Arne Duncan, Education Secretary, Endorses Release Of Teacher Data To Parents

The Los Angeles Times:

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Monday that parents have a right to know if their children's teachers are effective, endorsing the public release of information about how well individual teachers fare at raising their students' test scores.

Read the whole story: The Los Angeles Times

Comments

[twmorganstern]

07:50 AM on 08/18/2010

Standardized education methods enacted in this country act as an active retardant to the advancement of the American people. We don't want to maximize the potential of individuals, we want factory workers and manual laborers who lack the imagination to wonder if their lives could have been different.
My personal conspiracy theory is that the folks who have been working hard to concentrate wealth and political power over the last 30 years knew that someday those uppity 'developing nations' would want a fair shake for their own workers, and are preparing to create favorable hiring conditions (from their perspective) here in the US. You will know when this is happening because the news will be all abuzz about all the awesome new employment opportunities available to our wracked economy provided under the benevolent auspices of the US Chamber of Commerce and other related social/financial rapists.

[The Sloop]

11:18 PM on 08/17/2010

The LA Times is scapegoating teachers and with an extremely limited criteria planning on publishing a claim of effectiveness based on a particular analytical theory of one yearly standardized test for 3 years of a students life.. Thats it. They readily admit deeper in the articles that that it is not enough of a criteria to determine true value and effectiveness of any one teacher, yet they have no qualms about publishing names and their own judgement on each teacher. These are not problem teachers, just the normal cross section. Some teach to the test some don't, some do other things better, some are great motivators, some teach qualitative skills better than others who teach the quantifiable skills. In the big picture that rich mix makes a well rounded educational experience. The limited assumption based criteria the Times is not nearly enough to put any label on any one. Misleading statistical data and public humiliation will not judgement will not improve the system. Its not about the damn union. Teachers are not the enemy here...Are we are becoming a nation of finger pointers while denying the true problems.

[HappyBalance]

12:41 AM on 08/18/2010

Fanned for sanity. Just the latest in the Administration's ongoing war against the left and teachers.

[anpu]

05:10 PM on 08/17/2010

One thing we know for sure is that students are under performing in schools across the nation. Problems arise when we make assumptions as to why these students are under performing. In education, business, sports, or any situation involving a system, when a problem occurs one attempts to ascertain the causes of the failure.

Analysis of the problem has not been done. A false argument was immediately created using "bad teachers" as the main cause and why unions need to be weakened. As a person, who was educated in LAUSD and currently teaches in Oakland Unified School District, I can honestly say that there are bigger issues than teachers and their performance.

OUSD had a superintendent who mandated a scripted reading curriculum for elementary schools and middle schools were given the option to select scientific based curriculum. Elementary teachers were upset to say the least, with the scripted program EVEN THOUGH TEST SCORES WENT UP EVERY YEAR IT WAS USED. The super intendent responsible for this was removed due to state take over. The state's replacement decided to focus on small schools to improve test scores and it failed.

My point: student scores went up and down in our district with very little teacher turnover. Scientific based curriculum mandates made teachers look good and small schools didn't. And we want to blame teachers?! Why?

[tragic realist]

02:41 AM on 08/18/2010

Hmm. Since the small schools and the state takeover, Oakland has been the most improved district in CA -- for 6 years now with steady increases in reading scores. Many of the best performing elementaries are new small schools. Some of the most respected progressive education scholars like Linda Darling Hammond see this movement as a great success. Plus Oakland in fact has quite high teacher turnover, and a very high proportion of inexperienced teachers, and has for decades. Wonder where you are getting your info...

[anpu]

12:16 PM on 08/18/2010

Hmm. That's not correct. What has happened in OUSD involves what is known as "creaming." Some small schools have taken the best students from varius schools and pointed to increased scores--removing 6 to 10 top students from a "Traditional" public school to a small school is not an increase in test scores. The increased scores have been done with smoke and mirrors. "Traditional" Public Schools, those that see the best students leave, have not faired as well. The scores have not increased.

Unfortunately the business model is runnng rampant in public education and as such, putting positive spin on the slightest statistical increase is the norm (making a mole hill into a mountain).

[Chem is she]

04:24 PM on 08/17/2010

I think teachers should get parent-effectiveness data.

[schatsie]

08:36 PM on 08/17/2010

Bingo!!! and no discussion regarding the mainstreaming of the 10% of the students who are challenged if you know what I mean.....And Fox and Simpsons making fun of our teachers.....

[HappyBalance]

12:41 AM on 08/18/2010

Exactly.

[stargazer13]

04:09 PM on 08/17/2010

we all know that public ed is a failure ! not because of teacher,s but curriculum should be highlighted as the real problem !!

how many kids tune out then drop out !! I know I do the same when it is not interesting enough to hold my attention !!

[Chem is she]

04:25 PM on 08/17/2010

That's the goal. The powers that be don't really want to actually fix education.

[anpu]

05:16 PM on 08/17/2010

The real battle that is going on for the contorl of education centers around the large budget each district has at its disposal. Hundreds of millions of dollars.

[binkis1]

05:09 PM on 08/17/2010

THis is excellent..It will piss off the teachers unions but the good teachers will stay --the bad ones will be eliminated!

Good teachers do not let the students tune out--if they may have emotional problems that is totally different but good educators get to majority of students! Lame arguments!

[JimR]

02:34 PM on 08/17/2010

And the scapegoating of teachers continues...

This guy is easily Obama's worst appointment.

[Chem is she]

04:25 PM on 08/17/2010

Fanned. I totally agree with you. Duncan suuux

[HappyBalance]

12:42 AM on 08/18/2010

Close, I would say tie with Geithner.

[cal5000]

02:34 PM on 08/17/2010

How about every kid and their parents get a rating when the kid comes into school at age 5 and every year after starting in September to judge how much work the parents are doing at home to make sure their kids are doing their part in this process.

But you cant blame the teachers for when theyre arent the ones raising the students, the parents are.


No matter how busy you claim to be--that child is still your responsibility and how well they learn is on the parents not the teachers.

[ekg]

02:27 PM on 08/17/2010

Good, now maybe he will speak out about how harmful Teachers Unions are for education and the general well-being of our children

[JerryJH]

08:00 PM on 08/17/2010

Unions created the middle class in this country. When teacher unions go, the profession will become unsustainable and the pool of applicants will shrivel so much that all quality will go out the window. If you want good teachers, stick with the union. If you want a middle class, stick with the unions.

[schatsie]

08:39 PM on 08/17/2010

bingo, if you want real healthcare and clean water in your hospital go to Seattle where there is a great nurses union......I would love to see the stats on infections between the hospitals staffed by unions vs the others except that they would cook the books.....

[HappyBalance]

12:47 AM on 08/18/2010

Exactly, well said.

[cal5000]

01:35 PM on 08/17/2010

What about stupid kids...why cant we blame the parents for raising dopey kids who dont want to learn when the parents are too candyass to spank them and make them work harder in school?

This scapegoating nonsense of teachers isnt going to pan out.

Parents ( I am one) need to be held accountable too. Make sure your kids are prepared to succeed in school, because its not just bad teachers (they are a few), its bad parents and TV babysitters.

[mrskorn]

01:58 PM on 08/17/2010

Maybe we could post the parent's "effectiveness" scores as well and then teachers could choose which students they want in their classroom!

This whole thing is ridiculous and will just push teachers to move into the non testing grades. And these scores are ALL based on a once a year test? Does that really tell the whole story as to the effectiveness of a teacher?

Let's rate the principals as well.

[flashblitzen]

02:21 PM on 08/17/2010

You are right on. This may simply be a different angle of attack to rip apart the teachers union.
If they can blame the teachers for poor student abilities, it would be know problem privatizing and
lowering wages, benefits and the like. The end result would be corporate teachers, maybe low paid and probably high turn around.

[bannorhill]

07:07 PM on 08/17/2010

Unions oppose accountability for teachers. The union's job is to protect the teachers not educate the students.