Refusing to be silent: hear what fellow teachers have to say

Posted by Slim

Accomplished, veteran teachers are speaking up and out about union misrepresentation and coercion used against them when they exercise their right to free speech and question union spending. They recount cases of their union refusing to represent them and working with administration to blackball dissenters. None of them are teachers in Nevada, but their stories echo what we have experienced in the Silver State. Click here to view. Below is the background to these testimonials.

Also, hear what teachers across America have to say about the Association of American Educators by clicking here.

Background to the Washington case

Do the rights of individual teachers outweigh the collective union?

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned this June the Washington Supreme Court’s ruling, reaffirming teachers’ individual freedom of speech rights take precedence over the collective unions’. This case came out of Washington after the Washington Education Association (WEA) was fined $590,000 for misuse of members’ dues by a county court.

The WEA appealed to the Washington Supreme Court, receiving a ruling in their favor. The WEA claimed in court that it had no 'fiduciary responsibility' to its members and that the law unconstitutionally ‘burdened’ its free speech rights. The Washington Supreme Court agreed only to have its strange legal logic thrown out by the highest court in the land. Click here to read the WorldnetDaily article.

This is a great victory for teachers across America. As a right to work state, Nevada teachers do not have to pay ‘collective bargaining fees’ if not a member as in Washington. The issue applicable to Nevada is the NSEA’s arrogant treatment of members is the same as the WEA with the union’s narrow political agenda being pursued at the expense of those they pretend to represent.

To know NCLB is to ………

Posted by Slim

Major poll shows as public awareness of NCLB increases, so does dislike.

Published in Print: August 29, 2007

Poll Finds Rise in Unfavorable Views of NCLB

Education Week

By Andrew Trotter

More Americans say they are knowledgeable about the No Child Left Behind Act than just last year, but familiarity appears to breed dislike, according to a poll set for release this week by Phi Delta Kappa International and the Gallup Organization.

In addition, Americans remain concerned that the federal education law’s focus on testing students for their proficiency in reading and mathematics is leading to a narrowing of the curriculum, at the expense of subjects such as social studies, science, and the arts, the survey found. That finding echoes the previous PDK/Gallup polls beginning in 2003.

In the latest poll, 54 percent of respondents said they knew a “great deal” or a “fair amount” about the 5½-year-old law, up from the 45 percent who gave those responses last year. Forty-six percent said they knew “very little” or “nothing at all” about it, compared with 55 percent who gave those responses in 2006.

Parents of public school students showed even bigger shifts. Public school parents professing knowledge about the NCLB law rose to 65 percent of those parents polled this year, from 49 percent last year. Conversely, the share of such parents who said they knew very little or nothing about the law dropped to 35 percent, from 50 percent last year.

Getting More Familiar
For the first time since the annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll started asking the question in 2003, a majority of respondents say they know a great deal or a fair amount about the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Along with that greater familiarity with the law, which is currently up for reauthorization in Congress, Americans are viewing it less favorably, the poll found.

Forty percent of the respondents said they had a “somewhat unfavorable” or “very unfavorable” opinion of the law, up from 31 percent holding those views in 2006.

On the flip side, 31 percent of respondents reported a “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable” opinion of the law, 1 percentage point below the results last year. The answer “don’t know enough to say” was given by 29 percent of respondents this year, down from 37 percent last year.

‘Significant Questions’
The diverging attitudes suggest that the politicians who are weighing the merits of the law may be facing a national audience that is both more aware and more polarized on the subject than in previous years.

“Clearly the public has significant questions [about NCLB],” said William J. Bushaw, the executive director of Phi Delta Kappa, a professional organization for educators that is based in Bloomington, Ind. “Now we have an opportunity in the reauthorization to address the issues that the public has raised.”

Another survey, released in June by the Educational Testing Service, found that when respondents were told about major components of the law, including its focus on standards and accountability and its support for “highly qualified” teachers, 56 percent said they viewed the law favorably, while 37 percent opposed it. ("To Know NCLB Is to Like It, ETS Poll Finds," June 20, 2007.)

In the PDK/Gallup poll, a strong majority of respondents, or 82 percent, favored judging schools’ performance based on their students’ improvement on state tests throughout the school year, rather than on the percentage of students who pass the state tests, which is now the keystone of the NCLB accountability requirements for schools.

Most respondents also said the law’s emphasis on English and math had reduced the time spent in public schools on other subjects, and nearly all who held that view were “very or somewhat concerned” about that trend.

In the PDK/Gallup survey, 37 percent of the people who considered themselves knowledgeable about the law said it was hurting local public schools; 34 percent said the law made no difference; and 28 percent said it was helping local public schools.

Responding to the same question, the entire national sample of adults was about evenly divided on whether the law was helping or hurting local public schools; the largest bloc, 41 percent, said the law was making no difference.

The PDK/Gallup poll, the 39th annual poll by the two organizations, was slated for release Aug. 28.

The poll was conducted by telephone interviews of 1,005 adults age 18 or older chosen randomly from a national sample. Findings based on the overall pool have a 95 percent confidence level of having a maximum error of 3 percentage points, or in the case of just the public school parents, of having a maximum error of 5 percentage points, according to the report.

NCLB Teacher Rules Unevenly Enforced, Major Study Finds

Posted by Slim

Published Online: August 29, 2007

Education Week

By Debra Viadero

Although some 90 percent of teachers may be considered "highly qualified'' under the teacher-quality provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, varying state definitions of what counts as highly qualified mean that skilled teachers likely remain unevenly distributed among the nation's classrooms, according to a large-scale federal study released today.

"I think the high compliance rate suggests there were states that set the bar low and, in a way, grandfathered in a lot of teachers,'' said Kerstin Carlson Le Floch, one of the primary authors of the study, which was conducted for the U.S. Department of Education by the Washington-based American Institutes for Research and the RAND Corp. of Santa Monica, Calif.

"To get the real story," she added, "you have to look below the surface, where we're still seeing inequities.''

Counting Coursework
States vary in the amount of subject-matter coursework they consider equivalent to a college major in order for new secondary teachers to meet the content-mastery requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act.

The interim study, part of an ongoing congressionally mandated evaluation of the federal Title I program for disadvantaged students, draws on survey data from the 2004-05 school year for nearly 13,000 teachers, special educators, paraprofessionals, and administrators in 300 districts across the country.

Researchers said the study, which was originally due to be published in 2005, is the largest federal survey to date examining how educators are implementing the teacher-quality provisions of the 5 ½-year-old No Child Left Behind law. Researchers finished collecting data this year for the eventual final report.

You can read the rest of the article here.

House asks for educators' input on NCBL renewal

Posted by Slim

The House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor is asking for teachers’ comments by September 5 on the draft to change and renew NCLB. This is a great opportunity to voice your opinion and provide your professional insights. The summary of the draft is available here. Send your comments to ESEA.Comments@mail.house.gov and include your name and/or organization with the specific suggested changes. You can read the complete invitation letter here.

Published Online: August 28, 2007

House Education Leaders Issue Draft NCLB Renewal Plan

By David J. Hoff and Alyson Klein

Education Week

The leaders of the House education committee today released a draft of a plan for reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act, outlining proposals that would revise how adequate yearly progress is calculated and overhaul the interventions for schools failing to meet achievement goals.

In releasing the long-awaited plan, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., and Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., said that they were inviting comments from educators so that they can incorporate their ideas into the bill they hope to introduce shortly after Labor Day.

You can read the rest of this Education Week article by clicking here.

Breaking News! Large number of CCEA teachers drop membership

Posted by Slim

TeacherTalk NV Exclusive

Despite having only 9 business days annually to drop CCEA membership (July 1 to 15), 497 teachers (source: CCSD) in Clark County concluded paying $600 a year to a union that does not represent their interests is not a good deal. This large scale protest of teachers hits the CCEA, NSEA, and NEA where it hurts, in the pocketbook to the tune of approximately $300,000 in total. Ouch!

One could only imagine how many more teachers would drop membership if given the opportunity year round instead of during the narrow summer window. They don’t tell the new hires about this when they sign up. It is almost like The Eagles song “Hotel California” where you can check in but cannot check out. Pass the word! Warn the new teacher hires before they become victims.

The number of CCSD teachers who have chosen to join the more affordable Association of American Educators (AAE) for $150 annually with better coverage or decided to join the challenging Teamsters is not known at this time. Either way, it is not business as usual in what is proving to be dynamic changes among educators’ attitudes toward the CCEA.

Jokes to start the school year

Posted by Slim

Humor is to teaching what oil is for engines, the lack of which all freezes up.

On a special Teacher's Day, a kindergarten teacher was receiving teacher appreciation gifts from her pupils. The florist's son handed her a gift. She shook it, held it over her head, and said, "I bet I know what it is....some flowers." "That's right!" said the boy. "But how did you know?" "Just a wild guess," she said.

The next pupil was the candy store owner's daughter. The teacher held her gift overhead, shook it, and said, "I bet I can guess what it is...a box of candy." "That's right! But how did you know?" asked the girl. "Just a lucky guess," said the teacher.

The next gift was from the liquor store owner's son. The teacher held it over her head but it was leaking. She touched a drop of the leakage with her finger and tasted it. "Is it wine?" she asked. "No," the boy replied.

The teacher repeated the process, touching another drop of the leakage to her tongue. "Is it champagne?" she asked. "No," the boy replied. The teacher then said, "I give up, what is it?" The boy replied, "A puppy!"

******************************************

A little girl came home from school and said to her mother, "Mommy, today in school I was punished for something that I didn't do.” The mother exclaimed, "But that's terrible! I'm going to have a talk with your teacher about this ... by the way, what was it that you didn't do?" The little girl replied, "My homework."

******************************************

"If there are any idiots in the room, will they please stand up" said the sarcastic teacher. After a long silence, one freshman rose to his feet. "Now then mister, why do you consider yourself an idiot?" enquired the teacher with a sneer. "Well, actually I don't," said the student, "but I hate to see you standing up there all by yourself."

******************************************

The best part of going back to school is seeing all your friends. The worst part is that your teachers won’t let you talk to them.

******************************************

A pre-med student had to take a difficult class in physics. One day, the professor was discussing a particularly complicated concept. A student rudely interrupted to ask, "Why do we have to learn this stuff?"

"To save lives," the professor responded quickly and continued the lecture. A few minutes later, the same student spoke up again.

"So, how does physics save lives?" he persisted. "It keeps the ignoramuses out of medical school," replied the professor.

******************************************

A school teacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all. On the first day of the term, still with the cast under his shirt, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in school.

Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as possible and then busied himself with desk work. When a strong breeze made his tie flap, he took the desk stapler and stapled the tie to his chest. He had no trouble with discipline that term.

******************************************

Principal: I've been watching you to day, Mr. Wartman. It was wonderful how you managed to stay on your toes for the entire first day of school!

Teacher: I had no choice. My students put thumbtacks on my chair!

******************************************

A young woman teacher with obvious liberal tendencies explains to her class of small children that she is an atheist. She asks her class if they are atheists too. Not really knowing what atheism is but wanting to be like their teacher, their hands explode into the air like fleshy fireworks.

There is, however, one exception. A beautiful girl named Lucy has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different.

"Because I'm not an atheist."

Then, asks the teacher, "What are you?"

"I'm a Christian."

The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Lucy why she is a Christian.

"Well, I was brought up knowing and loving Jesus. My mom is a Christian, and my dad is a Christian, so I am a Christian."

The teacher is now angry. "That's no reason," she says loudly.

"What if your mom was a moron, and your dad was a moron. What would you be then?"

She paused, and smiled. "Then," says Lucy, "I'd be an atheist."

******************************************
What the teacher says and (what the teacher really means)

1. Your son has a remarkable ability in gathering needed information from his classmates.
(He was caught cheating on a test).

2. Karen is an endless fund of energy and viability.
(The hyperactive monster can't stay seated for five minutes).

3. Fantastic imagination! Unmatched in his capacity for blending fact with fiction.
(He's definitely one of the biggest liars I have ever met).

4. Margie exhibits a casual, relaxed attitude to school, indicating that high expectations don't intimidate her.
(The lazy thing hasn't done one assignment all term).

5. Her athletic ability is marvelous. Superior hand-eye coordination.
(The little creep stung me with a rubber band from 15 feet away).

6. Nick thrives on interaction with his peers.
(Your son needs to stop socializing and start working).

7. Your daughter's greatest asset is her demonstrative public discussions.
(Classroom lawyer! Why is it that every time I explain an assignment she creates a class argument).

8. John enjoys the thrill of engaging challenges with his peers.
(He's a bully).

9. An adventurous nature lover who rarely misses opportunities to explore new territory.
(Your daughter was caught skipping school at the fishing pond).

10. I am amazed at her tenacity in retaining her youthful personality.
(She's so immature that we've run out of diapers).

11. Unlike some students who hide their emotion, Charles is very expressive and open.
(He must have written the Whiner's Guide).

12. I firmly believe that her intellectual and emotional progress would be enhanced through a year's repetition of her learning environment.
(Regretfully, we believe that she is not ready for high school and must repeat the 8th grade).

13. Her exuberant verbosity is awesome!
(A mouth that never stops yacking).

******************************************

Johnny: Mom, do I have to go to school today?
Mother: Yes Johnny, you have to go to school.
Johnny: But Mom, all the kids hate me.
Mother: Yes son, but you still have to go to school.
Johnny: But Mom, all the teachers hate me.
Mother: Yes, but you still have to go to school.
Johnny: But Mom, why do I have to go to school?
Mother: Because you're the principal, son.

How to easily fix overheated classrooms

Posted by Slim

Why do school air conditioners work from October to March and are out April to September?

August 21, 2007
Teacher Magazine
Blogboard

A Hot Topic
The first day of school has Junior High School Teacher sweating bullets—and it’s not from nerves. Although her classroom’s sweltering temperatures are “unbearable,” JHS says there’s no relief in sight:

A few years ago, I complained that the fan system (we have no AC) in my room wasn't working. Or that it was working, but only when I turned on the heat. That wasn't going to do. I brought in fans from home, but still, my room was in the low 90's for three days in a row.

They finally came to address the problem.
And removed the thermostat.

Advice for starting at a new school

Posted by Slim

Teachers who are new to a school have their hands full getting to know their new environment, colleagues, administrators, policies and procedures while preparing their classrooms and curricula before the first students arrive. Add to that the stresses of moving to a new community if you had to relocate, the new teachers starting this year are buried. The advice below may be helpful if you are in this situation.

Published: August 15, 2007

Teaching Secrets: Establishing Your Professional Identity

By David Cohen

Teacher Magazine

By changing jobs several times earlier in my teaching career, I had a chance to work in schools large and small, public and private, in various regions, and even in another country. Here’s a paradox I’ve observed: Schools are like people—unique and yet predictable.

For all the factors that make a given school different from others, there are certain types of people and situations you can expect to encounter. But, as a new staff member, you will learn not only about teaching in this new setting, but also about fitting into the school culture, and working with new colleagues. And although the students and the classroom are your top priorities, it’s never too early to think carefully about how early experiences in your career can help you establish a professional identity—about how you can collaborate with others and engage in the profession. Here are some hints to help you think about and establish a professional identity.

First, find your allies. Whether they are teachers, custodians, secretaries, parents, librarians, aides, coaches, or counselors, these are the people who want to help you succeed with students. You’ll hear this advice from others who quite rightly want you to recognize how these people contribute to your effectiveness in the classroom. But, besides helping you in your teaching, true allies will start motivating you and validating your efforts, even beyond what you might think you deserve. Consider what a vote of confidence does for your students, and give yourself permission to actively seek out the same for yourself.

I worked in one school where a custodian, adopting a parental tone, said, “I always look out for my teachers,” and often told me how great I was, though she never saw me teach. Thinking back several more years, I recall another ally, Jean, who became an early mentor to me because of her sincere curiosity. She would always ask me, a student teacher at the time, how she, a thirty-year veteran, could improve a lesson I observed. She was a model of inclusive, reflective, and collaborative professionalism.

New teachers have intelligence, energy, and a fresh perspective, so you should maximize the time you spend with people who recognize your brilliance while still pushing you to question and reflect. Find allies who are modeling a professional community and who support their colleagues to ensure that the school is committed to sustained professional development.

Avoid the Ax Grinders
My advice may seem unorthodox, but I’m merely suggesting that you need to be yourself, be authentic, and be principled—and don’t wait.

Here's another piece of advice: Look out for the complainer. Someone in your school doesn’t like being there anymore, or doesn’t like someone else in the school. Needing validation, the complainer will want to present evidence to you so that you will join his or her ranks. Often, this person has a permanent spot in the office or lounge. In that case, make yours a coffee-to-go. You have nothing to gain from listening to gossip, slander, or the repetitive spinning of an ax-grinder, and even less to gain by trying to match stories, if you’re so tempted. It's a trap easily fallen into.

Moods are contagious, so spend your time with people who love what they do. I don’t mean to suggest teachers shouldn’t vent frustration sometimes, or that criticisms lack value. The important distinction is that complainers consistently tell negative stories to impress you with their suffering, while allies might sometimes tell a negative story to check their thinking or to illustrate how they learned something valuable and applicable to future situations.

Speak Your Mind
Finally, learn from my own mistake: Don't keep too quiet early on at a new school. Staff members play roles in the drama (or comedy) of school cultures, so choose your early roles well to avoid typecasting. My problem is that it’s my nature to lay low and observe carefully before fully engaging in a group. Many people take a similar approach in schools, I think, and might even tell you “don’t make waves, keep quiet until you’re tenured.”

But my good friend and colleague Adam showed me the importance of speaking your mind from the start. When we taught together in Chicago, we found each other quite compatible in our values and priorities, and we sometimes found ourselves trying to express the same dissenting view on a decision or policy within our school. The key difference is that Adam was more effective at this than I was, because his professional identity was already well established. Everyone knew what he stood for and knew that he would express respectful disagreement when necessary. That was Adam’s role, and his voice could put an end to thoughtless groupthink and encourage people to reconsider an idea.

I, on the other hand, sat back when I first came to the job, letting others guide debates and decisions. With time I gained the confidence to speak up, but either because I waited too long or spoke too equivocally, I was not heard the same way that Adam was. My advice may seem unorthodox, but I’m merely suggesting that you need to be yourself, be authentic, and be principled—and don’t wait.

Within a school community, your professional identity forms early, and can contribute greatly to your job satisfaction and effectiveness. With the support of a collaborative, appreciative community, and by steering clear of negativity, you can find your voice early and grow into the roles you’re hoping to play as an educator.

David Cohen is a 13-year teaching veteran, a National Board-certified teacher, and a graduate of Stanford University’s Teacher Education Program. He currently teaches English and serves as a reading-teacher advisor at Palo Alto High School in California.

More on the merit pay debate

Posted by Slim

Should we get more for students scoring well and how would one measure and distribute it?

Published: August 18, 2007

View of Merit Pay Shifting

By The Associated Press
Washington

While the words "merit pay" drew hisses and boos at a recent teachers' union convention, educators are endorsing contracts that pay bonuses for boosting students' test scores.
The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers oppose linking a teacher's paycheck to how well their students do on tests. But that is not stopping Rob Weil, the AFT's deputy director of educational issues, from helping local unions hammer out contracts that include new merit-pay plans.

"We don't have a message on a board that says, 'Hey, thinking about this?'" he said. But he said the AFT feels obliged to assist chapters that have decided to go that route.

Teachers usually are paid according to a century-old career ladder that rewards seniority and levels of education. The system was designed to ensure fair compensation for women and minorities. The average starting salary today is about $31,000.

"They don't make enough money, especially the good ones—especially the great ones," said Louis Malfaro, the teachers' union president in Austin, Texas, where nine schools are part of a pilot program to overhaul how teachers are paid.

In North Dakota, North Dakota Education Association President Dakota Draper said a merit pay system would be tough to set up, though the association would be willing to look at the idea.

"If you go into any school, the difference in the classrooms can be remarkable," Draper said. "It would be very unfair to base a merit system on test scores."

Jon Martinson, executive director of the North Dakota School Boards Association, said all teacher salaries in the state should be higher because it is becoming more difficult to attract people to the profession. Martinson also said he is frustrated with the traditional pay scale and would like to see more incentives.

"If everybody's on the same pay scale after X number of hours, what's the incentive to be outstanding teachers?" Martinson said. "I support the concept of looking at student test scores as a way to incentivize. When you get into details, that's difficult."

Malfaro said Austin's approach is modeled partly on Denver's, which links salaries to students' test scores and other measures. Malfaro says the Austin effort will expand slowly and be evaluated methodically to avoid the kinds of mistakes made elsewhere.

"Our approach has been a slow, deliberate and steady one," Malfaro said. "This is a highway with wrecked cars all over it."

Florida recently had to retool a merit-pay plan after a large number of districts opted out, citing teacher concerns. A plan in Houston came under criticism because it was put in place over teachers' objections.

Vanderbilt University education professor Jim Guthrie said the involvement of teachers is essential.

"I just put myself in their shoes. All of a sudden you are going to change all the rules and you're not going to talk to me?" said Guthrie, who is assisting districts that got federal grants to implement merit pay.

Weil, the AFT official, said teacher compensation has to be bargained locally. He also said the new plans should make good professional development available to increase the chances that teachers will raise students' achievement.

Union opposition to merit pay stems partly from failed efforts of the 1980s. In those cases, principals generally were given the power to decide who would get the additional dollars.
"They often had no basis of any objective measure of performance," said Susan Moore Johnson, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. "So what sometimes happened is there would be different awards made to different individuals and they would become public, and people would be appalled at the individuals who were given the awards or not given the awards."

The 2002 No Child Left Behind law has placed a greater emphasis on using objective data in schools.

The law requires annual math and reading tests. The scores of students in certain grades are compared year to year. Lawmakers want to change the law, which is up for renewal, to encourage schools to measure individual student progress over time instead of using snapshot comparisons of certain grade levels.

Once schools track that, they could look at which teachers consistently are moving students along, say children's advocates. Some places, including Tennessee, already are doing this.

But teachers say many factors affect test scores, including some that are beyond their control; for example, family income and level of parental involvement.

While individual student scores already are tied to teachers' pay in Denver and elsewhere, Austin's program relies on test scores to reward all teachers for school-wide gains.

Johnson, the Harvard professor, said that is fair. "It's becoming clear to do math well, you have to read well. So if students do well in math, do you give that math teacher the bonus? Or do you give that bonus to the reading teacher two years before?"

Malfaro said Austin's approach will encourage teachers to collaborate instead of competing. To further encourage that, some teachers will serve as mentors. As in Denver, principals and teachers will work together to set goals at the start of the year.

"If this is just about making money a different way and isn't about forcing systemwide change, then I think it fails to live up to its potential," Malfaro said. "Then I think it's just going to be one more education fad that kind of came up, got kicked around for a few years, and then faded out. And that would be a shame."

The Austin school board approved more than $4 million annually to fund the pilot program. A districtwide plan would cost at least $30 million annually, which voters would have to approve, Malfaro says.

A study of the pilot program in Denver, before it was expanded, showed that the changes improved student achievement. That probably helped persuade voters to support a $25 million-a-year tax increase to pay for expanding it to the entire school system.

The federal government, foundations and states also are helping finance new teacher-pay programs.

The chairman of the House education committee, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., says he wants the revised No Child Left Behind law to include money for a new merit-pay effort. Among states, Minnesota is out front on the issue. The Minnesota Legislature passed a law two years ago encouraging districts and teachers to develop new pay plans, partly linked to student test scores.

There is excitement about the change in the three dozen or so districts that have undertaken it, says Randi Kirchner, professional pay systems coordinator for Education Minnesota, a union that operates at the state level.

Kirchner acknowledges some national union leaders do not support pay plans linked to student scores. But she says the Minnesota system is more acceptable than some others because student scores are just one of many measures used and teachers have a strong say in whether the new plans are put in place and what they look like.

"We didn't just sit on the sidelines," she said. "We chose to be actively involved, so Minnesota would have a workable system that focuses on the best ways to improve teaching and learning."

Teacher in space

Posted by Slim

I remember watching the Challenger disaster on television as if it was only yesterday.

Teacher Magazine

Published: August 15, 2007

Barbara Morgan Holds Class

By The Associated Press

Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan transformed the space shuttle and space station into a classroom Tuesday for her first education session from orbit, fulfilling the legacy of Christa McAuliffe with joy and also some sadness.

"I've thought about Christa and the Challenger crew just about every day since 20-plus years ago," Morgan said in a series of interviews right before class got under way. "I hope that they know that they are here with us in our hearts."

Morgan, 55, who was McAuliffe's backup for the doomed 1986 flight, got her first opportunity to talk with schoolchildren late Tuesday afternoon, almost halfway through her two-week mission.
Hundreds of youngsters jammed the Discovery Center of Idaho in Boise, less than 100 miles from the elementary school where Morgan taught before becoming an astronaut. Her two sons, now teenagers, attended inventors' camp there years ago.

One child wanted to know about exercising in space. In response, Morgan lifted the two large men floating alongside her, one in each hand, and pretended to be straining. Another youngster wanted to see a demonstration of drinking in space. Morgan and her colleagues obliged by squeezing bubbles from a straw in a drink pouch and swallowing the red blobs, which floated everywhere. The four astronauts also used pingpong balls and a softball for props.

Afterward, 12-year-old Paige Dashiell said: It's not every day you talk to someone in space." Paige asked what stars look like from space. The answer: Stars shine steadily and don't twinkle since there's no atmosphere to distort the light.

Morgan was also asked how being a teacher compared to being an astronaut.
"Astronauts and teachers actually do the same thing," she answered. "We explore, we discover and we share. And the great thing about being a teacher is you get to do that with students, and the great thing about being an astronaut is you get to do it in space, and those are absolutely wonderful jobs."

The 25-minute question-and-answer session was a welcome diversion for NASA, which found itself trying to explain NASA is redesigning the brackets, but the new ones won't be ready until next year—again—why foam insulation was still falling off shuttle fuel tanks more than four years after the Columbia disaster.

The gouge in shuttle Endeavour's belly was not considered a threat to the crew, but NASA was debating whether to send astronauts out to fix it in order to avoid time-consuming post-flight repairs.

So far, NASA's thermal analyses makes everyone "cautiously optimistic" that no repairs will be needed, said John Shannon, chairman of the mission management team. All the testing and analyses should be completed by Wednesday.

"My understanding is that it's really not a safety issue for us on board," said Endeavour's commander, Scott Kelly. "There isn't a whole lot of concern on board right now."

Indeed, business went on as usual aboard the joined shuttle-station complex Tuesday. Morgan and her colleagues removed a platform from Endeavour's payload bay and attached it to the international space station, where it will be used to hold large spare parts.

A special team of astronauts and specialists spent a second day Tuesday mapping out what would be the best way to proceed, if repairs are ordered. Most likely, two astronauts would be maneuvered on the end of Endeavour's 100-foot robot arm and extension boom to the difficult-to-reach spot, and apply a black paint and caulk-like goo to the damage.

A sliver of the gouge, which is 3½ inches long and 2 inches wide, penetrates all the way through two thermal tiles, exposing the thin felt fabric that is the final barrier before the shuttle's aluminum frame. Columbia's hole was considerably bigger and in a wing, which sees higher temperatures than the 2,000 degrees that scorch the ship's underside during re-entry.
Any repairs would be conducted during the shuttle's fourth spacewalk, scheduled for Friday. If more time is needed to get ready, NASA will keep the shuttle at the station even longer and bump the spacewalk to Saturday.

Even though the repair itself would be relatively simple, the astronauts would be wearing 300-pound spacesuits and carrying 150 pounds of tools that could bang into the shuttle and cause even more damage. All spacewalks are hazardous, Shannon noted, and so NASA would not want to add more outside work unless it was absolutely necessary.

"I've been really interested in it but I think NASA's doing the right thing," said Morgan's husband, Clay.

NASA is uncertain whether foam, ice or a combination of both broke off Endeavour's external fuel tank during last Wednesday's liftoff. The debris—4 inches long, almost 4 inches wide and almost 2 inches deep—peeled away from a bracket on the tank, fell against a strut lower on the tank, then shot into the shuttle's belly. It weighed less than an ounce.

These brackets have shed foam, more frequently than ever, since shuttle flights resumed following the 2003 Columbia disaster, Shannon said. Engineers speculate more ice could be forming on these brackets because the super-cold fuel is being loaded an hour earlier than before.

NASA is redesigning the brackets, but the new ones won't be ready until next year.

Does NCLB do a disservice to the gifted?

Posted by Slim

A teacher of gifted students posted excellent points on the Education Week blog regarding the lack of attention for these special students to reach their potential and why.

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/unwrapping_the_gifted/

Unwrapping the Gifted

By Tamara Fisher

Tamara Fisher is a K-12 gifted education specialist for a school district located on an Indian reservation in northwestern Montana and president-elect of the Montana Association of Gifted and Talented Education. With Karen Isaacson, she is also co-author of Intelligent Life in the Classroom: Smart Kids and Their Teachers. Her hobbies include drawing, hiking, fourwheeling, and building houses. (She lives in a house she built herself.) In this blog, Fisher discusses news and developments in the gifted education community and offers advice for teachers on working with gifted students.

August 14, 2007
My Yard is Gifted

Rather than begin my blog here at Teacher with the necessaries of who I am and what I'm all about (there's plenty of time for that later), I'd like instead to kick it off with a hopefully-thought-provoking analogy. Given that the anticipation of a new school year is energizing the coming weeks, my aim with this post is simply to generate some timely thought, reflection, discussion, and questions.

Teachers are among the most amazing people I know, and as responses to Jessica's recent "Why do teachers stay" post showed, we all teach for some rather inspiring, optimistic, and altruistic reasons. Teachers are talented, curious, hard working, and very caring. Because of that, I know you are up to the challenge I offer today.

Take a moment and ponder which of your current or former students come to mind as you read the next few paragraphs:

In March of each year, I marvel at my lawn. Unlike most other yards, it remains relatively green throughout the winter (when it is not snow-covered). When spring arrives, and without any prompting from me, it rapidly grows into a lush carpet. I don’t water it. I don’t weed it. I barely manage to mow it (we all know how hectic spring is for teachers!) Yet even lacking my help, my yard is amazingly gorgeous and healthy in springtime. As others struggle to green up their lawns in spring, mine (seemingly) needs no attention.

My yard is gifted. It’s the soil… My neighborhood used to be a dairy farm and my particular lot was a holding pen. The soil beneath my yard is pretty much well-aged manure. No wonder I don’t even have to try and yet still end up with a gorgeous lawn when the snow melts!

I take it for granted, though. As the summer heat comes and I jaunt off around the country to various conferences or to visit relatives, my yard still doesn’t get watered. It still doesn’t get weeded. It still barely gets mowed. And despite the fact that its soil is second-generation manure, the neglect now clearly shows. My lawn isn’t anywhere near what it could be. It DOES need attention; it does need the nurturing I often neglect to give it because I am otherwise occupied or because I think it will be okay without my help.

It is inevitable that we teachers, at one point or another, will have students in our classrooms who somehow ended up with great soil. Academically and intellectually, they often seem to blossom all on their own. They are “where they need to be” (or, more often than not, are well beyond) according to state standards for children their age. With – let’s admit it – sometimes very little effort on the teacher’s part, they learn everything they’re supposed to learn that year, or they already knew it before the year began. They are easily overlooked because it’s a safe bet that they will test as “Proficient,” while so many others are in the danger zone.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t put forth every effort to help our struggling students. Of course we should! Part of the beauty of America is that we believe in the possibilities within everyone.
And I’m not saying that there are no teachers out there who do their best by the gifted students in their classrooms. There are many, many amazing teachers who do everything they can to challenge the highly capable kids in their charge. And there are many others who want to do what’s right by them, but are at a loss as to where to begin, or are overwhelmed by all of the need in their classrooms and the requirements of their jobs.

But, to generate thought and discussion, I ask: Generally speaking, do we (as a nation, as a profession) put forth every effort to stretch the students who are already “there”? Do we take for granted the fact that some students, without much assistance from us, will be (supposedly) “just fine” academically on their own? Are they really “just fine” or “where they need to be” if we haven’t truly challenged them to stretch and grow academically and intellectually? Do they not deserve to be s t r e t c h e d also? Do they not deserve to learn and grow academically as much as possible, too? Are they really reaching their potential if we haven’t even tried to find how far their potential reaches?

Perhaps I can predict what some of you are wondering: “But where am I going to find the time to challenge those kids when I’m already swamped getting everyone else up to speed?” “But if I move that child ahead in the curriculum, then what will his teacher next year do with him?” “Isn’t it elitist to target only certain students for special learning opportunities?” “If I let her do something ‘special,’ then won’t I have to let all of the other kids do it, too?” “If they are already learning [or already know] what they’re ‘supposed’ to be learning, then why do I have to worry about them?”

This is just one post, and the topics of gifted students and gifted education are too big to cover all at once. We shall get to those concerns, those questions, those issues, too. For now, I only hope to prompt some thinking about the students with great soil, the ones whose lawns are green in winter, the ones whom we believe to be “already where they need to be.” What thoughts, questions, worries, ideas, epiphanies, and concerns do you have in regards to them?

Thank you for joining me and I look forward to interacting with everyone over the course of this year!

Teachers: to serve and protect?

Posted by Slim

Is it unreasonable for qualified and properly trained teachers volunteering to carry guns as a measure against random school shootings? The CCEA claims to represent teachers saying, "I'm a common-sense guy, but it's hard to wade through this," said John Jasonek, executive director of the Clark County Education Association, which represents most of the district's 18,000 teachers. "Right now this isn't passing the initial sniff test."

This quote conveys a knee-jerk reaction instead of any serious analysis or the CCEA asking the teachers they like pretending to represent. Does Jasonek really represent teachers regarding this issue? Is this a good way to protect students and staff and make extra money, particularly since many teachers are veterans?

August 08, 2007

Teachers who get police training could get extra pay, carry guns

By Emily Richmond

Las Vegas Sun

A proposal that Nevada teachers be allowed to carry concealed weapons garnered a lot of notoriety but little traction among state lawmakers this year. Now comes this idea: Give bonus pay to teachers - from kindergarten to college - who would be trained and armed as reserve school police officers.

Faculty-turned-campus cops would supplement the thin ranks of campus police and be in position to respond quickly to campus emergencies, the two champions of the idea say.
Others worry about allowing teachers to be put in that kind of position.

The idea will be taken up at separate meetings this month by Nevada System of Higher Education regents and the State Board of Education.

The proposal was initiated in June ago by Regent Stavros Anthony, a Metro Police captain, who was thinking in terms of college campuses. State Board of Education member Anthony Ruggiero, an investigator with the state attorney general's office, wants to extend the concept to the state's K-12 teachers as well.

It expands the idea, proposed during the 2007 legislative session by Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, that teachers be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus, provided they had undergone 40 hours of training. The bill died in committee.

To become reserve campus police officers, teachers would have to pass a physical and psychological evaluation, as well as a comprehensive background check. Those who make it through the selection process would have to pay about $1,190 for classes at the community college's Law Enforcement Training Academy, including "Firearms I & II" "Defensive Tactics/Physical Training" and "Introduction to Juvenile Justice." An additional $1,000 would be required for the academy uniforms and equipment.

After completing the training, teachers would be responsible for $1,500 in uniform and equipment costs, although their guns would be provided by the school police department. School districts would then have to pay the auxiliary officers $3,000 annually.

Ruggiero said he met with School Police officials in Washoe and Clark counties, and he assured them that the reserve officers would be expected to follow the directives, rules and regulations of each individual school district police department.

The idea is a win-win, Ruggiero said: Teachers would have an opportunity for more training and pay, and schools would solve the perpetual shortage of campus cops.

"Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, why not use the resources you have in place?" said Ruggiero, who is himself a reserve officer for UNLV's campus police. "I'm sure there are teachers out there that have thought about becoming officers. We shouldn't restrict them . We should train them."

Education officials say so far there are more questions than answers about the proposal.
If a child becomes violent during class, would the teacher-officer be allowed to use more aggressive means of restraint than a regular teacher? In a campus emergency, would the teacher-officer leave his classroom unattended to respond?

"I'm a common-sense guy, but it's hard to wade through this," said John Jasonek, executive director of the Clark County Education Association, which represents most of the district's 18,000 teachers. "Right now this isn't passing the initial sniff test."

Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes said he would like to see how the proposal plays out at the university level.

"There may be some value in having teachers who want increased security training to receive that training," Rulffes said. "But it's too soon to say whether they should actually be able to carry firearms."

Rulffes said he's not even wholly comfortable with regular school police officers carrying guns, even though he realizes it's a necessary response to the level of violence and criminal activity in the community at large, which often spills onto campuses.

He also wonders whether the program would encourage teachers to leave the classroom in pursuit of better-paying jobs in law enforcement.

Ken Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services based in Cleveland, said the proposal to turn teachers into reserve officers is misguided.

"Teachers get into education to teach, not to be cops," Trump said. "Teachers are already overwhelmed with all of the academic, behavioral and administrative tasks they have to perform. To say you're going to add a whole other role and mind-set is unrealistic."

Debate about arming teachers surfaces periodically in other states, usually in the wake of a high-profile campus shooting, Trump said.

"Rather than off-the-wall proposals, how about our legislators focus on stopping the cuts to funding for school safety and emergency preparedness, mental health services and support programs," Trump said. "That might actually provide an improved learning environment, instead of trying to make teachers into cops."

Losing students

Posted by Slim

Are smaller high schools the answer to losing students? One Clark County School District teacher thinks it may be.

Aug. 03, 2007

Las Vegas Review-Journal

LETTERS: We're losing students in high school

To the editor:

As a high school teacher in the Clark County School District, I read Friday's Review-Journal ("Rulffes hails gains posted by schools") with a mixture of pride and disappointment. It seems that everyone in the school district is so busy patting themselves on the back for meeting the No Child Left Behind Act standards that they've failed to notice an alarming statistic.

Although the elementary schools, and to a lesser degree the middle schools, are doing amazingly well in producing positive results, people have ignored the lackluster progress made by the valley's high schools.

If you discount the magnet high schools -- Vo Tech, Las Vegas Academy, etc. -- and the ones with relatively small populations -- Moapa Valley, Virgin Valley, etc. -- 29 high schools with "normal" populations remain. Of these 29 high schools, only three made adequate yearly progress: Coronado, Liberty and Silverado.

The school district needs to take a hard look to determine why we are losing students as they march through the grades.

One could certainly make the case that smaller schools are better. After all, each one of the small high schools made the grade. That is an interesting statistic.

William Cuff

HENDERSON

Nevada has worst drop out rate in the nation

Posted by Slim

What can we do to address Nevada’s high drop out rate given we are a service economy with numerous jobs that do not require a high school diploma?

Nevada kids fare better but problems persist

July 24, 2007

Lenita Powers

Reno Gazette-Journal
Nevada’s ranking for the well-being of children has improved since last year, but the state also suffers from the worst dropout rate in the nation, a report to be released Wednesday found.

The 2007 Kids Count Data Book, a national report measuring 10 key areas to determine the health and economic prospects of children, ranked Nevada 33rd in the nation, up from 36th last year.

“This data is important because children and youth inherit the future,” said R. Keith Schwer, director of Nevada Kids Count. “So, the question for us is: Are we doing what we should be doing in our stewardship of these children and youths?”

This is the 18th annual Kids Count report issued by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a Baltimore nonprofit organization that promotes reforms to help vulnerable children and families. The 2007 Kids Count uses comparative data from Nevada and the nation for 2000 and from 2004-05.

Nationally, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Connecticut ranked highest in well-being indicators for children and teens. Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi ranked the lowest.

Kids Count also found “persistent disparities in outcomes for children of color, particularly African Americans,” said Laura Beavers, a Casey Foundation research associate.

Next year, the foundation plans to work toward including state-level data for racial and ethnic groups for its 10 key indicators.

Nevada’s ranking between the 2006 and 2007 reports improved, but since 2000 the state has seen an increase in the percentage of low-birth weight babies and in the percentage of children living in single-parent families or in homes where no parent has full-time, year-round employment. The number of children living in poverty, where a family of four earns below $19,806, also rose by 15 percent.

The worst news: Nevada ranked dead last with the poorest high school dropout rate in the nation.

Nevada school officials question the accuracy of that ranking because it is based on a community survey taken by the Census Bureau that asked 16- to 19-year-olds whether they are still in school or have earned their diplomas. That means dropouts or teenagers who didn’t earn their diplomas who moved from other states would be included in Nevada’s dropout rate, they said.

Since states use different methods to determine their dropout rates, Schwer said Kids Count must use the Census Bureau’s community survey because it is the only consistent measure for the states.

“The problem is Nevada still has a high dropout rate, and that is the fundamental issue,” Schwer said. “The national dropout rate is 7 percent and Nevada is at 11 percent, and that is the dropout rate based on Nevada’s school records.”

The dropout rate in the Washoe County School District was 2.6 percent in 2005-06, Superintendent Paul Dugan said.

“Certainly, you have to question the accuracy of the data, especially with regard to Washoe County School District students; but despite that, I am very concerned about both our dropout and graduation rates,” he said. “While someone may want to argue the methodology being used, the bottom line is there are too many dropouts, and that’s a challenge we can’t ignore.”

Dugan said continued emphasis must be on reading and mathematics, and on the need for teachers and staff to develop closer relationships with students.

“We don’t lose them when they’re 11th-graders,” he said. “We’re losing them long before that, so we need to pay more attention to them when they enter as freshmen.”

Schwer, also director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said Nevada’s rapid growth and migratory population are other factors in its high dropout rate.

“Even though Nevada is not a border state, we have had a large increase in population from outside the country,” he said. “Typically, when you have non-English speakers, you have a higher-than-average dropout rate.”

Nevada also fared better in the national ranking this year compared with 2006 in two other areas. Its teen death rate decreased from 43 nationally to 35, and its teen birth rate decreased from 41 to 39.

Nevada’s teen birth rate among females ages 15-19 improved, decreasing by 19 percent and dropping from 63 births per 1,000 in 2004 for that age group down to 51 per 1,000.

However, while Nevada saw a drop in its teen birth rate, it still ranked 39 in the nation. Schwer said Nevada still ranks poorly for teen births and teen deaths because, although it has improved, it is still below the national average.

“Although there has been substantial improvement over time, the other side of that is there has been greater improvement in other states,” he said. “So from a policy viewpoint, the teen issues — the teen death rate, birth rate, dropout rate — are issues we need to improve.”

Kyle Devine, family health program specialist with Nevada Bureau of Family Health Services, said it’s difficult to compare those rates with other states because of demographic and socioeconomic differences.

“So, to me, it’s not so much about where we rank in the nation,” Devine said. “It’s more about seeing where there is still a problem and how we can work with the communities to help support teens to make healthier choices so we can improve our rates.”

Statistics don’t always tell the human part of the story, either, or how those statistics could one day change.

Maggie Hoffman, 17, had to drop out of high school in Silver Springs after she became pregnant, and she now lives at Casa de Vida in Reno awaiting the birth of her child. After her baby is born, Hoffman said she plans to put him up for adoption and go back to school or join the Job Corps.

“I made some bad choices in life, but I have grown up a little bit more,” she said. “I’d like to get back into the Job Corps and take the culinary program. If that doesn’t work, I want to try to get my GED (general education development). I want to become a chef and someday open my own restaurant.”

Empowerment pay, student test participation, & Rulffes feelings

Posted by Slim

Should teachers be awarded school wide or individually, assuming a fair individual measuring system was utilized?

August 01, 2007

Empowerment teachers get little something extra

By Emily Richmond

Las Vegas Sun
Pay bonuses - the kind of incentives that typically go to salespeople and chief exeutives - are now also going to about 250 Clark County School District teachers for jobs well done.
The bonuses will range from $250 to $1,200, and will go to teachers who worked at the district's four empowerment schools. The district hopes to include the bonuses in teachers' Aug. 25 paychecks.

By awarding fatter checks to some teachers, the district is dipping its toe into the pay-for-performance waters. The district is considering an expanded version of the program that might qualify for state funding.

The bonus for each teacher will range from 0.5 percent to 2 percent of his annual salary, depending on how well his school performed on criteria such as gains in student achievement, parental feedback, evaluations of the campus management and whether the school served large populations of at-risk children.

The scorecards that establish how each school measures up in the bonus column are calculated by officials in the School District's central office. The first-round bonus money will come out of the district's empowerment schools budget. Next year, the district will be eligible for state funds for teacher incentive pay in at-risk schools, which could potentially be used for staff at both empowerment schools and traditional campuses.

"Student achievement has to be the important thing and that is not negotiable," said Karlene McCormick-Lee, an associate superintendent who oversees the empowerment schools pilot program. "However, this was an opportunity to demonstrate the other things the district values - climate and working conditions, parent satisfaction and the quality of the campus management."

The empowerment schools pilot program, launched last year, gives principals greater autonomy in staffing, budget and instructional decisions, in exchange for greater accountability. Additionally, Superintendent Walt Rulffes pledged licensed personnel at those schools would be eligible for incentive pay of up to 2 percent of their salaries, based on a formula the teachers helped devise.

Although state law requires Nevada teachers receive a 5 percent pay increase if they complete national board certification, this is the first time the School District has attempted its own version of "pay for performance" on this scale.

Teacher bonuses have been awarded in various forms across the country for decades, with varying degrees of success.

Supporters of the model say the standard pay scale for teachers doesn't offer enough incentives for individuals to excel, or to stay in a profession where they are already undervalued. Opponents of pay-for-performance say the formulas rely too heavily on a principal's subjective assessment of teacher performance, and often force colleagues to compete against one another for a limited pot of funds.

"I don't see how it can be anything other than favoritism," said one Clark County teacher with more than 20 years ' classroom experience, who asked not to be identified. "Merit pay takes away your personality in teaching. You're going to do what the principal wants, even if it's not best for the kids. If you have a principal you don't get along with, you're done."

The teacher, who works at one of the district's empowerment schools, said the district's formula is reasonable. But she worries that the public's perception of school performance will be unduly influenced.

"If a school doesn't get the bonus, or another school gets more, the public perception will be that we didn't do our jobs," the teacher said. "The truth is there are wonderful things going on that can't be easily quantified for the purposes of the bonus pay equation."

Teachers at Antonello and Culley elementary schools will each receive 2 percent bonus es , the largest allowed as part of the empowerment model. Adams Elementary teachers will receive 1.5 percent and Warren Elementary teachers will receive 0.5 percent.

Instead of awarding different amounts to individual classroom teachers, the school's overall performance determined the bonus percentage given to everyone.

Schools were able to earn as many as 200 points in various categories. Student test scores accounted for 100 points, and schools that made "adequate yearly progress" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act received as many as 50 points.

Parent and student satisfaction surveys counted for 15 points, as did a working conditions survey completed by the staff.

Adams and Antonello each received full marks from parents and students, while Warren received six points and Culley , five.

Antonello's teachers were satisfied enough to earn the school the full 15 points, while Adams and Culley were just a step behind at 14 points. Warren , where a new principal began the year with only two returning teachers, received no points for the survey.

Warren also received the fewest points for student test score improvement - 11, compared with 100 for Culley, 63 for Antonello and 42 for Adams.

Mary Ella Holloway, president of the Clark County Education Association, said it's appropriate for all licensed personnel at the campus to share in the reward.

"The art teacher doesn't have a test to show they're accomplishing something in the classroom," Holloway said. "But everybody at the school, whether they're the art teacher or the librarian, has an impact on student performance."

That blitz campaign doesn't appear to have paid off.

July 29, 2007
Ten of Clark County's comprehensive high schools failed to meet the all-important participation rate on the state's proficiency exam, one of the requirements for "adequate yearly progress" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

At Indian Springs High School, the shortfall in participation is the sole reason why the school is now on the state's "watch list."

Students have their first chance to take the proficiency test as sophomores. Those who pass on the first try are added to their classmates who take the test again in the spring of their junior year. The total must equal 95 percent.

Billboards, radio spots and campus banners urged students not to skip school on March 27. Schools that don't meet the 95 percent participation requirement also don't make "adequate yearly progress" under No Child Left Behind .

Part of the problem is that juniors know they'll have other chances to pass the test in their senior year. That makes it difficult to motivate them to show up for the spring test day.
Three schools, Basic, Del Sol and Palo Verde, missed the participation mark on the math test. For Chaparral, Legacy and Western it was the reading and writing tests.

And Bonanza, Canyon Springs and Clark didn't have enough students show up for either section of the test.

• • •

Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes gave reporters two reasons why he didn't want to hear the media refer to the district as failing.

First , that would be inaccurate, he said at a news conference to unveil the annual list of campus test results .

Graduation rates are up. Dropout rates are down. And more schools made "adequate progress" on standardized tests, as state and federal law requires.

And the second reason?

"My feelings will be hurt," Rulffes said.

School board raises

Posted by Slim

What say you to Nevada’s school board members voting for their own raises?

Jul. 27, 2007

Divided Clark County School Board approves pay raises for trustees

By Beth Walton

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Clark County School Board trustees gave themselves a raise Thursday night.

In a 4-2 vote, with one trustee abstaining, board members decided to allow themselves to choose how much they'll be paid each month, as long as their increased pay doesn't put the board's budget in the red or exceed the $750-a-month maximum set by the Legislature.

Board members had been paid between $80 and $85 per meeting and averaged about two to three meetings a month.

But trustees often put in 20 hours a week, said board member Mary Beth Scow, who supported the pay increase. Some board members won't be able to seek re-election because of term limits and higher pay will help ensure the quality of the board is maintained, she said.

Trustee Carolyn Edwards also supported the raise, but said she would have preferred the Legislature provide money for higher pay along with permission for the pay increase.

"There is a big difference between not supporting an unfunded mandate from the Legislature and believing I'm worthy of compensation," she said.

Also voting in favor of the raise were Board President Ruth Johnson and Terri Janison.

Trustees Larry Mason and Shirley Barber opposed the pay increase.

"We should stop playing with our teachers and give them the money they should be given," Barber said. "In a state as rich as Nevada, especially in Las Vegas, we shouldn't have to deal with the problems we do. Teachers shouldn't have to worry about having two to three jobs."

Mason, who participated in the meeting via phone, acknowledged the hard work and long hours board members put in, but added, "I wasn't in it to make money. I never have been. The volunteering, the public service, that in itself is compensation."

Trustee Sheila Moulton abstained from voting. She had proposed an alternate plan of incremental pay raises, starting at $510 a month in September and rising to $750 a month by January 2009.

A new state law requires that Clark County School Board members receive a raise to $750 a month on Jan. 1, 2009. But trustees were given the option of voting to implement the raises before that date. The new law allows trustees to return all or part of their pay to the district.

District Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Weiler said he believes there are enough unspent funds in the board's budget to allow trustees to accept raises.

The School Board saves a substantial amount of money because trustees can be paid for up to six meetings a month, but they rarely meet that frequently.

Previously, any unspent money was returned to the general budget. Now, any leftover funds will be redirected toward increasing trustees' compensation.

Some people at the meeting voiced opposition to the raises, saying there aren't enough resources going to the students or the teachers.

"You are not here for personal gain," said Constance Kosuda, a retired lawyer. She told the trustees they knew it was a "volunteer" position when they sought election to the board.

Michele Cotterman, a PTA member at Cunningham Elementary School where her daughter is in the first-grade, was shocked to learn board members were paid at all.

The PTA is a voluntary position, she said.

"We do it because it is our right, our passion, our responsibility," she said.

Cotterman encouraged board members to take advantage of the option to donate their compensation to the schools.

Las Vegas resident Eleanor Chow said the pay increase was long overdue.

"When you're a board member, this is a business and you have a deep responsibility," she said, challenging the people in the room to put in the time and effort trustees do and not be compensated.

Feds legislate competitiveness?

Posted by Slim

Call me cynical, but isn’t this an oxymoron?

Updated: August 3, 2007

Congress Passes ‘Competitiveness’ Bill

By Sean Cavanagh

Education Week
Congress approved legislation Thursday that seeks to bolster mathematics and science education through improved teacher recruitment and training and promote successful classroom practices through federal grants.

The bipartisan legislation, which the House approved by a 367-57 vote and the Senate passed unanimously, had the backing of numerous business and education organizations. Members of Congress have dubbed the proposals, now consolidated into one bill, “competitiveness” legislation, because they believe it will strengthen the quality of the U.S. workforce and gird the American economy against foreign competition.

The bill now goes to President Bush, who lawmakers believe will sign the bill.

"In my mind, there will be no more important legislation that passes the Congress this year," Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., one of its sponsors, told reporters this week. "This is the prime model of bipartisan cooperation."

The bill would establish several new federal math and science programs and expand existing ones. If Congress appropriates money for all the programs, it would cost $43.3 billion over three years, though much of that spending would be devoted to research programs in technology, energy, and other areas.

The measure would broaden the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program, which provides grants of $10,000 a year to college majors in math- and science-related subjects who agree to teach in high-need schools. Among other changes, the bill would provide awardees of the program, which is administered by the National Science Foundation, up to three years of scholarship funding, instead of the current limit of two years. In addition, scholarship recipients would be given additional time to complete their teacher training, under the legislation.

Furthermore, the proposal addresses some of the math and science priorities identified by President Bush. It would create "Math Now," a program in which the U.S. Department of Education would award grants to states to attempt to implement proven strategies in math instruction. The legislation says the goal is to help students reach grade level in math and prepare them for algebra, a subject most students take in 8th or 9th grade.

In the past, Bush administration officials have likened Math Now to the federal Reading First program, a $1 billion-a-year effort that seeks to improve instruction through the promotion of researched-based practices in reading. Department of Education representatives have faced charges of favoring certain commercial reading products in awarding grants to states, but Reading First has also won praise for improving instruction and achievement from state officials and researchers. ("White House Suggests Model Used in Reading To Elevate Math Skills," Feb. 15, 2006.)

'In Harmony'
The "competitiveness" legislation also appears to address another of President Bush's goals by authorizing new grant programs to increase the number of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes in schools nationwide.

Additionally, the bill calls for the secretary of education to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to convene a national panel to "identify promising practices in the teaching of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in elementary and secondary schools."

Last year, the White House set up the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, a 17-member group charged with studying effective classroom strategies in math and presenting recommendations to the president. Lee Pitts, a spokesman for Sen. Alexander, said the panel established in the new legislation would "extend the work of the math panel into science, technology, and engineering." It is not meant to duplicate the math panel, he added.

The House and Senate originally approved separate versions of the math and science legislation. Lawmakers from both chambers met in a conference committee in an effort to resolve those differences and produce a final bill for consideration by the House and Senate.

Speaking with reporters Aug. 1, two sponsors of the House and Senate bills, Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., and Sen. Alexander, said negotiations over the final bill were not difficult.

"We were very much in harmony," Rep. Gordon said. "The conference was short and sweet."

The bill would establish two new competitive grant programs within the Education Department, according to a conference report released by lawmakers this week. The first is aimed at expanding master's degrees in science- and math-related fields. The other would support programs that encourage undergraduates to obtain bachelor's degrees in science- and math-related fields and foreign languages at the same time they are gaining teacher certification. The legislation authorizes $151 million for the bachelor's degree program and $125 million for the master's degree program in fiscal 2008, according to a summary of the conference report.

The bill only authorizes new spending on federal math and science programs; it does not guarantee they will get that money. Appropriations for those programs are currently included in three separate spending bills under consideration by Congress, said Mr. Pitts.

Francis M. "Skip" Fennell, the president of the 100,000-member National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, in Reston, Va., said his organization was pleased with the legislation, especially provision within it that seek to provide support and assistance to inexperienced and struggling educators.

"We know that the lack of proper mentoring and support for teachers is one reason so many leave the profession in the first years of teaching," Mr. Fennell said in a statement. Math coaches, he said, "will help early and midcareer teachers and afford better learning opportunities for students."

John J. Castellani, the president of the Business Roundtable, also praised the congressional action. "If we are to maintain our competitive edge, we must improve the education our students receive in science, technology, engineering and mathematics," he said in a statement. "America's ability to compete in a 21st-century economy rests on our continued investments in math and science education. The U.S. Congress has confirmed its commitment to ensuring that we are prepared to continue to lead the world in research and technology-well into the future."

Associate Editor David J. Hoff contributed to this story.

Teacher job satisfaction

Posted by Slim

The study below contradicts that there is widespread teacher dissatisfaction with the profession. It would be interesting to see what a Nevada specific survey would show. I suspect from experience Nevada teachers’ dissatisfaction level would be high.

Published Online: August 1, 2007

Teachers Tell Researchers They Like Their Jobs

By Vaishali Honawar

Education Week
Ninety-three percent of teachers reported satisfaction with their jobs 10 years after entering the field, according to a new survey that also found attrition rates for teachers were actually lower than for other professionals.

The report, released this week by the National Center for Education Statistics, surveyed 9,000 graduates who received their bachelor’s degrees in various disciplines in the 1992-93 school year. Nearly 20 percent of those graduates entered the teaching profession.

The findings from the survey debunk several long-held views on teacher pay, turnover, and job satisfaction. For instance, it found that only 18 percent of those who entered teaching changed occupations within four years of getting a degree. Given that other professions experienced attrition rates between 17 percent and 75 percent during that period, the number of career-switchers from teaching was on the low end of the scale, according to the data. More than half those who became teachers were still teaching 10 years later.

Teacher advocates and unions have long claimed that turnover among new teachers ranges from 30 percent to 50 percent within the first five years.

“The take for a long time was that there is this incredibly high attrition among teachers from schools,” said Mark Schneider, the commissioner of NCES, an arm of the U.S. Department of Education. The report, he said, shows that teacher-turnover rates are actually lower than those in other professions.

“I understand why schools and school districts are upset about losing teachers, but it is part of the normal sorting process” in a dynamic job market, Mr. Schneider added.

The survey also stands on their head some commonly held beliefs about teacher salaries. Teachers’ unions have often cited low pay as a major reason for teacher dissatisfaction. But only 13 percent of those who left teaching by 2003 gave it as the reason for leaving. Forty-eight percent of those who remained in the profession said they were satisfied with their salaries.

Kate Walsh, the president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, a research and advocacy group in Washington, called the findings “explosive.”

“What was surprising is how cheery the [teachers’] responses were,” she said. Education groups, including the unions, she contended, often cite teachers’ unhappiness in order to pressure districts and states for concessions.

Spokesmen for the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers said they were unable to comment on the report before the story was posted.

Racial Differences
The report’s findings are based on the NCES’ survey of baccalaureate-degree recipients conducted between 1993 and 2003. Participants answered questions via phone and the Internet and during in-person interviews. The report was prepared by MPR Associates in Berkeley, Calif.

Of those surveyed who were still teaching 10 years after earning their degrees, 90 percent said they would choose the same career again, and 67 percent said they would remain in teaching for the rest of their working lives.

The rate among African-American teachers, however, was significantly lower, with 37 percent saying they would choose to remain in the profession, compared with 70 percent of white teachers.

Nearly 20 percent of black teachers said they would leave if something better came along, compared with fewer than 10 percent of white teachers.

Ms. Walsh said the higher rates of dissatisfaction among black teachers could be due to the fact that more black teachers teach in high-poverty schools.

The study reaffirmed that attrition rates were higher among male teachers. While women (29 percent) were more likely to leave for family-related reasons, men (32 percent) usually left for a job outside the field of education.

A candidate’s age when he or she attended college also appeared to play a role in attrition rates: Those 30 or older when they obtained their degrees were more likely than younger graduates to remain in teaching.

Those who earned better grades in college were more likely than those with lower grades to remain in teaching.

The study offers a window into how college graduates perceive teaching. For instance, nearly half of all bachelor’s degree recipients in 1992-93 said they had never considered teaching or taken any steps to become educators.

Lack of interest, having another job in hand, and inadequate pay were the most commonly cited reasons for not pursuing teaching.

Math, science, and engineering graduates were among those most likely to leave teaching jobs to work outside education.

Are current monetary incentives working?

Posted by Slim

A number of financial incentive programs, including here in Nevada, have been set up to lure more people into teaching, particularly in math and science. This article reports the programs may not be working. It also lists some programs many teachers may not be aware.

Published in Print: August 1, 2007

Doubts Cast on Math, Science Teaching Lures

By Sean Cavanagh

Education Week

Few strategies for luring more students and working adults into math and science teaching have proved as popular among elected officials as financial incentives, which try to make one of the least appealing aspects of the job—low pay—a little less daunting.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are considering a number of bills that would expand existing incentives, such as scholarships and loan forgiveness for aspiring educators, and create new monetary inducements. Dozens of states, meanwhile, already offer their own incentives for teachers in subjects with shortages, including mathematics and science.

But those who have studied financial incentives say evidence is scant that they are attracting substantial numbers of college students and career-changers to math and science teaching, despite years of investments in those programs.

Opinions vary on why incentives have not shown greater results. Some believe the money available is relatively insignificant when weighed against potential job candidates’ worries about poor salaries and working conditions. Others say the hodgepodge of federal, state, and local incentives is so fragmented that few potential teachers are aware of what’s available.

“There’s been virtually no research on how effective [these] options are,” said Dan Goldhaber, a research professor at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, based at the University of Washington in Seattle. “We ought to be making decisions about these programs based on something more than what might be effective, and instead base it on empirical evidence.”

Yet backers of incentives believe they can offer an important carrot for college students and for people already in the work world. Even if that extra money is of secondary importance to job candidates, it can make the teaching profession more appealing to math and science majors who are likely to have more lucrative options in the private sector.

Teaching for Dollars
In addition to the myriad state financial-incentive programs, the federal government oversees a number of monetary hooks to recruit and retain teachers in high-need fields, including math and science:

The Robert Noyce Scholarship Program, administered by the National Science Foundation, offers scholarships of $10,000 annually, for two years, to students majoring in math- and sciencerelated fields, as well as to working professionals.

The Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, signed into law in 2006 and administered by the U.S. Department of Education, makes teachers of math, science, and special education eligible for up to $17,500 of loan repayment.

Teachers of math and science also can have up to 100 percent of their Perkins Loans canceled, with the amounts depending on years of service in the classroom.

The federal Transition to Teaching program provides money to school districts and colleges to pay for financial incentives of up to $5,000, total, to midcareer professionals, including paraprofessionals, interested in becoming trained as teachers in high-need schools.

SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education; National Science FoundationAnna M. Swenty, 26, credits an incentive program with having changed her thinking about teaching.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Missouri-Columbia three years ago, Ms. Swenty was considering graduate school and research jobs, but those career paths seemed too specialized. It wasn’t until she learned about the federal Robert Noyce Scholarship Program that the idea of teaching began to take hold.

The program, which is financed through the National Science Foundation at about $9 million a year, provided her with a total of $10,000 to return to school and earn a teaching certificate. In return, she agreed to work in a high-poverty school. She now teaches biology and earth science at Narrows High School in western Virginia.

“It was a godsend,” Ms. Swenty said of the scholarship. “I was worried about going into debt. … No one ever told me in my [undergraduate] program that teaching was a viable option.”

Financial Hook
Noyce money flows to colleges and universities, which give it to qualified applicants: college majors in math and science subjects who want to go into teaching, and working professionals with expertise in those areas. The program’s effectiveness is being evaluated, a process that is expected to be complete next year, said Joan T. Prival, the program’s lead director at the NSF. Separate bills approved by the House and the Senate would expand the program.

House lawmakers also recently approved a bill that would provide scholarships of as much as $16,000 to college students who agree to work in high-need subjects in schools serving large numbers of low-income students A measure that cleared the Senate this month would tie loan forgiveness to teachers’ income levels and lengths of service.

Low pay is just one of the factors that most frustrate teachers about their profession. Surveys show lack of administrative support and poor working conditions are of equal or greater concern.

Schools nationwide struggle to find qualified teachers in math and science. About 36 percent of secondary school math classes are taught by teachers who lack even a minor in math or a related subject, compared with 24 percent in all core academic subjects, according to the Education Trust, a Washington-based policy organization.

The pressure on schools to find teaching talent is likely to grow. About one-third of today’s teaching corps is expected to retire by 2010, according to one estimate. And the United States will need about 280,000 new teachers in math and science by 2015, a recent report says.

Although he believes financial incentives can make a difference to potential teachers, Gerald F. Wheeler, the executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, in Arlington, Va., said pay plans that offer higher salaries to math and science teachers have greater potential, because they bring educators’ yearly pay closer to those of jobs in the private sector.

“It doesn’t have to be equal” to other professions, he said, “but they have to be able to play in that marketplace.”

But grants and scholarships have proved more politically palatable in states than such differential-pay plans or pay-for-performance proposals, which tie teacher compensation to student achievement, said Tricia Coulter, the director of the teaching-quality and leadership institute at the Education Commission of the States, a research organization in Denver.

Thirty-one states have financial incentives for recruiting and retaining teachers, the ECS estimates. They vary in size and scope. Kansas offers $5,000 a year to college juniors and seniors who agree to become teachers in high-need subjects, including math and science.

During the 2006-07 academic year, the state awarded 248 scholarships, 45 of which went to math and science teachers, said Diane Lindeman, the director of student financial assistance for the Kansas board of regents. The state spent $778,000 on scholarships during that year.

The program helped only a small fraction of the number of teachers needed to fill math and science vacancies, Ms. Lindeman acknowledged. “There are so many factors in this other than just throwing money at people for going to college,” she said. “You’ve got to have the people who are actually eligible to do this and want to do this.”

Little Advertised?
Kansas’ scholarships require recipients to teach at a public or private school in the state for at least two years. About 40 percent of awardees in the most recent recorded year did not complete their obligation because they moved out of state or lost interest in teaching, among other reasons. Awardees who do not fulfill that obligation must repay the scholarships. Recouping money from those who renege can be a cumbersome process, Ms. Lindeman said.

Some policy experts warn that incentives can have the unintended effect of encouraging new teachers who lack the necessary talent or enthusiasm for the job to stay to meet financial commitments.

“You lock in some people who you probably do not want to be teaching,” said Eric A. Hanushek, a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.

Several observers said a greater flaw is that aspiring teachers do not have a single source to tell them about the available federal and state incentives—a common problem in financial aid. A bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., would require the federal government to set up a database of public and private scholarships in math- and science-related fields.

“There’s a whole lot of stuff out there, but people kind of stumble across it,” said Margaret E. Heisel, a lead coordinator for the California Teach/Science Math Initiative, a program aimed at recruiting educators into the profession. Students, she said, need a system that tells them that “if you are interested in math or science teaching, we have a way of making sure you don’t have a lot of debt at the end of college.”

The UC and California State University systems in 2005 announced a plan to try to raise the number of math and science teachers who graduate from their collective teacher programs from 1,000 to 2,500 a year. The systems, with private-sector support, offer a host of financial incentives to teachers, including waiving up to $19,000 in college loans.

One state program that appears to have achieved some success is in North Carolina, where teachers of math, science, or special education in high-poverty or academically struggling schools were given an extra $1,800 a year, according to a 2006 study by researchers at Duke University. Turnover among those teachers fell by 12 percent from 2001 to 2004, and might have fallen more if the program, which the state eliminated in 2004 for lack of legislative support, had been better understood by teachers, researchers found.

Many state incentive programs “are new, and they’re relatively small in scale,” said James Brown, the co-chairman of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Caucus, a Washington-based group that is backing federal legislation to expand incentives.

“The states are grappling with this just as the federal government is, and it’s going to take a while to get it right,” Mr. Brown said. “The problem is large enough that you need a national role that will get national attention.”

Coverage of mathematics, science, and technology education is supported by a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, at www.kauffman.org.

Changes for NCLB?

Posted by Slim

It seems neither side of the aisle is happy with NCLB. It will be interesting to see if it is reauthorized and in what form.

Published Online: July 30, 2007

Includes correction(s): August 1, 2007

Miller Outlines Proposed Changes for NCLB

By Mark Walsh

Washington

Education Week

The chairman of the House education committee said today that the No Child Left Behind Act is not working as well as it should, and that there was no support among lawmakers for continuing the law without significant revisions.

“Throughout our schools and communities, the American people have a very strong sense that the No Child Left Behind Act is not fair, not flexible, and is not funded. And they are not wrong,” Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said in remarks at the National Press Club to outline his priorities for reauthorizing the law.

Rep. Miller said that both Democrats and Republicans on the Education and Labor Committee had listened closely to various critiques of the law and were working toward ironing out a bipartisan reauthorization bill that he hopes the House could pass early this fall.

“I can tell you that there are no votes in the U.S. House of Representatives for continuing the No Child Left Behind Act without making serious changes to it,” Mr. Miller said. “It is my intention as chairman of the Education and Labor Committee to pass a bill in September, both in committee and on the floor of the House.”

The NCLB act passed Congress with broad bipartisan support and was signed into law in early 2002 by President Bush as a five-year reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Its centerpiece is a requirement that schools test students annually in reading and math in grades 3-8, and once in high school. Schools that fail to meet performance benchmarks face a series of consequences.

Adjusting Accountability
Rep. Miller said his first goal for the next version of the law will be to provide schools with more flexibility and fairness. His bill will introduce so-called growth models, accountability approaches that give schools credit for the progress that students make over time instead of just comparing one cohort of a grade of students with its predecessor.

The U.S. Department of Education is conducting a growth-model pilot program in which 12 states have been approved to use the method for complying with the NCLB law.

See Also
For more discussion on this topic, see our blog NCLB: Act II.Mr. Miller said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings deserved credit for her leadership on making the law more flexible and for the growth-model pilot.

Meanwhile, another change in the law’s accountability framework that Rep. Miller plans to propose is the use of so-called multiple measures to determine whether a school is achieving adequate yearly progress under the law. He said the law would continue to include annual tests of reading and mathematics in most grades.

“We will allow the use of additional valid and reliable measures to assess student learning and school performance more fairly, comprehensive, and accurately,” Mr. Miller said. “One such measure for high schools must be graduation rates.”

Pressed about the extent of relief from test scores that such other measures might provide schools, Mr. Miller said students would have to be close to scoring proficient on math and reading tests for such measures to play a role.

“This is not an escape hatch,” he said.

Performance Pay
Rep. Miller said his bill would provide for performance pay for principals and teachers “based on fair and proven models.”

Joel Packer, the director of education policy and practice for the National Education Association, said the teachers’ union would oppose the inclusion of performance pay as a requirement for schools and districts to receive funding under the reauthorized NCLB.

“We are opposed to, in this bill, for the federal government to tell schools and school districts that if you take this pot of money you must include test scores as one of the measures of evaluating or compensating teachers,” Mr. Packer said. “The other thing with linking evaluations to test scores is that there is not much of a track record to see where it works. So if it is relatively unproven, why would the federal government require it?”

Mr. Miller’s bill will also include more emphasis on improving U.S. high schools.

“The bill will include comprehensive steps to turn around low-performing high schools,” he said, including uniform standards for measuring graduation rates.

Rep. Miller declined to put a specific price tag on his bill, but he called for “a greater and sustained investment in American education.”

Warning on Veto
He swung a minor political jab at President Bush by saying that the president’s legacy on education “cannot be established if he vetoes the education funding in the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill.”

The White House has threatened a veto for the fiscal year 2008 bill that covers Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education department programs. The measure has passed the House with a nearly 8 percent increase in Education Department spending.

But Rep. Miller praised the administration’s input on reauthorizing the law and stressed that his committee had a tradition of bipartisanship.

“There are differences between us,” he said, in reference to Democrats and Republicans on the education committee. “We’re trying to iron them out. We’re trying to not let any of them be a deal breaker.”

Steve Forde, a spokesman for Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon of California, the ranking Republican on the House education committee, agreed in a phone interview that Rep. Miller has included Republicans in the process.

“It’s been a bipartisan process,” Mr. Forde said. “Will it be a bipartisan product? That’s debatable. The devil is in the details.”

A statement by Rep. McKeon said he was “disappointed by the pace of negotiations” over the reauthorization.

“The content of the legislation is far more important than the calendar,” Rep. McKeon said, “and any attempts to weaken the law will be met with stiff resistance from House Republicans who have already joined with the civil rights community and business leaders in expressing concerns that some of the Democrat proposals will undermine transparency for parents and the ability to hold schools accountable for student performance.”

Change of Outlook?
William L. Taylor, the chairman of the Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights, a Washington watchdog group that has been a strong supporter of the NCLB law’s accountability measures, praised Mr. Miller’s priorities for reauthorization.

“It’s clear that whatever adjustments are made” to the law, “we’re going to have accountability remain the key,” said Mr. Taylor, who attended the National Press Club event.

Mr. Packer of the NEA, who was also present, said he noticed a change in tone on Rep. Miller’s part with regard to reauthorization of the school law.

“He has been much more of a defender of the existing law,” said Mr. Packer, who is the NEA’s chief lobbyist on NCLB. “But I think he is changing his view based on what he is hearing from educators, and based on what he is hearing from his fellow members, especially House freshmen.”