How Does Missouri Stack Up?
What does it mean when we say only 47.6% of Missouri’s students are proficient in math? Because each state has their own proficiency standards, how are we to know how our students stack up nationally? Is it true that some states “dumb down” their standards to appear more proficient? TIME magazine has taken much of the guesswork out of the problem.
Read the Time.com article and see how Missouri students fare against national standards.Let the Race Begin
Missouri was one of 40 states who submitted applications to compete for over $4 billion in federal dollars for education reform last month. The funds will only be rewarded to those states that can demonstrate they have pursued reforms that are meaningful, lasting and systemic. The bar will be high and the competition stiff. In a recent press release, Education Secretary Arne Duncan noted that “we’re going to invest in those states that we’re most convinced can demonstrate to the country what’s possible”. To win money, states must also begin distinguishing between effective and ineffective teachers—and consider that information when deciding whether to grant tenure, give raises, or fire a teacher or principal. States must remove legal barriers to linking student test scores to teachers’ performance. Sadly, this is where Missouri fell short. Numerous states including California, Massachusetts and Tennessee passed last minute legislation adopting education reform initiatives before the applications were due. Awards will be given to those states that have made commitments, not promises. Winners will be announced in April and a second round of applications will be accepted in June. Let’s hope our Missouri legislature is ready to pull the trigger on any bills that would promote substantive education reform so that we’ll be eligible for our piece of the pie.
View Missouri's Race To The Top Application.
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Category Archives: Around the Nation
The Rubber Room — New York City Department of Education’s Purgatory for Teachers
With almost 80,000 schoolteachers, over 1.1 million students and 1,400 schools, New York City is home to our country's largest school system. Stories concerning the New York City Department of Education's Rubber Room have shed light on an issue in public education that plagues all school systems. Have teachers unions in their efforts to protect dues paying members, lost sight of the importance of educating our students? Click on the link above to read more and decide for yourself: Is it best for the children?
Who is Teaching Our Teachers?
According to Arthur Levine of Columbia Teachers College, there are 1,300 schools of education and no more than half are accredited. When the academic success of our students depends on the quality of their teachers, we must examine this startling statistic. In fact, when it comes to improving student achievement, there’s no substitute for an [...]
Meet the Press talks with Arne Duncan
How will the unlikely political team of Rev. Al Sharpton and Rep. Newt Gingrich help Education Secretary Arne Duncan spread the word that it is finally time to challenge the status quo, close the achievement gap and raise the bar for America’s students? David Gregory talks with this team about the Race to the Top Fund and what it means to our schools. Click above for a full transcript of the program.
Missouri Wants a Piece of the Pie
Education Secretary Arne Duncan announces that he will award Race To The Top Education Funds to states as early as this spring. Applications are due by January 10, 2010 for this first round of grants and Missouri is determined to win its share. Click above to learn more
Parent Academy
What do Miami, Philadelphia and Boston have in common? All offer parents of newborn and school age children classes and workshops on parenting skills. Because parents are the most important teacher in a student’s life, they must be engaged in their children’s education. Classes that teach everything from math literacy to etiquette are free to parents wishing to participate. Parent programs that are the most successful target families in need and reinforce lessons over a period of time. Time magazine shares information about Miami’s Parent Academy in its article dated November 8, 2009. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1931170,00.html?artId=1931170?contType=article?chn=us
Idea That Works — Putting Teachers in Charge of Schools
Imagine a group of teachers and community members running your local school, deciding school calendars and setting staff work hours independent from their district’s central office. This type of self-governing model is proving effective in improving student performance. Read more about what states are putting this model to the test and add your comment by clicking on the link above.
Book Review: Cheating Our Kids — How Politics and Greed Ruin Education
No one can accuse Joe Williams of censuring a particular person or group of people for the perceived decline in public education over the last several decades. In Cheating Our Kids: How Politics and Greed Ruin Education (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005), Mr. Williams asserts that there is plenty of blame to go around—from teachers’ unions to [...]
No Joke — Bill Cosby on Education
In a town hall meeting at Howard University, Bill Cosby and other panelists began a frank discussion about the state of education in our nation. The program, “About Our Children”, aired on MSNBC on September 20, 2009. Dr. Cosby pleads with parents to BE there for their children and stop asking schools to do the job that should be done at home. Watch excerpts from the broadcast or leave your comment by clicking on the link above.
Complex Justice: the case of Missouri v Jenkins
Linked below is a summary of the book Complex Justice: the case of Missouri v. Jenkins written by Joshua Dunn, Ph.D. and Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs.
Dr. Dunn’s book details the landmark Missouri v. Jenkins desegregation case which mandated $2 billion of improvements to the Kansas City, Missouri school district, and which stretched for nearly three decades.
Is the School Board To Blame?