Mike Archer

School year begins under a cloud of official dishonesty

2011-08-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

"The system will crunch FCAT data while taking into account factors outside a teacher's control, such as a student's absentee rate."

This lie, or something like it, has been repeated in newspaper, radio, and TV stories across the state as mainstream media reports how Florida will use FCAT scores to evaluate teachers.

It's a lie because there is no way you can take into account the factors outside an educator's control that influence FCAT scores. There are far too many, such as health, early education, home support, naturally varying rates of growth, nutrition, family income, motivation, and on and on.

You might as well try to evaluate dentists by cavities. Whether patients brush their teeth or not, it's the dentist's fault if a cavity occurs. You might as well evaluate doctors using recoveries. Whether patients take their medicine or not, it's the doctor's fault if they don't get well. You might as well evaluate attorneys by wins and losses. Even if the client gets caught lying on the witness stand, it's the lawyer's fault if the jury says guilty.

Teachers cannot control every aspect of a child's life that contributes to academic performance. It is a ridiculous expectation.

This is why assessment experts condemn the practice of using test scores to evaluate teachers, principals, and schools. It is a completely invalid practice that is done for purely political reasons.

The mainstream news media in Florida has failed to explain this, so the Legislature's disinformation campaign calling for teachers to be held "accountable" for test scores goes unchallenged.

But wait. Shouldn't we hold teachers accountable?

Yes, but using a bad evaluation system based on test scores does not get that job done. Based on any one group of students and all the factors that shape them, a good teacher's scores can look bad and a bad teacher's scores can look good.

A child can be three or four grade levels behind in reading proficiency, for instance, and the teacher is expected to bring that child up to speed in less than a year - even though the factors that contribute to the problem are completely out of the teacher's control.

The politicians who passed this idiotic law knew full well it would not work. The reason they keep making tests holy is simple and has nothing to do with learning - every test represents a juicy state contract for their friends in the test business. FCAT alone costs $40 million per year. What a racket.

So, how should we evaluate teachers? This job can be more accurately done without the costly test-score gimmick. All it takes is good faith and the standard tools of personnel management. Most school principals are decent, honest, intelligent people with very sound judgment. Let them do their jobs without political meddling. Unlike politicians, they have spent time in classrooms and know learning when they see it.

If we left the principals alone and trusted them to do their jobs, the evaluations would be more meaningful and the additional cost would be next to nothing.

Good work has been done this summer to deepen observations and improve the formal evaluations done by school principals. Unfortunately those good efforts only count for only half the evaluation - with unreliable, inaccurate test scores counting for the remaining half.

But wait. Shouldn't students be tested to see what they learned?

Yes of course. Testing itself is not the issue. Tests are very valuable if you use them intelligently for the right reasons - to diagnose students and help them learn.

Florida education law and the Race to the Top federal education grant both work against that goal. State and federal government require the use of high-stakes testing to punish students, teachers, principals, and schools by threatening job security and imposing dictatorial rule by the clipboard people, state bureaucrats more interested in checklists than scholarship.

In addition to misjudging teachers, the state-sanctioned testing frenzy creates two more serious problems.

First, cheating scandals erupt as pressure to succeed builds to a do-or-die atmosphere. Scandals center on major school districts like Atlanta, Baltimore and Washington, DC where school chiefs are targeted by so-called school reformers to produce better grades to save budgets and careers. The high-stakes atmosphere creates an incentive to win at any cost, and it will soon be felt throughout Florida as new state laws take effect.

Second, instead of allowing an intelligent approach to testing, the high-stakes testing frenzy causes schools to narrow the curriculum, dropping electives students need to succeed in college and careers.

Schools cannot afford rigorous academic and career programs any more because they must add test-prep courses and activities that have now become a matter of survival.

How did all this happen? Because politicians who set education policy refuse to listen to actual educators.
Everything they do for schools has one purpose and one purpose only - to re-route public education dollars into private hands.

Politicians want people to think they care about education when in fact they are cutting school budgets, causing layoffs, and at the same time giving massive tax breaks to the wealthy backers who fund their campaigns.

They call these millionaires and billionaires "job creators" but the jobs rarely materialize. Mostly, the cash gifts from Tallahassee and Washington just fatten the wallets of the rich, and stimulate other forms of investment besides new jobs. They sure haven't done much for Florida's working families.

As a grandparent, I am outraged that the leadership of my state and country would adopt such an unethical agenda.

As a teacher, I am disgusted with state and federal politicians who pretend to care about public education while doing everything in their power to tear it down and pave the way for privatization.

As a taxpayer, I am fed up with Florida's phony economic policy. Research and history clearly show that one excellent way to build a stronger economy is to invest in education, rather than cut it to shreds, as Florida does. Well-supported schools lure business. Underfunded schools drive jobs away.

Teaching in Florida is like doing charity work or missionary work in a hostile country, where corrupt leaders attack you and steal the food and medicine so they can profit from it. You're there to make a difference, though, and no matter what's going on you still have to try to get this food and medicine to people who really need it.

Parents, teachers and school principals face similar challenges. As Florida's legislative leaders and governor attack schools and use their power to re-route public resources to their private cronies, parents and educators must do all we can to deliver the learning that students need to succeed in life. If we don't educate these young people, nobody else will.

I keep this in mind every day I teach. No matter what the politicians try to pull, no matter how much they denigrate schools and cut the resources, I stay focused on students. Their potential for success motivates me, as it does their parents. I applaud and encourage families that provide a solid learning environment at home. We're in this together.

I am a nationally certified teacher. I typically work 60 hours a week during the school year for far less pay than I earned in the private sector. In their bid to weaken public education, Florida politicians cut teacher pay this year. They are hoping good teachers will get fed up and quit. This puts even more pressure on school district leaders and principals to keep motivation from falling through the floor.

I happily undertake a heavy training schedule - mostly unpaid - every summer. Long hours, low pay, and busy summers are common for many teachers.

Whenever I hear people say teaching is a cush job, I invite them to see if they could handle it.

I have been a writer, newspaper editor, and news service exec. While these jobs were very demanding, and while I am something of a workaholic, teaching is the most demanding job I have ever done. The washout rate is 50 percent in the first five years, mostly due to low pay and tough working conditions.

All this doesn't phase me. I have worked hard all my life. The teachers I know work hard, too.

But hard work alone is not enough.

If parents and educators don't also work smart, and unite to dump the lousy leadership in Tallahassee while changing the dysfunctional education policy in Washington, the future of public education looks dim.

Public schools paved a path out of poverty for many generations of Americans and provided a foundation for successful people in all careers. Public schools teach young citizens how to keep growing for the rest of their lives.

It's true that this school year begins under a cloud of official dishonesty from Tallahassee and Washington. But it doesn't help to focus on the past. Instead, let's team up and engage in the political process to ensure that our children and grandchildren will have their opportunity for a decent education.

Calling every parent, every grandparent, every educator - if we don't unite now, it will be too late to save our schools.

Say no to the Florida education bills

2011-03-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

The Florida Legislature is trying to make schools better because, compared to schools around the world, our schools lag behind.

You heard about this.

We need more testing, says the Florida legislature. And we need to use test scores to evaluate teachers and principals.

Sounds reasonable. Don't you think?

Let’s see.

When politicians and school critics say our schools lag behind, they’re talking about our PISA score. PISA is The Programme for International Student Assessment. Test scores from 5-10 thousand students in participating countries are compared.

When PISA scores were released, education "reformers” raised an alarm because it appeared that the US lagged behind other countries.

Of course it appeared that way. They were misreading the data, comparing our poorest students to their middle. When you look at the same data and compare apples to apples, guess who is No. 1 on the PISA?

The United States. We are ahead of Finland, Netherlands, Japan – all of them.

THE MOTIVE FOR TESTING

So if our schools are not lagging behind, but actually leading the world, let’s revisit the motive for the Florida Legislature’s effort to “reform” schools.

The “reform” bills under way in the House and Senate require more high-stakes tests to cover all those subjects not covered by FCAT.

Who develops these tests? How will they be validated? How will they be administered? How will they be graded?

If you are concerned about taxes, you might want to turn the radar on.

Wait. How much could one little test cost?

In the case of FCAT, about $40 million per year since 2002.

And now they want to add more testing at a time when the Gov. is talking about slashing school funds by $3 billion?

The Florida Legislature is rushing these “reform” bills through because backers don’t want anyone to know the impact.

These bills are basically welfare for test companies. Who pays? Florida’s regressive tax structure means the tax burden for these extra costs will fall heaviest on the poor and middle class.

Let me give you just one example of how that $40 million gets wasted every year.

How much could it cost to oversee children taking a test? How complicated could that be? Don’t you just tell the kids to pick up a pencil and get started? Then make sure nobody cheats?

That’s what teachers used to do. Not any more.

Recently for FCAT Writes we followed a 114-page instruction manual with a color cover, graphic illustrations of how to prepare the test for mailing (including a diagram that explains how to pack the box), CYA language that covers every possible problem imaginable on test day, and a step-by-step script that tells the students how to write their names and record special codes in just the right places. A long list of instructions merely repeat the obvious, such as when to start, when to stop, and when 10 minutes are left.

The manual even has tear-out pages that announce what everybody already knows - we are taking FCAT today. This manual is so poorly designed and hard to understand that we had to meet twice just to untangle it.

These test instructions could have been better handled in a 1-page email, free. Teachers could have put up their own signs. Teachers could have simply handed out the test, told the kids when to start, and when to stop. It’s just not that difficult to give a test. We do it all the time and don’t spend a dime.

Instead taxpayers paid for this 114-page boondoggle to be sent to every teacher in the state who gave the FCAT. I’d love to know how much that cost and where our tax money ended up. Maybe you can tell me. The only publication ID on the booklet was FL00002520 and 12345ABCDE.

Taxpayers, are you beginning to get the picture? $40 million a year? Really?

THE IMPACT ON LEARNING

Now, for people who care about the impact of these bills on students, please turn your radar on.

Backers of these bills don’t want parents to know how learning time will become testing time, adding days when children are forced to take even more tests.

The “reformers” don’t seem to care that these tests are abusive to students.

Go see for yourself. Check out the plastic buckets in elementary school on test day. Listen to third-graders sobbing in fear the night before the test. Talk to the mom of a successful third grader who barely missed passing and now can’t be with her classmates anymore. Talk to a high school senior with passing grades and a solid work ethic who now can’t get a high school diploma.

But don’t these tests put healthy pressure on students to study harder and learn more?

Hardly. Take FCAT Writes, for instance. It is academically unsound, based on a false premise. It tells students to write persuasive or expository essays on the fly. In the world after school, these types of essays are normally written after careful research, so they can be founded on solid reasoning. With FCAT Writes there is no research. The kids have to pull the evidence out of …. the air. They do. The writing shows it.

It’s fair to ask if the main impact of this test hasn’t been to train students to invent or exaggerate their evidence. I wrote and edited persuasive essays for most of my working life. When I came to understand the pernicious nature of FCAT Writes, my heart sank. What a disservice to students – testing them on how well they shoot bunk. Once students pass FCAT Writes, they must learn how to write for college, which means unlearning the FCAT method for handling evidence.

This is where we’re going in Florida. We’re not only harming children and schools, we’re wasting millions of tax dollars to do it.

Despite all this, the Florida Legislature plans to forcefeed students with even more high-stress testing. Every dollar wasted on this unsound practice is a dollar that should be going for books, science labs, writing labs, field trips, fine arts, decent technology, and courses students need to succeed in life, such as Internet Research and Information Literacy – courses we are still not offering because schools have been forced to become test-prep centers.

THE IMPACT ON TEACHING

Here’s another malicious component of this bill. It is based on a known falsehood – that these high-stress tests are a good way to evaluate teachers and principals.

Education scientists are howling in protest about this. Why? Because when you use tests to judge teachers and principals, the random error rates render the conclusions useless. Research tells us there are many outside factors and conditions that influence test scores – poverty chief among them. But the backers of these bills don’t seem to care what the research says. Their goal is to generate revenue for test companies.

Politicians have no intention of airing the truth about what they call “teacher tenure,” either. They constantly complain about teachers having tenure similar to that of college professors, but teachers have nothing like it. They merely have an ongoing contract that gives them a chance to fix a performance problem before they get fired - not that different than the job protection system used by ethical companies.

But even a little job protection is too much, says this bill. In the future, even the most skilled and experienced teachers will work from year to year, in a kind of perpetual probation. Excellent teachers can be fired on a whim. Excellent teachers can be fired using test scores that they had little or nothing to do with.

Which leads us to the next manipulative lie from Tallahassee. It goes like this: We can’t get rid of a bad teacher and the proof is that so few teachers get fired.

Nonsense. Any teacher can be fired. All you have to do is first give that teacher a fair chance to do better.

Why then don’t teachers get fired more often? Same reason hospital doctors, company lawyers, military officers, scientific researchers, and other professional workers don’t get fired that often. If they see that things are not working out, they leave on their own.

But does anybody actually do that? You bet they do, and that’s something else politicians don’t want you to know.

If you do it right, teaching is a rough job. The pressure can crush your spirit. The hours exhaust your health. Weekends get lost grading papers. Nights can be sleepless with worry. Even summer – the big perk everybody raves about – often gets filled up with jobs and training. Not everyone is cut out for this kind of stress.

So half of all new teachers quit within five years.

That’s right, half.

Who’s left? Those who can handle it. Those who can endure the working conditions.

What happens to those who don't understand the job, or those who were just looking for a safe ride and found themselves on a roller coaster?

Most of them are among the 50 percent who leave. Do a few boneheads slip by? Sure, the same way they do in any profession. That’s why existing rules provide ways for them to be removed.

But under this new plan, even the best teachers can be fired on a whim, or fired by the state-ordered misuse of data. This means taxpayers will fund another welfare program - new business for lawyers who handle wrongful termination cases.

Do we really want to throw the local school board attorney into a pit with Morgan and Morgan and expect the taxpayer to foot the bill? Don’t think so.

Most business execs are smart enough not to fire people on a whim. They understand that wrongful termination lawsuits not only waste time and money, but can cripple a company’s reputation with the very people they want most to hire. It’s hard enough to get the best teachers from other states to come to Florida now. Just wait. They will post warning signs on the state line.

CAUTION TEACHERS. YOU ARE NOW ENTERING FLORIDA.

Given the hostile workplace these new bills create, not only will legal hassles result, but teachers, already overstressed, will grow more cynical. They will see themselves as free agents with little loyalty to their school, their community, or the families they serve. If teachers know they could get fired for any cooked-up excuse, fewer of them will settle into a community. Fewer will buy houses. And more of them will keep looking for a more secure job somewhere else.

More teachers will teach to the test because that will be the only thing that matters in Florida anymore, and that will be the only way to get paid. More teachers will become competitive rather than collaborative, keeping their best ideas to themselves because they don’t want the teacher down the hall getting higher scores.

And if teachers feel mistreated, they won’t vent their frustrations in a heart-to-heart chat with the union rep who quietly gets them back on track. Instead, they will hire a sharp attorney who knows how to push up the settlement.

The smarter these teachers are, the better they are, the faster they will get out of here to someplace that offers normal job protection.

LAST CHANCE

Under these education bills, taxpayers will pay for more and more testing. Those wasted dollars will end up feeding state contracts and CEO bonus checks.

Where will students end up? They will learn that success in school means learning how to take bubble tests. They will learn that critical thinking and solving real problems don’t matter anymore. Schooled under the Florida Legislature, every step of their academic lives micromanaged by the state, they will be lost when they hit the world.

Legislators need to hear from you right away. Please tell them to save tax dollars, guard students, and respect the teaching profession.

Say no to the education bills.

Jumping elephants

2010-11-11T17:15:00.000-08:00

Straight-ticket Republican voters who don’t happen to be wealthy may have jumped off a cliff on election day.

These middle-class Republican voters said yes to the corporate agenda of low wages, more hidden tax hikes on the middle class, more tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, and the possibility of state-sanctioned theft of pensions earned by people who worked many long years hoping to safely retire.

Corporate CEOs give cash to selected politicians because it's such a savvy investment for them - these politicians pass laws to lift the tax burden off corporations and onto the middle class. Back in the 1940s, corporations paid about a third of all taxes collected. Today they pay 15 percent. Meanwhile, the share of taxes paid by everyone else grew from 44 percent to 73 percent.

The corporate agenda keeps worker pay low as CEO salaries soar. The paychecks of chief execs zoomed upward by 434% during the 90s, and during that same period worker pay grew only 34 percent.

Like obedient serfs, voters keep following the corporate agenda, electing leaders backed by corporations. How can so many people be lured into voting against their own interests? About $3 billion rolled into the hands of commercial broadcasters for political ads in this election, with corporate-backed candidates outspending their rivals by a margin of 7 to 1.

The closest comparison I can find is the buffalo jump, when hunters of old cleverly killed buffalo by spooking them to run off a cliff. Today’s hunters spook elephants with broadcast ads funded by corporate money.

Even though corporations scored a big win, election-day brought some benefits.

To their great credit, jumping elephants helped pass the Fair Districts Amendments. Unless the Legislature concocts some way to sabotage it, politicians no longer get to cherry pick their voters. Instead, district lines must reflect reasonable, normal chunks of territory, such as city and county boundaries. Candidates can then focus on getting out and meeting people rather than spending so much on advertising. I think candidates from both parties will gain some relief there.

Jumping elephants also helped make sure Amendment 8, the Legislature’s attempt to undermine class-size limits, didn’t pass.

Backers of Amendment 8 touted it as a way to add some flexibility so that schools would not have to spend a fortune to accommodate a new student or two. Just before the election it was revealed that this argument was baseless. The costs can be trimmed back simply by adjusting the law. So all the scary talk – and the half a million of your money that the Legislature spent pushing Amendment 8 - was unnecessary.

Because Democrats took a savage beating, we know what's going to happen next. In two years they will be hot for revenge. Then we may see a donkey jump – hordes of straight-ticket voters blindly selecting anyone with a D by their name.

That could be equally self-destructive and equally disappointing.

Blindly jumping off a cliff makes no sense for anyone.

Republicans and Democrats alike need to settle down and ask themselves a question or two. They need to figure out who really benefits from all the fear, anger, and fighting that characterize elections today. Could it be that they have more in common than they think? Could the whole Republican-Democrat debate be nothing more than a smokescreen to hide massive crimes now being committed against all middle-class Americans?

The Wall Street criminals who stole Granny’s pension didn’t care how she voted. The corporate criminals who sent jobs overseas while sacking American workers didn’t look to see which party the workers belonged to. The banksters who grabbed the bailout and still won’t lend money to struggling families could care less about their victims’ political views. Predatory lenders kick Republican and Democrat families out of their homes with equal enthusiasm.

The leaders of both political parties share one common characteristic – they cannot stop corporate crime. Corporations now have more power than government. According to the Corporate Crime Reporter, "Corporate criminals are the only criminal class in the United States that have the power to define the laws under which they live."

Consider this quotation:

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. …corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.”

Now, can you identify the author?

a. Al Gore’s favorite philosophy professor

b. A protest leader speaking at his arraignment after being arrested at the 1999 World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle

c. A croissant-nibbling, latte-sipping Harvard economist

d. The nation's most famous, most respected Republican

To find the answer, please go here.

Frank Wood for Florida House

2010-10-28T18:44:00.001-07:00

Florida House candidate Frank Wood’s endorsement by Republican Frank Sargent, well-known and well-loved, was music to my nonpartisan ears.

My voter card over the years bore the stamp of the Republican, Independent, and Democratic parties. I disappointed party loyalists sometimes, but I always voted for the candidate, not the party.

In my political utopia, the state Legislature is half blue and half red because that’s about the only time those guys have to climb down and listen to regular people. Some people call it gridlock, I call it making them sweat.

Plus, when the parties are equally matched, they can’t do too much damage in any particular direction, which comforts me.

In good times, we don’t even need a state legislature. The best thing they can do then is go home. But Florida’s in an economic hole today. Good times seem like a distant memory.

Here’s where somebody like Frank Wood comes in.

Jobs. Most of us agree with Frank that government should not be in the business of adding more employees. I can think of some bureaucracies we could do without, and I’m sure you can as well. Instead, government can and should do all it can to stimulate job creation in the private sector where it belongs.

Florida sits there waiting for more business based on medical technology, alternative farming, niche farming, online communications, alternative energy, entertainment, the arts, green tourism, mass transit, hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, and camping.

Instead of using tax breaks aggressively to create these jobs and to build family business, the current team in Tallahassee gives away millions with little accountability. So we get a few low-paying or part-time jobs while profits go up and working families stay down. This happens when one party gets too powerful.

Frank Wood sends a much healthier signal to business: We will give you tax breaks. But you have to earn those breaks by putting people to work. Not in China. Not in India. Here.

The beauty of this simple economic truth is that first, more people will earn paychecks, and second, since they’re earning those paychecks here, they are also spending those paychecks here.

Frank has been a Republican as well as a Democrat. He knows that the link connecting economic prosperity to education is bigger than any political party’s platform. It’s simple economics.

Execs of prosperous companies are too smart to build or relocate in places like Florida where schools get neglected. Sure we have low taxes and that’s appealing. But without good schools forget it. Just about all you’re going to get is business with low pay, no or low benefits, and little job security. This weakens the economy and hurts working families.

Consider two points. First, a strong business needs smart, well-trained workers. Second, the execs want decent schools for their children, and the children of their employees.

Why then, has the ruling party cut school spending to the point where Florida is now one of the lowest, if not the lowest, in per-pupil spending among the 50 states?

Why then, did the ruling majority neglect public education so much that they were sued by parents of school children?

Why then, in just the last three years, did the ruling party cut kindergarten through high school by more than a billion bucks?

While it was busy slashing school spending, the Legislature could have been - should have been - investing in the economic potential of technology. More high school graduates today should know key subjects such as information literacy, connectivity, game creation, and web-based business. More high school graduates should be receiving vocational training in school, so they can be self-sufficient and productive.

Instead of learning what will help them make it in the world, though, these students waste time taking an endless series of fill-in-the-bubble tests ordered by bureaucrats in the Florida Department of Education, which currently suffers under the delusion that testing is teaching.

When it comes to basic issues like jobs and education – issues that affect all of us - it should not matter what party you belong to.

Frank and his opponent Larry Metz both seem to understand this very well. They deserve a round of applause for conducting clean, positive campaigns. Thanks to these gentlemen, we have a race that could set the tone for future campaigns in the region. They remind us that campaigns don’t have to be divisive and negative.

We’re all in this together. If the situation were reversed and Democrats controlled Tallahassee, misusing their power to the extent the Republicans now misuse theirs, I would argue just as strongly for balance in the other direction.

Yes, Florida’s got problems. But everyone in Lake, Seminole, and Volusia counties who votes for Frank Wood in House District 25 can be part of the solution.

To learn more about Frank: YouTube videos

What you may not have heard about Amendment 8

2010-09-30T18:53:00.000-07:00

Many parents and educators are receiving information from school districts and public officials about the requirements of the current class size amendment and the changes that have been proposed by the Legislature. The following has been approved by Ronald G. Meyer, Esq., FEA Legal Department, for distribution to FEA members and non-members at worksites and official school district functions.

8 Things You Should Know About the Proposed Changes to the Class Size Amendment

1. Every year since voters approved smaller class sizes in 2002, there has been an attempt by the Legislature to change it. Amendment 8 is the latest in a long line of these efforts.

2. The state PTA and parents and classroom teachers are opposed to changing the current class size amendment.

3. The current Class Size Amendment is working for Florida. Class sizes are smaller and student performance is on the rise. The changes that have been proposed by the Legislature would increase the number of students per classroom by an average of 20%.

4. The proponents of changing the current class size amendment say it will save $350 million to $1 billion. This could mean the amount of money the State is required to provide to local public schools will be reduced and public school classrooms will be allowed to become more crowded. We believe that our local school districts will receive less state funding to use for smaller class sizes.

5. Local school boards are not required to cut programs or raise taxes to comply with the original Class Size Amendment. In 2002, The Florida Supreme Court ruled that the current Class Size Amendment "places the obligation to ensure compliance on the Legislature, not the local school boards."

6. Many people do not know that flexibility in class size can be achieved through statute without changing the Florida Constitution. In 2002, the Florida Supreme Court said that, "Rather than restricting the Legislature, the proposed amendment gives the Legislature latitude in designing ways to reach the class size goal." In 2008, the Florida House agreed that amending the Constitution is not necessary and passed a bill allowing for flexibility in class size by statute. The Florida Senate allowed that bill to die. This year the Legislature again proved that they can provide the needed flexibility when they granted an exemption from class-size compliance to charter schools.

7. The current class size amendment does not require school districts to close school enrollment, rezone schools, bus students, or hold double sessions. The Florida Supreme Court has said that the class size limits are goals and that the Florida Legislature can provide the flexibility to deal with the so-called '19th child'.

8. The Legislature did not provide the funding it is constitutionally required to provide to implement smaller class sizes this year and is now threatening to fine the school districts for not complying. School districts across the state have already banded together to sue the Legislature if the State attempts to fine any school district for not meeting the class size goals because they know these fines would be found blatantly unconstitutional.

Thanks to LCEA President B Grassel for distributing this message. Please share it with others. Thank you.

Guest blogger: E.K. Emery

2010-09-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

Education leads the way
to economic recovery
By E.K. Emery
I am running for Lake County Commission because our future depends to a great extent on what path we travel today. We have a new Comprehensive Plan, intended to guide us as we evaluate proposals presented for approval. The new plan recognizes that land use decisions affect our economy and quality of life; specifically: transportation, utilities, public services, water resources, existing land uses, and education. It is critical that the plan be implemented, not ignored.

I began to be involved in issues in Lake County at a time when few recognized the need for co-ordination between land use changes and classroom construction. The Comprehensive Plan of 1991, which I had some involvement in, is silent on education issues. That plan is still in effect today, although the School Board and County Commission have built a framework of cooperation in an attempt to avoid the mistakes of the past.

I joined with other citizens to bring about some of the changes needed. In fact my daughter, a graduate of Eustis High School and now at UF, attended her first School Board meeting as a baby in my arms. It took intense lobbying and overwhelming citizen involvement to stop subdivision approvals until there was classroom space for the students. It has taken the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars to build the schools that were needed.

We fought hard to get schools built. We continue to fight to get everyone to recognize the importance of a high quality educational system to our economic competitiveness. The employees of the Lake School District are a major part of our economy, as well as a major part of our economic development strategy. There is virtually no way for us to attract new businesses to our community without an educated workforce. High quality businesses, capable of adding to our tax base, will not come to Lake County unless high quality schools are available for employees' children.

As a friend of many teachers, and a parent of two students, I realize that the great teachers my kids have had over the years consider their work more than just a job. But it is a job, and we used to offer some security in exchange for the relatively low salaries. I disagree with those that claim that job security is a great threat to teacher performance. I also disagree that a single test score measures anything of value. This past Summer my kids and I were honored to join teachers in protesting Senate Bill 6 in Tavares, and we will continue to lobby for reforms that actually help teachers perform better in the classroom.

There is not enough space here to cover other important issues, such as safe routes to school and other transportation issues I have worked on over the years as a member of various appointed committees. The fact remains that there are many ways the County Commission impacts schools and I look forward to the opportunity to make a positive difference. My youngest child will graduate from Eustis High School at the end of this school year. Like many parents, I hope that when he completes his education he will have an opportunity to return to, and prosper in, Lake County. For more information please visit www.egoremery.org

Guest blogger: LCEA President B Grassell

2010-09-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

URGENT APPEAL TO TEACHERS, PARENTS AND SCHOOL SUPPORTERS: THE EDUCATION VOTE IS CRITICAL IN THIS ELECTION

As you know, a collective vote from the education community can and will make a huge difference in the upcoming general election on Nov. 2.

I firmly believe this election will change public education, including the way we teach, what we teach, how we are compensated, and who leads the way in Tallahassee.

I also firmly believe it is our responsibility to educate ourselves and to vote for those candidates who support public education.

Public education will change after November 2. How it changes is up to us!

LCEA members voted to endorse the following candidates. As president, I believe these endorsed candidates are excellent choices and will represent us well.

Please read their messages to you. They have expressed their commitment to teachers and students throughout their campaigns. Their messages have not changed to address different target audiences. Their candidate questionnaires have been and are still available for members to read at the LCEA office.

Members, please plan to attend our next Rep. Council on September 28. We will include a “Meet the Candidates” session from 5:00-5:30. These three candidates will be there to meet you.

Dr. JoAnn Jones is our endorsed candidate for School Board District 3.

JoAnn is a dedicated teacher at East Ridge Middle and is well respected by her peers. That respect was evident at our last rep council as you recalled stories of her mentoring and supporting those of you who have taught with her. She was an LCEA member when she taught at Clermont Middle and East Ridge High. She opposed SB6. Her opponent is Dr. Tod Howard.

“Reaching out to 1600+ people on my behalf is an endorsement that will certainly move the campaign in the right direction. Thank you. My message remains the same. We need to stand beside our teachers led by good principals who will ensure that the children of Lake County receive the best possible education available to them. I intend to work closely with the Union so that we can maintain a teaching organization that is second to none in Florida. I will see you September 28 at LCEA. Thank you for this gracious invitation.” - JoAnn Jones

Frank Wood is our endorsed candidate for Florida House of Representative District 25.

Frank has taught his entire teaching career at Mt. Dora High and has served LCEA in many capacities. He has been a member of our board of directors, vice-president, bargaining team, and FEA Public Policy Advocacy Committee. He opposed SB6. His opponent is Larry Metz.

"With heartfelt gratitude, I thank my colleagues for your endorsement. I have walked the halls with you for thirty years. As educators, we understand that quality schools are essential in building communities that have vibrant economies, safe neighborhoods and a society that is civil, just and thriving. I pledge to work tirelessly for children, parents and educators. With your help and support, you will have a voice in Tallahassee." - Frank Wood

Eunice Garbutt is our endorsed candidate for Florida Senate District 20.

Eunice is an energetic candidate with the best interest of Florida’s citizens, especially children, in her heart. She is a program manager for Special Olympics Florida and has worked for other not-for-profit, service organizations. She opposed SB6. Her opponent is Alan Hays.

“I’m honored to have earned the endorsement of the Lake County Education Association! It feels good to enter the campaign's final weeks with significant momentum on our side. We are in a very strong position with less than seven weeks left in this race in terms of ground operation and campaign strategy. With the committed support of the LCEA and hard working determined walkers ---we see victory on the horizon." - Eunice Garbutt.

I hope this helps you in your research for the candidate of your choice. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Also, please remember that LCEA is a non-partisan professional organization and our endorsements are based entirely on the candidates’ views on and support for public education.

Please enjoy your weekend. You certainly deserve time to rest and relax. Thanks for all you do for Lake County’s students and their families. It is because of your dedication that I continue to be honored to represent and advocate for you.

We must remember, and we must VOTE in November.

Together in teaching and learning,

B Grassel, NBCT

2010-08-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

Teaching: The perfect prep
for political service

Elaine Renick, Linda Stewart
honed leadership skills
working in the classroom

   When I left the news business and became an educator, I saw something I had missed all those years writing about schools.
   The skills and traits of effective teachers closely match those of effective public officials.
   I think many of us assume public leaders should be lawyers or business managers. I know I have been guilty of that assumption. After all, government is complicated and who better than a lawyer or business manager to sort things out?
   How narrow-minded of me.
   Time and wisdom revealed that while lawyers or business managers make good campaigners, they often stumble on the job.
   What trips them up? In a word, ego. Frequently they get so competitive that they miss obvious, practical solutions the rest of us see easily. So instead of solving problems, they argue and posture.
   Their egos keep telling them – you must win, you must defeat your rival, your image is at stake. Win the case. Grab that contract. Raise that bonus.
   Governing just isn’t that simplistic. It’s not a court case or business deal. It’s finding practical solutions – solutions that work in a wider world. The world inhabited by public officials is not just about clients and it’s not just about customers. It’s about public service – the good of the community.
   The win-no-matter-what mentality so often seen in politics today contributes to government’s inability to solve problems. We end up arguing in anger about the same issues election after election – jobs, taxes, the economy, education.
   This mentality may also be a reason why campaigns often get sidetracked onto wedge issues based on personal feelings. I’m right, my opponent is wrong. That’s all there is to it.
   Sound a little familiar?
   Educators simply don’t have time to wallow around like this. They train in the art of getting things done. Now. The children they love depend on them for a successful future, and with something that precious at stake, you can’t waste time indulging yourself. Every moment in the classroom counts. Every moment brings a new chance to teach.
   I asked two proven public officials with backgrounds in education to discuss how teaching prepared them for leadership.
   Elaine Renick and Linda Stewart are incumbent Lake County Commissioners, wisely endorsed by the Orlando Sentinel for the Aug. 24 primary election. Together they have 47 years of education experience.
   Mrs. Renick, who spent 15 years in Illinois, Missouri, and Texas teaching high school English and psychology and serving as a school psychologist, earned the complement “tough but sensible” in the Sentinel endorsement.
   Mrs. Stewart, a 32-year veteran of Lake County classrooms, taught at Clermont Junior High, Roseborough Elementary (where she went to school as a girl), and Round Lake. The Sentinel praised her for making “good decisions amid a dreadful economy.”
   How did working with students prepare them for leadership? How did it help them gain the ability to deal with disruptive people and obstacles encountered along the way?
   Commissioner Renick:
   “I actually see the two professions as very similar, and I have often remarked that I still feel like a teacher. In both positions you have to be able to articulate a position and explain things in a way that is easily understandable.
   “Whether you are a teacher or you are a county commissioner, you have to be able to communicate effectively with every type of personality.
   “You also have to have patience and the ability to really listen and put yourself in your students' shoes. Trying to understand all perspectives is also critical in government, as well. You have to be a problem solver. A good teacher would never just give up. A good leader doesn't give up either.
   “And, as a teacher, you are a role model. You set an example. Government must lead by example as well. Last but not least, a good teacher has to be emotionally strong. You want that in an elected official too. Both professions cause a lot of sleepless nights with worry, but the strong keep going.”
   Commissioner Stewart:
   “You must be compassionate, caring, and committed to be a teacher. I took those characteristics with me to better serve the citizens in Lake County.
   “Just as a teacher must be responsive to the needs of every student, I believe a commissioner must be responsive to the needs of every citizen and must work hard to help in every way possible.
   “I had 32 years of practicing patience. I learned from disruptive students that their behavior resulted from something much deeper than the actual disruption they caused. I learned to be a good listener and try to understand their side of it. I learned not to judge because I hadn’t walked in their shoes.
   “I worked hard to stress the importance of honesty and integrity in each of my students. The best way to do that was to set the right example. Honesty and integrity are important to me.”
   Teaming up to support students
   I also asked them how County Commissioners, even though they don't run the schools, can pitch in to ensure students receive the best possible education. Neither said "not my job." Instead, they both stressed the crucial link between education and successful communities.
   “The success of our county goes hand-in-hand with the success of our school system,” said Commissioner Stewart, who teaches Junior Achievement.
   “It is vitally important that each commissioner make it a priority to stay in communication with the school system. They should be aware of what is happening and open to any ideas to better the educational experience. They should be ready and willing to help.
   “When I learned of the Robotics program and went to see it in action at a competition at UCF, I was so excited that I called some school board members before I even left the competition to tell them about it. I then became involved in getting funding for it for Lake County schools.
   “I was also aware of how valuable field trips to Trout Lake Nature Center were to students, and I worked with Trout Lake and the School Board to get funding for those field trips. I worked with a second grade classroom to help them produce a public service announcement on water conservation.
   “The importance of our school system just cannot be over-stated.”
   Commissioner Renick agrees that Trout Lake Nature Center and robotics are useful to students, and adds that many students use the county-supported library system, also supported by cities and Lake-Sumter Community College.
   “But probably, the most significant contribution is in the realm of safety,” she said. “The county supplies part of the funding for the sheriff's program to keep resource officers in the schools.”
   As a teacher, I have seen the value of these officers, and it extends far beyond keeping order. They are skilled at helping troubled students face their problems and get back on track. These officers can give students the boundaries they need now to avoid trouble later on. Helping keep these officers in schools is one of the smartest, most practical things the County Commission does to support students.
   Role models
   Lawyers and business leaders will continue to run for office, and because they have money they will often end up in positions of authority. Some will succeed, others will flop. But government belongs to voters, and voters can do something to improve the caliber of public leadership. The example set by Commissioners Renick and Stewart shows why more educators should run for office.
   The presence of educators greatly improves the mix of elected leaders and reminds everyone that motivation for leadership must be based on service rather than self-interest.
   Life in the classroom, focused on supporting people, communicating well, and getting results, provides an ideal training ground for political leaders.
   This realization brought to mind a favorite quote. It comes from one of the world’s great teachers, a man with legal and political power who used it to build schools and colleges throughout his country, a country now reaping the benefit of this investment.
   Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective… - Ghandi

Getting it right

2010-05-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

A facebook group called Moms & Dads Against Senate Bill 6 asked for solutions to the problems schools experience today. My response:

Number 1: Get rid of the myth that student bubble-test scores measure teacher quality. There are far too many variables. Instead, base merit pay on real merit that comes with training and experience. This is done all the time in the private sector, and in some school districts, as well. It could easily be done throughout education.

Number 2: Debunk the myth that bubble testing reflects “student gains” as politicians and newspapers are fond of saying. Student gains come from actual learning, not bubble testing. The project that started this myth, dubbed the "Texas Miracle" , was achieved with statistical monkey business.

Number 3: The Florida education budget was never meant to be welfare for the test-making industry. Cut all standardized tests except those with national value. We would still have more than enough. Use the savings to strengthen academics. I’ve heard it said that you can weigh a pig every day, but if you don’t feed him he won’t gain weight. Feed more, test less.

Number 4: Stop trying to “fix teachers” by forcing them to focus exclusively on the process of teaching rather than academic content. Students need a core of basic knowledge and they need the wisdom to know what to do with that knowledge. Bring back stronger academics and more job training. Stop turning schools into test-prep centers.

Number 5 goes out to voters: When you have one-party rule, you get corruption and the kind of self-serving manipulation we've seen lately in Tallahassee. Get some balance into the Legislature. Half red, half blue. Make both sides sweat every minute of their political existence. No more rigging the districts to aid incumbents.

Number 6: Nobody gets out of high school without competency in Internet research and information literacy - a course not yet offered but five years overdue.

Number 7: Incorporate the methods of Readicide author Kelly Gallagher to generate a life-long interest in reading. Stop torturing language and begin loving it.

Number 8: Bring humanities class back to high school, and don't cut music or art. The arts build creative problem solvers and visionaries. See the history of civilization.

Number 9: Stop trying to dump older teachers merely because they are older, because they earn more, or because they may not salivate over the latest gimmicks. Instead, figure out which ones have something to say and listen to them. How can we teach children to respect the wisdom of their elders if we ignore it in school?

Number 10: Stop wasting time and money on meetings and CYA paperwork. Give administrators and non-loadbearing people one class per day and use their experience and brains to accomplish our top goal - helping children learn. These people are too brainy to waste shuffling paper around. They need to be with students. Nothing that happens at a school matters more.

Number 11: Build a management culture for schools and districts that unites supervisors and employees for our common purpose - education. Motivate by example, not fear. No more “gotcha” surprises when big decisions are announced. Raise the bar for professional management practices and communication. Never, never, never, never talk down to subordinates, or leave them feeling unappreciated. Everytime that happens, a clock watcher is created.

OK, I know you’re asking - what qualifies this guy to make all these pronouncements?

Nothing. I am a retired exec from another field who now devotes his life to teaching English in high school. There are thousands and thousands of teachers who see these problems more accurately. They can tell you what needs to happen far better than I can. But here’s the thing - very few people in power ever bother to listen to them. They’re “just teachers.”

The management culture in education is top down and bureaucratic. The policy-making is done by people with little understanding of how learning works. The supervising is done by people who have limited contact with customers….er, I mean students.

Teachers and administrators need to communicate closely, share ideas, make decisions together, and push for excellence together.

I know educators are tired of people saying they should operate like a business. I do understand that education and business are different. However, what I’m talking about here is simply this: Getting the facts right, understanding the mission, communicating with skill and precision, and using teamwork effectively.

That’s not too much to ask of any organization – especially one that ultimately shapes the future of our republic.

How the news talks down to teachers

2010-04-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Florida Could End Teacher Tenure, Embrace Merit Pay.
This story from NPR shows how the specific concerns of educators can get trivialized in the news.

Mr. Scott Finn, the author, gives the first quote to a teacher who bravely opens up about feeling disrespected as Florida passes controversial new public-school legislation.

Then he quotes State Sen. John Thrasher, the bill’s backer, allowing him to speak for teachers in general through his daughter, a former teacher who sees only good in her dad’s bill.

While emails and phone calls run strongly against the bill for many specific reasons, Mr. Finn sets up the story as teachers' feelings vs wisdom from the VIP.

He explains the bill in terms of how it affects teaching jobs – loss of tenure, merit pay based on testing, getting fired over insufficient learning gains.

Not a word about how it will affect students and families. Nothing about students facing the loss of high-quality teachers due to a flawed measurement system. Nothing about the loss of high-quality teachers as job security evaporates. Nothing about the learning gains requirement needed to hang on to a teaching job having no foundation in research.

To celebrate the legislation he is supposed to be reporting, Mr. Finn quotes a spokesperson for The National Council on Teaching Quality - and she glorifies the new measures without actually saying why.

Sandi Jacobs of NCTQ labels the bill “big and bold” inferring it would have a powerful positive impact, and Mr. Finn doesn't press for any justification.

"What Florida is considering is really very big and very bold," Ms. Jacobs says. "And while other states have passed related pieces, what Florida is proposing would really be very unprecedented."

So it's big and bold because it is very unprecedented. Her comment is most useful as an example of circular reasoning.

Mr. Finn avoids presenting evidence to support this “big and bold” label. That's most unfortunate for listeners and readers, because evidence for one side would require getting evidence for the other side, and that could easily refute Ms. Jacobs’ contention that the new laws are positive.

See for instance, this letter to the Florida Legislature from a leading school-reform expert who says the legislation will "dumb down” Florida schools and “cause many of your best teachers to leave the profession.” - Diane Ravitch letter to Lawmakers.

While avoiding evidence, Mr. Finn contends that "studies show that students excel when they have high quality teachers, although other experts debate whether merit pay helps." Excuse me. What exactly does students excelling have to do with merit pay?

To the best of my knowledge, nothing.

Yes, studies show having a good teacher helps students. But two years of looking have shown me no studies showing a valid link between standardized test scores - the measuring stick for merit pay - and being a good teacher.

I hear the same thing from educators across Florida. Merit pay based on test scores lacks even a shred of credibility. There is no valid connection. This is one of several reasons why so many Florida teachers, school principals, school-board members, parents, and education experts oppose the bills. They don't want the people in charge of educating their children subjected to evaluation that rests on a false premise.

Many oppose the legislation because it carries hefty new costs for local school districts, with no way to pay for those costs. No mention of that issue, either.

But the main thing missing from the story is any proof for the bills' premise that student test scores rise or fall with teaching quality.

Where is the test company, where is the scientifically valid research that proves student test scores should be used to evaluate teachers? Where did this idea originate? Why?

Could Sen. Thrasher answer this questions? Nobody in the press seems to be asking, so The Emperor's New Suit as yet remains undetected.

The test-and-punish premise for these bills doesn't stand up because students cannot possibly be considered a uniform sample. Countless other variables outside the classroom impact test scores and affect academic growth.

So who wants to evaluate teachers based on student scores? Who thinks student progress should be measured by high-stakes, one-shot testing?

Not educators. Not experts in education science. Not parents. Only politicians and their hopefully shrinking band of misguided allies.

But wait. Aren’t Florida teachers being recognized as some of the best? Aren't more Florida students doing better than ever? And doesn't research show that one of the key factors in student success is household income, which puts the responsibility back on business leaders and government policymakers to create living-wage jobs with family-friendly benefits?

If Florida truly wants more students to succeed, if Florida wants a healthy, diverse economy with better jobs, shouldn't it be supporting education instead of cutting it?

Economists say yes. But these considerations rarely find their way into the public discussion in Florida, or resulting coverage about school reform.

Instead, teachers and school principals get blamed for standing in the way of reforms that aren't really reforms. People who work in the schools make handy scapegoats because they dwell at the bottom of the education food chain.

Journalists should perhaps be considering who stands to benefit from "reform" that involves the systematic misuse of testing and the relentless scapegoating of educators.

Maybe that's just too much for reporters to think about. This NPR story, like many others in the mainstream press, simply caves in and lets the senator shape the discussion. It's easier that way.

When reporters allow politicians to control the way news is presented, whether they do so intentionally or just because they are easily manipulated, news stories at best leave readers and listeners wondering, and at worst enable corruption.

And then near the end of the story Mr. Finn has his teacher saying basically whatever happens, veto or no veto, we’ll make it work like we always do.

That's quite true. Teachers do make it work. And very often they make it work in spite of state leadership.

During fund drives, NPR sets itself apart from corporate media by boasting about its hard-nosed objectivity. Perhaps true, at times. But this time NPR sheds fair and impartial glory on Sen. Thrasher's side of the story and pretends the other side doesn't exist.

All Things Considered? The story fails to consider the very people who most depend on public schools – students and families. And it grossly oversimplifies the concerns of educators.

Education policy in Florida. Sigh. When will somebody tell it like it is?

Florida to Michael Moore: Come on down.

2010-03-10T18:37:00.000-08:00

Florida Senate Bill 6:
No respect for experience

Lucky me. During my introduction to the classroom, veteran teachers freely shared advice and knowledge. Experienced administrators coached me about student behavior. Experienced school librarians and literacy experts taught me about reading.

Seasoned school board members, union leaders, and district officials helped me see how education works, how to play devil’s advocate in a supportive way, using argument and debate for constructive, collegiate purposes.

Why did all these experienced people take me under wing? Simple. Old-timers like it when somebody new cares enough to listen. That’s how you get them to talk.

And when old-timers talk, I pay careful attention. Amazing what you can learn by finding the right people and keeping your mind open.

The process I describe has served mankind well since we climbed down from the trees. I expect almost everyone who reads this had a mentor or two along life’s way.

If the Florida legislature has its way, though, the whole idea of mentoring would no longer be welcome at school. Strange but true.

Senate Bill 6, now under consideration, would destroy tenure and institutionalize some gimmicks that are designed to dump experienced people. These experienced classroom vets, often the best educators at their schools, will get shoved out simply because some zealots in Florida government want to bust unions, cut wages, and privatize education for their corporate friends.

I think most parents would agree that students deserve to have some skilled, experienced teachers in their lives.

My parents were quite happy when I landed in Hazel Haley’s room. She taught until she was into her 80s. During her lifetime in the classroom, more than 13,500 students were blessed by her steady, consistent presence. I was lucky to be one of them. So glad I listened to her.

Yes, she was an old-timer even back when I went to high school. But that old-timer taught me to write, and she taught me that citizens have a duty to stand up to authority when authority is wrong or crooked. Her wisdom guided me into my successful first career as a writer and editor.

Eileen McClleland, another veteran English teacher who excels at turning students around, recently reminded me that all "education theory" is merely trends.

“It runs in cycles;” she said. “What is dumped today will be rediscovered and recycled later. Don't get excited about any of it.

“Differentiated instruction, learning styles, behavioral objectives, block scheduling - they come and go under different names. The only constants - kids, teachers, learning.”

When Eileen retired from my school, she was replaced by a promising young intellect, Kara Semento. Everytime I walk down the hallway past Kara’s room and see students engaged and learning, I get reminded of the value of experience. It was Eileen’s English class that convinced Kara to become a teacher, and now Kara teaches the class she once attended. Sweet.

The folks behind Senate Bill 6 show very little respect for the experience that creates success stories like these.

They want to replace experience with punishment schemes based on phony testing. It reminds me of a book I just started, Accountability Frankenstein, an eye-opening study of how a good idea – bettering the academic opportunities and achievements of students - went horribly wrong when politicians took over and created a “technocratic disaster.” More on that book, and others, will come another day.

For now I am left to wonder: How could Florida lawmakers get away with such casual disrespect for the value of experience?

Just look in any direction. You’ll see retired people who spent their working lives making this country better. You can’t hit a golf ball, throw a fishing plug or go to a ball game in this state without running into role models from the past generation. When these folks were still on the job, in their 50s and 60s, many of them were hitting peak performance.

Here’s a thought for Jeb Bush, John Thrasher, and the backers of Senate Bill 6: Don’t be so eager to throw out the experienced people. Try a little humility.

Don’t automatically disrespect educators who have experience just because they earn a couple more bucks and you’re hot to cut pay and privatize. That might not be very smart. You might be robbing students and new teachers of meaningful mentors.

Put away the weird gimmicks and listen to the voice of experience. Focus on kids, teachers, and learning. Find out what students really need. Learn how to provide it. Then get busy and do it right.

This is what an old-timer would do.

Open letter to Florida PIRG

2010-02-13T21:44:00.000-08:00

To Florida Public Interest Research Group:

I am a former journalist who often benefited from the accuracy of your organization. I retired and became a teacher.

I believe education warrants Florida PIRG's attention. Florida's official school-reform agenda, based on heavy use of standardized testing, has yet to be thoroughly vetted for its effectiveness. Also troubling is the general lack of information about private interests receiving public money meant for school children.

Florida did receive kudos from one study, but the source, Education Week, appeared less than neutral and the praise itself wasn't for learning, but for collecting data. The public needs a credible, neutral expert to find out if this decade of reform based on more and more testing is actually producing results.

WHO GETS WHAT EXACTLY?

I recently read in The Orlando Sentinel that Florida's Memo of Understanding for the Race to the Top grant asks for half of the grant to remain in Tallahassee. Of that half, about 80 percent is set aside for private contracts.

So if these percentages hold up, and Florida gets the $1 billion it seeks, $400 million would go for private contracts. Maybe it's fair to ask if that money should instead be sent into classrooms, to benefit students. What happens if we keep a fund of that size in the hands of state officials, to be awarded to private interests? Could we be inviting cronyism, or even corruption?

As testing increases, test-related demands on schools increase and parents grow concerned about budget cuts. See Fund Education Now.

Many have expressed concerns that Florida's blend of over-testing and budget cuts narrowed the curriculum. Schools have been forced to focus on testing, downplaying or eliminating the dramatic arts, languages, music, and electives that build knowledge for college.

As a taxpayer who believes accountability starts at the top, I think education funding and school statistics could benefit from careful attention by Florida PIRG. Here are a few questions, for example, that you could answer in depth, with your customary precision and politically neutral context:

1. Where does school money really come from and where does it really go?
2. How does that compare to states with high graduation rates and high SAT scores?
(note: Some tests do matter. SAT helps young folks get into college. Why not focus on that goal?)
3. How much does Florida spend on testing?
(note: The state appears to delete from its report any costs associated with teaching time and test administration at the school level. Schools lose weeks to practice testing, testing, retesting, make-up testing, etc. School administrators, guidance counselors, and teachers lose time needed for academics.)
4. Who gets the money Florida spends on test development and test preparation?
5. Who benefits most from new laws and rules that force students to take more and more bubble tests? Where did the idea for these laws originate?
6. What is the real educational value of standardized testing, and is Florida following best practices? Where's the role model and how does Florida stack up?
7. What hard education research exists to justify Florida's testing program?

TESTING DOES NOT EQUAL TEACHING

Teachers and school principals have been passive scapegoats for years now. The misuse of education data by sloganeering state leaders creates false impressions about the quality of teachers and principals, and this is especially painful and unfair when the mainstream media just parrots the slogans, without bothering to check into real education problems that exist at the state level.

This scapegoating of teachers and principals flows from the widely accepted but grossly oversimplified premise that standardized test scores are the accurate way to assess performance of teachers and principals. As Orwell tried to teach us, two plus two does not equal five - unless you're under the spell of institutionalized disinformation.

Do all patients follow doctor's orders and get better? Do all clients divulge all relevant information to their attorneys? Of course not.

Patients and clients vary, even as mature, thoughtful adults. Imagine then how students vary. They vary by motivation, by home life, by ability levels at various growth stages, by parental support, by reading resources at home, by nutrition, health, emotional well-being, and other factors beyond the school's control. Poverty, for instance, makes a huge difference.

Pretending students are a statistically uniform sample, as Florida does, defies logic. Worse, it encourages lawmakers to continue avoiding responsibility for the socio-economic conditions they helped create by using laws to constantly punish the poor while lavishing benefits on corporations that pull money out of the state. Perhaps somebody was asleep in economics 101?

STUDENTS ARE HUMAN BEINGS, NOT TEST SCORES

Parents, teachers and principals across the country want more for their students than a test score. They want students to graduate and lead successful, self-sufficient, productive lives. They want students to be smart consumers, informed voters, clear thinkers, and life-long learners. They want to change schools for the better, to create systems of learning that make sense in the world today.

And it's not as if education lacks visionaries who know how to make this change. One of the brightest bulbs, Marion Brady, says "If education policymakers in Tallahassee and Washington knew what they were doing, instead of demanding national standards and tests keyed to a curriculum generated in an era long past and no longer relevant, they’d be calling for an emergency national conference to rethink what’s being taught, and why."

What's being taught, and why. These are the real challenges facing public education, and they can't be measured by filling in bubbles on a scoresheet, or blaming principals and teachers because poor students can't quickly and easily overcome the massive obstacles society places in their path.

The public deserves some context to go along with their education statistics. Some accuracy, and some apples-to-apples comparisons about the way school dollars get raised and spent in Florida. Florida PIRG is uniquely equipped to provide this important service.

I would like to see an ongoing report called SCHOOL WATCH, by Florida PIRG. I would read that regularly and I bet many attentive parents, teachers, and school leaders would read it, too.

Let facts cut through the spin. An ongoing watchdog report on school funds and education statistics would help keep policy-makers straight. Pressure from an informed public would help ensure school money gets spent wisely and well.

Education ranks as one of the critical public issues of the day, just as important as health care, transportation, pollution, and clean politics. Florida PIRG, please consider adding education to your package of issues. Sink your teeth in with characteristic power and precision.

Education needs a watchdog.

Sincerely,
Mike Archer

2010-01-17T12:03:00.000-08:00

“Now, let me be clear: This is not about the kind of testing that has mushroomed under No Child Left Behind. This is not about more tests. It's not about teaching to the test. And it's not about judging a teacher solely on the results of a single test.”

- President Barack Obama

TEACHERS PLEAD FOR COOPERATION:

WILL FLORIDA EVER HEAR THEM?

States hustle to grab a piece of the federal Race to the Top grant. Awards go to “ambitious yet achievable plans” for education reform. The feds want us to work together for the good of students.

“We will scrutinize state applications for a coordinated commitment to reform,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

Coordinated commitment. What a terrific idea. Sounds like a no-brainer.

Florida’s Department of Education wants the dough, but can’t seem to accept the “coordinated commitment” it takes to qualify.

Instead of teaming up with schools to get the job done, the education bosses of Florida appear frightened at the idea of sharing power.

So, instead of collaborating with local districts and teachers, FLDOE wants to use the federal grant to extend its same old big-government policies that aren’t working – policies that could end up costing our schools more than they deliver.

Such a waste. Had teachers, school principals, and school board members been included in a more meaningful way, Florida’s plan could be an efficient trendsetter. Instead, it’s a sad victim to a state government where leaders won’t share decision-making with the people who will be doing the work.

No wonder the teacher associations in most of Florida's 67 counties rejected the FLDOE's plan. These teachers are thinking about their students; FLDOE is just thinking about itself.

Building turf, hoarding power, pushing the same failed gimmicks euphemistically called reform. That won’t make schools stronger and it won’t improve learning.

People with little knowledge of how learning works want to blame teachers for not signing on to FLDOE’s plan, no matter what it says. After all, it’s more money, right? Actually, with teachers and school districts shut out of the process, there is no way of knowing. It could end up costing more than it delivers.

Consider this thought from Lake County Education Association President B Grassel, who recently spoke to the Lake County School Board:

"FLDOE wants us to sign on for four years. Would anyone purchase a car if the cost were unknown? If the interest rate and payments were unknown? If the make, model, mileage, and condition were unknown? ... FLDOE want districts to take a leap of faith and to trust them with a state plan that FLDOE admits is not complete."

Wondering why so many folks might not be willing to take that leap of faith? Examine these numbers:

Lake County lost nearly $19 million in school funds since 2007. Orange County lost $105 million. Osceola, $42 million. Seminole, $40 million. Sumter, $2 million. Volusia, nearly $54 million.

Check out FundEducationNow.org and have some aspirin handy if you want to keep checking the losses county-by-county around the state.

Trusting Tallahassee so far not only led to budget cuts, but also more high-stakes testing with fewer teachers to help children learn how to read, write, solve problems, and think. It has meant inadequate technology to help students prepare for the future, fewer electives for college-bound students, and less job training for those who are willing and able to go to work.

Just the sort of problems Race to the Top is supposed to help solve.

President Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan understand a very simple rule of business: If you want your plan to succeed, then you have to respect and include the people who will actually be doing the work.

Once again, it seems like a no-brainer.

Yet Florida’s DOE didn’t do that. Teachers got the brush off. Why? Could it be that the egos of our leaders in Tallahassee would not allow them to concede that somebody else involved in education might have an idea worth considering?

Consider this comment from Pat Santeramo, Broward Teachers Union president: “Sadly, (Florida Education Secretary Eric) Smith has twisted Obama's intentions for the grant funds in a power grab to pay for existing education initiatives that have repeatedly failed.”

The top-down attitude Santeramo describes needs to change. The education commissioner should be reaching out to teachers, principals and school board members. Instead, FLDOE prepared the grant application using, as Santeramo describes it “every old initiative that has already resulted in our schools being in a race to the bottom.”

Translation: More testing and blaming, less teamwork.

In her address to her school board, Grassel asks a question that deserves an answer: “Why can’t, or won’t, FLDOE agree to realistic revisions proposed by FEA, superintendent, and school board leaders?”

Of course teachers want the federal grant. But they want it to be used as intended – to help students. They are raising a warning flag here: Florida’s obsession with testing and blaming, wrapped in financial uncertainty, could make things worse, not better.

The decision not to sign was difficult, and took courage. Consider this comment by Kathy Donato, president of Osceola Classroom Teachers Association:

“We agonized over the decision. We knew it could be a public relations nightmare and appear that we were turning down millions of much-needed funding. While these are substantial amounts of money and worthy goals … unfortunately the Memorandum of Understanding and the accompanying documents that were issued from the Florida Department of Education ignore substantial portions of the objectives of Race to the Top...”

I applaud B Grassel and her colleagues around Florida for standing up and telling the truth in a difficult situation, knowing that their words would be twisted and used to create the false impression that all teachers care about is salaries. If that were true, there wouldn't be a teacher left in many Florida school districts.

B's complete statement is printed below. If you want to help get the truth out, please pass her comments along to your friends.

Please encourage people to also read FEA President Andy Ford's response to the Florida Department of Education, along with comments from B’s colleagues in Osceola and Broward.

Why is it so important to get the truth out? Because things won’t get better until parents, taxpayers, and voters all know what’s really blocking progress.

I wish this weren’t true, and I hope it changes, but the evidence shows pretty clearly that FLDOE will start cooperating in good faith only when the public insists upon teamwork from Tallahassee.

Race To The Top Message

Lake County School Board Meeting – 01-11-2010

B Grassel, NBCT

President, Lake County Education Association

Good evening, Superintendent Moxley, Chairman Barrow, Vice Chairman Stivender, Mrs. Fischer, Mrs. Brandeburg, Mr. Metz, and Mr. Johnson.

For the record, I am B Grassel, president of the Lake County Education Association. Thank you for the opportunity to share my message with you.

When I first learned about the federal Race To The Top grant, I believed this would be an excellent opportunity to assist states and districts in the development and implementation of much needed education redesign.

I appreciate the inclusion of teacher unions in the federal plan.

As the federal plan, our state plan memo of understanding calls for signatures of the superintendent, school board chairman, and teacher union leader.

Since the beginning of this process, I have stated my hope that all of us would sign this MOU for the same and right reasons.

I find it very disheartening that we find ourselves backed into this corner filled with unanswered questions and unrealistic timelines.

Our dilemma is because of the Florida Department of Education’s version of the memo of understanding for Race To The Top grant.

During last week’s school board workshop, you expressed real concerns. I share and support your questions and concerns.

You should have a Detailed Scope of Work Preparation (January-July) presented at the steering committee’s meeting on Wednesday. It is a four-page document, printed in the landscape format.

I believe when you to study this you will be amazed at the staff hours needed to accomplish writing the plan…just developing the plan.

What will not be done by staff in order to accomplish writing this plan?

I believe if we write a plan specific to Lake County, we jeopardize FLDOE approval. The FLDOE memo does not lend itself to individual needs of our district. If it not approved, we have spent resources and countless staff hours developing a plan of which parts may or may not be needed with the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.

At the bottom of page one is a list of items that must be bargained according to Florida Collective Bargaining Laws. The LCEA has made it clear that we are ready to negotiate anything necessary to meet state statutes and to promote realistic, quality education redesign.

We currently have a joint committee addressing the Differentiated Accountability mandates.

Can we accomplish all this by July? I don’t know, but we have quality, dedicated bargaining teams trained in Interest-Based Bargaining.

According our state bargaining laws, once bargaining begins, it must result in agreement or impasse, then the district could impose whatever it wants. I truly do not believe Lake County Schools would do that to teachers, but other districts are concerned.

I have great concerns about the financial aspects of this MOU. The media reports the federal grant is $4.35 billion. Florida’s share was reported to be anywhere from $350 million and $700 million.That is a huge range of funding.

Now FLDOE has stated that Florida could receive $1 billion. How does FLDOE believe Florida deserves almost ¼ of the total national funding? And half stays at the state level to possibly fund competitive grants for which we could apply.

If our district obtains all three required signatures on this MOU, it is a legal document, and then we are held accountable for the specifics contained in the MOU.

FLDOE has issued a written statement that some are accepting as an “escape hatch.” I believe the language is still ambiguous and does not protect our district from possible sanctions if all the obligations are not met.

Our Lake County School Board has consistently demonstrated fiscal responsibility.

This may be a financial risk to avoid. The business community wants our schools run more like a business.

What will this grant cost to implement? What is the grant award amount? How much time will be needed to implement all the aspects of the grant? But FLDOE wants us to sign on for four years. Would anyone purchase a car if the cost were unknown? If the interest rate and payments were unknown? If the make, model, mileage, and condition were unknown? But sign on for four years.

FLDOE want districts to take a leap of faith and to trust them with a state plan that FLDOE admits is not complete. Why can’t, or won’t, FLDOE agree to realistic revisions proposed by FEA, superintendent, and school board leaders?

A few years ago, Lake County Schools faced challenges about TAP. We were very concerned regarding unknown questions and answers. The result was over $1/2 million spent from our operating budget, Fund 100.

Now we are faced with RT3. I am concerned again.

We know the questions. We don’t have the answers.

Professional, dedicated teachers know that increased time spent testing, documenting, and meeting equal less time planning and teaching. The amount of non-teaching tasks given to teachers has grown exponentially in the last several years. I truly am concerned about the physical and emotional wellbeing of our dedicated teachers. Teachers do not want to work less; they want and need to plan and teach more.

Again, I find it disheartening that educators across Florida are scrambling for money. Our state leaders continue to fail to honor their oath to follow the State Constitution requiring “adequate funding for public education.”

We voters continue to return the same legislators to Tallahassee year after year. Lawmakers must be held accountable - teachers are.

The only lasting financial relief is to VOTE in the next legislative election. We must remember!

No matter what you decide as a board, the LCEA will continue to work collaboratively toward needed, realistic education redesign.

However, as president of the LCEA, I have made a promise to teachers. As President Ronald Reagan once said, “There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.”

Therefore, I cannot and will not sign anything that will add more to teachers’ already overwhelmed workload or that may put our district at financial risk. I sincerely hope all of us do not sign this MOU for the same and right reasons. Thank you for your attention.

2010-01-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

WHAT DOES "HIGH QUALITY" EDUCATION LOOK LIKE?

“You asked about high quality - it seems to be … a vague generality,” writes Vance Jochim.

The Florida constitution requires a high-quality school system. But what does that really mean? Vance wants a definition. Fair enough. Please get comfy. Here’s one answer, from the standpoint of a high school teacher.

In high school, high quality education begins at home, with the attitude of the student. All high school students need to realize that education can help them become self-sufficient and productive adults. Some already know this, bless their parents. Others should have learned it, but haven’t. And still others come from conditions so harsh that they’ve never had a fair chance to learn it.

Whatever the cause, until students gain some perspective about the value of an education, high school is a waste of time for them. So that’s job one: Developing an understanding of what education means, and how lucky we are to have it.

If you want to help students learn more about why school matters, encourage them to read The Thread That Runs So True, by Jesse Stuart, or view the film Coach Carter. These two stories reflect radically different cultures, but drive home the same essential message.

Second, once students have a genuine desire to improve themselves, they deserve a fair chance to reach their potential. This doesn’t mean every student has to become a brain surgeon or the whole system is failing. It means that students who are willing to work, and willing to learn, should see a clear way up.

Those who want to go to college, and qualify, should go. Those who want to join the armed forces, and qualify, should join. Those who want to build a career in the trades, in technology, or some other field, should get qualified and do just that. Schools should support all of those goals, not pretend that the only good option is college immediately after high school.

In younger years I was a steel worker and a construction worker. I worked in landscaping. I washed dishes and cooked for a restaurant. Later I became a writer and photographer. And then I was lucky enough to become a newspaper editor and finally an exec with a bonus and corporate Amex card.

All this occurred before I became a teacher. I found successful people, filled with dignity, characterized by a strong work ethic, in every one of these jobs. And if you listened, hustled, and learned, there was a fair chance to get ahead.

So experience tells me that a high quality education starts with getting mentally prepared to learn.

Pretending there is only one path to success, college immediately after graduating, disrespects the working world. Some people work a while and go to college later. Others never go, but succeed nonetheless because parents, teachers, and mentors taught them how to make it, and because they were smart enough to listen.

Every time a student grows into a self-sufficient, productive adult, the world gets a little better.

OK Vance, stay with me. If I had to specify areas where education quality is weakest right now, I would begin with Internet research.

Every student should be a skilled Internet researcher before graduating because this is the single most important knowledge base and skill set in today’s economy. It applies to so many fields of work and study.

We have no Internet research course in our language departments. Instead, we ask teachers to somehow weave it in as part of their technique. That simply won’t work. The Internet is not a fad; it’s an engine of economic opportunity. To get it, you need to study it rigorously. Far too many people, including many education leaders, think using the Internet means using google. They truly don't get it.

We do offer business courses for graphics and web design, and that’s wonderful. But we ignore the main purpose of the Internet – its role as the dominant source of information on planet Earth. There is a global brain out there, and it’s waking up faster than we are.

So let’s stop snoozing. How can we send our students to college, into the military, into career training, without Internet research skills? The only responsible thing to do is put the course into every high school, support it, and require it.

A second major weakness, in my view, is the erosion of the well-rounded curriculum.

For instance, humanities is no longer taught in high school. When I discovered this, I was shocked. I found a stack of old humanities books gathering dust in a forgotten corner of my school. I brushed them off and brought them to class just to save them. I encourage my students to read them, but that’s no substitute for a course.

General English and honors English classes have become dumping grounds for many other courses students should be taking, such as composition, grammar, speech, film, and literature. Instead of offering these courses, though, we just dump them all into English as if they were an afterthought. With so many subjects to cover, it gets more and more difficult to teach deeply.

You can't blame schools for not offering courses when there is no money to pay for them. I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing the money for these important courses must have gone for FCAT-related costs. Florida spends a fortune on testing and test prep, so fewer resources are available for a well-rounded education.

We seem to be pro-test, but anti-knowledge.

Old-timers going all the way back to ancient Greece have maintained that it takes a well-rounded education to guide young people into the role of creative problem solvers and leaders who take the initiative. I agree. Some traditions are worth respecting, and a classic, well-rounded education is one of them.

There’s a sad irony at work here.

When we deprive students of a well-rounded education, and train them according to Florida education policy to be bubble-test takers rather than critical thinkers, not only do we rob them of their potential, we rob society of the next generation of its brightest young visionaries.

Well, Vance, there’s a long answer to a short question. But it’s a very good question. Thanks for asking it. Perhaps some of our readers will write in with their definition of a high-quality education.

Next up for discussion: In the Race to the Top program, the feds offer funding if state governments, school districts, and teacher associations pull together to help students grow. What a great idea. Sadly, the Florida Department of Education’s response is to give teachers the brush-off. What can be done to change that? Can education leaders in Florida ever be taught the value of teamwork? How?

Please click on comments and post your answer.

Help build our network by forwarding this blog to teachers, parent groups, and school leaders throughout Central Florida. Please use private email addresses, not school email. Thanks for reading.

2009-12-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

HE'S BACK, AND HE WANTS AN AUDIENCE

“Hey, it’s Mike. Remember?"

My voice rang with a note of holiday cheer as I walked around the shopping mall in Leesburg, Florida, hunting traces of my old readership.

Blank stares.

“I was Editor of the Leesburg Commercial, and l wrote columns for the Sentinel in Lake County. I probably spoke at your Kiwanis meeting or something…had more hair then.”

A wiry matron paused her mall walk to glance at me. Her eyes said “Wha?” but I heard her husband whisper “Don’t say anything, honey. He wants money. Poor guy.”

No, wait. I tried to explain, but they scurried away.

Plan B.

I drove up to The Villages, and found a couple coming out of the new health-food grocery store. He carried a cloth bag with organic salad mix sticking out of the top. She led him toward a vehicle that looked half-VW, half-golf cart. Aging hippies, retired to Florida. This tribe once dug me.

I asked if they recalled my newspaper columns about critter-friendly backyards, native wildflowers, songbirds and butterfly hosts. A hint of paranoia crept into his eyes while she reached for a phone.

Some guys know how to handle rejection. Not me. I went away, found a place to sit down and spent an hour watching people, imagining what they would be like as readers.

Maybe it took some time apart from them for the knowledge to sink in, but I realize now that readers meant something important to me. It wasn’t a huge relationship with a vast audience, but it was our relationship, and I miss it. My old newspaper column was something like a community bulletin board. We talked, we argued, we learned from each other. We were in it together.

My mugshot once graced billboards on the highway. Breakfast cooks sought my blessing for their cheese grits. Critics sent boots with bullet holes in the toe and 50-lb. bags of cow manure. Friends called with stories of scrub jays eating peanuts out of their hands, and alligators snatching poodles off the porch. I even liked it when readers blasted me with letters to the editor; you can learn from critics as well as friends.

Dear readers of yesteryear: What would it take to get you back? Would you read me on your computer or phone instead of the paper?

How about I tell you what happened and then you decide?

After I stopped writing in 2001, I rested a bit, took some classes at UCF and morphed into a school teacher.

Friends said “you’re nuts to do this.”

“Au contraire,” I replied in my fresh English teacher vocabulary. “I was nuts to wait so long.”

I’ve been teaching English at Mount Dora High six years now, glad to be spending my days with so many warm-hearted, dedicated people.

Colleagues, students, and parents supported and encouraged me. They kept telling me how much teachers matter, how they can make such a huge difference in a person’s life. The school community welcomed me.

My first big discovery was that our state government takes an entirely different view. State leaders use teachers as scapegoats for education problems caused by their own reluctance to provide normal funding the way other states do.

I trained like crazy and learned everything I could about my new profession. But somehow I couldn’t escape the feeling that as a teacher I was nothing but an annoying nuisance to the Governor and Legislature – and they didn’t even know me. How sad, I thought. All these people in classrooms working their hearts out for children, being maligned and disrespected by state leaders who should be supporting them.

I'm glad I joined the Lake County Education Association. My state may not think teaching is a worthy, valuable profession, but my union does. .

That first year in the classroom was like strong black coffee on the morning after one too many. What was I thinking? What did I get myself into?

Writing for a living and teaching writing to high school students are two planets that inhabit opposing corners of the English universe.

No Mike, you can’t bring a softball bat to school like that guy in the movie. Now get back out there and guard the parking lot.

Get used to it, Mike, the air-conditioning doesn’t work in anybody’s classroom. Get a fan.

I understand you consider lunch hour a mark of civilization, Mike, but the other teachers were not hazing you when they said you only have 30 minutes to eat and you can’t leave campus. Deal with it.

A word of advice for brave souls coming into the field from cozier professions – I hope you have a bladder of steel. You must wait for the bell, the bell that rings in 90 minutes, the bell that signals a wild dash to the bathroom, to lunch, or to the next class. Imagine the canon boom that released wagons and horses in The Great Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893.

While waiting, you learn to clamp down and talk at the same time. OK Tommy, grunt, where’s the metaphor in this passage, grunt, and why, grunt, did the author, grunt, use it? How does it serve her, grunt, grunt, purpose?

Everything you heard about low salaries is true. And if you gripe about it, the answer from Tallahassee goes something like this – Hurry up and quit so we can replace you with someone who gets even lower pay.

When former students come back and share success stories, though, it makes you want to move “Good-bye Mr. Chips” to the top of the Netflix queue. Get the 1939 version starring Robert Donat and Greer Garson, and have some tissues handy.

And when a top student publicly thanks you in a graduation speech, you're lucky if you make it to the parking lot before you start blubbering.

A second big discovery occurred after I had droned on and on to a colleague about my background.

“Yes, yes, that’s all fine,” she said. “But students don’t care what you know … until they know that you care.”

Hmm. I didn’t know what to make of that little slogan. I assumed she got it from one of those consultants hired to torture us.

The thought stuck, though, and I started noticing that students do respond better when you care enough to catch them doing something right. They try harder when they feel your concern about their progress.

The science of teaching requires study and reflection. For kids to learn, you must expect the best, and push for it. You have to know what you’re talking about. But you can’t just tell them what you know. You have to lead them to discover things on their own, and to think at the high end of the scale where people solve problems and generate creative ideas. Memorizing is for parrots, not humans.

We all have different ways of learning, a different mix of learning styles, and serious time must be spent planning and working those differences into lessons. Some people can read an idea and get it immediately. Others hear it and get it. Still others need to talk about it, or do something with it. You have to know who needs what, and provide it. That's not easy.

When they act up, or get bored, you want them to see why school is a smart option. The biggest lessons of all are teaching kids to love learning, and how to learn on their own. Then growth becomes a life-long pattern. This isn't easy, either - especially when they give you a room full of wild ones.

The state is always pushing merit pay based on bubble tests, which are about as reliable a measurement as a roulette wheel. Instead, Florida should offer hazard pay to the brave souls who teach society's violent, young rowdies in an era when you have almost no tools left to control them. Unless you have been in one of those rooms, you have no idea what it's like.

It takes physical and mental energy to factor in all these conditions and teach effectively. It also requires time to think, time to plan, and time to customize your approach to the needs of your current crop of students.

Only a fool, or a sadly uninformed Tallahassee politician who bashes teachers for a living, believes you can standardize the learning process and then measure it all with a bubble test.

When teachers have the time and freedom to approach these well-proven methods in their own creative ways, students stand a better chance of succeeding in life.

When schools follow Florida’s test-prep model, learning takes a back seat to accounting.

Marginal students get bored because they get tested every 15 minutes, top students get bored because money for electives went for test-prep, and students in the middle get bored because everybody else is bored. Top teachers get bored, too. They retire early or move away. And then everybody wonders what went wrong.

Becoming a teacher challenged me, and I have so much more to learn. However, I am finally able to pause long enough to reflect on these last few years.

It's time to share what I discovered about teaching. It's time to build a network of concerned people who support public education.

I believe we have all heard enough about schools from politicians. I’d rather hear from students, parents, teachers, and school leaders. Let them discuss education for a change.

Let’s get the conversation started. Here’s our first question for discussion.

Florida’s State Constitution requires a uniform and “high quality” public education system. What does “high-quality” mean to you? Do you think this requirement is now being met?

Please help build our network by forwarding this blog to teachers, parent groups, and school leaders throughout Central Florida. Please use private email addresses, not school email. Thanks!