/value-added-measures Value-Added Measures en-US 2021 (c) °ÄÃÅÅܹ·ÂÛ̳ Wed, 22 Mar 2017 18:44:35 GMT /leadership/william-sanders-pioneer-of-the-value-added-model-for-evaluating-teachers-dies/2017/03 Sanders believed that teachers had the biggest impact on student learning, more so than family life, socioeconomic status, or ethnicity—a position that has been widely contended. Wed, 22 Mar 2017 18:44:35 GMT /leadership/william-sanders-pioneer-of-the-value-added-model-for-evaluating-teachers-dies/2017/03 /teaching-learning/teachers-give-evaluation-systems-low-ratings-survey-finds/2016/04 A majority of teachers say evaluation systems based on student test scores have deteriorated their relationships with parents, students, administrators and other teachers, according to a new survey. Mon, 18 Apr 2016 19:50:00 GMT /teaching-learning/teachers-give-evaluation-systems-low-ratings-survey-finds/2016/04 /leadership/opinion-your-guide-to-effective-teaching-in-time-magazine/2015/07 It's important for educators to read widely, about common issues--with a kind of radar for books and articles written for general audiences that contain important nuggets of wisdom, related to schools and learning. Why? Because general audiences aren't reading your favorite teacher blogs or books on the Common Core. Education takes place in the middle--between research-based expertise and unexamined habit. Wed, 22 Jul 2015 02:30:21 GMT /leadership/opinion-your-guide-to-effective-teaching-in-time-magazine/2015/07 /leadership/opinion-releasing-virginias-teacher-evaluation-data-would-be-a-bad-idea/2015/03 Yesterday, the Washington Post reported on the Virginia lawsuit about releasing individual teacher evaluation data. Let's revisit what I wrote in 2010 about the L.A. Times reporting that data. Tue, 17 Mar 2015 12:00:00 GMT /leadership/opinion-releasing-virginias-teacher-evaluation-data-would-be-a-bad-idea/2015/03 /teaching-learning/study-suggests-using-poverty-as-a-factor-in-teacher-evaluation/2015/01 Researchers suggest comparing "similarly circumstanced" schools in order to fairly evaluate teachers. Mon, 26 Jan 2015 22:00:57 GMT /teaching-learning/study-suggests-using-poverty-as-a-factor-in-teacher-evaluation/2015/01 /teaching-learning/teacher-pay-starts-low-grows-slowly-is-generally-awful-report-says/2014/07 D.C. may be one of the best places for career teachers in search of high pay, a new report says, while South Dakota is unquestionably the worst. Thu, 24 Jul 2014 00:47:02 GMT /teaching-learning/teacher-pay-starts-low-grows-slowly-is-generally-awful-report-says/2014/07 /teaching-learning/tntp-presses-for-performance-pay-systems-for-teachers/2014/07 To bolster teacher quality, schools systems desperately need to institute variable pay structures that reward educators based on performance and challenging assignments, according to a report released this week by TNTP, a prominent nonprofit teacher-recruitment and policy organization. Fri, 18 Jul 2014 19:39:27 GMT /teaching-learning/tntp-presses-for-performance-pay-systems-for-teachers/2014/07 /teaching-learning/opinion-john-thompson-time-for-a-truce-in-the-battle-over-education/2014/06 I believe we must fight competition-driven, test-driven reform with all our power, but we must also be willing to offer and/or accept an olive branch. Fri, 20 Jun 2014 14:30:53 GMT /teaching-learning/opinion-john-thompson-time-for-a-truce-in-the-battle-over-education/2014/06 /teaching-learning/opinion-adam-bessie-retiring-the-bad-teacher-boogeyman/2014/06 In essence, the "bad teacher" is a not just a basic strawman, but a hologram, an insubstantial projection of whoever you want him to be, whatever you - or your child - perceives him to be. Mon, 16 Jun 2014 23:40:48 GMT /teaching-learning/opinion-adam-bessie-retiring-the-bad-teacher-boogeyman/2014/06 /policy-politics/opinion-vergara-decision-feeds-testing-and-teacher-turnover/2014/06 The Vergara decision feeds into our societal obsession with test scores, and propels us towards schools with even less stability, and higher turnover. Sat, 14 Jun 2014 17:04:34 GMT /policy-politics/opinion-vergara-decision-feeds-testing-and-teacher-turnover/2014/06 /technology/opinion-from-common-core-to-vergara-to-vam-gates-foundation-fingerprints-everywhere/2014/06 Someone in the mainstream media finally asked Bill Gates straight out what his role was regarding Common Core. What a concept! Wed, 11 Jun 2014 13:14:35 GMT /technology/opinion-from-common-core-to-vergara-to-vam-gates-foundation-fingerprints-everywhere/2014/06 /technology/opinion-john-thompson-corporate-reformers-race-to-the-moon-low-on-fuel/2014/06 It is up to the Gates Foundation to decide whether it defends its quest for a better bottle rocket to drive school reform, or to heed the research of independent scholars. Thu, 05 Jun 2014 23:23:32 GMT /technology/opinion-john-thompson-corporate-reformers-race-to-the-moon-low-on-fuel/2014/06 /teaching-learning/opinion-teacher-education-leaders-speak-out-tim-slekar-educators-must-be-advocates-for-the-needs-of-our-students/2014/05 There might be individual institutions and faculty pushing back but there is a need to organize these institutions and faculty. And this will be the challenge--how to organize the teacher education profession. Tue, 27 May 2014 13:48:03 GMT /teaching-learning/opinion-teacher-education-leaders-speak-out-tim-slekar-educators-must-be-advocates-for-the-needs-of-our-students/2014/05 /teaching-learning/opinion-teacher-education-leader-francisco-rios-edtpa-leads-schools-to-teach-to-the-test/2014/05 The most frustrating aspect of these new faster, easier but not always cheaper approaches to teacher education is that they seem to be freed from many of the regulations that are now being required of traditional teacher education programs in colleges of education. Mon, 26 May 2014 14:33:09 GMT /teaching-learning/opinion-teacher-education-leader-francisco-rios-edtpa-leads-schools-to-teach-to-the-test/2014/05 /leadership/opinion-teacher-education-leaders-speak-out-kevin-kumashiro-on-teacher-preparation-edtpa-and-reform/2014/05 This week, I am sharing interviews with several leaders of schools of education around the country, who have thoughts about these issues and more. First up is Kevin Kumashiro, Dean of the University of San Francisco's School of Education. Sun, 25 May 2014 13:43:45 GMT /leadership/opinion-teacher-education-leaders-speak-out-kevin-kumashiro-on-teacher-preparation-edtpa-and-reform/2014/05 /leadership/opinion-massachusetts-teachers-association-takes-on-high-stakes-tests-school-takeovers/2014/05 Activist rank-and-file movements are ramping up teachers unions' fight for justice, reason, and community solidarity by passing resolutions and winning offices across the country. Thu, 22 May 2014 14:45:36 GMT /leadership/opinion-massachusetts-teachers-association-takes-on-high-stakes-tests-school-takeovers/2014/05 /policy-politics/opinion-john-thompson-can-the-gates-foundation-learn/2014/05 Reformers once won a series of political victories, even as their educational theories were repeatedly defeated by realities in schools that are far more complex than anything they imagined. Mon, 05 May 2014 18:57:13 GMT /policy-politics/opinion-john-thompson-can-the-gates-foundation-learn/2014/05 /leadership/opinion-john-thompson-reviews-john-kuhns-fear-and-learning/2014/04 It was a Texan, Diane Ravitch, who rallied teachers when it seemed like public schooling was condemned to its Alamo. Now, it may be a Texan, John Kuhn, who points the way out of the educational civil war launched by data-driven reform. Thu, 10 Apr 2014 22:43:36 GMT /leadership/opinion-john-thompson-reviews-john-kuhns-fear-and-learning/2014/04 /policy-politics/opinion-john-thompson-legal-woes-growing-for-vam-based-teacher-evaluations/2014/03 Since teachers must basically prove that value-added terminations are based on an irrational use of the model, it is no surprise that the first suits include cases where teachers are held accountable for the test score growth of students who they did not have in class. Sun, 30 Mar 2014 16:06:01 GMT /policy-politics/opinion-john-thompson-legal-woes-growing-for-vam-based-teacher-evaluations/2014/03 /technology/opinion-bill-gates-on-the-record/2014/02 I am less interested in the praise that he will heap on the accomplished educators in the room than in what he has said and done in the past, when speaking to altogether different audiences. So like Marley's ghost on Christmas eve, I want to take us on a bit of a tour of the echoes of Gates' past Tue, 18 Feb 2014 18:12:54 GMT /technology/opinion-bill-gates-on-the-record/2014/02 /teaching-learning/opinion-john-thompson-vergara-show-trial-highlights-gates-foundation-snake-oil/2014/02 Vergara is a tragic distraction from the real problems facing our high-challenge schools, as well as the real reasons why it is difficult to staff high-poverty schools. Fri, 14 Feb 2014 03:57:53 GMT /teaching-learning/opinion-john-thompson-vergara-show-trial-highlights-gates-foundation-snake-oil/2014/02 /teaching-learning/opinion-are-corporate-education-reformers-like-young-earth-creationists/2014/02 In the spirit of the recent debate between science educator Bill Nye and creationist Ken Ham, let's take a look at the central points of belief for corporate education reform, and see if there is evidence. Mon, 10 Feb 2014 00:59:19 GMT /teaching-learning/opinion-are-corporate-education-reformers-like-young-earth-creationists/2014/02 /policy-politics/opinion-john-thompson-time-to-fact-check-the-reformers/2013/12 What if school reformers were open about their errors in fact and their misleading use of language? How would reformers fare if their facts were truly held up to scrutiny? Tue, 03 Dec 2013 14:44:08 GMT /policy-politics/opinion-john-thompson-time-to-fact-check-the-reformers/2013/12 /leadership/opinion-john-thompson-is-moving-strong-teachers-to-struggling-schools-a-viable-strategy/2013/11 The idea that financial incentives can improve teacher quality in an age of high-stakes testing is dead on arrival unless top teachers can produce gains in the tough schools that are comparable to gains in lower-poverty schools. Tue, 12 Nov 2013 15:49:06 GMT /leadership/opinion-john-thompson-is-moving-strong-teachers-to-struggling-schools-a-viable-strategy/2013/11 /leadership/report-teacher-evaluation-policies-becoming-increasingly-rigorous/2013/10 The Washington-based National Council on Teacher Quality released its annual report rounding up states' teacher-evaluation policies, which have become increasingly stringent over the last few years. Wed, 30 Oct 2013 19:48:59 GMT /leadership/report-teacher-evaluation-policies-becoming-increasingly-rigorous/2013/10 /teaching-learning/opinion-paul-horton-pseudo-democracy-duncan-double-dribbles-in-chicago/2013/10 I managed to calm down only when I began to recall that virtually none of what he said was true: graduation rates are at an all time high, Tue, 29 Oct 2013 00:32:45 GMT /teaching-learning/opinion-paul-horton-pseudo-democracy-duncan-double-dribbles-in-chicago/2013/10 /technology/opinion-john-thompson-michelle-rhees-dc-impact-value-added-system-drives-teachers-out/2013/10 It stands to reason that effective teachers who are "false positives," meaning that they were inaccurately categorized, will behave like their colleagues who are not effective. Both will leave the D.C. schools. Wed, 23 Oct 2013 20:01:43 GMT /technology/opinion-john-thompson-michelle-rhees-dc-impact-value-added-system-drives-teachers-out/2013/10 /teaching-learning/teacher-evaluation-fears-playing-out-in-new-york/2013/10 A Syracuse high school is serving as a case study for how apparent glitches in an evaluation system can affect teacher morale—and potentially jeopardize teachers' careers. Tue, 15 Oct 2013 19:30:32 GMT /teaching-learning/teacher-evaluation-fears-playing-out-in-new-york/2013/10 /policy-politics/opinion-john-thompson-gao-and-elaine-weiss-converge-on-harsh-appraisal-of-race-to-the-top/2013/09 how can educators attempt to comply with distractions like the RttT and still find the time and money necessary to implement more promising reforms? Fri, 20 Sep 2013 22:51:44 GMT /policy-politics/opinion-john-thompson-gao-and-elaine-weiss-converge-on-harsh-appraisal-of-race-to-the-top/2013/09 /technology/opinion-john-thompson-reviews-confessions-of-a-bad-teacher/2013/09 When Bill Gates or Arne Duncan tour a high-performing school that supposedly serves the "same" kids as failing neighborhood schools and proclaim, "Amazing!," do they really believe it? Sat, 14 Sep 2013 23:17:37 GMT /technology/opinion-john-thompson-reviews-confessions-of-a-bad-teacher/2013/09