New York Judge Says “Value-Added” Scores Can Be Released

By Alain Jehlen Even if “value-added” scores are unreliable, teachers’ names and their scores can still be released publicly, a New York judge ruled this week. The United Federation of Teachers, representing New York City’s public school teachers, immediately announced it would appeal the ruling. UFT President Michael Mulgrew pointed out that the scores “are [...]

Long Days, Growing Challenges

By Kevin Hart There’s an old saying that a teacher’s work is never done — and a new poll on teacher work hours seems to prove it. While the average school day in America may last from 7-8 hours, the real work day for many teachers begins before the sun rises and ends well into the evening, as [...]

New Board-Certified Teachers Join Distinguished Fraternity

By Mary Ellen Flannery When sixth-grade teacher Cynthia Walker thinks back to the two-year process of national board certification, she recalls the months of sleepless nights but also the days of thoughtful discussion with her colleagues. “You start sharing ideas – what are you trying to accomplish (in the classroom)? And why?” she said. “I [...]

NEA Announces National, Independent Commission on Teacher Quality

By Michelle Hudgins Saying there is a fundamental need to shake up the nation’s thinking on quality teaching, the NEA this past week announced that it is creating a national, independent commission to study the teaching profession and make recommendations on maximizing teacher and teaching effectiveness. NEA President Dennis Van Roekel first spoke about plans [...]

The Economics Behind International Education Rankings

By Cynthia McCabe This week’s release of international education rankings placing U.S. students in the middle of the pack for reading and science and below average in math contained few surprises. But what might have been overlooked in the horse race coverage of how the students stacked up is an economic link that further supports [...]

PISA 2009: U.S. Students in the Middle of the Pack

by Tim Walker The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the results of the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) on Tuesday morning, showing that U.S. students are ranked average in reading and science, and below average in math. Among the 34 OECD countries, the United States ranks 14th in reading, 17th [...]

Public Education Supporters Give Thanks

By Cynthia McCabe Before buying the canned pumpkin, madly scrubbing the house before mother arrives (how does she always find those dustbunnies?), or helping the little ones memorize “Five Little Turkeys,” America’s public school educators and supporters sat down at their computers the week before Thanksgiving and shared why they’re grateful for public schools. They, [...]

Top Education Experts Raise Caution on Teacher Evaluations

By Kevin Hart Evaluating teachers based on students’ standardized test scores may be en vogue, but a panel of America’s leading education experts is warning that the process is badly flawed and is likely to result in misguided personnel decisions that could harm public education. Ten prominent education scholars have drafted a policy letter on [...]

Blue Ribbon Panel Urges Overhaul of Teacher Education Programs

By Tim Walker A national panel of education experts gathered at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. on Tuesday to call for teacher preparation to be “turned upside down” by a roster of innovative changes to teacher education programs. The sweeping recommendations are part of a new report by a Blue Ribbon Panel convened [...]

Release of New York Teacher Data Put Off

By Alain Jehlen The proposed release of controversial “value-added” scores for New York City teachers has been postponed until next month to allow time for a court hearing on whether the release should be permanently blocked. The United Federation of Teachers, representing the New York teachers, went to court last week to block the release [...]

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