Came across this article on Huffington Post recently, which details the bipartisan efforts to reform Cleveland schools. The sticking point on the plan — which has been in the works since February — seemed to be how much control Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson would have over charter school implementation in the city. Under the enacted plan, a newly-formed Cleveland Transformation Alliance will review sponsors of new schools and ultimately make recommendations to the Ohio Department of Education regarding which should be green-lit.
Stephen Dyer of Innovation Ohio wrote this post pointing out the fact that Cleveland now has the potential for nine different agencies to approve charters in the city; in contrast, cities like Baltimore (33 charters), Chicago (38) and Philadelphia (north of 80) had all their schools approved through the district alone. Additionally, the Transformation Alliance doesn’t seem to be accountable for electronic schools, which are a majorly emergent component of the Ohio education system.
What do you think: Is Cleveland onto something? Can this be a successful urban model? Or is the sheer amount of organizations involved in charter production going to be a problem?
One of the notable elements of Innovation Middle School’s approach is a technique called “flipping,” in which students watch a video lesson from home — on laptops provided by the school — then take a short assessment. When they arrive at school, instead of listening to a class lecture, they are placed in differentiated learning groups.
Teacher Michael Salamanca explains it this way:
So instead of that 30 minutes lecturing, it’s 30 minutes of I’m going to sit with this table or I’m going to sit with that table over there and we’re working on their specific issues instead of a more generic ‘this is where people tend to make mistakes.’ Because, as we all know, a lot of these kids learn differently.
Another teacher, Julie Garcia, explains the process this way:
It’s a lot more work, because I’m constantly circulating the room, checking work, talking with students. But I feel like I really know my students now because I can tell you after a 50 minute period I’ve probably talked to every single student at least three or four times and that kind of personal attention for students you don’t necessarily get with direct instruction.
The school’s motto is “Where Technology And Character Come Together,” and all the focus on STEM education is underscored by developing the 7th and 8th graders as people. Principal Harlan Klein is a major proponent of character development.
Here’s our query: Does this seem like a common approach for schools now, or is something innovative developing outside of San Diego? Do you think the technique of ‘flipping’ might allow for greater student-teacher interaction?
There are gubernatorial elections in 11 U.S. states (and two territories) in 2012. Obviously, the education agendas of candidates in each election are important — many believe that Scott Walker’s June 5 re-election vs. Tom Barrett in Wisconsin could be indicative of the next year of American politics and beyond — but the Governor’s race in Washington state, likely to feature Jay Inslee and Rob McKenna, piqued our interest.
This piece breaks down where they differ on education policy. McKenna has supported charter schools; Inslee supports something similar to charter schools that he calls “innovative schools” — grant-funded alternative schools overseen by local school boards (Inslee has indicated that the traditional charter school model can dodge public accountability, which he sees as vital).
They both are in favor of a law using student test scores as a baseline for hiring, firing and tenure decisions.
The above film, “Won’t Back Down,” comes out on September 23 and stars Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Holly Hunter and Ving Rhames, among others. It’s directed by Daniel Barnz, perhaps best known for “Phoebe in Wonderland.”
The film deals with “parent trigger laws;” a good description of the film, and how it got made, can be found here. The controversial enactment of the “parent trigger” law in Adelanto, CA is currently in the hands of a judge.
“Won’t Back Down” does have similar backers — Walden Media, Participant Media, and the Gates Foundation — to “Waiting for Superman.” Another film, “Detachment,” by “American History X” director Tony Kaye and starring Adrien Brody and Marcia Gay Harden, has also opened recently.
Obviously, it remains to be seen how audiences will react to “Won’t Back Down.” Will they view it as propaganda in favor of one viewpoint, or a legitimate film that presents both sides of an issue?
What do you think? Would you see it? Would you expect a nuanced treatment of the topics?
Rhee runs StudentsFirst now, where she continues to affect school reform in the U.S.
Now, the new face of education reform among superintendents might be Mike Miles.
At the EWA Conference in Philadelphia last week, we received a copy of outgoing College Board president Gaston Kaperton’s new book, The Achievable Dream, which introduced me to Miles in greater detail.
How sweeping will Mike Miles' reforms in Dallas ultimately be?
While Miles’ plans for DISD aren’t known yet — his job officially begins on July 1, but he’s been quoting Moneyball at press conferences to explain some of his changes — it seems that some of the focuses will be feedback (including more assistant superintendent school site visits), Spanish-language programs, and a healthy dose of Teach for America teachers (Charles Glover, a TFA leader in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, was Miles’ first hire as Chief Talent Officer).
This 2010 profile of Miles, written when Rhee was still heading D.C. schools, makes the comparison between the two leaders directly:
Miles has been compared with Michelle Rhee, the go-get-em chancellor who has been villainized and lauded as she tries to repair the shattered Washington, D.C. school system. Rhee, a Korean-American who once taught in the innovative Teach for America program but has never been an administrator, was tapped to run the troubled district of 46,000 students. She has rewarded good teachers but has fired more than 250. Obama has called her “a wonderful new superintendent,” but she gained the wrath of the Washington Teachers Union, which is appealing the firings.
The question many are asking not only of Rhee, but of Miles: Are they reformers who can measure the quality of teachers in a fair way and bring reform to public education, or are they outsiders moving so recklessly that they’re endangering the good in public education along with the bad?
DISD has a new superintendent who seems more firmly rooted in the education reform camp than former Superintendent Michael Hinojosa was during his tenure. Dr. Hinojosa was certainly not opposed to reforms like more realistic teacher evaluations, developing stronger principals, using data to drive instruction and giving students choices through charters. He put his weight behind each of those. But neither was he as driven by education reforms that people like new superintendent Mike Miles seem to be. Hopefully, Miles won’t be as combative as uber-reformer Michelle Rhee was in D.C., but he seems much more in her student-focused approach to education.
So, dear readers … what do you think? Is Miles the new face of education reform in America? Is it fair to link Rhee and Miles? What can we expect from Dallas schools over the next decade?
We produce television reports about education. That can take a while, however -- so Ed Beat is a daily look at the world of education through the eyes of the staff of Learning Matters. What's trending? What should you know? What stories are we working on for PBS? You can find it all here.
