By Kristin

An editorial in the Seattle Times gives a vote for charter schools and merit pay.  "Students are graded according to their abilities," the piece says.  "Imagine paying teachers according to theirs."  Let's take a moment to imagine that.

Merit pay would be great.  I work hard and I care.  I think I'm effective.  I should be paid a little more than the teacher who alternates between movies and packets.  But merit pay is problematic.  When we "grade students according to their abilities," it's based on spending an hour a day with them for nine months.  If someone wants to come give me that kind of attention I'd be so excited I would hardly know what to do.  Just thinking about it gives me shivers, because it would be the end of the mindless societal whining about what's wrong with education, and it would be the beginning of people realizing we cannot continue to impoverish our schools and expect educational miracles.

 

Rena

Recently I have been struggling with seeing my young students go down the hall for their specially designed instruction.  I am not convinced that this is the least restrictive and most appropriate environment.  Most educators work diligently at building a community of learners.  Then at some point in the day some students are sent the message, that they aren't quite good enough to remain in the community, and go elsewhere for learning. 

By Tom

Back in the mid-eighties, when I was fresh out of college and looking for a teaching job, I stopped by the Everett School District to apply for a position teaching fifth grade. When I checked in with the receptionist I was handed a piece of notebook paper and a pen and told to write an essay. I forgot what the topic was supposed to be, but I remember specifically being told to write in cursive. Unfortunately, I did not see that coming.

Needless to say, I didn't get that job. But I shook it off and went on to become a third grade teacher. That's the grade in which every American student learns how to write a paragraph, how to multiply and divide, how to subtract with borrowing and (ironically) how to write in cursive.

But that might be changing.

 By Tracey

One sunny afternoon in the spring, during my third year of teaching, I walked into my classroom to find two strangers.  They were smiley and warm, and apologized for startling me.  They were also elementary teachers.  I could tell this was true, as they wore the uniform – sandals, jumpers, and turtle-neck shirts.  They explained that they were attending a conference nearby.  They went for a walk and stumbled upon my school and my open door.  They were most excited about seeing the word science posted on my schedule for the day.  “Wow,” they explained, “You have time to teach science everyday?  Where we come from they got rid of that.  We’re lucky if we can teach it once a week!”  I think they said they were from Idaho, or maybe it was Iowa?  In any case, I thought that comment was strange at the time, and then promptly forgot all about it until recently.  It was as if these women came from the future, foreshadowing what is yet to come, and warning me of the road ahead. And now here I am, ten years later, remembering their prescient words while feeling lucky to have the chance to teach science once a week.

 by Brian

 "Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."  Benjamin Franklin

Earlier this month Gov. Chris Gregoire released her 2010 supplemental state budget, which would fill a $2.6 billion hole in the budget for 2009–11 through service eliminations, reductions or suspensions. As required by law, she submitted a budget based on currently available revenue. And she basically said she hates it.

Senator Rosa Franklin recently wrote a guest editorial in The Seattle Times calling for an overhaul of our state's regressive tax system.  If we are going to really deal with school funding we are going to have to talk about taxes.  No politician in this day and age can consider reelection without having a default position of no new taxes.  But given the projected $2.6 billion shortfall, something must be done.

Last month I participated in a policy symposium where our task was to prioritize the implementation of the education reform bill, ESHB 2261.  It's feeling more and more like an exercise in futility to talk about education reform when it requires funding that just isn't there.

The present taxation system was cobbled together over the last hundred years or so, and little of it makes sense in the 21st century.  People who earn less than $20,000 pay 17.3% of their income to state taxes.  People who earn between $99,000 and $198,000 pay 7.6% of their income.  In tough economic times like these state revenues dwindle because spending decreases, and a big piece of our tax system is the sales tax.

Seven years ago the Gates Commission recommended the tax-reform plan that Senator Franklin has championed. It calls for an income tax, which is a tough, but necessary sell. In their report to the legislature in 2003 the members of the commission said it might take ten years before their recommendations would be enacted.  Looks like they were right on that one.

If we are serious about education reform and funding, and we must be, then we need to overhaul our regressive tax system and create a state income tax.  If we don't the only options will be to drastically cut public services or raise taxes and make our present system even more regressive.  If we truly want a world class education system in Washington State we're going to have to find a better way to pay for it.

By Tom

Besides having the most functional name in the publishing industry, US News and World Report also ranks high schools. This year Bellevue's International School, one of our area high schools, made their top ten. Three other schools in the Eastside suburbs made the top 100: International Community School in Kirkland, Bellevue High School, and Newport High School, also in Bellevue. Let me first of all offer my most sincere congratulations to the students and staff of these schools. I have heard wonderful things about each of these institutions even before the list came out.

So what makes these schools so great? Is it their staff? Their students? Their mascots? And more importantly, what can other schools learn from their success?

 By Mark

One teacher in Portland, Oregon, is making the news for all the wrong reasons. She recently plead not guilty to possession and delivering of methamphetamine.

While that's been splashed all over the news in the pacific northwest and other parts of the country, I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the other news about teachers. You know, the good news. Not the one teacher out of the 6.8 million teachers presently working in the United States (according to the U.S. Census) recently indicted of meth possession. Not the one who did this in Texas or that in Arizona or the ones being threatened with irrational jail time over failing test scores in Detroit, but the other millions upon millions.

I thought, how hard could it be to find stories about all the great and wonderful things that teachers do every day? What a great idea for a post, I thought, find all this news from the last year about teachers doing great things, and post links to the stories on the blog! How hard could that be? 

Pretty dern hard, it turns out. And that is a problem I'd like your help with.

By Tom

(Editor's Note: The Quality Education Council has backed off a proposal to examine transferring local collective bargaining to the state level. On Tuesday, QEC members voted to remove the bargaining amendment from the discussion portion of their House Bill 2261 required draft report. Sen. Eric Oemig, who voted to approve the amendment at a previous meeting, introduced the motion to remove the amendment. Sen. McAuliffe (absent from the last meeting) was a strong second to the motion and worked with Oemig to remove the item.)

Just when we thought things couldn't get bleaker, Washington State's Quality Education Council, charged with the unenviable task of fleshing out HB 2261, recently passed an amendment to their preliminary draft document to "Examine transferring local collective bargaining to the state, including all matters pertaining to compensation, benefits and employment terms and conditions."

For crying out loud.

I understand the need to look everywhere and anywhere to save money, but do we really think the school system will run more efficiently without local collective bargaining?

Let's imagine what that might look like.

 By Mark

A recent Education Week article suggests that we already know how to fix the public school system in America, but simply aren't doing it. According to his CV, the author, Allan Odden, has been a university professor and policy maker since 1972, after spending five years as a math teacher.

The article kinda frustrated me. More than a little. A lot really. I had to walk away from the computer several times. 

First, the solutions he suggests for struggling schools: new curriculum, stronger professional development, teacher-leadership, extended literacy instruction at the secondary level...none of these are rocket science. 

But Odden's claim is is that we all know how to fix broken schools, we're just choosing not to do it. 

To me, the article illuminates two great problems with the education system:

 

  By Kristin

The proposed state budget for Washington suspends some pretty crucial things. 

Everything that's being suspended in education directly affects the ability of public schools to teach disadvantaged kids.  So, here's my proposal to the people of Washington:  if we're going to suspend things like reducing class size and making sure 3-year olds living below the poverty line get quality preschool, then let's also suspend our expectations of equity in public education.  Let's suspend No Child Left Behind.  Let's suspend expectations that every child, even the one who spent his first 15 years in a refugee camp in Chad, needs to pass the WASL.  If we're going to suspend financial support for the programs that help the poorest among us gain equal footing in education, we are fools to think public education is democracy's shining jewel.  Without these programs the poor will sink, because the golden ticket in our society, the thing that helps kids break generational poverty, is a quality education.  The children of some of our neighbors need more help in this area than others.

By Representative Marko Liias 

We can all remember classic sitcoms about American families.  In every one, there is at least one episode about a bully.  I can still remember the Brady Bunch episode where poor little Cindy is teased by the mean bully, Buddy Hinton.  Like all sitcoms, there is conflict, but everything works out and always a happy ending.

In the 21^st Century, we understand that school bullying and harassment is much different than these classic images.  Fights are no longer about lunch money, they are about the very basic characteristics of our students, and today’s bullies use the powerful tools of technology to harass and intimidate their victims 24 hours a day.

And the impacts of this behavior are devastating.  Victims of school bullying and harassment struggle to perform in the classroom, and fall behind their classmates.  Many face emotional and psychological stress that turn into on-going mental health challenges.  In the most extreme cases, these victims try to take their own lives, and a few succeed.

Simply put, we’re not doing enough to prevent bullying and harassment in our schools.

 

by Brian

I finally found the definitive word on how we are moving from the WASL to the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) on the OSPI website:

*Mathematics: In spring 2010, high school students will take the math High School Proficiency Exam, which is based on the 2006 Standards. Beginning in spring 2011, students will take end-of-course assessments, based on the 2008 Standards, in Algebra I/Integrated I and Geometry/Integrated II. Students who already completed one or more of those classes will take a comprehensive exam in April 2011. Students in the class of 2013 and beyond must pass both end-of-course assessments or the comprehensive exam to meet the math graduation requirement. Students in middle school who take Algebra I/Integrated I or Geometry/Integrated II will take the grade-level state assessment (for NCLB purposes) and the appropriate end-of-course assessment.

I'm starting to get this sorted out.  The last WASL was given in August 2009, and is replaced by the High School Proficiency Exams in Reading, Writing, Math, and Science in the spring of 2010. (This year's sophomores are still exempt from needing to pass the Math and Science HSPE's). 

Except in math, which will transition into End of Course Exams in the spring of 2011.  And except for the freshmen who are taking Algebra 1 this year, who will be taking Geometry next year.  They will take a comprehensive exam on Algebra 1 and Geometry in April 2011.  That's 10 months after they finished Algebra, and 2 months before they will finish Geometry.  Not exactly End of Course timing. 

And the advanced students who are taking Algebra or Geometry in Middle School will be rewarded by having to take 2 tests: the Measurement of Student Progress for their grade level, and the End of Course Exam for their math class.

Did you get that?  Doesn't it seem just a little confusing, and maybe unfair?  Yet that is the law for this year's freshmen.  If they don't pass 5 high stakes exams, 3 of which have never even been field tested, they won't graduate.  But it could be worse: Texas has 12!

 By Mark

I'm presently working with my sophomores to examine news and web articles for the rhetorical triangle of ethos, pathos and logos. In doing so, they've become fantastic critical readers by asking these three questions: What is this article assuming about its audience? What questions is this article not answering? and What is being left unsaid?

That latter two questions came to mind when I was emailed a New York Times article detailing the potential closure of four "failing" schools in the NYC school system under Mayor Bloomberg. The gist was this: four schools had failed to meet growth expectations over the last few years, and therefore the future employment of teachers and administrators was in jeopardy and students were likely to soon be relocated.

The question that seemed to be unanswered to me: How exactly will closing schools solve the problem? 

Let's think about the logic of that...

 Stories from School has been featured on the most recent EduCarnival of Blogs hosted by our friend Clix at this site. What is EduCarnival? On the site, Clix explains: 

"EduCarnival v2 is continuing from the Carnival of Education: interesting and informative posts from around the EduSphere -- and a few from the Larger 'Sphere.' Typically, articles [are] focused on K-12 public schooling, but private, homeschool, school/life, college or other related topics are welcome as well." 

There are a number of intriguing, inspiring, and informative posts shared on the EduCarnival...take a look!

Also, Stories from School has been listed as one of the top education policy blogs at the GuidetoOnlineSchools list of the best education blogs. Keith, the Project Manager writes that 

"the terrific commentary on the real world effects of education policy presented on your blog made it one of our favorites."

Thanks, readers, for coming back often and reading our thoughts and sharing yours as well here at Stories from School.