Ed Week has just published an article that is a very important one that all school “reformers” (and anybody else in education) should read. San Diego Schools Set a New Agenda After Backlash tells the story of what happens in a District when a Superintendent tries to shove through his own plan without working with teachers, planners and administrators.

Frederick Hess calls it “…an enormous cautionary note when we hear [U.S. Secretary of Education Arne] Duncan talk about how we’re going to drive reform.”

The final comment in the article comes from a San Diego deputy superintendent:

“We’ve definitely recognized that trust is a component that triggers academic success.”

Especially after Arne Duncan’s continued support for efforts like the LA Times making teacher rankings public (see Why I Think Arne Duncan Has Just Made His Biggest Mistake), I’m not sure how much trust is left for him among a lot of educators.

My Sacramento colleague Alice Mercer has just written an excellent post titled The Business of Education.

Here’s a short excerpt:

While I think there are some things that can be learned from best practices in other fields, trying to adopt reform models from business on a “wholesale” basis ignores some basic differences between the function and ecology of public education, and a for-profit business.

It’s definitely worth a visit!

“Are Test Scores the Right Measuring Stick for Teachers?” is a good short piece from American RadioWorks.

Thanks to Greg Toppo for the tip.

I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The “Value-Added” Approach Towards Teacher Evaluation.

Since the Los Angeles Times story on evaluating teachers by test scores came out earlier this month, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, instead of repudiating putting these kinds of inaccurate assessments online, has been supporting it. In his stump speech, which he’s given a few times and published today in The New York Daily News, after he says why it’s good he immediately launches into what I think is a “red herring” (defined as “a deliberate attempt to change a subject or divert an argument”), and I’m tired of hearing it from him.

This is what he says:

What is especially interesting about the L.A. Times series is the reaction of some of the teachers quoted in it – and one particular quote haunts me. According to the newspaper, one of L.A.’s most effective teachers is Nancy Polacheck, a fourth-grade teacher with 38 years of experience. She said something that was utterly heartbreaking.

“In the past, if I were recognized, I would become an outcast,” she told the Times. “They’d say, ‘She’s trying to show off.’”

That shame of success has pervaded America’s educational culture for far too long. We must stop highlighting only ballplayers and rock stars and start highlighting teachers who are our true heroes and role models.

What in the world is he talking about?  He claims that there’s a “shame of success” that is rampant among our nation’s teachers.  What evidence does he have for that claim, other than a one line anecdote?

I certainly haven’t detected any envy or jealousy at our school for awards or public recognition given teachers.  It’s not a perfect place, so I’m assume there may be a little on occasion,  but, jeez, we’re professionals.  It’s difficult for me to believe that my school is that unusual.

What about at your school — is there “shame of success” there?