As I previously posted, I was appointed to the “Educator Excellence Task Force” last spring by California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. The Task Force was formed to make recommendations in a number of areas, including teacher evaluation, professional development, teacher preparation, and career development, and was co-chaired by Linda Darling-Hammond and Superintendent Chris Steinhauser of the Long Beach Unified School District. I served on the teacher evaluation subcommittee.

The report was released today (you can read it here — it’s titled Greatness by Design: Supporting Outstanding Teaching to Sustain a Golden State), and it’s a pretty impressive document. It was an honor to serve on the task force with such an exceptional group of educators. It was nice to be asked for ideas by policymakers instead of what seems to be happening in so many other parts of the U.S. where educators are being told what to do without any input. I feel I learned from my colleagues more than I actually contributed to the report, and it’s clear to me that our final product can serve as important guide — not only to the future of education here in California, but to the future of public education in the country.

Here is what the news media is saying about the report:

Report calls for more teacher training, limiting use of test scores is from The Los Angeles Times.

Report: Calif. needs to revamp teaching profession is from CBS News.

Educator Excellence Task Force Calls for “Greatness by Design” is from Accomplished California Teachers.

Credentialing Commission receptive to Torlakson’s Task Force reforms is from Ed Source.