By Tom

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain pouring off the side of the gutter. Not an unpleasant sound, but certainly the sound of a problem that needed to be addressed. So after breakfast I walked out into the rain with my step-stool and reached up to where the gutter meets the downspout. Sure enough, there was a handful of stuff blocking the opening. I removed it, and was rewarded with the sound of water rushing out of the gutter and down the spout. Problem solved.

That’s exactly the way we like our problems: Easily recognized, and elegantly solved. Particularly – and I say this with all due respect – if you happen to be a guy. We love the idea of a Silver Bullet; a quick, elegant solution to a difficult problem.

Unfortunately, most of our biggest problems aren’t solved that way. They might be easily recognized, but they aren’t so elegantly solved.

Take education, for example. We’ve long recognized that some students do really well in the American education system and some don’t. We’ve also noticed that the better-performing students tend to come from well-educated, gainfully-employed parents. And, unfortunately, visa-versa.

That’s the problem. And that’s been the problem for at least the 27 years I’ve been teaching. The question, of course, is how to solve it.

Fortunately, we know that the biggest factor determining a student’s success is teacher quality. Getting good teachers into every classroom, then, becomes the solution. But how?

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by Guest Blogger Maren

I am a high school biology and chemistry teacher, deeply concerned about changes to the Washington graduation requirements and state science testing. 

The biology end-of-course exam is going to be introduced next school year. Not only is it going to be introduced for the first time, it is going to be introduced in a very high stakes fashion—this year’s freshmen must pass it to graduate. This is a new test, the first to focus on biology, and will be the first tenth grade exam covering new science standards.  To adequately prepare for such a new exam takes time at the school level—curriculum must be examined and potentially modified; alignment must be checked between new standards, class work and laboratory investigations; classroom formative and summative assessments need to be researched or created.

One might think that this is all work that could be started now in preparation for next year’s big changes.  However, this year, we have an equally new, equally high stakes, yet completely different exam to prepare for: the science HSPE, which current sophomores must pass to graduate.  Then, after only one year as a graduation requirement, the science HSPE is going to be abandoned and replaced by the biology EOC.

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By Tom

Whether you like it or not, bit by bit, Ed Reform is happening. As it stands now, Ed Reform means more accountability using student test scores, merit pay using student test scores, more competition in the form of charter schools and their ilk, and alternative routes to teacher certification. Ed Reform is changing the way you perform your job, the way you're evaluated and the way you're paid.

Ed Reform may or may not be improving education in America. But it is definitely changing it. If you teach, you don't want Ed Reform to take you by surprise. You want to be prepared. You want to survive.

Here are your options:

1. Transfer to a better, higher-performing school. This should solve most of your problems, as Ed Reform will primarily focus on low-performing schools. It isn't difficult to find a high performing school; most major newspapers happily list them on their websites. These schools are usually found in nice, leafy suburbs, where every child has two parents, nutritious food and a zoo pass.

There are some problems with this option. First of all, you're a teacher, so you probably can't afford to live anywhere near these schools. Your commute will be hellacious. Besides that, transfers are based on seniority, so you'll find plenty of competition if and when a spot opens up.

2. Switch to a charter school. Charter schools are the darlings of Ed Reformers. The mavericks, if you will. They take public funds and use them to teach the heck out of kids that really, really want to be there. Results have been mixed, but the folks who work at these places are quite enthusiastic.

You may, however, be working outside a collective bargaining agreement. You may find yourself working longer days, longer weeks and longer years. This may eventually burn you out. And you'll be measured by metrics that your boss thinks are appropriate, which means you'll be fired if you don't measure up to them. And if your school doesn't fulfill the terms of its contract with the district or state, the school goes away. Along with your job.

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By Tracey

In the spirit of David Letterman, and the recent Why I Teach theme, I wrote the reasons why I teach in the form of a top 10 list.  So, here you go, drum roll, please:

 10.  I never get bored –Everyday is different.  I’m always discovering new ways to teach something, taking different approaches, and incorporating new ideas.  I was shocked one day when a friend of mine asked why I still worked so many hours at my job. “Don’t you just get out the October box and do the same thing you did last year?”  This was probably my fourth or fifth year of teaching, and she wondered why I was still putting in the time, when at this point I wasn’t a new teacher anymore. I never teach anything the same way twice.

 9. You get to share your passions with others and watch kids become excited about something - I love learning, so it’s a perfect job for me.  I especially love the elementary level because I get to teach everything.  If you asked me to choose a subject, I’d have a tough time.  I want it all – the math, science, and social studies content, and all the reading and writing that goes along with it.  I love that in my job, I can teach content and skills through my own passions and interests and watch kids become interested, even excited about them. 

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by Brian

Several of us have written about the inclusion of students' test scores in teacher evaluations.  

Here's a new wrinkle. My friend Bonnie, who teaches in the Alaska bush sent me a link to the website for the Fairbanks School District that provides forms for parents and community members to provide feedback to principals which can be used on teacher evaluations.  

Here is what the form states (in red; my comments in black):

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By Tom

In response to the growing disparity between Americans who have modern, functional water and sewer systems in their homes and those who don't, a new organization has taken on the challenge: Plumb for America.

Plumb for America (PFA) has a very simple goal: to bridge the "plumbing gap" that keeps low-income urban and rural Americans from enjoying the same high-quality plumbing that middle and upper-class America takes for granted.

The strategy they use to pursue that goal, however, is quite unique. They take bright, energetic college graduates and put them through an intense, five-week "summer institute." The institute is designed to give them a background of basic plumbing techniques and concepts. From there, these "plumbers" are placed around the country, into areas where the plumbing is sub-standard and where experienced plumbers with traditional training are hard to find.

PFA plumbers agree to serve for two years, during which time they are supported by PFA coaches who help them solve some of the problems that come up in their work. PFAs get the same wages as journeymen plumbers, along with up to ten thousand dollars in college-debt relief.

They also get to "Make a difference," according to Pat Wabash, who recently graduated from Cornell University with a BA in Romance Languages, "I really wasn't sure what I was going to do when I graduated, but PFA has given me a chance to get some valuable work experience. Who knows, I might even decide to keep plumbing after my two years are up!"

Results have been mixed. Some homeowners are taken in by the enthusiasm and "can-do" attitude PFAs bring to the job site. "We had a PFA guy come out here last week to fix our toilet," said Mark Loftus, from Detroit, "It wouldn't stop running. He brought a bunch of tools in, along with some pipes and other gear, and after three hours he figured out that the little rubber flapper at the bottom of the tank was leaking. He put in a new one, and what do you know; it stopped running!"

PFA intentionally places its plumbers in so-called "high-needs" areas; places where most plumbers are reluctant to set up business. "It's been awhile since we've seen any plumbers in this part of Detroit," says Loftus, "Without PFA, I would have had to fix that toilet myself."

Other customers have had less positive experiences. Becky Winthrup, from Dalton, Georgia called upon PFA to renovate the hot water system in her turn-of-the-century farmhouse. "This gal shows up, she must of been twenty-one, twenty-two years old, around 4:30 in the morning, just raring to go. She tears out all the old plumbing and starts replacing it with 2-inch PVC tubes. Now I'm no plumber, but I've never heard of anyone using 2-inch PVC for their hot water supply, so I asked her about it. She got kind of defensive and told me that PFA encourages them to 'think outside the box' and use their imagination when solving problems."

What started out as a simple renovation turned into a three-month nightmare for Winthrup, who lives on a fixed income. The new hot water system had almost no pressure and began to leak from the beginning. "I had to get a real plumber to come in and re-do it correctly with half-inch pipe. It ended up costing me a fortune. And when I contacted PFA, they told me that the plumber who did the original work quit to go back to grad school and they couldn't do anything about it. They did apologize, though, and that was nice."

Despite their uneven record, PFA is expanding into new areas, thanks in part to a generous grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. They're currently trying to place 50 plumbers in the Seattle area, even though the region is flooded with well-trained plumbers who can't find jobs.

Steve Milner, from the Seattle Area Pipe and Steamfitters Association, complains, "For every job that opens up, we've got at least 800 applicants, every one of whom has completed a legitimate two-year apprenticeship program. And now we've got these kids from PFA. They think they know what they're doing after a five-week course. They want to come in here, take these jobs for two years and then leave? I don't get it."

And neither do I.