Stealth Education Reform Beats the Health Debacle

Watching the Sunday morning arguments about health reform, I was struck by how fortunate we are that Obama's team snuck education reform into the stimulus bill. While most of the $100 billion for education just partially backfills cuts, it forced states to acknowledge the Department of Education's priorities of standards, accountability, and choice. The remaining 5%, nearly $5 billion in grant programs, will be used to feed the rabbits (the states ready to move) and won't be held back by the rebel, laggard, and the complacent states. It sure beats having an education reauthorization fight to go along with the health care debate.

This week the Department of Education released selection criteria for the $4.3 billion Race to the Top (RTT) program for states. Of the 19 criteria, these eight form a powerful reform package:

1. Developing and adopting common standards
2. Developing and implementing common, high quality assessments
3. Fully implementing a statewide longitudinal data system
4. Differentiating teacher and principal effectiveness based on performance
5. Ensuring equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals
6. Intervening in the lowest-performing schools and districts
7. Increasing the supply of high-quality charter schools
8. Building strong statewide capacity to implement

Standards. RTT requires states to work together to develop college and career ready standards. It's crazy that each state has their own. An unintended consequence of NCLB has been a lowering of standards (to show higher passing rates). Common standards will encourage investment in next generation content and new online assessments as well as making it easier to compare performance across state lines. However, there are lots of ways states and interest groups could still muck this up.

Assessment. States are encouraged to work together to develop better tests including those designed to improve teaching and learning. This part of the proposed language should be more forward leaning--it's a big chance to move most state testing online and to incorporate adaptive tests that quickly zero in on a student's learning level.

Data. The ten elements of Data Quality Campaign, pushed for more than five years by the Gates Foundation, are a required component of the grant. Early adoption states like Florida put data to work to narrow the achievement gap. Because most curriculum will soon be digital, the trick with tests and data will be creating a frame flexible enough to encourage individual progress rather than lock step age cohorts. State policy makers should ask, "will this work for virtual schools?"

Teacher evaluation. RTT requires that states eliminate any barriers to linking student achievement data to individual teachers and using it for evaluation, placement, and compensation. Wow--that's a big deal. But most of the barriers exist in local contracts and practices. It will be interesting to see if states can actually make some changes.

Teacher distribution. The grant program requires that teacher effectiveness data be used to make sure that low-income students get good teachers--easier said than done. Teacher distribution is a function of local contracts and budgets and a lot of personal choice. And we're not very good at measuring effectiveness. The push for alternative certification (which is great) complicates the desire for equitable distribution--even reform groups have a hard time agreeing on how to ensure equitable distribution.

Intervention. This is Duncan's big push--to replace or transform the worst 5,000 schools in the country. The proposed language for intervention is pretty good but it doesn't require that bad schools be named. The definition of low-performing doesn't include graduation rates and it must--how else will we target and replace the 2,000 drop out factories?

Charter schools. States have been scrambling to lift charter caps in preparation for RTT application--a big early win. There's a nod toward charter facilities and equal funding but not a strong set of requirements. I'm afraid charters will continue to get jerked around by local districts.

Capacity. There's nothing controversial about capacity--we just don't have any. State education offices are thinly staffed to administer the complex codes their legislatures right. It's too bad the first phase of the grant program won't open until late 2009 but it is obvious that states will need time to plan and build support for their plans. None of the states have the program management staffing to do this right. RTT and foundation grants will help. Let's hope some of it sticks around after the grants run out.

It's unfortunate that the Department directs that at least half the RTT money must be distributed to districts based on a federal formula, but it's a about the only way they can ensure that high need districts get help.

I've been worried that political pressure, probably linked to the health care debate, would force the Department to spread RTT funds like peanut butter. But if they stick to the intent of the proposed language, it will be hard for a senator to make the case that his/her state deserves funding when they just don't measure up.

Instead of fighting a reauthorization battle, Team Obama is pushing preauthorization reform. While they will be disappointed in the number and quality of state applications, a few states will show the way for the rest and in doing so will reframe the reauthorization debate--and promote equity and excellence for all American students.

Follow Tom Vander Ark on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tvanderark

Comments

[Dredd]

Hey Tom, I am on the same page with the "stealth care" thingy ...

http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2009/04/stealth-care-for-masses.html

[mlaiuppa]

This isn't reform. It's window dressing for same old same old.

[HST]

If it doesn't have vouchers for the rich who don't need them, then there are against any other kind of education reform (see Bush's every child left behind act and/or Texas public education system or lack thereof).

[mjtaylor22]

THAT IS WHY IT WAS INTHE STIMULUS, the repugnants hate education as much as healthcare reform
and would fight tooth n nail to stop attempts to make our nation smarter and more competitive on the national stage

[lynnewrites]

The whole idea of tying pay to performance is illogical. It, by its very nature, can never be fair or equitable due to the vast differences in all of the variables, from the health and family situations of the students to the sophistication and experience as well as professional latitude of the the teachers--not to mention all of the actual school and administrative differences. To me, after 33 years in the biz, the secret lies in revampng the teacher prep system, if new teachers were allowed 2-3 years of apprenticeship before the initial few years of actual teaching to get a regular contract, then the system would be working with them to increase their expertise not waiting for them to fail and get tossed before the permanent contract comes around. It takes a very long time to get truly good at watching kids and determining what they need and how best to present it and neither our current system nor the one proposed do anything about fostering great teachers in a non-threatening environment. We need to nurture good teachers not wait for them to fail....ki­nd of like how good teaching happens with children.

[paris0549]

I totally agree! I am a second-year teacher in a high-poverty area, and it really gets me upset when people talk about "bad teachers." I agree that it needs to be about teacher support and helping keep teacher retention up. If you throw all of these "assessments" around, people are going to be even less willing to go to high-poverty areas to teach, because they'll be afraid of being gotten "rid of." You can offer rewards for student achievement and working in difficult areas, but if you threaten punishment at every turn, people will quit due to the stress. We need to make teaching an attractive career to college graduates and not merely a stepping stone to other careers. There are a lot of reasons for the gap between the U.S. and other countries: We test all kids, they don't, they track earlier, and the general poverty and cultural issues that the United States has are unique. The language that I'm hearing is frankly a bit insulting. In most of these other countries that people are saying are so much better in education (such as Japan), teachers are treated like royalty, and their work is considered extremely noble. With all that we put up with and the hours we put in, it's time for a little respect. I just hope that teachers get to have a say in what will work in the classroom, and not get steamrolled as in the last administration.

[BurtonOerney]

Oh gosh, I'm sorry you feel insulted. I have a dyslexic fourth grade boy. It's been a half-time job for me to keep him from being warehoused and ignored every single year of elementary school so far. Almost all of the teachers he's had seem to prefer to teach exclusively to smart, well-behaved girls, ignoring the rest of the students or shuffling them off to catch-all, 'special' classes. We've had to change school districts. I've had to teach him subjects that teachers covered with other students while my son was being babysat elsewhere. It's taken a ton of work to get him into a class where his teacher pays a little bit of attention to him as an individual - who believes he actually doesn't see letters and numbers the way you and I probably do, rather than thinking he's just lazy - and you know what? It turns out he doesn't even need a special class. If he can type sometimes and have somebody write for him when a test has nothing to do with writing then he gets Bs and scores well on the state tests.

I went into this elementary school experience fully supporting teachers and believing they needed as much support as they could get. Now I think that most teachers only supervise as the plus or minus two standard deviation kids learn what they were going to learn anyway. There are rare exceptions and they deserve to be paid more.

[BurtonOerney]

And also, if you're a college graduate who can't handle the stress of assessment being tied to pay and continued employment, where are you going to work? There aren't a lot of options for people who quit when their job becomes stessful or those evaluating you do so unfairly.

[SPQR1775]

Yes we will get education reform, but having a BLUF (bottom line up front) approach as our genius president just did, allow him and Arne to have a system going forward say in 2011. The Administration and the Democratic congress has rachet up over 600 votes and over 40 MAJOR legislations and with Health care passage on the next CHANGE cycle, prior to August 5th we will be well on our way as a nation and people united to make the "NEXT GREAT LEAP FOR MANKIND". Sesi puedo", YES WE CAN and we will. I am in the ARMY and like the senators, the president and the congress reps and goverment officials and workers, we all have NO WORRIES because we have "GREAT AND FREE" HEALTHCARE, why bother? Well, I support the PRESIDENT, all Americans deserve quality healthcare, who among you will stand and lend a hand, will raise your voice for CHANGE. The time for action is now, 61 years of inaction and contradiction is OVER! "BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE". HEALTHCARE FOR ALL AMERICANS, end the BS of the pharmaseuticals, the money machine must end. BOYCUT MEDICATION GO NATURAL. THEY ARE FLEECING US! HEALTHCARE FOR ALL! YES WE CAN, AUGUST 2009! CHANGE IS ON THE WAY!!!

[TopProf]

The Obama reform agenda could not be more misguided. Judging teachers by how much they raise student achievement ignores the most basic precepts of psychometrics. Pre-post gains are almost all error. Those that are not error are very likely the result of teaching to the test. Respected research shows that gaming the test does not NOT improve any achievement other than the test score. This is just the neo-liberal ideology aimed at manipulating the labor by replacing trained teachers with Teach for America people -- and others like them -- who leave the schools after two years. Charter schools have been shown to increase segregation. What's left is high standards, which sounds okay until you tack on high stakes testing. Sorry Tom, you're wrong as usual.

[jcwtts1]

The test score debate started 10 years ago. It is impossible to get the testing provisions out of legislation now. Or if not impossible it will take 20 years. The only real way to improve schools is to use the suburban model. Small class sizes. If you cap class sizes at 18, the entire structure of the classes shifts for the better. The second thing you must do is level. This misguided belief system that all kids are of the same skill set is crazy. Everyone learns better when the classes are leveled. And they are in suburban schools. Small class sizes teach to the level, and frankly the best teachers in the school should have the lowest level kids. I'm not suggesting that all AP classes are taught by good teachers and all bad teachers teach level 3. Flip it. The better teacher you are the lower the section you teach. The lower sections need more help they get the super teachers, the master teachers. The AP kids do half their research online or in the library, they need much less guidance.

[blindjester]

Thanks for speaking up. I fear education is doomed to being run by non-educators for a few more years.

You ought to consider becoming a contributor here on this topic. It's frustrating listening just to business people and community leaders with opinions but no evidence or knowledge.­..

[Tom Vander Ark - Huffpost Blogger]

Obama's agenda is based on the best practices we know today. More data will help us all continue to learn more. "Pre-post gains are almost all error" is a ridiculous statement.

If charters increase segregation, it's because people like me are opening great schools in segregated neighborhoods. I'm opening schools in Newark, Bed-Sty, and Hartfor--they'll serve largely African-American low income teens. Our teachers will use data to drive improvement and the ones that produce the biggest gains will have the opportunity to gain more responsibility and earn more. I'll let you know how it's going next year.

[blindjester]

I'm so excited!

1950, here we come!

It's as if someone set out to design the most reactionary policies possible.

Let's double down on "standards," high stakes testing, and blaming teachers for poverty.

Excellent.

[jcwtts1]

Obama talks about education reform. That is what he is talking about. But while we wait to get it through during the next 3 years what are you supposed to do? This 100 billion is for those two years while we fight this fight.

J

[30yearsinak]

Yes! I am so disappointed in Obama's education choices. I am not a person who begrudges a family their own school choices; there are a million reasons why the Obama children should go to a private school. But it galls me that he thinks that somehow public school children should get a different model of education than that provided for his own children.