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
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