2012-13 will be my twelfth year teaching English Language Development at the middle school. I am the wife of a middle school science teacher (just imagine what our dinnertime conversations revolve around), mother of two children just beginning their journey through K-12, and second language learner who can find every possible route around the subjunctive.
Education policy issues that get under my skin tend to revolve around what 21st
century education should include and look like, how our decisions as adults
support (or not) kids’learning, and how we as an institution and as a
nation address the challenge of educating an evermore ethnically and
linguistically diverse student body.
My School is Not a Failure
It was bound to happen. Sooner or later, the worst law since prohibition was destined to swallow my school. It was like watching a slow, stupid goat thoughtfully and systematically eating the neighbor's zinnias. And now it's finally happened; the fun and games are over: my school failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress.
This is our first year, so it's not so bad. We're only "on notice." But if things don't improve by next year we'll have to send letters home to the parents telling them how lousy we are, with suggestions as to which nearby schools they should send their children. That'll hurt. And in the meantime, we'll have to do something about our math and reading scores, which are apparently the only things that really matter.
The fact that my school didn't make AYP wasn't much of a surprise, actually. We barely scraped by last year, and since then the state raised the bar considerably. Passing this year would have been an incredible feat.
But we failed, and I'm left to describe how I feel. A little disappointed, a little discouraged, but mostly frustrated. Frustrated by the fact that our low reading and math scores belie the many great things about my school, a school that for two years running has received a cash award from the state in recognition of our progress in reducing the achievement gap. But somehow, our test scores don't mention that.
A Full-Time Salary… for School Boards?
By Rob
Lynn Varner, of the Seattle Times, recently wrote this editorial advocating for larger salaries for school board members. Her argument is school boards are tasked with oversight of complex educational systems and informed decisions require more time and a deeper understanding than most board members can offer given their small stipend.
Today, school boards serving large districts must oversee multi-million dollar budgets, allocate resources, communicate district goals, build consensus around initiatives, monitor academic progress, and, at times, answer to frustrated parents or stakeholders. These are not easy tasks; especially when done after work on a Tuesday evening.
Compared to other civic institutions the school board is undervalued. The city of Seattle has over 10,000 employees and a budget of $3.9 billion. Those who oversee the city government, the members of the Seattle City Council, each earned over $110,000. By contrast, the Seattle Public Schools have half the employees (4,914) and a budget of $833.5 million; a large institution by most measures. Yet the School Board members each earn just $4,800 per year.
Would a full-time salaried position for board members increase the effectiveness of the school board? What would a full-time salary buy the public?
A full-time salary would not solve many of the problems that plague ineffective school boards. It will not prevent board members serving different constituents from crafting conflicting policy. It will not prevent infighting, dysfunction, or distrust. A full-time position may lead to increased involvement in issues best left to professionals. It may increase opportunities for discussion of issues but it doesn’t ensure decisions will be made in a publically transparent manner.
Presumably, a full-time position would allow for more thoughtfully vetted policy and greater oversight. All stakeholders would champion more thoughtful policy. But school boards are limited in crafting policy. Many policy decisions are dictated by state and federal statutes. Other policy issues, such as curriculum adoption, are best left to those with expertise in that area. It is unlikely a school board could match the institutional knowledge of curriculum departments or curriculum adoption committees.
The Superintendent is already accountable to the School Board. Would greater oversight extend to the Superintendent’s cabinet? To principals? To department heads? To teachers?
Finally, a full-time position would limit the potential pool of applicants. School Board members represent the community and the constituents they serve. There is value in them maintaining their roles as business leaders, community organizers, involved parents, etc. A full-time board position would most appeal to those without other employment or those seeking loftier political ambitions.
School boards are the link between communities and schools. I am in support of strengthening that link. But I don’t believe paying a school board a full-time salary is money well spent.
Teach For America
By Kristin
I used to be prejudiced against Teach For America. I was sick of hearing about them. I thought of them all as smarmy, privileged, smarty-pants do-gooders who dropped into a classroom for two years, patted themselves on the back and added a line to their resume, then moved on to a career that paid more and was easier than teaching.
Then, I met a bunch of Teach For America teachers and alum and changed my mind about them.
My summer vacation
by Brian
This summer I was able to go to China on a trip sponsored by the NEA Foundation and the Pearson Foundation. The trip was part of an Award for Teaching Excellence, given by the NEA Foundation to a teacher from each state who is nominated by their NEA affiliate. I was chosen by the Washington Education Association to be the 2011 nominee. Cara Haney from Kent, WA, is the 2012 nominee, and the NEA Foundation is planning another trip for Cara and her colleagues next summer. (Tom White, one of the contributors for Stories from School is a previous ATE recipient.)
We travelled to the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong and were able to visit schools in each city. We also did tourist things, like visit the Forbidden City and the Great Wall (it really is pretty great, especially with vendors with coolers selling cold drinks on hot days.)
Now I'm trying to figure out what to say when people ask me: "How was China?" The only answer that works is inadequate, but true: China is amazing.
Our Problem is Poverty, not Schools
By Tracey
In continuing with the Save Our Schools March events, since it's still so fresh in my mind, I'm posting the speech Diane Ravitch gave at the rally on July 30. She's not Matt Damon, so you may have missed her. (I was deeply touched by the words Matt Damon spoke and am grateful he came. But, I will assume you won't need me to hear his speech.) Ravitch also spoke at the two-day conference leading up to the rally. Her speech at the rally was shortened dramatically, as it should. What you missed was a historical account of how our education system has been "in crisis" since 1910. It's apparently what we do; we claim our schools are in crisis, and then make irrational decisions about how to fix them. Anyone ever read Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine? A hundred years of crises should raise some flags. But, the greatest offender at this point in time, is pretending that poverty isn't an issue.
Teacher Advocacy
By Tom
Recently I was asked to join a panel discussion in San Francisco hosted by The College Board, as part of their annual AP conference. The topic was Teacher Advocacy. There were four of us on the panel and they were kind enough to give us some general questions ahead of time so that we could be prepared.
Since this event happened during our blog’s annual month-long hiatus, and since the topic is particularly germane to we’re all about on this site, it gave me a great excuse to review my own beliefs about teacher advocacy. Besides that, being on a panel usually means that you don’t get to answer all the questions, even the ones you really want to answer. So here they are, the questions I was prepared to answer, and the answers I was prepared to give:
What exactly is Teacher Advocacy?
Teacher advocacy is simply speaking up in support of teaching and learning and promoting those policies that improve the teaching and learning conditions in our country.
Why do teachers need to be advocates?
Of all the stakeholders in our education system, teachers are uniquely positioned to know which policies work and which ones don’t. While teachers may not have all the answers, they do get to see what all the answers look like as they play out in classrooms. When teachers see what works and what doesn’t work in schools, they owe it to their students to speak up.
How has Teacher Advocacy changed over the years?
Charles “Rob” Duerr
I teach second grade in a community just outside Seattle. This will be my eleventh year teaching and my eleventh year at this school. The school is federally designated as Title I. It serves a linguistically, culturally, and economically diverse body of students. It is a wonderful place to teach.
Originally from Michigan, I followed the trail west. I have two children, the oldest is entering Kindergarden. I’ve played soccer most of my life and I am still active in the sport. My summer involves tending to a garden, raising chickens, and catching a Sounders match whenever possible.
I always thought I’d work my way into the policy side of education but I find too much joy in the classroom. Writing on this blog allows me to combine my life in the classroom and my interest in policy. I am grateful for the opportunity to lend my voice to the vibrant dialogue of the Stories from School community.
Charles “Rob” Duerr
Welcome Back
By Tracey
Welcome back to Stories from School! While we still have a few more weeks before the school year begins, our blog is back in session, with three new wonderful bloggers joining the dialogue. Our stories from our classrooms are critical. I’m realizing this more and more, especially today, in Washington DC, as I talk with people and explain to them why I came all the way from Seattle to participate in the Save the Schools March. So many people truly don’t know. And, unfortunately, some of these people make policy decisions.
I want to begin by sharing one of my greatest concerns, and one of the reasons I felt so moved to travel to DC. Jonathan Kozol says it much more eloquently than I. So, I videotaped his speech to the thousands of teachers who came. In his speech, he says that segregation in schools today is worse than it’s ever been since 1968. I’m seeing the inequalities in my school, where the education my students, 80% of whom get free or reduced lunch, is not the same as the education on the other side of town in the affluent neighborhood. Their parents wouldn’t allow the arts, science, and social studies to be absent from their child's program. But, we remove it altogether, or we offer a truncated version of it for our low-income students. And the result, as Kozol attests, is a modern-day version of Jim Crow in our schools.
He ends his speech with the words, "I don't care what happens to me, or what price I may be forced to pay, but I intend to fight in this struggle to my dying day." Thank you, Jonathan Kozol. I think we'll have a lot to talk about in the year ahead.
Goodbye
By Tom
Normally we shut things down during July here at Stories from School. It gives us a chance to reflect, take a break and pursue other interests. This year is no different. We'll be off playing at the beach, reading in the backyard or, in my case, riding bikes. When you check back in August we'll be rested, relaxed and full of new ideas.
We'll also have a few new bloggers. Betsy, Rob and Tamara are joining the team, and all of us are excited by the prospect of new directions and new conversations.
There is one other change. Our behind-the-scenes producer, manager, editor, benefactor, founder and friend is leaving. "The Sandal Queen" has taken a new job. She will be dearly missed. This blog is but one manifestation of her enduring vision that the voice of teachers be amplified and included in the important conversations about education policy. Everything you like about Stories from School is because of her and we can't thank her enough.
Goodbye.