today's lesson: teaching evaluations based on student test scores

Today's post is based on this Wall Street Journal article about education. To be quite honest, I'm not sure how I feel about the matter. I think I will go ahead and argue both sides, just to weigh the pros and cons.
In a way, basing teacher evaluations on student test scores seems like a logical thing to do.
If teachers are doing their job and truly teaching their students, there is no reason the students should not be performing well on test scores. What teachers do in classrooms, whether they are being evaluated or not, should ultimately reveal itself at some point. And where other place will it be revealed than through the testing of the knowledge of their students? This system ensures that American students have the proper resources they need to succeed on tests. It ensures that they are being taught by adequate professionals whose job is to transfer knowledge. It ensures that students will most likely score on the ACT or SAT and be accepted to college. It ensures they are not wasting their time with teachers who do not know or care about the subject at hand.
On the flip side, the idea is absurd. What good is a student if all they can do is remember facts and regurgitate them on a test? Are those the kinds of individuals we want running our country someday? Or do we want students who have teachers that help them to think? To question. To criticize. To evaluate. To ponder.
As a country, we should want teachers who do not merely skim the surface of a broad range of subjects, but rather dig deep into one subject. Teachers have the capability to produce tiny student experts on any topic of their choice. It is possible. But it is not possible with increasing demands and pressures to test well.
We must also take into consideration that not all students are the best test takers. We must ask how much weight student performance would have on teacher evaluation. There are so many factors working against the accuracy of these results.
In the end, the decision should be made with all factors taken into account. It should be made with student's best interest at heart, as well as teachers. It should be made not by politicians, but by people who have actually stepped foot in a classroom within the last ten years. It should be made based on what is right and fair.

today's lesson: they can't be serious

New York schools are considering making fairly explicit sexual education conversations mandatory for their students. They worry students are getting enough sex education from their parents and are beginning to feel that it is there place to take care of that. 

Where do you draw the line in these situations?

It is a difficult call, but in my opinion, New York has got it all wrong. There is absolutely a time and place for basic sex education in schools. There is always a reason to encourage abstinence. But, like Hannity says in this video, if they aren't even learning to read and write properly, why should we teach them about oral sex with braces? That is absurd! 

Parents have a responsibility to educate their children and encourage them to practice abstinence, safe sex, whatever their standard may be. However, when parents don't take care of these needs at home, it does become the school's responsibility. Children need to learn these things if they are expected to function properly in such a chaotic world. BUT, what they learn, at what age, and how explicit the material may be is indeed up to the parents and families of the children. Subject such as bestiality, oral sex, etc. should never and I do mean never be mentioned in a formal public education setting.

I find it hard to believe that New York will figure out a way to mandate these teachings in public schools. There is simply too much working against them for that to take place. They should probably just go ahead and focus on getting those SAT scores up for now.

today's lesson: are charter schools up to par?

There is much debate surrounding the expansion of charter schools in our country. In fact, they seem to be a topic of interest for educators, administrators, and politicians alike.

An article by Monica Rhor pointed out the a few key characteristics of charter schools for Latino students, such as free and reduced lunch prices, more hands on interaction, and what they call "highly qualified" teachers. Madison School District Superintendent, Geoff Thomas expressed his opinions in a seminar at BYU-I about how charter schools are detrimental to the public education system. President Obama is encouraging Americans to embrace charter schools and use the close teacher-student interaction as a way to advance education so that our students can compete with the rest of the world.

With so many opinions muddling the statistics, one has to wonder if charter schools are indeed helping or hindering the education system in America. Below are a few interesting results from The Center of Education Reform's 2010 annual survey of charter schools.

•  Less than 12% of  charter schools adhere to union contracts. Fifty-four percent are moving toward paying teachers based on their performance.
• Charter schools receive nearly 30% less funding than public schools in general.
• The demand for charter schools is increasing yearly, according to longer and longer waiting lists for each school.
• Finding adequate facilities seems to be the largest hurdle to overcome in opening new charter schools across the United States.
• Students at charter schools must be chosen by a lottery, thus eliminating the constant debate that only the best and brightest students are chosen to attend.
• Almost 11,000 students attend charter schools in Idaho alone.
• However, 3 charter schools were shut down in Idaho in 2010.
• Charter schools almost always have more instructional time with students than public schools because decisions are made at the school level and not always the state level.

At BYU-Idaho's Pre-Professional Conference last week in Rexburg, Idaho, Geoff Thomas stated that the majority of charter schools are performing at lower levels than public schools. He feels that much of the motivation behind starting a charter school is the amount of funds it receives for such a small number of students and teachers.

What are we to do about the controversy? Follow President Obama's encouragement in 2009 to push for more charter schools and longer school days? Or should we embrace the public school system and strengthen teaching and learning in that way? The decision is ours as future leaders of classrooms and school districts. Educate yourself on the issue and stand your ground.

today's lesson: what Steve Jobs did for education

To many, he was the apple guy. The iPod master. The mastermind behind all great typography. However, to educators, Steve Jobs was a pioneer in educational technology. Apple's marketing to K-12 schools began in the 80s, and teachers and students alike have embraced it's simplicity and ease of access. There is hardly a college classroom today that does not run on some kind of technological base. Clearly, that influence is dribbling down into high school, middle school, and even elementary school classrooms. It is hard to resist the fast-paced learning that can result in knowledge of subject matter, as well as advances in knowledge of technology. Steve Job's influence has helped students of all ages become more marketable in an ever-increasing competitive workplace.

That is not all Steve Jobs did for education, though. His persona alone was enough to inspire many students in his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University. In it, he discussed his shortcomings, his failure to graduate from college, his desperation to learn. He began attending college classes and sleeping on the floors of his friends dorm rooms just so he could gain knowledge. Not degrees. Not grades. Knowledge. Eventually, what started out as a two-man business in a garage grew into a multi-billion dollar corporation. He closed his speech with four words of advice to the graduates and to students worldwide:

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. Your influence will be felt for generations to come.
For another article on how Steve Jobs influenced education, click here.