interesting

Experience Counts

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Among the more bizarre trends in education reform debate has been the emergence of an argument that experience doesn’t really matter. The problem appears to be that some researchers have not found ways to measure the importance of experience very effectively, and so, cheered on by cost-cutting and union-bashing allies, they tell us that after the first few years, teacher experience doesn’t matter. They have the test scores to prove it, they say.

I’m not here to argue the opposite. I’ve seen new teachers who have a skill set that rivals some of their veteran colleagues. However, I’ve never met a teacher who didn’t believe they could still improve. After all, we’re in the learning business. With experience comes not only time to learn more content and more pedagogy, but also to learn more about children, psychology and brain neurology, about working effectively with peers, administrators, and the community.

Think of other professions, and let me know if you know of any where experience isn’t valued. If education research isn’t showing the value of experience, then I think we should be asking questions like, “What’s wrong with their research methods? What’s wrong with the measures they’ve chosen? What’s wrong with schools and education systems that they can’t put experience to better use?”

This morning, I heard an interesting story about the oil industry, and the experience gap that is emerging among its engineers and other workers. To my untrained eye, this seems like an industry where experience wouldn’t matter. You’re dealing with physics, chemistry, machinery, manual labor – does the oil rig know or care how old or how experienced the workers are? Is there any chance that the properties of oil are unpredictable? If you can build, repair, or operate machinery in another industry, is the oil industry machinery so different?

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John Kasich is not a normal Governor

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Ohio Budget Watch parses the Governor's words on his forthcoming budget plans and how education policy might be affected. They appear to revolve around using Frank Jackson's SB5 "lite" plan

Teachers unions have made clear they are opposed to many of the reforms. The Governor also hinted at what is needed strategically for him to include the Cleveland reforms. Saying there are things Jackson needs to get done in order for him to move this reform package through the legislature is code for the need to line up support from African-American Democratic legislators from Cleveland. This support will be essential to giving the Governor cover in the form of “bipartisan support” as he essentially introduces a plan to brings back many of the provisions of SB5 that were rejected by voters in November. Also interesting in the Governor’s remarks were two references to Ohio’s “urban areas” rather than Cleveland, specifically. The Governor is often an open book, unable to keep secrets about his future plans. Perhaps he’s giving up a sneak preview about future plans to expand the Cleveland reforms statewide, once they’ve had a chance to demonstrate success. Or he’s planning to introduce a budget next week that will affect all urban districts? Time will tell, but it could be very interesting.

So it looks like we might have a re-hash of SB5 in an election year. This is probably not the sleeping legislative agenda that members of the General Assembly had in mind going into an election year. There is a reason we normally do budgets in non-election years. But John Kasich is not a normal Governor. Stay tuned.

It sure looks like Frank Jackson is going to force Republican lawmakers to religislate SB5, in an election year. The only question left is, will any Democrats be drawn into the suicide pact along with them?

NCLB waiver news

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With reauthorization of No Child Left Behind unlikely in a gridlocked, dysfunctional congress, the Obama administration is looking to issue waivers from it's increasingly impossible requirements, in return for more "reforms". As we try to digest what is being proposed here's some good articles to being you up to speed.

Washington Post

President Obama will excuse states from key parts of No Child Left Behind, the federal education law, if they adopt certain education reforms in exchange for greater flexibility in deciding how to measure school performance.

The Obama administration offered the first details Thursday of the highly anticipated program, with as many as 45 states expected to participate.

The Disaptch talks about Ohio potentially opting to take a waiver

Ohio has said it will consider applying for a waiver; state education officials plan to go to Washington, D.C., next week to learn more about how waivers will work.

Any state that seeks a waiver would have to agree to enact tougher standards, focus on struggling schools and scrutinize educator performance.

Dana Goldstein at the Nation has an interesting article on The Future of No Child Left Behind

But the Obama administration remains committed to a narrower slate of reforms focused on curriculum standardization and value-added evaluation of teachers. As Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute demonstrates in his recent blockbuster essay, these policies will continue to be controversial on both the left and right, as teachers’ unions and many parents resist test-driven instruction. Meanwhile, much of the Republican base has tired of bipartisan education reform, with the GOP primary field embracing a reactionary “parental rights” ideology that resists almost any federal effort to improve schools.

Over at the Wonk Book, another interesting piece on NCLB's lasting legacy.

But, if history is any lesson, a standardized testing backlash won’t translate into less testing. “Every time there’s been a reaction against tests, the solution has usually been ‘well, we’ll make better tests,’” says William J. Reese, author of “America’s Public Schools: From Common Schools to No Child Left Behind.” “That’s always becomes the dream: it’s not the testing, it’s the specific test. That will probably be a likely remedy.”

Finally, here's a good read from the Quick and the Ed.

Olentangy Schools Budget

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Olentangy Schools Superintendent, Wade Lucas, provides a good overview of of the impact of the state budget on his district.

The Treasurer, Rebecca Jenkins, testimony on HB153 can be read here, and provides a good backdrop to the financial havoc this reckless budget is causing. This section caught our eye

Note that charter school per pupil funding (as well as state-wide per pupil funding) has grown each year over that same time period. This would seem logical since the state pupil funding amount has grown steadily over that period. It is interesting to note that if charter schools were kept at their 2006 funding level (like many other growing schools have experienced) their funding would have been over $55 million less in FY11.

Olentangy have a May 3rd ballot issue whereby voters will asked to pass a 7.9-mill operating and no-additional-millage bond issue. If you live in the district, take a moment to check out their FAQ.