Monday, June 29, 2009

Peer Review

Daniel de Vise has an excellent article in today's Washington Post on peer review in Throwing a Lifeline to Struggling Teachers. A quote from Montgomery County (VA) Superintendent Jerry D. Weast pretty well sums up the tone of the article, "We've changed the whole culture from 'gotcha' to support." De Vise describes the evaluation and improvement system that does weed out lesser teachers while endeavoring to bolster and retain valuable teachers in need of help.

I'm not certain peer review will become the perfect evaluation tool in this time of national emphasis on improving schools, merit/performance pay, and "getting rid of bad teachers." I do think it has promise to move forward the process of teacher evaluation, but I'd also guess it will cost more in terms of mentors and released time for peers to observe. School systems that are now struggling from state cuts to education would be hard pressed to find funding for new peer review programs.

My experience with peer review is quite old and was not part of any evaluation program. I taught for three years in the late '70's in a special, but regular education program for students with developmental delays. At least once a week the teachers in the program "staffed" their class or one or more individual students. Administrators, school psychologists, special ed personnel, and other teachers participated in the weekly staffings that were a free give-and-take on what might work and what should be discarded. Successes were shared and sometimes replicated in other classrooms. Failures were analyzed for cause and new direction, if needed. Much of what we did then for students has been included in the IDEA law now referred to as Response to Intervention (RTI). Peer review can or could be RTI for teachers who are struggling to meet acceptable standards of instruction.

Odds 'n' Ends

Andy Gammill reports in the Indianapolis Star that Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett wants school systems to report accusations of teacher misconduct to the state early in the investigation process. State education chief wants better picture of teacher misconduct relates that Bennett wants his department to keep record of allegations of teacher misconduct and also participate in investigating such allegations. If done right, this initiative might help prevent the practice of letting teachers apparently guilty of misconduct resign or transfer with little to no mention in their record of the misconduct. But it's also an area fraught with danger for the innocent, as administrative and parent witch hunts would also be recorded under Bennett's proposal. Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Eugene White noted that he suspects the state would regret its request and get bogged down in investigating complaints. He said, "There's so many allegations, and 9.9 out of 10 don't warrant any action at all."

I didn't have anything else worthwhile to post last Friday, so I just tacked an update about my Nikon Coolpix P60 coming back from Nikon service still not working properly to last Wednesday's posting about the problems.

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Friday, July 3, 2009

Duncan Addresses NEA Convention

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wound up his series of speeches outlining the goals and requirements of the $5 billion Race to the Top Fund yesterday at the NEA annual convention. Duncan's remarks endorsing merit pay and using student test scores as part of teacher evaluations were not well received by the nation's largest teachers' union.

• Los Angeles Times: Education secretary treads where teachers unions don't want to go
• Ed.gov Press Release: Secretary Duncan Challenges National Education Association to Accelerate School Reforms
• Politico: Arne Duncan gives tough love to teachers

NASA Events

NASA 's release, Space Station Appearing Nationwide Over July 4 Weekend, notes that the International Space Station will be visible in the night sky with "unusually long sighting opportunities of as much as five minutes, weather permitting, as the station flies almost directly overhead."

In a separate news release, NASA Updates Shuttle Prelaunch Events and Countdown Details, NASA announced that the space shuttle Endeavour's new launch date for its STS-127 mission to the International Space Station will be on Saturday, July 11, at 7:39 P.M. (EDT).

Odds 'n' Ends

As I was writing today's update, I looked out my office window at the guys finishing up planting the field west of us. Todd, one of the farmers, just shook his head as we talked yesterday about how long "spring" planting has taken this year. A neighbor who had finished his planting just a couple of days ago pitched in to help work the field. Without his help, I don't think they would have gotten this field totally planted before the expected rain tomorrow sets in.

Have a great holiday!

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