It's that special time of year again. While some of us are sound asleep, things are being packaged and wrapped up neatly with a bow for us. But during this season of giving, what if the surprise package that awaits is unwanted or is not beneficial for us? As someone who works to empower everyday … Continue reading ‘Tis the season for a big gift we don’t want from education insiders
The Segregated, Stealthy Spaces of Education Policy
As sure as the campaign signs and billboards will soon be removed across our state, the image of diverse, broad-based support and engagement presented by vote-seeking politicians will be replaced with an all-too-familiar reality: folks are most comfortable doing the business of public policy in segregated, stealthy spaces hand-in-hand with special interest groups. In the … Continue reading The Segregated, Stealthy Spaces of Education Policy
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
Reflections after last night’s educator evaluation committee meeting
Imagine an evaluation system for teachers where a teacher is considered “Effective” after earning “Needs Improvement” ratings on both of their measures of student learning AND on each of the following criteria: managing student behavior, creating an environment to support learning, engaging students in learning, demonstrating flexibility and responsiveness, and using questioning techniques. Most casual … Continue reading Reflections after last night’s educator evaluation committee meeting
Urgency of Now 