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Saturday, June 15, 2013

Diane in the Evening 6-15-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:






The Problem with Teacher Evaluation

Michael Weston of Hillsborough County, Florida, explains what is wrong with teacher evaluation:
“Of course we use the Danielson rubric in Hillsborough County Fl, where it forms one of the three pillars of the Gates funded “Empowering Effective Teachers”. The second pillar is value-added, the third is duplicity / deception.
Quite frankly, whether Charlotte is spelled Charlatan, whether her rubric is valuable or trash, whether her resume is padded…..none of this matters to me. What matters is what it is being used for. Teacher evaluation. Not a 

Carol Burris Reviews John King’s Evaluation Plan and Finds It Wanting

Principal Carol Bussis of South Side High School in Rockville Center, Long Island, spent her Saturday analyzing State Education Commissioner John King’s Educator Evaluation plan. Here is her review:
“When I took a look at the details of the plan imposed by Commissioner King on NYC, I was taken aback. The first thing I noticed was how low the points in the Effective range in the final 60 (other measures) were. These are the points assigned by the principal according to the rubric. I could not understand how the points in the Effective range could be as low as 45. A teacher could be rated effective in the first component, with a growth score of 9 points, effective in the second component the local measure with a score of 9 points and receive 45 points in the 

Do Low-Income Parents Want Charters or Great Public Schools?

Katie Osgood refers obliquely here to the famous John Dewey quote that what the best and wisest parent wants for his children is what we should want for all children:
“Here is the fundamental question: If low-income parents were offered fully-funded neighborhood schools with all kinds of “choice” offered within the schools like arts, music, sports, technology, supplemental services, libraries, world language, special education services, small classes, experienced/stable staff with low-turnover, etc (like 

RRatto on Teacher Evaluation

I agree with the following comment by RRatto. If checklists for teacher evaluation were so great, how come they are never used in the nation’s elite private schools? They are a remnant of factory thinking, and unworthy of any profession. Checklists are great for auto mechanics and home builders. They are distinctly non-professional.
RRatto writes:
“anyone who claims they know how to measure a teacher’s effectiveness is f

Alan Singer: Who Is Charlotte Danielson?

Charlotte Danielson is the leading guru of teacher evaluation. Alan Singer asks who she is, what is her background, and why will so many teachers be evaluated by her rubric.

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-15-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 minute ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Newark: The End of Neighborhood Schools by dianerav Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson has proposed the end of neighborhood schools. All district schools and charter schools will be part of a pool. Or something. Reformers don’t like neighborhood schools. They like a free market where everyone chooses and no one has any loyalties. Michigan has boils he’d district lines and schools advertise for students. This is the business approach. Typically, what happens is that... more »