Atnre Alleyne Reflections

How the teacher’s union’s new teacher evaluation bill is unfair to students, teachers, and taxpayers

School is out and summer is upon us. But if anyone is paying attention, this is the week when powerful interest groups take the unsuspecting masses to school. It is the last week of Delaware’s legislative session and while most are ruminating on 4th of July plans, pressure groups are seeing their bills breeze by … Continue reading How the teacher’s union’s new teacher evaluation bill is unfair to students, teachers, and taxpayers

Atnre Alleyne Reflections

The Pervasive Myths about Teacher Evaluation in Delaware

Last year, Colonial School District and 13 other Delaware charter schools used the little-known flexibility in Delaware law (see 1270f) to ditch the state’s teacher evaluation system (DPAS-II) and create their own system. Early reports on these systems suggest that educators are happier with a system they worked with their district and schools to create. … Continue reading The Pervasive Myths about Teacher Evaluation in Delaware

Atnre Alleyne Reflections, Research and Data

Why Fight for Educational Equity with Blindfolds On

  Fighting for equity, access, and excellence in our education system is hard enough; why would we ever want to do it with blindfolds on? Today during a state committee meeting to discuss teacher evaluation policy, Representative Jacques shared draft legislation (See here/ Update 6/14 - HB 339 can be found here) that eliminates the … Continue reading Why Fight for Educational Equity with Blindfolds On

Atnre Alleyne Reflections

Do education leaders really want parent involvement?

After four relatively flawless, under-the-radar years at the Delaware Department of Education, I made a "mistake": I invited parents to a public meeting. Education leaders were scheduled to hold a committee meeting to discuss the future of the state’s teacher evaluation system and I sent an email invitation to dozens of parents. These were a … Continue reading Do education leaders really want parent involvement?

Atnre Alleyne Reflections

Beyond Thanking Teachers During Teacher Appreciation Week

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week and Americans everywhere were generous enough to take to social media to #thankateacher. The nostalgia was palpable and the stories of the transformative impact of the teaching workforce were free-flowing. If you failed to give teachers their due last week, you were out of vogue. You might as well be that … Continue reading Beyond Thanking Teachers During Teacher Appreciation Week

Atnre Alleyne Reflections

Why Delaware education is going to miss Christopher Ruszkowski

Christopher Ruszkowski’s six-year tenure at the Department of Education (most recentlyas the Associate Secretary of the Teacher & Leader Effectiveness Branch) came to an end in April. Rumor has it he rode off into the sunset en route to a position as Deputy Secretary in the New Mexico Department of Education. His detractors likely collectively … Continue reading Why Delaware education is going to miss Christopher Ruszkowski