David Cohen
Dec 20, 2012

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David B. Cohen

Looking ahead to the next legislative session, it appears probable we'll take a replay of some of the education policy debates of 2012. Here are my recommendations for how the Legislature might avoid pitfalls and advance positive changes in teaching policy next year.

First, do no harm.In the proper name of accountability, some legislators will be tempted to make laws that increase pressure on schools and teachers. We all want better results from the public school organisation, but "go-tough" measures dropped on an already overstressed system and workforce won't go u.s.a. there. Over a flow of years when communities, families and students have experienced greater demand for support, we've dramatically decreased the chapters of schools to serve these needs. This is non the time to rally effectually an adversarial approach to school improvement or teaching quality.

Focus evaluations on professional development. Teacher evaluations take become a favorite topic of education reform. If legislators want to support better teaching through evaluations, it is vital they see evaluation as a process integral to professional development and growth rather than as tool for supervision and quality command. I have already advocated for what I think would be a rational, progressive, consensus-driven approach: surrender on exam scores and build on everything else where compromise and agreements are well within accomplish.

Table the "value-added" fight. It is reasonable to engage in a substantive give-and-take of how improve evidence of educatee learning could be meaningfully incorporated into teacher evaluations aimed at improving instruction. But information technology is unreasonable to look teachers to take evaluations based on invalid and unreliable use of student exam data – especially when those assessments, which are now being developed for the new Common Core standards, take not yet been seen or piloted in schools. This part of the debate needs to be suspended.

Build capacity. Such a refocusing and expansion of evaluation activity volition require increasing the capacity of schools and districts to engage in the work. Both the volume of the work and our ability to do it well can be addressed through a focus on improving the teaching profession. The land's Educator Excellence Task Force issued recommendations back in September 2012, many of which are aligned with suggestions generated past Accomplished California Teachers (Human action) in our report on instructor compensation and career pathways. In short, if the Legislature wants proactive ways of promoting instruction quality without doing any harm, these two reports offer suggestions for expanding the roles and responsibilities of teachers to better schools and promote amend teaching practices.

There's no single, best way for a land as large and various as California to pursue this agenda. Solutions for our largest urban unified districts and smaller rural districts, elementary districts or high school districts will all crave local flexibility. Nonetheless, there are enough of examples of innovative and effective schoolhouse reforms that depend upon and promote teacher leadership. Here are a few:

  • In Poway Unified and San Juan Unified, qualified teachers come out of the classroom for multiyear assignments as peer evaluators for new teachers and teachers needing extra support. Detailed observations and documented research accept shown these practices improve instructor evaluation and promote better labor-management relations.
  • Many schools and districts have used National Board Certification as a schoolhouse improvement and professional development strategy, in some cases producing dramatic results. Multiple large-calibration studies have also plant that National Lath Certified Teachers are more constructive on average.
  • San Mateo Union High School District has handed over professional development planning and activities to professional learning communities under the direction of teachers with function-time assignments as leaders of that work.
  • Twin Rivers Unified School District, in partnership with CTA and UC Davis, has developed Algebra Success Academy, a math program that depends on teachers taking on additional responsibilities in preparation each other and administering a programme in multiple schools.

Expanding the capacity of teacher leaders to take on critical piece of work outside the classroom will go along good teachers in schools, relieve some of the excessive burdens on our overworked administrators, and ensure that classroom perspectives inform policy implementation.

This final point is essential for California if we are to manage a successful transition to the Mutual Core standards. It should be an obvious management strategy to brand sure that the people doing the work sympathize information technology, buy into it, and have the opportunity to improve information technology along the way. Setting bated some legitimate concerns nigh whether or not the Mutual Core standards are the right policy for California's students, I'd argue that Common Core advocates' only hope for success is to put as much of the work every bit possible in the easily of teachers. Forth with that, it is essential to ensure that teachers accept the resource and flexibility commensurate with the accountability policymakers will expect.

The ACT report on teacher career pathways goes so far every bit to suggest that the state examine means to create a third-tier instructor license. Currently, teachers have a couple years in probationary status, and then if they go on to teach, it's more often than not with the designation "permanent status" (or colloquially, "tenure"). From that indicate on, the instructor career trajectory is rather flat, drawing many teacher leaders out of the classroom. But equally our colleagues in the Bay Area New Millennium Initiative betoken out, the teaching profession needs to develop "Many Means Up; No Reason to Motility Out." With the creation of a third-tier license, California could establish high standards and formal roles for teacher every bit leaders in schools and districts, without precipitating these teachers' consummate departure from the classroom.

The Legislature can support the long-term improvement of pedagogy by working with the State Board of Education and relevant agencies to study various proposals, review existing models, support pilot programs, and pave the way for a gradual and necessary modernization of the education profession.

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David B. Cohen is associate director of Accomplished California Teachers, and a National Board Certified Instructor currently didactics English role-time at Palo Alto High School. He writes an educational activity blog at InterACT.

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