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Good question, isn't it? And a question that I've asked myself about a million times as I've proctored my state's sixth grade reading and math tests considering how FEW of the questions on the math test -- my personal weakness -- I'm ever able to figure out.
More importantly, it's a question that I've wanted to see state policymakers -- who seem hell-bent on tying test scores to systems of teacher and student evaluation -- answer publicly.
I mean, seriously: If you are so flippin' confident that tests are a reliable tool for failing students and canning teachers, shouldn't you be willing to take those same tests and have YOUR results made public to the world?
Well, that's EXACTLY what Rick...
We're happy to announce that transformED has been nominated for a 2011 Edublog Award, in the category Best Group Blog. Voting is open through December 13 on the Edublog Awards blog. Make sure to check out the many other wondeful education-focused blogs that are also on the shortlist--it's great to be in such fine company. Many thanks to our writers and readers for getting transformED off the ground in its first few months! We're looking forward to an exciting future.
This post is part two in a series that offers an alternative to school reform that does not include a silver-bullet or fad diet.
I think that educational reformers spend way too much time focused on what's wrong in education. I think this is a problem for a couple of reasons.
First, focusing on what's wrong gets us into a negative mind space that warps our perception of the system. We end up thinking like a Dean of Discipline who spends her day, all day, dealing with the 15-20 children who are in trouble. From her point of view, it feels like all children are up to no good. This is because all of her experiences with children have been with those who were in trouble. When all we ever read about is what's wrong with public...
In response to a question from Education Experts blog at National Journal.com where this is being cross-posted, I'm giving myself permission to repeat myself on this issue, yet again.
The disturbing revelations from recent Education Department reports could only surprise those who have chosen to ignore that unequal education is still a fact of American life 55 years after Brown vs. Board of Education. Need more proof? An analysis by EdTrust also echoes what many teachers and parents of Title I schools have said for years, that “ budgeting practices in school districts across the country are shortchanging [poor] children and undermining federal investment in high-poverty schools…(April 2010, EdTrust).
For those...
I wasted the first five years of my teaching profession. Maybe I didn’t truly waste those years, but I spent a few moments wondering why a few faculty members seemed to take charge of meetings or make presentations on our professional development days. What I didn’t realize at the time is that some teachers emerge as leaders of their colleagues. Teacher leaders can fill many roles within in their schools – department or grade level chairpersons, data analysts, mentors, coaches, and professional development facilitators are a few examples of teacher leaders. What I find most appealing about teacher leaders is that...
Washington NMI’s first major milestone was the release of “How Better Teacher & Student Assessment Can Power Up Learning”. Since its release in August, we have all, of course, been busy with school. But we've found some time to pursue other projects as well:
- Noah Zeichner started working as our Washington NMI lead in a hybrid teacherpreneur role. In particular he's been working with the Seattle School District and Seattle Education Association to set up the Teacher Advisory Council. They had their kickoff event last month and their first webinar last week.
- Julianna Dauble has recently led...
Hey John and Jose,
On November 17, CTQ ventured into its second #teaching2030 Twitter chat. The topic for this chat was measuring student learning, and more than 50 people weighed in. Some were familiar names from CTQ’s Teacher Leaders Network (TLN), but others were new to these conversations and to CTQ. A few people who follow me on Twitter joined in. This chat seemed like the start of a much deeper conversation, as we only had a chance to scratch the surface of the topic. Still, the participants shared some amazing insight (You can view the chat transcript...
By Alaina Adams
Alaina Adams is a National Board Certified teacher in Phoenix, Arizona. In addition to teaching high school English, she serves as a cognitive coach and professional development coordinator at the Phoenix Union High School District and the Arizona K12 Center. You can read her blog at Stories from School AZ.
In my endeavors to elevate the teaching profession, I am fortunate enough to be part of the work that the Arizona K12 Center crafts around vision, leadership,...
I recently had the opportunity to reflect on how mentoring has impacted my career as a teacher. I realized how important feedback from my professional mentor helped me to change my teaching for the better. Here is my story of how feedback from a mentor helped me become a math teacher.
I was teaching sixth grade at a junior high when my district decided to close the school. I had been teaching sixth grade for five years, and I had taught every subject except for math. My new teaching assignment was as a fourth-grade teacher. I would have to teach math, a subject I had previously avoided at all costs. I mainly did not want to teach math because I perceived that I was not good at math.
So I panicked. But to my relief, Thomas...
Blogs
The Implementing Common Core Standards (ICCS) team blogs about best practices for integrating common core standards into the classroom.
The TeacherSolutions 2030 team blogs about improving the teaching profession between now and the year 2030.
Megan M. Allen is a National Board Certified Teacher and the 2010 Florida Teacher of the Year. She is a proud fifth-grade teacher in Tampa and a 2012-13 CTQ teacherpreneur.
Barnett Berry is the Founder and President of the Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ), Inc., based in Carrboro, NC. CTQ seeks to dramatically improve student learning by advancing teaching as a 21st-century, results-oriented profession. He wrote TEACHING 2030 with 12 accomplished teachers.
Dan Brown is a teacher and the author of The Great Expectations School: A Rookie Year in the New Blackboard Jungle. His writing has also appeared in The Boston Globe, The New York Daily News, The New York Post, and Education Week. He is a co-author of TEACHING 2030.
Jessica Cuthbertson is a teacherpreneur who divides her time between teaching 6th-grade literacy in Aurora, CO, and supporting teacher leadership through the Denver New Millennium Initiative.
Bill Ferriter teaches 6th grade language arts in North Carolina, where he was named a Regional Teacher of the Year for 2005-2006.
John Holland is an artist, a teacher, a writer, and an innovator. After 12 years as a preschool teacher, John began working at Early Head Start/Head Start Program as a child development specialist. He is a co-author of TEACHING 2030.
Jessica Keigan is a secondary language arts teacher at Horizon High School in Thornton, CO, and a teacher leader for the Denver New Millennium Initiative.
Ryan Kinser is a 6th grade English teacher in Hillsborough County, Florida. After a career in television production, Ryan taught in urban Washington as a D.C. Teaching Fellow. He is a member of the Hillsborough New Millennium Initiative.
Renee Moore has taught English and journalism for 20 years in the Mississippi Delta region at both high school and community college levels. She is National Board Certified, a former state Teacher of the Year, and a co-author of TEACHING 2030.
Dave Orphal is a teacher in Oakland, CA. Dave serves as a veteran teacher leader for the Bay Area New Millennium Initiative and works with the California Teachers Association's Institute for Teaching.
Ariel Sacks teaches eighth grade English at a middle school in Brooklyn, NY. She has published articles about her work in Teacher Magazine and is a co-author of TEACHING 2030.
Mark Sass has taught public high school for 18 years and has been involved in various leadership positions and policy discussions in Colorado. Mark is a member of the inaugural Aspen Teacher Leader Fellows.
In addition to our regular transformED bloggers, we frequently feature guest posts written by teachers involved in CTQ communities. We welcome teachers to share their reflections and expertise on transformED.
Jose Vilson is a math teacher, coach, and data analyst for a middle school in the Inwood/Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. He is a co-author of TEACHING 2030.
Noah Zeichner is a National Board Certified Teacher in Seattle. He currently serves in a hybrid teaching role, dividing his time between teaching social studies and supporting CTQ's global teacher leadership initiatives.
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