Teacher Compensation Based on Effectiveness: The Harrison (CO) School District's Pay-for-Performance Plan
This report, authored by Superintendent Mike Miles, takes a detailed look at the Harrison (CO) School District 2's Pay-for-Performance Plan. The Harrison Plan confronted the dual challenges of defining an effective teacher and identifying all the things that demonstrate her effectiveness. This how-to guide is meant to serve as a tool and model for Ohio’s school districts.
Rethinking Education Governance Session IV: The Way Forward
What's next? This panel brings together a group of "big thinkers" to hash out a plan for education governance in the twenty-first century. What should the structure look like? Who should helm the wheel? And how can we bring these thoughts into action? Paul Hill, Kenneth Meier, Jon Schnur, and Paul Pastorek will engage in a roundtable discussion to think through these questions. Moderator: Chester E. Finn, Jr., president, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Rethinking Education Governance Session III: Alternative Approaches
Many lessons on effective governance arrangements can be pulled from other sectors--and other nations. During this panel, authors Michael Mintrom, Barry Rabe, and Richard Walley will explain what insights can (and can't) be drawn from other countries—and from other federal initiatives, like healthcare and environmental policy. Moderator Paul Manna will also present a paper by Sir Michael Barber on lessons from British education-reform efforts. Moderator: Paul Manna, associate professor, College of William and Mary
Rethinking Education Governance Session II: Traditional Institutions in Flux
This panel calls into question the ideal of local control. Its panelists—including Jeffrey Henig, Frederick M. Hess, Kathryn McDermott, and Kenneth Wong—will investigate the rise of mayoral control, the growth of interstate collaboration, and the role of the state and federal governments in education. Discussant Margaret Goertz will prod panelists to explain these shifts--and what they think each means for education in the twenty-first century. Moderator: Patrick McGuinn, associate professor, Drew University
Rethinking Education Governance Session I: Challenges
From the event Rethinking Education Governance on December 1, 2011 at the Capitol Hilton - http://www.edexcellence.net/events/rethinking-education-g... Opening Remarks: Chester E. Finn, Jr. Session I: Challenges What governance challenges currently mire efforts to reform education? This panel will tackle the financial systems and governance structures that impede change, drawing on the examples of innovators both within and without the system whose reforms have been stifled or slowed by our curious current structures and policies. It will also explain how our present system has harmed our nation's most disadvantaged youth. Panelists include Cynthia Brown, Michelle Davis, Marguerite Roza, and Steven F. Wilson. Moderator: Michael J. Petrilli, executive vice president, Thomas B. Fordham Insitutute
Rethinking Education Governance Lunchtime Keynote: Chris Cerf
During this lunchtime lecture, New Jersey Commissioner of Education Chris Cerf will discuss his thoughts on how to improve our current education-governance structure, drawing from his experiences as deputy chancellor of New York City Department of Education, his current role at the New Jersey Department of Education, and his time working for the federal government. ** We had some technical difficulties during the Q&A which is why the video is out of focus. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Untouchable?
Mike Petrilli and Ty Eberhardt discuss the soft spots in President Obama's education record.
Embracing the Common Core - Michael Cohen Presentation
Mike Cohen, president of Achieve, spoke to the specifics of PARCC (the assessment consortia Ohio joined last fall) and warned that the implementation of the new standards in ELA and math will not be easy and that districts should start the implementation process now.
Embracing the Common Core - Stan Heffner Presentation
Among the speakers at the event was State Superintendent Stan Heffner who stressed that the system Ohio currently has is letting kids down and not preparing them for the future. He went on to emphasize that the Common Core gives us the opportunity and chance to do better for our kids and we must capitalize on that.
What's holding back America's science performance?
While business leaders rue the lack of American workers skilled enough in math and science to meet the needs of an increasingly high-tech economy, the situation may be growing even grimmer. The latest installment of TIMSS showed stagnation in U.S. science achievement, and the 2009 NAEP science assessment found that only 21 percent of American twelfth-graders met the proficiency bar. Yet while the gravity of the problem is clear, the root cause is not. Is our science curriculum lacking? Is it being squeezed out by an emphasis on math and reading? Is there a problem with our pedagogy? Are our teachers ill-prepared? Or are we simply expecting too little of teachers and students alike? Coinciding with its new review of state science standards, The Thomas B. Fordham Institute will bring together experts with very different perspectives to engage this crucial question: "What's holding back America's science performance?" Watch the discussion with UVA psychologist Dan Willingham, NCTQ President Kate Walsh, Fordham's Kathleen Porter-Magee, Project Lead the Way's Anne Jones, and Achieve, Inc.'s Stephen Pruitt.
Overcoming the Governance Challenge in K-12 Online Learning
John E. ChubbIn this paper, John Chubb examines how local school district control retards the widespread use of instructional technologies. He argues that the surest way to break down the system’s inherent resistance to technology is to shift control from the local district—and thus the school board—and put it in the hands of states. Download the paper to read the ten steps Chubb argues will get us to this brave new governance system.
The State of State Science Standards 2012
American science performance is lagging as the economy becomes increasingly high tech, but our current science standards are doing little to solve the problem.
Are Bad Schools Immortal?
When it comes to low-performing schools, we seem to be witnessing the same thing over and over—not unlike the classic movie, Groundhog Day.Ground Hog Day A recent study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute tracked about 2,000 low-performing schools and found that the vast majority of them remained open and remained low-performing after five years. Very few were significantly improved. So, are failing schools fixable? Join the Thomas B. Fordham Institute for a lively and provocative debate about that question. Fordham VP Mike Petrilli will moderate, and the discussion will be informed, in part, by Fordham's study, Are Bad Schools Immortal? The Scarcity of Turnarounds and Shutdowns in Both Charter and District Sectors.
Has the Accountability Movement Run Its Course?
Ten years ago, George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, the law that has dominated U.S. education—and the education policy debate—for the entire decade. While lawmakers are struggling to update that measure, experts across the political spectrum are struggling to make sense of its impact and legacy. Did NCLB, and the consequential accountability movement it embodied, succeed? And with near-stagnant national test scores of late, is there reason to think that this approach to school reform is exhausted? If not "consequential accountability," what could take the U.S. to the next level of student achievement? Join three leading experts as they wrestle with these questions. Panelists include Hoover Institute economist Eric Hanushek, DFER's Charles Barone, and former NCES commissioner Mark Schneider, author of a forthcoming Fordham analysis of the effects of consequential accountability. NCLB drafter Sandy Kress, previously identified as a panelist, was unable to attend.
The Costs of Online Learning
The latest installment of Fordham's Creating Sound Policy for Digital Learning series investigates one of the more controversial aspects of digital learning: How much does it cost? In this paper, the Parthenon Group uses interviews with more than fifty vendors and online-schooling experts to estimate today's average per-pupil cost for a variety of schooling models, traditional and online, and presents a nuanced analysis of the important variance in cost between different school designs.
Quality Control in K-12 Digital Learning: Three (Imperfect) Approaches
Will the move toward virtual and “blended learning” schools in American education repeat the mistakes of the charter-school movement, or will it learn from them? The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, with the support of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, has commissioned five deep-thought papers that, together, address the thorniest policy issues surrounding digital learning. The goal is to boost the prospects for successful online learning (both substantively and politically) over the long run. In this first of six papers on digital learning commissioned by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Frederick M. Hess explores the challenges of quality control.
Teachers in the Age of Digital Instruction
Will the move toward virtual and “blended learning” schools in American education repeat the mistakes of the charter-school movement, or will it learn from them? The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, with the support of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, has commissioned five deep-thought papers that, together, address the thorniest policy issues surrounding digital learning. The goal is to boost the prospects for successful online learning (both substantively and politically) over the long run.
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The Accountability Plateau
Mark SchneiderAfter more than ten years under NCLB, that law’s legacy continues to be fiercely contested. This analysis of NAEP scores—focusing on Texas and on the entire nation—by former NCES commissioner Mark Schneider finds that solid gains in math achievement coincided with the advent of "consequential accountability," first in the trailblazing Lone Star State and a few other pioneer states, then across the land with the implementation of NCLB. But Schneider warns that the recent plateau in Texas math scores may foreshadow a coming stagnation in the country’s performance. Has the testing-and-accountability movement as we know it run out of steam? How else might we rekindle our nation’s education progress?
Rethinking Education Governance for the Twenty-First Century
School reforms abound today, yet even the boldest and most imaginative among them have produced—at best—marginal gains in student achievement. What America needs in the twenty-first century is a far more profound version of education reform. Instead of shoveling yet more policies, programs, and practices into our current system, we must deepen our understanding of the obstacles to reform that are posed by existing structures, governance arrangements, and power relationships. Yet few education reformers—or public officials—have been willing to delve into this touchy territory.
Education Reform Idol: The Reformiest State 2011
Leaders from five cutting-edge states battled for the honor of "Reformiest State 2011." This Fordham Institute panel pitted Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin against one another. The winner, Indiana, was determined by a vote of the in-person and online audience.
When Reform Touches Teachers
There has been much heated debate this year over bold changes that affect teachers, including dialing back pensions and union rights. These matters were candidly discussed by two high-visibility national education leaders who don't always agree: Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers and Frederick M. Hess, director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Which issues do we actually disagree about? Can we do so in ways that illumine rather than obscure? Our two panelists will prove that it's possible. Watch this lively conversation, moderated by Fordham's ever-lively Michael Petrilli.
Checker Finn on patriotism, democracy, and teaching about 9/11
On the ten-year anniversary of the 9/11, teachers are looking for advice on how to teach about the attacks. Unfortunately, much of the curricular content available focuses on the wrong things. Checker Finn discusses what teachers should be teaching based on Fordham's new report, Teaching about 9/11 in 2011: What Children Need to Know.
Working Smarter Together
Presented by the Nord Family Foundation, Ohio Grantmakers Forum, and Thomas B. Fordham Institute, with the ESC of Central Ohio and Public Performance Partners, this is a free, non-partisan event to help local government administrators -- from county commissioners and city managers to school district superintendents -- think differently about how they operate, and learn tangible strategies for sharing services and saving money.
The Other Achievement Gap
A trio of recent studies and articles raises troubling questions about America's "Achievement-Gap Mania." Are we leaving our highest performing students behind in the quest to raise the test scores of students at the bottom? If so, what will this mean for our future international competitiveness? Learn about the recent studies--Fordham's Do High Flyers Maintain their Altitude? and the George W. Bush Institute's Global Report Card?as well as Frederick M. Hess's new National Affairs essay, "Our Achievement-Gap Mania." And join a conversation about whether our focus on raising the bottom is blinding us to trouble at the top. View the event page for more details.
Do High Flyers Maintain Their Altitude?
Fordham's study, "Do High Flyers Maintain Their Altitude? Performance Trends of Top Students," is the first to examine the performance of America's highest-achieving children over time at the individual-student level. Produced in partnership with the Northwest Evaluation Association, it finds that many high-achieving students struggle to maintain their elite performance over the years and often fail to improve their reading ability at the same rate as their average and below-average classmates. The study raises troubling questions: Is our obsession with closing achievement gaps and "leaving no child behind" coming at the expense of our "talented tenth"?and America's future international competitiveness?
Reform School: Mike Miles
Mike Miles talks about student achievement and the pay for performance process he has implemented at the Harrison School Disctrict 2 in Colorado Springs, CO.
Is It Time to Turn the Page on Federal Accountability in Education?
With ESEA reauthorization looming, there's much debate over the proper role for the federal government in holding schools accountable. In their recent ESEA Briefing Book, Fordham Institute President Chester E. Finn, Jr., and Executive Vice President Michael J. Petrilli argue that it's time to turn the page on federally-mandated accountability (such as "Adequate Yearly Progress" and connected sanctions), since it can't successfully be imposed from Washington. Instead, they say, Uncle Sam should ensure that education results and finances are transparent to the public?and leave it to the states and districts to do the rest.