Front Page  »  

State ignoring federal school mandate

July 15, 2013

studentCalifornia school officials have largely disregarded the Obama Administration’s direction for education, marking a rare state departure from adherence to federal policy. (Los Angeles Times)

At issue is the practice of grading performances of teachers, and rewarding or punishing individuals based on those performance reports.

California’s reluctance to conform has resulted in the administration’s withholding of a waiver from requirements of the No Child Left Behind program, exposing local schools to federal discipline.

A heavy hand by the California Teachers Association is at the center of the disagreement; the CTA is at the forefront of opposition to teacher evaluation by one-size-fits-all testing standards.

Gov. Jerry Brown and State Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson back the union’s efforts.

“We think the federal government is foolish to keep insisting on this,” Richard Zeiger, Torlakson’s chief deputy, told The Times. “It just doesn’t fit with the style of reform we are pursuing in California.”


Loading...
Subjects:                         
Related:


22 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

I just LOVE how our govt gets to pick and choose which laws they will comply with.


0

“It just doesn’t fit with the style of reform we are pursuing in California.”


Would that be the same “reform” that dropped the state from number 1 academically to 47th? Of course they don’t want performance reviews, they aren’t performing.


0

The decline in academic performance correlates to the growth of administrations and administrative salaries. Here’s a better idea: shrink administrations and use the saved money to hire more teachers.


0

The ability to educate someone often does not equate to money. In fact, if you pay too well, I’d think you might actually get people teaching who are there for the wrong reasons.


0

the fish stinks from the head down


0

Grading teacher performance is a great idea on paper, but it won’t work. If it were implemented, the kiss-ass teachers would magically be rated higher than all the other teachers. Let me say that again in more detail… If teachers were subjected to performance grading, the laziest, most apathetic, most upward-bound-at-any-cost teachers would be given the highest grades by the administrators who enjoy having their assess kissed. The teachers who have made helping students learn their top priority, are engaged in the learning process, and actually care about their students would get the low performance marks.


Teacher evaluation is a joke; it’s nothing more than the admin’s plan to get rid of the teachers that don’t play their game. Ask any teacher; they’ll tell you. We should be evaluating administrators instead of hiring more of them and giving raises to the ones that are already there.


0

You’ve got that backwards, jimmy. You just described how teachers currently get evaluated!


The LA Times ran a series on teacher evaluations that compared student test scores over time. They tracked the same students over time and measured changes in their individual test scores. The study found that when students had certain teachers, their scores consistently improved. Scores actually decreased after having some other teachers. The teachers who had the greatest impact on students were not the ones who were praised and recognized by administrators and other teachers.


0

Jimmy, under your theory no one should be evaluated in doing their job because there are kiss asses in every field, job status, position and level. It is the only reasonable way to evaluate the development and performance of an employee. Contrary to what some may think, teachers are no different than the rest of the work force except for their overpaid benefits, protection and time off. Teachers get paid for time not worked and there is plenty of that. They need to be held to the same standards as the rest of the workforce. Maybe the parents at the end of the year should have to complete an evaluation/performance report and then a review of the class test results, and finally the other teachers and staff. Peer review is always important.


0

If the teacher’s don’t want to work under federal standards, then don’t take the money the federal government hands. I love the way Brown and his cronies decide what laws, regulations, and standards to accept and reject whether he was an attorney general or governor. He has appointed himself as the supreme ruler of California and we will follow his bias rules and standards. Pay him enough money and you too can make your own rules.


Are we paying for his vacation as he is doing the norm for other politicians and throwing in a couple of meetings during his two weeks in Ireland and Germany for financial rewards.


0

I feel the education of our kids is a two team effort between the teachers and the parents. We cannot honestly believe that the positive performance of our children s learning is solely the responsibility of the teachers. I do realize that there are poor teachers who only give attention to certain kids or are just lazy, but there are way more parents who more likely do not do what is necessary to make sure their kids succeed in school.


I barely graduated from AGHS in the 80’s and teachers did not help much and my parents did not push me hard enough, but now I hold a degree and all my kids are honor roll students and taking advance placement classes.


0

The Teachers Union has a point…no one else working in the public sector has to prove their worth so why should teachers be subjected to scrutiny?


0

Maybe it should start somewhere?, and then move on to other areas


0

Have it start with academic administrators. If there is something wrong with the system, do something different for a change: start at the top and work down.


0

Why not start with both at the same time? and then on to other areas.


0

that would leave the students and their parents?


0

my father-in-law was a teacher, after he sold his company, for many years. if i could drag him out of his urn i’m sure he would have something to say about administrators.


0

i always wish i could have rated my bosses. my son was in school and was told high school was no fun unless you were a jock or a cheerleader. this was by the school. he was forceably removed from a classroom for criticisng a teacher (he was right) as soon as inter-district transfers came into effect we moved both my daugher and son were moved to a different school. made all the difference in the world.


teachers should be smart enough to figure out how to implement. according to fat chance; guess not.


0

forgive the spelling missteak


0

My daughter is a teacher and she tells me they can’t keep up with all the feds demands. They push program than they give no training on how to implement them.


0
1 2