would come and go like so many other “models”, “plans”, “curriculums” with little impact on my day to day life as an English Language Development teacher. Well I have been hit by the RTI bus. Hard.

As implemented in my building, RTI stipulates that “intervention specialists’ (Special Ed, Literacy & Numeracy Coaches, Reading Recovery, ELD) can only work with served students during “non-instructional time”. Obviously we also can’t work with them during Library, PE, Art, Music, Lunch or Recess. So certain “sacred” windows of time have been identified by grade level during which I can work with English Language Learners. Which works out fine…on paper. But then a teacher changes their schedule and is suddenly doing direct instruction. Or one member of the grade level team has their day scheduled completely opposite that of their other team members. Or it is Art and Band day which blows my “windows” right out the door.

This has been far more of a nightmare for Special Ed as they attempt to comply with required IEP minutes. But a program that is apparently designed to provide more intentional instruction to struggling students is making it exceptionally hard for me to work with said students.

What is happening other places? How is RTI impacting your instruction and how are you making it work?

By Tom

Washington State will not be applying for a waiver next month from the regulations of No Child Left Behind. As I’m sure you’ve heard, The Obama Administration has responded to the inevitable collision between reality and NCLB by offering waivers to those states who agree to certain school reform measures.

Although Washington isn’t among the first seventeen to apply for a waiver, they’re keeping their options open by declaring their intent to do so early next year.

The main problem for Washington is that the Federal Administration’s school reform measures don’t seem to match ours. Specifically, we don’t have a teacher evaluation system that uses student test scores. We don’t have anything like that right now, and the new evaluation system – currently being piloted – doesn’t have it either. According to last summer’s report on the pilot, they’ve appointed a task force to look into using student achievement scores, but that’s it.

It doesn’t seem to me like there’s any point in even applying for a waiver. We have the “wrong” evaluation system, our new system will still be wrong, and there’s nothing else in the works.

Meanwhile, most of our kids aren’t passing the math test, a lot of them aren’t passing the reading test, and 2014, the point in time in which everyone has to pass everything, is fast approaching.

What to do? It looks like our only hope is a new ESEA bill; one without the ridiculous demand that every child everywhere performs at grade level.

Not so fast. Senator Tom Harkin, in his draft of the new bill, calls for teacher evaluation based on student test scores, and since there’s no question about which way the Administration is leaning, we’d essentially have the same problem we have now.

 Personally, I’m not in favor of using student test scores to evaluate teachers. I think there are too many issues involving validity, reliability and fairness. That seems to be the prevailing view among educators in this state; a state that by and large is functioning pretty well.

So here we are, faced with the fact that our brand new teacher evaluation system isn’t good enough for the feds. Should we change it?  Adding a requirement that we use student test scores?  Or should we sit tight and hope the feds somehow change their minds?

It doesn't really look like we have much choice.

By Mark

In the last few days, it seems I've received easily a dozen Outlook meeting requests–those convenient little emails which, once clicked the right way, immediately update your calendar and thereby run your life.

Lately, though, every single time I hovered over the "accept" button, I was greeted by another dialog box warning me about this new appointment: "Conflicts with another appointment on your calendar."

Microsoft Outlook is trying to tell me something.

I think it is trying to tell me I need to start "declining" meeting requests. I wish the dialog box were more direct: "Say no."

So, I sat down and made a list of my school-related obligations not directly related to the teaching of my classes.

Continue reading →

By Mark

Assuming no ugly run-ins with Occupy Portland protesters, a number of my fellow teachers from Clark County will be finishing the Portland Marathon this weekend.

My seniors will be finishing their own marathon in a few short months. The finish line, that stage at graduation, is at the end of a run that is strenuous and filled with hills, potholes, and the occasional broken shoelace.

As I struggle to give meaningful feedback on the piles of student writing which keep appearing on my desk, it is growing more and more apparent that we are truly nearing the end of the race. Or perhaps, rather than using the metaphor in terms of distance (since in a real marathon, the distance runners travel is the constant) I ought to consider it in terms of time, since in education, time is the constant and distance is the variable.

In the asphalt marathon, when the runners start they are generally all bunched together. Sure, there are the ones in front who have arrived with preparation, tools and training, good nutrition and certainly some natural talents and dispositions that lend themselves to success in such a grueling race. These ones immediately take off, widening the gap within seconds. 

Then there are those toward the back–perhaps the hobby runners, less rigorously trained, perhaps less physically sound, but running nonetheless. 

Take a snapshot in the first five seconds, and the distance from the front of the pack to the back of the pack is not all that great.

Come back in two hours, though, and take a picture.

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By Kristin

In the spirit of keeping our energy on the issues and not parties or people, I want to say right up front that I'm not intending this to be a forum for endorsing either candidate for governor.  I hope we can keep the conversation focused on schools and what schools need from Olympia right now.  I'm opening this topic up because  Rob McKenna has a clear plan for education in Washington State and Jay Inslee does not.  Frankly, that concerns me.  I think they need to hear from us.

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Note: Debra Howell, a recent inductee to the Teacher Hall of Fame, authored this guest blog.

This past June I experienced something that I wish all teachers could feel about being an educator.  Along with four other educators from across the United States (South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana) I was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF). Being chosen was and continues to be something I am profoundly proud of.

 The NTHF celebrated their 20^th year of inductions. The five days I spent there will always remain some of my proudest days of being an educator. The town, the citizens, the university, the board members…everyone we met treated us like royalty! My family as well was treated with the utmost respect and honor. No matter where they went they were given extra special treatment. Imagine that, family members of teachers being treated like royalty? Why shouldn’t that be the norm?

Everywhere the five of us traveled we were treated with honor and pride because we were teachers. One of the most unique activities we participated in was a large community band evening concert that played in the center of the town in a huge park. There were over 600 people that convened to come and celebrate teaching! People were in line to get free root beer floats while the Santé Fe railroad came steaming by the edge of the park blasting its horns. It was spectacular! It was a bit like being in Mayberry RFD! After they introduced us to the crowd we received such a rousing applause and standing ovation that I was really taken aback. As we walked through the crowd the many comments I heard were, “thank you for teaching our kids” and “we are so proud of you teachers”. It was then that I realized we were not there just to represent ourselves, our school and our community. No, we were being honored as teachers that represent ALL educators across the country.

The city of Emporia is so proud to host the National Teacher Hall of Fame and the induction activities and ceremony. I truly appreciated the respect and honor they showed for ALL teachers…  I have NEVER been prouder to be an educator! I left Kansas with a renewed sense of pride in my chosen profession. I have a heightened sense of the importance of working with kids and being a positive contributor to our society. I hope to carry that into the remaining years and help spread that sense of pride.

In light of all the teacher cuts, decrease in pay, larger class size, and fewer support staff to help us…I am still left with the feeling that the greater community DOES still value teachers. They do believe we are making a difference. They do respect us. There is a sense of honor for educators.

If you would like to find out more about the National Teacher Hall of Fame check out their web site at www.nthf.org. You must have 20 or more years of teaching experience in order to be nominated. The forms and additional nomination details are available there. Think about nominating someone you think is deserving of this honor.

Debra Rose Howell, NBCT

Monte Cristo Elementary 4-5-6 Multiage Teacher  Granite Falls SD