Confidence game in the Hoosier State

Derek Redelman / August 7, 2003

On January 8, Indiana became one of five states singled out by the U.S. Department of Education for early approval of its No Child Left Behind accountability plan. These states were depicted as leaders that had set aside excuses and committed themselves to educating all students. Seven short months later, Indiana can, indeed, be characterized as a leader; but it is that state's role in obfuscating NCLB's goals that most deserves recognition.

In an earlier column [see http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=9#367], Checker Finn noted the acceleration of annual benchmarks at the core of Indiana's plan. For the next eight years, Hoosier schools will need, on average, to improve their pass rates on the state's test by seven percentage points every three years; but in the subsequent four years, seven percent gains are expected every single year.

Finn likened this to a "balloon mortgage" that will bequeath half of the state's expected improvement to a future generation of state and local education leaders. Such a balloon is especially unrealistic in a state like Indiana, where state test scores have shown no absolute improvement over the last 12 years.

Yet the "balloon mortgage" may not be the worst of Indiana's NCLB games. A more vexing obfuscation can be found in the state's treatment of expected pass rates on its tests. By applying an inflated "confidence test," state officials have substantially lowered performance expectations and assured that Indiana schools will never be held fully accountable

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Confidence game in the Hoosier State

Things left unsaid on salaries

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / August 7, 2003

The American Federation of Teachers is out with the 2002 edition of its Survey and Analysis of Teacher Salary Trends, and this year's report is even cheekier than usual. Acknowledging that, according to the union's own data, "average teacher salaries improved faster than inflation for the fourth time in five years," the authors demand yet more money for teacher pay. The AFT analysts admit that the teacher "shortage" today is spotty, largely confined to certain specialties and places. (For additional coverage of the teacher shortage question, see below.) What they keep harping on is that beginning teachers get salary offers that remain lower than those for college graduates in general.

But so much is left unsaid. Among the unremarked issues: that teachers have far more generous (and costly) benefits than most college graduates. That (at least after the first few years) teachers enjoy far greater job security than most college graduates. That teachers don't work as many days or hours and that their hourly compensation rate is competitive, if not superior to that of many other skilled fields requiring a college degree. (For a fine analysis of this phenomenon, see Richard Vedder's piece in the spring 2003 issue of Education Next.) Also unsaid--of course--is the folly of salary schedules that persist in paying the same to great instructors as to mediocre pedagogues; that pay the same regardless of whether an individual's teaching field is in shortage or surplus; and that

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Things left unsaid on salaries

Historical ignorance, continued

August 7, 2003

Though the phrase "don't know much about history" is now a clich?, we can't argue with the sentiments of this article in National Journal, which argues that the well-intentioned No Child Left Behind act is perversely marginalizing subjects like history. History already had plenty of problem arising for its submergence into the nebulous field of "social studies." This latest development must surely accelerate the historical and civic illiteracy of American school kids. So, is the answer to add these subjects to the NCLB requirements? In the long run, perhaps, but, as Diane Ravitch aptly remarks in this article, "Basic skills are not enough, but if you don't have the basic skills, you can't learn history or science." For now, a focus on the basics may be necessary, but it would be a catastrophe if that meant history and other subjects are forever shunted aside. Note, though, that NCLB requirements are meant to be a floor, not a ceiling. Alien as this may sound to those grumping about compliance, a school or school system or state is free to do more than the law requires. Stay tuned. Fordham will soon several reports addressing this issue, beginning with an examination of where social studies went wrong and some cogent thoughts on what children need to learn about terrorists, despots, and democracy.

"Don't know much about history," by Brian Friel, National Journal, August 2, 2003 (available to online subscribers only)

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Historical ignorance, continued

New York, old progressivism

August 7, 2003

When hizzoner Michael Bloomberg gained control of Gotham's crippled school system, many had high hopes. Perhaps at last New York City would muster the strength to free itself from the establishment monopoly over education reform, curriculum, and pedagogy--and the innumerable underperforming schools it has created. Instead, Bloomberg and his chosen schools chancellor, Joel Klein, have moved in the opposite direction, embracing mandatory reading and math curricula rooted in the old-style progressive education ideology that created many of these problems in the first place. In their defense, Klein said, "I don't believe curriculums [sic] are the key to education. I believe teachers are." Well, yes. But teachers, even great ones, have to teach something. In New York, it's clearer with every passing day that the something they're teaching is the wrong thing.

"New York's new approach," by James Traub, New York Times, August 3, 2003

"One curriculum, many skeptics," by Mike McIntire, New York Times, August 6, 2003

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New York, old progressivism

What price victory for NCLB?

August 7, 2003

In June, Gadfly voiced some skepticism when the Department of Education announced with great fanfare that it had approved the NCLB accountability plans of all fifty states, as well as the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. We noted that the "victory" was at best pyrrhic, since many states cut corners to comply and at least one (Iowa) was approved despite lacking state standards. [See http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=2#57.] Well, we now learn that the Education Department has sent follow-up letters to numerous states detailing what they must do for their accountability plans to be "fully approved." In fact, only five state plans were fully approved as of July 1. In addition, some states that thought they were in compliance have had Title I money withheld because of continued problems with their plans. Minnesota, for example, was denied $113,000 because the feds declined to honor a March 2002 waiver that would have allowed the state to use attendance and graduation rates for middle and high schools to determine whether they were making adequate yearly progress. The bottom line is that, before anyone can declare victory, more work awaits.

"'Approved' is relative term for ed. department," by Lynn Olson, Education Week, August 6, 2003

"Minnesota schools: Feds yank $113,000 from state coffers," by John Welbes, Pioneer Press, August 2, 2003

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What price victory for NCLB?

Who are AP classes for?

August 7, 2003

A teacher takes Post education columnist Jay Mathews to task for his rankings of America's best public schools, which he bases on the number of students within a school who take Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) classes. [See http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=23#93.] Tom Schaffer, a former AP teacher in Maryland, has engaged Mathews in a running email conversation on his experience with AP classes, which he believes "should be reserved for just A students and that most B and C students are not ready for such hard work in high school." According to Schaffer, the push to get low- and middle-achieving students into AP or IB classes has not only lowered the standards and atmosphere of those classes, but has also hurt kids who could be learning more in honors or regular classes than by throwing them into deeper educational waters than they're ready for. We think the world of Jay Mathews and his superb journalism, but Mr. Schaffer may have a point. Ranking schools on rates of participation in AP and IB courses seems to put the cart before the horse; wouldn't it be better to raise the standards of classes at every level, rather than just pushing larger numbers of students into AP and IB? And, shouldn't the ultimate distinguishing factor be how well students fare on those tests?

"AP courses not for everyone, educator says," by Jay Mathews, Washington Post, August 5, 2003

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Who are AP classes for?

A National Crisis or Localized Problems? Getting Perspective on the Scope of the Teacher Shortage

August 7, 2003

Patrick Murphy, Michael DeArmond, and Kacey Guin, Education Policy Analysis Archives
July 2003

One of the timeless questions in education: Are we facing a teacher shortage? This new report from the Education Policy Analysis Archives uses data from the 1999-2000 federal Schools and Staffing Survey to show that the shortage is nowhere near as bad as everyone fears and that the problem is in fact concentrated in specific regions and subjects. To combat this spotty but still vexing situation, the authors recommend enticing the best teachers into the classrooms that need them most by giving them "combat pay" and other incentives ranging from signing bonuses to freedom from overbearing administrators. (Public Agenda recently concluded much the same in its report Stand by Me. See http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=108#274.) You can find the report at http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v11n23/.

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A National Crisis or Localized Problems? Getting Perspective on the Scope of the Teacher Shortage

Charter School Accountability in New York

Scott Elliott / August 7, 2003

Carol Ascher et al., Institute for Education and Social Policy
2003

A comprehensive look at New York state's charter school authorizing and accountability practices, this report is complete with everything from auditing timelines established by authorizing agents; to comparisons of test scores from regular public schools, schools under registration review, and charter schools; to office profiles of the authorizing agents. It helps shed light on New York's complicated double authorization system, which requires many charters to be authorized both by the State University of New York (or New York City) AND by the Board of Regents, leading to extra inspections and a plethora of administrators for relatively few schools. Mostly, it calls for more rigorous accountability and oversight by authorizers. See for yourself at http://www.nyu.edu/iesp/publications/charter/PDF-2003accountability.PDF. Or, for a briefer review, and to compare New York's authorizing practices with other states' methods, take a look at the recent Fordham study Charter School Authorizing: Are States Making the Grade? at http://www.edexcellence.net/doc/Full_report_no_embargo_notice.pdf.

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Charter School Accountability in New York

Engaging Minds: Motivation and Learning in America's Schools

Terry Ryan / August 7, 2003

David A. Goslin, The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
2003

"How is it," a Polish education leader asked the late Albert Shanker during a Warsaw conference on education reform in 1995, "that the United States is the world's preeminent democracy and economic power when your education system has all the problems and inequities you and your American colleagues have described over the past two days?" "Because," Shanker replied, "our top 20 percent are as good as any in the world, and that's all we have ever needed." Reading Engaging Minds triggered this memory because its underlying theme is that most American young people never live up to their full academic potential. According to veteran analyst Goslin, "only a small proportion of the nation's students--perhaps as few as 20 or 25 percent--are engaged in learning most of the time." To close the achievement gap and sustain measurable increases in academic performance, Goslin says, get students engaged, and keep them engaged in their own learning. Success in school is largely the result of "hard-work, perseverance, self-discipline, and respect for authority." Yet far too many children think that if something is hard, they simply don't have the ability to learn it, so it's OK to give up. Regrettably, many parents and teachers also buy into this mindset. What can be done? Goslin thinks the standards-based reform movement is a good start for it says that all children can and should meet high academic standards in school. This

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Engaging Minds: Motivation and Learning in America's Schools

Teacher Characteristics and Student Achievement Gains: A Review

Chester E. Finn, Jr. / January 10, 2002

Andrew J. Wayne and Peter Youngs, Review of Educational Research 
Spring 2003, Vol. 73, No. 1, pp. 89-122

This short but important paper reviews the existing research on teacher characteristics to determine what we know about which teachers are most effective. One finding, unfortunately, consistent with the recent ECS report [for Gadfly's review of the ECS report, go to http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=110#1383], is that there isn't a lot of reliable research on this topic. Among the relatively few studies that meet the authors' criteria--primarily, the use of value added analysis and proper controls--they do find some worthwhile insights. Correlates of teacher effectiveness include the quality of the teacher's undergraduate school and the teacher's performance on standardized tests (such as verbal skills or teacher licensure tests). Perhaps more interesting is their examination of degrees, coursework, and certification. With respect to the first two, only in mathematics has a reliable connection been found: Teachers with master's degrees in math do make better math teachers. (In other subjects, the connection has not been demonstrated.) With respect to certification, the lesson is that it's beneficial "only when teachers have certification for the subject taught." Notably absent from existing research is any solid evidence that race, years of experience, or holding an education degree do anybody any good. The implications seem clear: certification processes and hiring decisions need to incorporate what teachers know, and still more research is needed about which teacher characteristics actually help students learn. This paper provides a useful review

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Teacher Characteristics and Student Achievement Gains: A Review