Bill Gates repudiates key elements of right wing, corporate education "reform"
In this Washington Post OpEd, Bill Gates says test scores should at most be PART of how teachers are evaluated, merit pay won't work, and teachers want collaboration not competition with their peers--in essence, he repudiates more than half of the right wing, corporate education "reform" agenda that has been implemented by the Bush administration and now President Obama, his Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, and corporate Democrats like Rahm Emanuel--with disastrous results.
My wife is an elementary school teacher, and because of what these "reformers" have done, she doesn't want any of our children to go to public school.
So we will be paying taxes for schools that we can't send our middle class kids to because wealthy people (who don't send their kids to public schools) have ruined them by dictating how they should be run.
Gates started driving the direction of education reform policy before he knew what the hell he was doing (unless he had a financial angle for himself).
Now he seems to be moving toward what schools, principals, teachers, and UNIONS already figured out a long time ago.
Mr. Gates, protect your legacy as an entrepreneur and philanthropist: admit your mistake and vow to use your money to undo the damage you have done through your demand for repetitive standardized testing, union busting, school closings, and turning over public education to less effective for-profit charter schools and education management companies. Also, join your father in lobbying to get wealthy people like yourself to pay their fair share of taxes, which would go a long way toward helping public education.
In the future, if you want to help education, listen to educators, researchers, parents, and students, instead of trust fund babies and hedge fund managers looking to make a buck off of our kids like so many mortgage back derivatives or pork bellies.
And please send your Washington Post opinion piece to President Obama and Arne Duncan, so they can adjust their policies accordingly.
I certainly will.
Of particular concern is the possibility that test results alone will be used to determine a large part of how much teachers get paid. I have talked to many teachers over the past several years, and not one has told me they would be more motivated, or become a better teacher, by competing with other teachers in their school. To the contrary, teachers want an environment based on collaboration, in which they can rely on one another to share lesson plans, get advice and understand whats working well in other classrooms. Surveys by MetLife and other research of teachers back this up.
Teachers also tell me that while compensation is important, so are factors such as high-quality professional development opportunities, a strong school leader, engaged families and the chance to work with like-minded colleagues.
While there is justification for rewarding teachers based in part on how their students perform, compensation systems should use multiple measures, including classroom observation. In top-performing education systems in other parts of the world, such as Singapore and Shanghai, accomplished teachers earn more by taking on additional responsibilities such as coaching and mentoring other teachers and helping to capture and spread effective teaching techniques. Such systems are a way to attract, retain and reward the best teachers; make great use of their skills; and honor the collaborative nature of work in schools.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bill-gates-a-fairer-way-to-evaluate-teachers/2013/04/03/c99fd1bc-98c2-11e2-814b-063623d80a60_story.html
MichiganVote
(21,086 posts)LoisB
(7,079 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)DonB
(53 posts)Gates has a lot of ground to make up and he can start with these baby steps:
1) Put some of his vast wealth behind the teachers unions, especially in those states where the right wing is trying to destroy them to allow them to tell the true teaching story instead of hearing it from all these right wing governors and legislators an the puke anti-union monies that are behind them
2) Repudiate ex pretend-a- president little "w" and his "every child without money left behind program" of education reform
3) Repudiate President Obma and his lackey arne duncans "race to getting the best test scores anyway you can program" for what it is, another scheme to drive a wedge between the groups that want to co-operate to better schools and those that want to steal
4) Spend some more of his great wealth to hire someone to shadow michele rhee around the country telling people the truth about her pitiful pretense at reform which some call The Great rhee Robbery
5) Come out forthrightly against for profit charter schools and voucher programs that are nothing more then ponzi schemes to enrich a few and destroy public education through the ruse of competition
6) and finally to promise that no matter what he does to help the education system in this country, not one penny will ever go to any corporate profit coffers, but will instead be re-invested in the schools that so many companies are trying to rob
Lets all agree on one thing, EDUCATION IS AN INVESTMENT IN OUR FUTURE, not a political and ideological football.
yurbud
(39,405 posts)just to force them to respond to it
DonB
(53 posts)take their fricking tests
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10451021