Arne Duncan stresses teacher quality

Anybody in Florida who thinks improving teacher quality is important – and not some kind of code speak for “teacher bashing” – just got some cover from President Barack Obama’s education secretary.

In his big speech last week – which didn’t get near enough ink (did a word of it run anywhere in Florida?) – Arne Duncan offered frank talk on the subject, which he says is one of the four “core reforms” for bettering American schools. Here's a sampler:

“We created seniority rules that protect teachers from arbitrary and capricious management – and that’s a good goal. But sometimes those rules place teachers in schools and communities where they won’t succeed – and that’s wrong.”

“We created tenure rules to make sure that a struggling teacher gets a fair opportunity to improve – and that’s a good goal. But when an ineffective teacher gets a chance to improve and doesn’t – and when the tenure system keeps that teacher in the classroom anyway – then the system is protecting jobs rather than children.”

“I understand that tests are far from perfect and that it is unfair to reduce the complex, nuanced work of teaching to a simple multiple choice exam. Test scores alone should never drive evaluation, compensation or tenure decisions. That would never make sense. But to remove student achievement entirely from evaluation is illogical and indefensible.”

“It’s time we all admit that just as our testing system is deeply flawed – so is our teacher evaluation system – and the losers are not just the children. When great teachers are unrecognized and unrewarded – when struggling teachers are unsupported – and when failing teachers are unaddressed – the teaching profession is damaged.”

(Photo from ed.gov)

Ron Matus, state education reporter

Comments

[Teacher with Morals]

It's bad enough that many families and their kids aren't motivated to "Believe, Achieve, & Succeed" in academics and in life. Moreover, our society doesn't need teachers and education professionals to purposely give grade promotions to kids, who did not invest effort and time into their schoolwork. These same kids are repeatedly given grade promotions without merit until reality hits them when they enter the real world. By then, the support and skills they need for survival are scarce, if not extinct. On this note,PLEASE STOP GIVING STUDENTS GRADE PROMOTIONS WITHOUT MERIT because most likely they will end up on welfare,on drugs and/or alcohol,robbing hardworking people, stealing identities,become ineffective parents and ultimately die without reason or become another jail inmate.

If you entered the teaching profession, regardless if you hold an instructional or non-instructional position, you have a moral obligation to help kids succeed the respectable way. If you continue to ignore your moral duties, then understand that you are contributing to the problem of our society having to live in constant fear of being victimized in more ways than one.

Besides my active involvement in the education of "at-risk" kids, I can only hope and pray that people stop their selfish ways and realize that they are doing more damage than good by not having morals.

Remember the result of everything you do and say will come back to you, whether it is bad or good. It will effect not only you but everyone and everything in your life.

[Pasco Teacher]

I believe the bottom line is this: one cannot accurately evaluate teachers by administering tests to their students. Some teachers have lots of students who don't come to school much, don't care about learning, want to sleep in class, etc. Other teachers may have a higher proportion of motivated students. And how do you evaluate phys ed teachers, drama teachers, band teachers, etc., with standardized testing? I think it is well known at each school who the best and worst teachers are -- well known to the teachers, the administration, and even the students. But there is probably not an objective way to rate the quality of a teacher that would be accepted by the teachers' union.

[diann]

It's a give and take situation. They want everything but refuse to give anything. If you want the best then you pay for it. Give us the tools and environment we need to get the job done right. Reform = no money and because they are not getting the results they want - the fall guy is, you guessed it, the teachers. The DOE, FDOE and districts are not going to admit they are to blame, no, the teachers are the lowest on the totem pole and all the blame lands on them. Teachers in the northern states are well paid and well respected and offer a solid quality education as research depicts. Maybe they should be used as a model. Florida is one of the worse states for teacher satisfaction. One wonders how our educational system became so pathetic.

[terminator]

Duncan's speech only goes to illustrate the Obama Administration has no more education policy goals than the Bush Administration did.

Let's face the facts guys. The US Constitution gives all the public education powers to the states under the "reserved powers" amendment.

The Florida Constitution gives all the public education powers to the school districts/school boards.

NCLB is a joke and a toothless tiger. The sanctions for not meeting AYP are weak at best and there are no real consequences for struggling schools/dsitricts.

The state sanctions are just as weak. See the previous article about differentiated accountability and how it would take the state FOUR YEARS to close down a perenial F school. And still it's never been done!

It's all a bunch of hot air. If these guys were fertilizer salesmen they'd be multi-millionaires by now.

[Public Ed]

Hold administrators accountable for not doing their jobs of properly evaluating teachers and taking the appropriate steps to help struggling teachers improve. Dismantling the so-called "tenure system" is not the answer, and it does not protect "Bad Teachers," it does provide "Due Process" which is a needed step in the process!!!

[Ed]

Amen HS Teach! And don't compare us to other nations that don't educate everyone as we do!

[HS Teach]

Treat me lilke the professional you say you want in the classroom. Do I need a school board to set policy on how I motivate kids to do their best? (See Hernando Co No-Zero idea). The time teachers spend planning is directly related to the quality of the lesson prepared......and yet we continue to see a loss in planning time.
What other "industry" expects a "quality product" regardless of the "quality" of raw materials? It's easy to blame the teachers.....but that doesn't make it right!

[Teacher]

Hold me accountable for something I have control over. I cannot force students to study. I cannot force parents to make sure their kids do homework. I am all for accountability. However, I don't think it's fair to judge one person on the behavior of an entirely different person.

[Quality, Tenured Teacher in Pasco]

Amen.