Don't Scapegoat America's Teachers

Congratulations to Randi Weingarten, President of the AFT, for this well written op-ed piece published earlier this week in the Washington Post:

Last week in these pages, a group of school superintendents -- two of whom, Chicago Public Schools chief executive Ron Huberman and D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, have just announced their resignations -- laid out a "manifesto" for fixing America's schools. Although lofty in its stated aim to set a course for improving public education, the manifesto offered few concrete solutions, with one notable exception: shifting the sole responsibility to teachers. Sadly, such a view ignores both the full extent of the superintendents' own responsibilities and the reality that many factors affect children's success.

We at the American Federation of Teachers would suggest a different approach. Let's come together -- teachers, superintendents, principals, parents and community members -- and develop a joint manifesto about how to best educate all of our kids. After all, superintendents have a responsibility not only to demand excellence and accountability from others, but also to ensure that teachers have the resources to help their students succeed.

Educating children is complex work. No one approach will provide all children with the first-rate education they deserve. So we must simultaneously build on what works and fix what's broken, much as high-performing school districts and nations with high student-achievement rankings already do.

In that spirit, here is our vision for how to create great schools for all children.

Collaboration matters.

Earlier this month, the AFT brought superintendents, elected officials and teachers union leaders from 35 districts across the country to Washington to compare notes on successful reform efforts. Although such teamwork and shared responsibility rarely make headlines, they are the essential ingredients for lasting change.

In Lowell, Mass., for example, collaboration between teachers and management has significantly raised student achievement. In Hillsborough County, Fla., district and union leaders worked together to overhaul teacher development, mentoring and evaluation practices, also leading to significant achievement gains. While the tactics vary from district to district, these success stories share a common approach rooted in collaboration, or what one union president and her district superintendent call "solving problems, not winning arguments."

Great teachers can be developed.

Not everyone is cut out for the classroom, as the superintendents' manifesto rightly noted. But the manifesto missed key points: It can take new teachers time to reach their full potential, and it can take other teachers time to adjust to changing demands. The AFT has worked with experts and educators to create a framework for teacher development and evaluation that is being implemented in more than 50 school districts. Its purpose is to enable new and struggling teachers to improve, to help good teachers become great ones and to identify those who should not be in the profession. Effective evaluation systems can provide the feedback necessary to spur improvement, as well as an objective standard for high-stakes decisions about which teachers just shouldn't teach, rendering moot the issue of whether tenure protects bad teachers (as some people claim).

In focusing so intently on what we ourselves have decried as the "glacial" process for teacher disciplinary proceedings, the superintendents ignored another serious problem that has a dramatic effect on educational quality: turnover. Nearly half of new teachers leave in their first five years, a churning that costs American school systems $7 billion annually. Turnover has a steep educational price tag, as well. Research shows that teachers are most effective after they have three to five years' experience. While more must be done to prepare teachers before they step into a classroom, supporting and retaining good teachers is both an educational and an economic imperative.

Teachers need tools and support.

Educators can't do their jobs well without opportunities for meaningful professional development, an effective curriculum and adequate working conditions. The AFT and other unions try to do our part, but we are ultimately negotiating with others to secure what teachers need. That's where superintendents and principals come in. They have a responsibility to ensure that teachers have the tools to help students achieve excellence.

High standards are important, but they're just a start.

The AFT supports the Common Core State Standards Initiative, an effort coordinated by the National Governors Association's Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Thirty-six states plan to adopt this initiative. If implemented properly (no sure thing, in this time of austerity), these standards can help correct the serious problems that are a legacy of No Child Left Behind, including a narrowing of the curriculum and an overemphasis on preparation for standardized tests.

But such standards are meaningless without training and assessments aligned to them and, crucially, without time for teachers to prepare for them and for students to achieve them.

We must innovate -- and imitate.

It is essential that we explore promising new approaches. At the same time, we must replicate and expand established, proven programs. Because there are endless ideas about how to improve teaching and learning, it is crucial that we look to the evidence. Where we see success, whether in public, private or charter schools, we should learn from it. And we must follow the lead of top-performing countries, such as Finland, replicating their best approaches.

We accept and expect accountability, but we also demand shared responsibility.

Accountability is a tool, not an endpoint. Our aim should be to help all children succeed. But when accountability, rather than shared responsibility, becomes the goal, the focus shifts to how to do better on tests. In its recurring emphasis on "performance," the superintendents' manifesto missed this crucial point. Everyone with responsibility for our children's education and well-being, including teachers, administrators, elected officials, parents and students, should be held accountable.

Teachers can't do this alone.

Public schools have an obligation to help all children learn, regardless of parental engagement, native language or family income. But to succeed, educators need help. Consider the District, where three out of 10 children were living in poverty last year.

That's why "wraparound services," such as safe and enriching after-school programs, health services and tutoring, are so essential.

As Jonathan P. Raymond, the superintendent of the Sacramento public schools, wrote recently: "We have to stop blaming teachers for problems that have multiple causes, ranging from poor administrative oversight and accountability to a lack of parent engagement. I know how hard teachers work to educate every child and challenge students at their ability level. We need to work equally hard to give our teachers the tools and supports they need to be successful. Let's stop scapegoating and come together to find solutions that work."

We must keep the public in public schools.

Strong schools help create vibrant communities, and engaged communities in turn help our schools thrive. Our children's educations should not be the sole provenance of any one group, whether administrators or teachers. Parents, faith communities, business leaders and others are critical to a successful public school system. All must be partners in ensuring that every child gets a great education.

No one, least of all those of us whose life's work is public education, will be satisfied until we have helped all students prepare for the demands of our ever-changing knowledge economy. Getting to that point, particularly during one of the toughest downturns of our lifetimes, will require that we all do more -- and do it together.

The Bottom Line on Teacher Pensions

It's no secret that funding for the state teacher pension plan is going to be controversial in the next session of the Maryland General Assembly come January. Last year, Senate President Mike Miller put on a full court press to shift the pension costs from the state to the counties. What he got was a study commission that is scheduled to report back out before January.

Unfortuantely, Miller is focussed on the wrong problem. His concern appears to be limited to offloading the costs from the state to balance their books - regardless of the impact on county budgets. But he misses the underlying problem of ensuring the long-term financial health of the plans.

As recently as 2000, the state pension system was fully funded. As of last summer, the funding status had dropped to 64%. Simply shifting the costs does nothing to address this funding shortfall. So what caused the drop?

It's fairly simple. There are four reasons:

1. Investment losses. To quote the well-worn cliche: "it's the economy stupid". Like every pension and retirement plan in the nation, the Maryland pension system has been battered by a drop in investment returns (-20%) and asset value (-22%) in the last year alone due to the recession.

2. Accouting gimmicks by the state. In 2002, the state mandated a "corridor funding formula" that served to reduce the annual cost to the state. No other state in the nation using this technique, and the result has been to artificially lower the State's contribution to the plan.

3. The fund is underperforming.  A recent report compared the performance of the Maryland plans to those in other states, and found that the Maryland plan "has significantly trailed the median investment returns of its peers to the tune of $3 billion over the last ten years" and that the substandard results "may be the result of asset allocation decisions, manager investment selections, or both".

4. Salaries have gone up. Not in the last three years, but they are higher now than in 2000. This is in no small part due to funding incentives provided by the state (the Bridge to Excellence, etc.). Salaries are negotiated locally - but we shouldn't forget that it is the state that a) sets the benefit levels, b) uses 'corridor funding' to underfund the plan, and c) chooses the investment managers.

The state's "Benefits Sustainabilty Commission" has begun work, and there are a number of useful reports at that link for those interested in reading in more detail about these issues. It's important for them to understand how we got here as they ponder their recommendations. Simply shifting the costs to the counties does nothing to address the funding problem. Something needs to be done to ensure the long term financial health of the plans, but let's not blame the victims.

In the last few years, teachers have increasd their annual contribution to their pensions from 2% of their salaries to 5% of their salaries. We are doing our part. But we didn't cause the recession. And it's the state that is responsible for its accounting gimmicks and poor investment management.

Tom Israel, MCEA Executive Director

MCEA Reps Endorse “No Labels, No Limits” Campaign

Call on Board of Education to Eliminate the Gifted/Talented label in elementary school

MCEA Building Reps voted overwhelmingly last Wednesday in favor of endorsing the “No Labels, No Limits” Campaign to end the screening of all second grade students as either “gifted and talented” or not “gifted and talented”.

One teacher rep shared her personal story as a mother of twins. A number of years ago, both were in MCPS in second grade, and both were tested in MCPS’ “global screening”. One child was labeled gifted and talented. The other was labeled not gifted and talented. And ever since, she has seen the different expectations, different instruction, and different opportunities. The child who was labeled not gifted and talented “missed” by just one point.

Another educator who spoke was a middle school teacher who also serves as the gifted and talented program coordinator in her school. She too supported the No Labels/No Limits Campaign, explaining that from her experience the grade two labeling was not a useful or effective means of getting children the appropriate level of services.

The No Labels/No Limits Campaign is supported by a coalition of parent, educator, student and community-based organizations. It is based on shared beliefs

 that every child deserves and is entitled to a high quality public education and high expectations irrespective of race, class, ethnicity, language, or physical ability.

 that the global screening of all second grade students and invariably sorts or "tracks" students, limiting the academic opportunities of many children and contributing to a culture of low expectations

 that the time has come to move away from labels toward a paradigm that provides every child the appropriate challenge and support. Only through equitable educational opportunities will all children be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.  

Over the past couple of years, two MCPS elementary schools have piloted the elimination of the GT label. In its place, the focus is on identifying the educational needs of every child and providing challenging curriculum and instruction for all students. Teachers and parents at both Georgian Forest ES and Burning Tree ES have expressed their continuing support for the elimination of the labeling.

The motion approved by the MCEA Representative Assembly encourages reps to report back to their schools and promote ongoing discussions about the No Labels/No Limits Campaign. MCEA President Doug Prouty will formally notify the school administration, Board of Education and the public.

MCEA members interested in supporting this effort should contact MCEA’s Human and Civil Rights Committee. Committee Chair, George Vlasits (Blair HS), is helping to coordinate teacher involvement in the No Labels/No Limits campaign.

For more information on the No Labels/ No Limits campaign, go to the website of the Montgomery County Education Forum at http://www.mcef.org/ .

Stealth Candidate for Board of Education

One of the defining features of American democracy is the right of every citizen to run for elected office - not just those who you agree with. Our electoral process is founded on a rigorous debate over ideas, with the voters making the ultimate decision.

That is why it is more than a little disturbing when a candidate running for office seeks to hide his/her real views on the issues.

Which brings us to the case of Martha Shaerr. Shaerr is a candidate for the Montgomery County Board of Education, running against incumbent Mike Durso. In a four person race, Shaerr finished second, garnering 28% of the vote to Durso' 47% - thereby grabbing a seat in the November 2nd runoff election. The following letter to the editor was published in the September 29th issue of the Gazette:

Schaerr Profile Lacked Key Information

In The Gazette's Sept. 2 profile of Board of Education candidate Martha Schaerr ["Schaerr calls for schools to engage struggling students"], Schaerr failed to reveal perhaps the most salient feature of her involvement with the Montgomery County Public Schools. Schaerr is a member of the board of directors (and her husband is board chairman) of the Family Leader Network, which brought suit against MCPS in 2007, in an unsuccessful attempt to block implementation of eighth and 10th grade health education revisions titled "Respect for Differences in Human Sexuality."

None of this is mentioned on Schaerr's campaign website. The revisions of the courses (which may only be taken if parents opt into them for their children) were prepared in close consultation with a panel from the Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and are based entirely on the teachings of mainstream American medical and mental health professional associations.

These revisions help make our schools safe for all of our children. The State Board of Education, without a single dissenting vote, and then the Montgomery County Circuit Court, rejected Schaerr's Family Leader Network's arguments. This baseless litigation forced MCPS to spend tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars in attorney fees.

David S. Fishback, Olney

Fishback knows that of which he speaks. For many years, he served as Chairperson of the MCPS Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Family Life and Human Development. He knows first hand about the battles to establish an appropriate sex education curriculum in MCPS.

Shaerr has every right to her opinions, and we would welcome a full and public debate over whether sex ed should be a part of the curriculum in schools. I'm confident that voters in Montgomery County would be overwhelming supportive. Too bad Ms. Shaerr has chosen to hide from voters the importance she places on taking sex education out of our schools.

Tom Israel, MCEA Executive Director.