1 / 19

Alan R. Sadovnik, Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor of Education, Sociology and Public Affairs Co-dir

School Based Reforms: Education Equality Project. Advocacy group focused on closing the achievement gap through grass-roots organizing effortsMission is to:Ensure an effective teacher in every classroomEmpower parentsCreate accountabilityMake decisions around what is best for studentsEncoura

cherie
Download Presentation

Alan R. Sadovnik, Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor of Education, Sociology and Public Affairs Co-dir

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

    1. Alan R. Sadovnik, Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor of Education, Sociology and Public Affairs Co-director, Institute on Education Law and Policy and Newark Schools Research Collaborative Rutgers University-Newark Educator Evaluation Research and Policy Issues

    2. School Based Reforms: Education Equality Project Advocacy group focused on closing the achievement gap through grass-roots organizing efforts Mission is to: Ensure an effective teacher in every classroom Empower parents Create accountability Make decisions around what is best for students Encourage parents and students to demand more from schools, as well as from themselves Advocate against those that have preserved inequity Joel Klein & Al Sharpton

    3. Societal and Community Based Reforms Addressing the Effects of Poverty Geoffrey Canada Harlem Children’s Zone

    4. Governor Christie’s Educational Reform Agenda Mooney, J. (2011, Jan. 12). Gov. Christie’s state of the state puts education reform front and center. NJ Spotlight. Vouchers : NJ Opportunity Scholarship NJOSA Cutting school spending Merit Pay Eliminating seniority and tenure Expanding charter schools Mayor Booker supports the expansion of charter schools and reforms in teacher evaluation and seniority based layoffs. Prior to his first term he also supported vouchers. Since becoming mayor he has not publicly supported vouchers, but it is reported that he will testify in favor of NJOSA before the legislature

    5. The Newark Context State-operated district since 1995 Governor Christie “delegates” local control to Mayor Booker (August 2010) Governor Christie terminates Superintendent Janey’s contract (August 2010) Search for new superintendent underway Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, gives $100 million gift to improve public education in Newark (2010) Mayor raising $100 million in matching funds (2010-11) PENewark engages in community engagement project Legislature considers “Opportunity Scholarship Program” with Governor’s support Star Ledger leaks report recommending closing schools and opening new charter schools and district schools operated by “national” operators

    6. Teacher Quality Reforms Value Added Models (VAM) for teacher evaluations, tenure and promotion, dismissal and merit pay Alternative Teacher and Administrator Education Programs (i.e. Teach for America (TFA); New Teacher Project (NTP); New Leaders for New Schools (NLNS); Teacher University (Uncommon Schools and KIPP Networks); On the job training (New Jersey Alternate Route; NYC Teaching Fellows; Cathie Black)

    7. VAM: What does the research say? The most rigorous study of performance-based teacher compensation ever conducted shows that a nationally watched bonus-pay system had no overall impact on student achievement . http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/x12476.xml Problems with the Use of Student Test Scores to Evaluate Teachers http://epi.3cdn.net/724cd9a1eb91c40ff0_hwm6iij90.pdf Neither Fair Nor Accurate: Wayne Au, Rethinking Schools http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/25_02/25_02_au.shtml Bruce Baker http://schoolfinance101.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/teacher-evaluation_general.pdf   Jesse Rothstein http://nepc.colorado.edu/thinktank/review-learning-about-teaching

    8. Problems with VAM (Au, 2010) Year-to-Year Test Score Instability Day-to-Day Score Instability Nonrandom Student Assignments Imprecise Measurement Out-of-School Factors Politics, Not Reality And Classroom composition and peer effects not easily measured

    9. The Gates Measures of Effective Teaching Project (MET) MET Findings: “In every grade and subject, a teacher’s past track record of value-added is among the strongest predictors of their students’ achievement gains in other classes and academic years.” “Teachers with high value-added on state tests tend to promote deeper conceptual understanding as well.” “Teachers have larger effects on math achievement than on achievement in reading or English Language Arts, at least as measured on state assessments.” “Student perceptions of a given teacher’s strengths and weaknesses are consistent across the different groups of students they teach. Students seem to know effective teaching when they experience it.”

    10. Rothstein on MET (1) While the report’s conclusion that teachers who perform well on one measure “tend to” do well on the other is technically correct, the tendency is shockingly weak. The report’s main conclusion, that “a teacher’s past track record of value-added is among the strongest predictors of their students’ achievement gains in other classes and academic years” (p. 6), is not supported by the underlying analysis. To evaluate this claim, one would have to compare the strength of several plausible predictors (including, for example, the classroom practice scores still being assigned). Yet this study examines only the student perception surveys, and few would expect these to be among the strongest measures of teacher effectiveness.

    11. Rothstein on MET (2) The design of the MET study—in particular, its focus on data collected in settings where those data are not being used to guide decisions—places sharp limits on its ability to inform policy. Many of the most pressing concerns about high-stakes, test-based teacher accountability are closely tied to what is known as Campbell’s Law: “The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor.” The properties of the MET measures would likely be different if they were being used for high-stakes decisions, as teachers, students, and administrators would target the measures in order to achieve desired outcomes.

    12. Teacher experience: What does the research say? Why teaching experience really matters http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/guest-bloggers/why-teaching-experience-really.html Bruce Baker, The circular logic of "quality based layoffs" http://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/the-circular-logic-of-quality-based-layoff-arguments/ Test scores can't prove whether teacher experience matters http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/guest-bloggers/test-scores-cant-prove-whether.html  

    13. Alternative Teacher and Principal Education What does the research say? No conclusive evidence that alternative produces better student outcomes than traditional teacher education No other profession permits new practitioners to enter without training and licensure Although university based teacher education needs improvement, there is no evidence to suggest that Alternative programs provide better preparation. (See Darling-Hammond, Labaree)

    14. The Possibilities of School Reform: Effective School and District Level Practices Put all children—not just some—in a demanding high school core curriculum. Teachers matter—make sure they are high quality and supported. Focus on improving low-performing schools. Motivate more students and prepare more students for higher education. Principals matter—focus on effective leadership. Focus on instructional time. Source: www.edtrust.org

    15. The Limits of School Reform Problems associated with replication and “scaling up” for both district and charter schools Failure to address outside school factors (community, peer group, health and environmental factors) Failure to address economic factors (labor force and wage issues) Often perpetuates a simplistic “No Excuses” ideology of school improvement Possibilities The single biggest predictor post-high school success is the QUALITY AND INTENSITY OF THE HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM Cliff Adelman, The Toolbox Revisited, U.S. Department of Education Teacher effectiveness is a top priority: To participate, states will have to link teacher and student data. For “Race to the Top,” will likely have to be on a track to use that data in evaluation and compensation. Things to do to improve success with higher ed: Include college-going (overall and by group) in high school and college accountability systems; Hold colleges accountable for improving success and closing gaps between groups; Make sure financial aid (state and institutional) is focused on the students who need help the most; and, Reverse disinvestment in public higher ed. Possibilities The single biggest predictor post-high school success is the QUALITY AND INTENSITY OF THE HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUMCliff Adelman, The Toolbox Revisited, U.S. Department of Education Teacher effectiveness is a top priority: To participate, states will have to link teacher and student data. For “Race to the Top,” will likely have to be on a track to use that data in evaluation and compensation. Things to do to improve success with higher ed: Include college-going (overall and by group) in high school and college accountability systems; Hold colleges accountable for improving success and closing gaps between groups; Make sure financial aid (state and institutional) is focused on the students who need help the most; and, Reverse disinvestment in public higher ed.

    16. Based upon the evidence, successful school improvement will require… Systemic reform aimed at both the school, student, community, economic and societal levels, which includes: At the school level: Equity school finance reform Equitable distribution of high quality teachers and principals School level reforms based on research based findings on effective schools and comprehensive school reform District level reform best on research based best practices of successful urban districts (i.e Charlotte and Austin)

    17. At the student, community, economic and societal levels Address student and family health, environmental, and social-psychological needs Implement research based best practices family involvement programs (i.e. Comer; Epstein) Implement research based best practices gang prevention programs Link school reform to community and economic development Develop urban revitalization programs Promote school level economic integration through affordable housing programs and magnet school choice programs Address pernicious effects of poverty through social and economic policies

    18. Conclusion More sociological research is needed to inform educational policy. The focus on reducing the achievement gap in NCLB should not be eliminated. Emphasis on equal opportunities to learn need to be included in all reforms. Emphasis on building capacity of schools and districts in need of improvement must be included in all reforms. Emphasis on factors outside schools, including poverty, community and neighborhood variables, need to be included in all reforms. Sadovnik, A.R., O’Day, J; Borhnstedt, G., & Borman, K. (eds.) (2008). No Child Left Behind and the Reduction of the Achievement Gap: Sociological Perspectives on Federal Educational Policy. New York: Routledge.

    19. Contact Information sadovnik@andromeda.rutgers.edu

More Related