Let's Review, Kids

Supposedly, tomorrow is the opening of Public Comment on the radical rewrite of teacher and principal licensing rules for Indiana. At the link below (or somewhere near it) there should be a way for folks to formally comment on the changes. Let's review a few points of contention:


Who should be concerned?

Parents--how can we support a proposal that limits the amount of training our teachers get (particularly when it comes to students with special needs or coming from poverty)?

Citizens--Lowering standards in the name of raising standards? This is not just disingenuous public policy, it's playing politics with Indiana's children.

Teachers--what do think about a piece of policy that discredits not only your credentials but the work you do? If you don't think that this will effect your job....you're not paying attention.

Parents pt.2--this is a radical step backward for Indiana in the training of teachers (we used to do this but it didn't work). Will it work this time? Well, we don't know (note the lack of any real data behind these decisions) but it'll be tried out on your kids.

Proponents of Data-based Decision Making--why exactly is there no data on these targeted problems of teacher training, superintendent credentials, and principal preparation? It's 2009, people.....if there was data, they'd show it. This is politics.

Accountability Advocates--how does lowering standards for superintendents who hire principals based on lowered standards who hire teachers with lowered standards ensure highly-qualified educators? (seriously, this is the plan....take a look)

Anyone paying attention--make no mistake, this is all about taking our public education system and turning it over to "market forces"......Read the paper lately? Deregulation has caused the greatest economic crisis since the Depression; Yeah, let's turn our kids over to market! Really??

More to come but, as of tomorrow, its up to you ask these and other questions of the Indiana Professional Standards Board. Comments?

http://www.doe.in.gov/news/2009/07-July/REPA.html

A Teaching Nightmare

Tony Bennett's comments and beliefs that he will "move aggressively to acknowledge professional experience from other fields" for new teachers poses some nightmarish problems for children in schools.

How is a former scientist going to teach your child how to read? Knowing how to read and teaching it are very different.

How is a novelist going to teach your child how to read? Even with knowledge in literature, teaching children how to read requires specific teaching methods that one does not acquire with a literature degree.

How is an engineer or mathematician going to teach your child how to add and subtract when they have not worked with children before? Knowing mathematics and teaching mathematics are two very different skill sets.

Parents, think of your own degrees. Could you go into your child's classroom and teach the subjects? Could you get the children engaged and learning in all areas? If you answered no to this question, then you are also answering no to the proposed changes Tony Bennett is proposing.

The long term results of lowering standards

A key question for Indiana Citizens is "why should we care?" Well, here's a shot: The proposed new changes in teacher licensure will result in new teachers being less prepared to teach all children. They will not be as ready to teach children who learn in a variety of ways. They will tend to teach as they learned which is most often lecture (remember these?). This can only result in maintaining or widening the achievement gap since children from diverse cultures often learn in ways that are different from the traditional ways of teaching.

The proposed new changes in teacher education licensure will lower standards for teachers and teacher education programs. The dropout rate during the first 5 years of teaching for new teachers who are not well prepared to address all the challenges of the classroom, not just know the content, is much higher than for those who have been better prepared in how to teach. We do not need to create a “revolving door” in our classrooms but need to prepare teachers who will stay in the profession.

The long term results of lowering the standards for teacher licensure is “failing” schools. We need to protect our schools from being doomed to failure by not placing teachers in the classrooms who do not understand how children learn.

The long term results of lowering teacher standards is that the status quo will be maintained and the education system will not be able to help children from diverse backgrounds improve their social status through education. This isn't just a good idea BTW....it's the foundation of our democracy.

Panel Debates What Makes a Good Teacher

Race to the Bottom?

The proposed changes to teacher licensure in Indiana (read it here) represent a radical shift in the way we train and continue to develop teachers in our state. Many people are extremely concerned that in the name of reform, a political fight is actually in the works that ends up lowering standards for our state's teachers. One person who testified at the last meeting of the Standards Board called it a "Race to the Bottom."

Most of the claims made in justifying such such a radical restructuring are baseless, without data, and in some cases just plain wrong. The public isn't currently paying attention, but in fact, public questions and outcry might be the only thing can save us from such disastrous, misinformed policy. We urge you, as Indiana citizens, parents, and educators: SPREAD THE WORD. Here is a collection of links related to the proposed changes. Your awareness, comments, and feedback are critical. Thank you for your time!

Teaching Training Faces Overhaul

State's Plan to Reshape Coursework Draws Complaints

This Is No Time to Water Down or Eliminate Requirements
Counterpoint by IUPUI Dean, Pat Rogan

Response to Rules for Educator Preparation and Accountability
Indiana Association of Colleges of Education Press Release

Lowering State Standards?

Ft. Wayne Editorial

More links can be found in the sidebar. We urge you to please contact the Professional Standards Advisory Board Members to share your views.