Education News in Alabama for May 28, 2010
- SCHOOL BOARD: Educator effectiveness, innovation schools get bipartisan approval;
- No silver bullets in education reform, Novak says on Ala. Public Radio;
- RESEARCH FINDING: Differing teacher prep paths make no difference for students;
- Pre-K gets strong bipartisan support in Ala., poll says;
- BLOG: Recruiting talented teachers – idealism vs. pragmatism.
State School Board Highlights:Educator effectiveness, innovation schools get bipartisan approval
The State Board of Education initiated a process Thursday that could connect student achievement data to teacher evaluations for the first time in Alabama.
The Educator Effectiveness resolution starts a process to determine how best to add a quantitative, objective measure to educator evaluations. The resolution requires that multiple measures of student achievement be used.
The board also approved creation of Innovation School Systems, which will have freedom from certain restrictions in exchange for greater accountability.
Both resolutions, approved on a 5-4 vote, will be included as part of the state’s application for the federal Race To The Top grant.
Related Montgomery Advertiser article: “AEA pulls its support from Race to the Top“
No silver bullets in education reform, Novak says on Ala. Public Radio
When Alabama Public Radio wanted expert commentary on education issues in the governor’s race, the station turned to A+ President Caroline Novak.
Novak suggested a couple of key points that it is important for public officials and voters to consider:
1—There are no silver bullets. No one “fix” will get us where we need to go.
2—We must make sure more students graduate with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in work and college.
Listen to the 4-minute interview.
Research Finding:
Differing teacher prep pathways make no difference for students, panel says
No one route to becoming a teacher stands out as being best for students, according to a new National Research Council report.
This means that there’s no research-based reason to think that alternatively certified teachers are better or worse than their traditionally certified colleagues.
“We’ve looked at the best available evidence, and the evidence suggest that there are not significant differences,” the panel’s chair told Education Week.
Pre-K gets strong bipartisan support in Ala., poll says
7 in 10 Alabama voters support state funding of voluntary pre-kindergarten for all families, a new poll reports.
The support, according to the poll, was strong across the board. Alabama voters of all ages, political affiliations and incomes agree the state should fund pre-kindergarten programs. This is true of both men and women, of parents and non-parents, and of Alabamians in cities, towns and rural communities across the state.
The poll was conducted jointly by Democratic pollster Hart Research Associates and Republican pollster The Tarrance Group on behalf of the Alabama School Readiness Alliance.
From the Blog:
Recruiting Talented Teachers: Idealism vs. Pragmatism
As a rising college senior approaching the proverbial precipice that is the real world, I face a dilemma with which many young people find themselves wrestling. Do I follow my heart and reenter the classroom from the other side of the desk, or do I follow my head and climb the corporate ladder?
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