Here is a quick update from last week’s State Board meeting on how student growth measurements will be used to evaluate teachers (in the new DPAS II system). There has been some concern that evaluations will be based on just one, cut-and-dry measure of student performance, which causes concern among teachers and others who know that there are many factors that impact how a student achieves.

According to the Delaware Department of Education’s Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Unit (TLEU), skeptics need not be concerned. The TLEU reported that:

• Measures should substantiate, rather than dictate, the overall teacher, specialist and administrator evaluations.
• Multiple measures are being evaluated for every distinct subject area / grade level in collaboration with teachers, school leaders, DDOE staff and DSEA leadership.
• A “model of continuous improvement” is the objective; to strengthen both the assessments and the growth model over time.
• “Student growth” needs to be further defined, i.e., what it means in terms of quantitative and quantitative measures.
• DPAS II’s purpose is quality assurance, professional growth, and continuous improvement.
• Novice educators will receive a minimum of 2 observations per year under DPAS II (one announced and one unannounced), and a Summative Evaluation. Experienced educators will receive a minimum of 1 announced observation and a Summative Evaluation.

It’s good to see that this is a collaborative process, as the DDOE laid out last year. Throughout the spring there will be an extensive review process before the growth measures are finalized, and in May the DDOE plans to start training for teachers, specialists and administrators on both the assessments and the student growth model. Stay tuned for more updates.

This week, the PIE-Network (PIEn) released Rabble Rousers Revisited, a comprehensive look at state-based education advocacy organizations across the country and what makes them effective. Rodel Foundation of Delaware has been a member of PIEn for several years, and it has been exciting to watch the energy and strength of each individual organization and the Network as a whole build over that time. Particularly so in the last year, when states like Colorado, Illinois, and Tennessee have emerged as leaders in education reform initiatives, and have relied on the support and expertise of education advocacy orgs in each state to really propel their policies and politics forward.

PIEn Executive Director Suzanne Tacheny Kubach notes that the original “Rabble Rousers” report was named such “with a respect to the nation’s original change makers – leaders such as Adams, Jefferson, and Henry – who were often derided for their efforts to engage regular citizens in shaping the laws that effect them.” Each PIEn member organization could be described as such a “rouser” – working to put the achievement of students first and push on tough choices that will ultimately create the best schools possible. Rodel has felt very fortunate to be a part of this Network, and as this national movement grows — a movement of unprecedented opportunity for significant education reform — there will be increasing power in our numbers as we continue to work together and learn from each other.

On Tuesday, September 28, some of the best education minds in Delaware and across the country will gather at the University of Delaware for the third-annual Vision 2015 leadership forum, Delaware’s Race to Deliver.

You’ll want to be there for the whole day, and you’ll definitely want to be there for lunch, which will be keynoted by NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, one of the more visible—and controversial—figures in public education today.

Since becoming Chancellor in 2002, he has emphasized the preeminence of school leaders in education reform.  Klein is building and supporting strong school leaders in NYC, who then, in turn, work to hire and retain strong teachers. His goal is to move from a culture of excuse to one of performance.

Klein’s leadership style was inspired by remarks from Theodore Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

It didn’t take long for this tough, “thick skinned” approach to stir up critics in NYC and beyond, particularly when Klein fired teachers and closed schools. In his first several years he waged a battle termed “savage” with Randi Weingarten, then head of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), yet ultimately was able to find common ground with her.  Today, Klein’s debates are with Michael Mulgrew, the new head of the UFT.  What’s at stake is huge: the performance of a district with 1,600 schools, 1.1 million students, and 136,000 employees.  Come hear him speak about his experience on September 28 and find out more for yourself.

Read more about the Race to Deliver conference here.  

On September 28, all UD’s Clayton Hall will be buzzing with education types – teachers, principals, superintendents, department officials, reformers, higher ed representatives, business supporters, elected leaders, and other interested citizens. The focus of their gathering? The third-annual Vision 2015 leadership forum, “Delaware’s Race to Deliver.”

 

This is a don’t-miss event – last year, when U.S. Secretary Duncan gave the keynote, the conference sold out in advance and had to go into overflow space. This year, NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein will provide the keynote address, and it’s sure to be inspiring, potentially controversial, and something we’ll all be talking about for months.

 

And there are dozens of other reasons to be there. In the morning, you’ll hear from Brad Jupp, a senior advisor to Secretary Duncan, about the Obama administration’s goals in education and how Delaware is leading the way. You’ll also see a live reprise of the Delaware team’s presentation of our winning Race to the Top (RttT) plan. Their interview with USED officials earned Delaware the winning points in the first round of the RttT competition. Check out the video of the full original presentation and Q&A session with Governor Markell, Education Secretary Lowery, Vision 2015 Chair Skip Schoenhals, DSEA President Diane Donohue, and Red Clay Superintendent Merv Daugherty.

 

After you hear about Delaware’s RttT plan and commitments, there will be a focus on what’s possible. With RttT and School Improvement Grant funding from the federal government, paired with bold leadership and dedication to excellence in education, there is an unprecedented window of opportunity to truly make Delaware schools the best in the nation and the world. You’ll hear about what’s happening in great schools around the country, and also about what’s already happening right here in Delaware that we can be truly proud of and learn from.

 

Next is lunch time, which – in addition to Klein’s remarks – will feature the 2010 Delaware Teacher of the Year, Mary Pinkston, and Delaware’s Governor Jack Markell. And the day’s only half over!

 

In the afternoon, you can attend a session of your choice where we’ll really dig into how we are going to do the hard work of making our schools world-class. It’s possible, but it will be hard. Sessions will include Delaware folks that are actually doing the work on the ground, as well as some national voices that can share what’s worked – and hasn’t – elsewhere. Later in the afternoon we’ll close the day with a session focused on Delaware’s early childhood education – because getting this all right depends on giving every child a great start.

 

This conference agenda is packed full, and every portion of the day will be well worth your time. Check out the full conference agenda, and be sure to register now before it sells out!