School Reform

Will Fed Guidance on Charter Schools Bring Change?

christopherwooleyhand School Reform

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a letter of guidance last week to charter schools (see link below).  While supportive in tone, it laid out clear expectations regarding the application of civil rights laws in charter schools.  This is good news for all schools.  Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Catherine E. Lhamon’s letter suggests that a new level of transparency needs to be practiced by charter schools.

Charter schools have been criticized for many of their dubious practices.  The OCR letter, thankfully, addresses these concerns.  The letter included guidance in the following areas:

  • charter schools are expected to know and understand Federal civil rights laws
  • admissions procedures may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, or disability
  • special education students cannot be excluded
  • once admitted, students with disabilities must be provided FAPE (free appropriate public education)
  • charter schools cannot ask students to waive their rights to FAPE
  • English learners must be provided the same meaningful access to admissions information
  • English learners must be provided with effective language instruction
  • charter schools must operate under local desegregation plans
  • discipline policies and enforcement must be free of discriminatory practices

It is reasonable to expect that charter schools operate under the same rules as public schools as they are funded by the public using a per-pupil expenditure formula.  The rush into the public charter business led to violations by many of these eager start-ups.  While some charter schools have been touted for their innovative practices, many of them have been operating outside the guidelines addressed in the OCR letter.

Why should anyone care about how public charter schools operate?  They should care because charter schools have been siphoning away students from their home schools and eroding communities across the country.  They have become quasi private schools by selectively choosing who gets in and who doesn’t.

The OCR’s letter is a starting point for holding public charter schools to the same expectations as all other public schools.  Enforcing civil rights laws will be another question.  Let’s hope the OCR monitors the performance of public charter schools and takes action when necessary.

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201405-charter.pdf

Race to the Top-Equity and Opportunity?

christopherwooleyhand School Reform

President Barack Obama recently announced a new initiative called Race to the Top-Equity and Opportunity.  The aims of the program are admirable.  The President wants to support states and districts in identifying and closing educational opportunity and achievement gaps (http://www.ed.gov/racetothetop-equity-opportunity).  The President, like many politicians and educators, recognizes that we need to do more to ensure that all students have access to rigorous coursework, positive school climates, equitable discipline policies, and a clear, supportive road to college and career readiness.

The President’s plan calls for $300 million in competitive grants for states that agree to enhance their data systems and develop comprehensive strategies to address achievement gaps.  The states would have to use their funds to strengthen teaching and school leadership.  The funds would also be used to attract and retain more effective teachers in high-need schools.  Additionally, the plan requires states to utilize fair formulas for the distribution of funds to schools.

So far, so good, although one could argue that incentivizing states is not the best way to reform schools.  The competitive grant process also has its detractors.  Will states rush to comply with the guidelines and begin implementing effective strategies to eliminate the achievement gap?  If they learned any lesson from the original Race to the Top efforts, they may wait a while before jumping for the carrot.

The President should be applauded for highlighting the need for creative solutions to eliminating the achievement gap.  If his plan works it will lead to the creation of model programs that other states and districts can look to for solutions.  Three hundred million dollars sounds like a solid investment towards that effort, but is it?  When you realize that there are over 11 million school-age children living in poverty in the United States (2011, US Census Report), the investment begins to look a little light.  The President’s proposal provides about $27.00 for every child living in poverty in the US.

Of course, the President’s plan does not aim to help all children.  It will only affect the children in states and districts that are willing to jump through a series of complex and rigid hoops.  The states with savvy policy makers and skilled grant writers will be at a significant advantage.  Meanwhile, the 11 million students living in poverty will see little or no change to their schools, at least not for some time.

No one should scoff at a $300 million dollar investment in education.  We should be grateful for every dollar that goes toward the future of our children.  Yet, somehow we continue to underfund the most important aspect of American culture, our schools.  How about a real effort toward strengthening our public community schools?  Not just some, but all of them.  While we are experimenting with plans like the President’s, what’s happening to the rest of our students?

The President’s plan specifically mentions that no child should suffer because of their wealth, home language, or zip code.  Unfortunately, his plan fails to address that goal for all students.  It falls short because it won’t impact enough students in a timely manner.  Twenty-seven dollars per child in poverty just won’t do that.  Our students deserve better before it’s too late.

It’s Testing Time, Pass the Tissues

christopherwooleyhand School Culture, School Reform

The month of March signals the beginning of testing season for Maryland elementary schools.  It’s an annual rite of passage that takes time away from instruction, disrupts the regular schedule, brings children to tears, and produces a general fog of stress to schools across the state.  The schedule for testing in our school looks like this:

Test                                                    Grade                         Dates
MSA Reading & Math                  3rd-5th Grade              March 4-18

MSA Science                                5th Grade                     March 24-April 4

PARCC Field Test (PBA)             One 4th grade class     March 24-April 11

PARCC Field Test (EOY)             One 4th grade class     May 5-June 6

As you can see, testing will impact our school from the first week in March through the first week in June.  That’s thirteen weeks of testing.  Luckily, spring break gives our students and teachers a brief respite from the madness.

Maryland, like many other states, is in the transition from using state testing measures to using the PARCC assessment (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers).  This means that while students in third through fifth grade have been taught using the Common Core State Standards this year, they will be assessed on the defunct Maryland State Curriculum.

The relevance of the data that will be collected is questionable.  We’re giving the test anyway.  I don’t think anyone can tell me why.  Well, maybe that’s not true.  We’re giving the test because Maryland accepted Race to the Top funds and the feds have threatened to withhold or ask for states to return funds if they don’t administer the tests.  No one has the courage to stop an assessment train that is careening its way down a track to nowhere.

Teachers know that assessment is important.  They use informal assessments every day to make instructional decisions about their students.  Assessments help teachers understand where their students are on the learning continuum.  State and federal tests have never provided teachers with that information.  State and federal tests have been used to judge schools, school districts, and states.  State and federal tests have been used to praise affluent schools and their communities while degrading high-poverty schools.

The late Donald Graves wrote the book Testing Is Not Teaching over 12 years ago.  It would be nice if politicians, superintendents, school leaders, teachers, and parents read it.  There is a better way for American schools to improve.  It is a way that does not value testing over people.  It is a way that includes teacher expertise in gathering relevant assessment data.  I could go on, but I have to get ready for testing.  I’m sure I have a box of tissues around here somewhere.

Leading Change in Education

christopherwooleyhand School Leadership, School Reform

The process of leading change in education is complex and challenging.  John Kotter is recognized as an expert on the topic of leadership and change.  He wrote Leading Change in 1996, which Time magazine selected as one of the 25 most influential business management books ever written.  Kotter’s work has been adopted by many graduate schools of education.

The use of business strategies when training future educational leaders can be problematic.  We should be cautious when extending the values of business to the field of education.  Not all business practices translate well to teaching and school leadership.  Schools exist to serve children and families.  We should never look at students in the proprietary way that businesses do their products.

Many would argue that the seminal work on leading change in education has yet to be written.  Until that happens, let’s consider Kotter’s 8-step process for leading change and apply it to education.  Can his business-based ideas on change leadership be translated to education?

1. Establishing a Sense of Urgency

Our children don’t have time for us to decide to act on their behalf.  Urgency should be a catalyst for the change needed in our schools.  Urgency, however, should never lead to people feeling like they have been run over.  New leaders have to assess what is truly urgent versus what can be done over time through partnering and collaboration.

2. Creating a Guiding Coalition

Team-building is an essential skill for the modern school leader.  Not much will be accomplished if stakeholders are not part of the change process.  School leaders will have to possess strong skills when assembling their team.  Unlike businesses, however, schools need to be inclusive in their team-building efforts.  Without a broad base of support, change efforts are less likely to succeed.

3.  Developing A Change Vision

For Kotter, vision is the product of an individual.  You possess the vision and then you share it.  In education, vision should be the product of collaborative efforts.  The model of a heroic leader swooping in and saving a school diminishes any prior efforts made toward improvement.  When vision is developed collaboratively it is also more comprehensive.

4.  Communicating the Vision for Buy-In

The concept of “selling” a vision is a business-like approach that leaves others out of the equation.  If we develop the vision together, then no one needs to sell it to me.  I am already in.  The more people included in the development of the vision, the more who will learn about it through word-of-mouth.  A cooperatively developed vision sells itself.

5.  Empowering Broad-based Action

Kotter’s views on empowering action blend well with current school reform efforts.  Once the vision is set, school leaders need to work to remove any of the obstacles that stand in the way of progress.  They should create structures that foster the vision while encouraging risk-taking and “no box” thinking among their teachers.

6.  Generating Short-term Wins

Short-term victories are important in education, especially when they lead to long-term wins.  School leaders should celebrate their short-term wins while continuing to articulate the long-term goals.  Celebration is even more important in education than in business.  Sometimes, celebration is the only positive our teachers experience, particularly in these times of fiscal austerity.

7.  Never Letting Up

Education is the one profession that renews itself every year.  A new school year brings with it great hope.  For schools with a clear long-term vision, the new school year is also an opportunity to continue focusing on key initiatives.  If schools are truly seeking to improve, their plans and strategies must focus on enduring goals.  “Dripping water hollows out a stone…”

8.  Incorporating Change Into the Culture

School leaders rarely stay in one place for very long.  Is the change that you are fostering dependent on you?  If you left your school today, what would continue?  These are questions you should ask yourself every time you consider new initiatives.  If the change you are seeking is dependent solely upon your leadership, then it might not be as important as you think.  Change for the sake of change undermines effective school reform efforts.  Developing a culture of change and innovation leaves your school with a natural succession plan.  Isn’t that what change leadership is all about?

Offering Mr. Duncan A “Re-do”

christopherwooleyhand School Reform

One of the current hot topics in teaching is the concept of a “re-do.”  Proponents of the re-do consider it an opportunity for students to show what they know when their efforts fall short of the expected standards.  Compassionate teachers know that measuring students at one point in time has its faults.  Re-dos allow wiggle room for teachers and students.  Re-dos offer students a way to dig themselves out of potential failure.

In that same spirit, it is time for a re-do in public education.  Secretary of Education Arne Duncan needs to ask the American public for a re-do on his quickly failing policies.  Race to the Top, the Common Core State Standards and a poorly designed teacher evaluation system are seriously flawed.

Parents, students, politicians, administrators, and teachers question the rationale behind the U.S. Department of Education’s current efforts on school reform.  The major stakeholders in education no longer have faith in the direction of federal and state mandates.

School systems are being held hostage because they accepted federal funds to adopt the Common Core and its associated guidelines for testing and teacher evaluation.  Many states lack the courage to stand up to the feds.  Teachers in New York, however, are calling for a testing moratorium and pulling their support for the Common Core:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/01/26/ny-teachers-union-pulls-its-support-from-common-core-urges-removal-of-state-ed-chief/

Is it possible that Mr. Duncan will stand up and admit that while his intentions were good, his policies are failing?  Is it worth it to alienate parents, students, and teachers in the process of reforming American schools?  What harm is there in stepping back a minute to re-evaluate the state of education in America?  I assure you that, in the absence of a testing-heavy accountability system, teachers will continue to work hard and do what is best for their students.

Mr. Duncan, it’s okay to ask for a re-do.  It will give you time to fix your mistakes and, in the end, you might just create an enduring legacy.  Imagine how fondly historians would portray you if you were the one politician who admitted he was wrong and did something about it.  There is time to fix your grade.  The re-do must be submitted soon, otherwise failure is inevitable.  You’re on the clock.

Finding Common Ground Response

christopherwooleyhand School Leadership, School Reform

In his recent Finding Common Ground (Education Week) blog, Peter DeWitt outlined ten critical issues facing education today.  He listed the following areas that need our attention:

Common Core State Standards
Student Learning
Technology
Social Media
Politics
High Stakes Testing
School Leadership
Pre-service Teaching Programs
School Climate
Poverty

That’s a pretty thorough list.  Peter ended his article with a question:  What would you add to the list?  Here are three that I would add:

Parent Involvement
Students whose parents are involved in their education achieve greater success than students with uninvolved parents (http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED315199).  Schools must find ways to increase parental involvement.  Invite them into the schoolhouse, support them, and never assume that they are unable or unwilling to help their child.

Connected Teaching/Learning
Peter touches on this under “student learning.”  Teachers must be supported and empowered to connect their teaching to “real world” issues.  Thomas Friedman noted in The World Is Flat, that the United States needs to continually update the skills of its workforce.  Politicians and school leaders must support teachers in their efforts to make learning meaningful.

Early Childhood Education
If we are to address the disparities our children face before they ever enter a school building, we must take a stand on mandatory pre-kindergarten programs.  These early childhood education programs should focus on the development of the whole child.  Early childhood programs should be language rich, stimulating environments that give children the opportunity for the same experiences that affluent children have.  They should not be over-tested, data-collecting warehouses that take all of the fun out of learning.

So, there are three more for Peter’s list.  That makes thirteen.  Hmm, can someone help a certified triskaidekaphobic by coming up with at least one more?

Peter DeWitt’s full blog:

http://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?DISPATCHED=true&cid=25983841&item=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.edweek.org%2Fedweek%2Ffinding_common_ground%2F2014%2F01%2F10_critical_issues_facing_education.html%3Fcmp%3DSOC-SHR-TW

Weingarten Gets It

christopherwooleyhand School Leadership, School Reform, Teaching

“We can’t reclaim the promise of public education without investing in strong neighborhood public schools that are safe, collaborative and welcome environments for students, parents, educators and the broader community. Schools where teachers and school staff are well-prepared and well-supported, with manageable class sizes and time to collaborate. Schools with rigorous standards aligned to an engaging curriculum that focuses on teaching and learning, not testing, and that includes art, music, civics and the sciences — and where all kids’ instructional needs are met.”

-Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers in the Washington Post Answer Sheet column by Valerie Strauss.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, has made a stand that resonates with many educators.  It is possible to embrace the Common Core Standards while being critical of the testing that has accompanied their roll-out.  Being quick to find fault is a habit engrained in American culture.  Many are critical of the new standards.  Ironically, few of those critics are actually educators.

Weingarten is president of the second largest teachers union in the country.  One might suspect that she is only looking out for her constituency.  That, of course, is her job.  Yet, advocating for her teachers ultimately benefits children.  Weingarten makes a connection that so many policymakers have missed.  When teachers are treated fairly and rationally, they are better educators.

States are using value-added models to evaluate and rate teachers.  These measures are attached to the funds that states have received through Race to the Top.  In other words, states have been coerced into using test scores to develop complicated evaluation tools for teachers.  There is little evidence that VAM-based evaluation tools have been, or will be, accurate and fair to teachers.

By circumstance, principals stand in the middle of this political mess.  They have been thrust into a quagmire of illogical formulas designed to quantify the art of teaching.  Rather than being overwhelmed by this predicament, principals should be a voice of reason and sound thinking.

While diligently serving as the interpreters of educational change, principals can make sure that good teachers don’t flee a profession they love.  The adoption of the Common Core should be separated from the assessment-focused milieu that has been forced on schools.  Principals can, and must, do this for their teachers.  Principals can foster a transition to the Common Core that does not alienate teachers in the process.  If they can’t accomplish this, who can?

Link to full Washington Post article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/01/13/weingarten-slams-teacher-evaluation-by-student-test-scores/

 

Edweek Rankings: What really matters when it comes to student achievement?

christopherwooleyhand School Reform, Teaching

Education Week’s annual Quality Counts report was released January 9th.  Depending on past performance, states were either eager to find out how they did or cringing while they waited for their results.  Many states use the report as a feel-good moment to pat themselves on the back.  The rest start spinning negative results into positives before the report even hits their doorsteps.

The Quality Counts report is comprehensive and complicated.  It contains enough variables that most states should at least be able to find some positives within their results.  After reviewing the report, however, one may begin to question the relationship between student achievement, standards, assessment, and accountability.

The standards, assessment, and accountability rankings are based on test items used to measure student performance, the alignment of assessments to academic standards, as well as the rewards, assistance, and sanctions states provide schools.  The student achievement rankings factor in NAEP scores, high school graduation rates, and AP test scores.

The table below illustrates an interesting point:

State Ranking for K-12 Student Achievement(score/grade) State Ranking for Standards,   Assessment, and Accountability (score/grade)
Massachusetts 1   (83.7 B) 23   (88.4 B+)
Maryland 2   (83.1 B) 44   (88.3 B+)
New Jersey 3   (81.1 B-) 24   (75.5 C)
Indiana 12   (72.8 C) 1   (97.8 A)
Louisiana 49   (59.8 D-) 2   (97.2 A)
West Virginia 47   (60.8 D-) 3   (96.7 A)

A converse relationship seems to exist between standards, assessment, and accountability when compared to student achievement.  The three states with the highest rankings in student achievement (MA, MD, and NJ) are less impressive in the standards, assessment, and accountability rankings.  The three states ranked highest in standards, assessment, and accountability (IN, LA, and WV) struggle to measure up when it comes to student achievement.

Simply put, Education Week’s Quality Counts report calls into question the need to focus on state standards, assessment, and accountability.  States like Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Maryland have raised academic rigor without being waylaid by the demands of standards, assessment, and accountability.  The states that have directed their energy at compliance with federal guidelines have done so without benefit to their students.

No one is questioning the need for standards, assessment, and accountability.  Schools and teachers have always been, and will always be, accountable.  The Quality Counts report, however, illustrates that states would be better off focusing on quality teacher training, instruction, and compensation rather than the minutia associated with standards, assessment, and accountability.

Highlights from the 2014 Quality Counts report can be accessed at the link below:

http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2014/shr/16shr.us.h33.pdf

Meet Peter DeWitt, Ed.D.

christopherwooleyhand #mdeschat, Best Practices, School Leadership, School Reform

Author, speaker, and school leader, Peter DeWitt (@PeterMDeWitt) will guest host #mdeschat on January 9th at 9:00 p.m.  Peter is a NY principal currently on sabbatical.  He is a great resource for educators who are seeking to understand many of the national issues currently affecting schools.  I sat down with Dr. DeWitt for a Q&A to find out more about him and his professional pursuits.

You are currently on sabbatical.  What are you doing with all that “free” time?

Not sure I would call it free time! Seriously, I’m working on a variety of projects. First and foremost I’m a Visible Learning trainer for John Hattie. I will be working with schools around North America on his approach to learning, which I will get into a little more in the next question.

Secondly, I’m co-authoring a book with Sean Slade, the Director of the Whole Child Initiative (ASCD). He and I are writing a book for ASCD that focuses on school climate. Sean and I are both on the National School Climate Council (I’m the co-chair) which is the steering committee for the National School Climate Center.

In addition, I am writing a book for Corwin Press on flipped leadership which is something I did a great deal of as a school principal, and I’m working as an independent consultant working with schools on flipped leadership, school climate and teacher evaluation.

I’m very fortunate because, although they are all great projects, it was a hard decision because I love my school community. I work with great teachers, kids and parents. I’m thankful my school district offered me the leave of absence.

One of your current interests is “visible learning.”  How do you define visible learning?

Visible Learning comes from Professor John Hattie. Hattie is a Professor of Education and the Director of Research at the University of Melbourne. He did the largest meta-analysis in education which involved over ¼ billion students.

Although it’s a huge amount of research, I would quickly define Visible Learning as the teacher and student working together on a combined goal that they both can see at all times. Three questions to ask, whether you are the teacher or the student are:

  • Where am I going?
  • How am I going?
  • Where am I going to next?

What have you learned from writing your Finding Common Ground blog for Education Week?

This is such a great question because I feel that we should always learn something as we go through the writing process. Writing for Education Week has really changed my life. I’ve gotten the chance to get to know the people that I have long admired like Michael Fullan, Todd Whitaker, Diane Ravitch and Carol Ann Tomlinson. I have also had the opportunity to connect with educators around the world which has been a great experience.

Over all, as I write I am usually questioning something. I may not be questioning another person’s ideas as much as I’m questioning my own long held beliefs. Education is really complicated and it’s often the adults involved who complicate everything. Everyone has strong ideas on what they believe works.

One of the areas that I’m passionate about is making sure every student has a place at the table when it comes to decision-making. I did my doctoral work on how well school leaders safeguard LGBT students, which became my first book for Corwin Press called Dignity for All: Safeguarding LGBT Students. I found that in too many schools we have marginalized populations that are not treated very well and that needs to change. I believe writing Finding Common Ground has helped me find my own voice so that I can speak for students and teachers who don’t have the power to speak for themselves.

New York is ahead of many states in implementing and assessing the Common Core.  What lessons can you share with the states that are a few steps behind?

The New York State Education Department, under the leadership of Regent’s Chair Merryl Tisch and Commissioner John King, has done a deplorable rollout of the Common Core to the point that parents want to see the Common Core go away. Before schools were ever provided with the proper resources King and Tisch made sure the 3rd – 8th grade high stakes assessments were tied to the Core, which were ultimately tied to teacher and administrator evaluation.

What’s worse is that the state assessments only provide schools with a number of 1,2,3 or 4 which is based on a cut point. They do not provide an item-analysis of where students did well and where they faltered.

All of this came when they were rolling out the Common Core and now school leaders are scrambling to try to differentiate between the Core and high stakes testing. There is absolutely no trust between the public school system and the state education department which is really sad because it wasn’t always that way.

I think if I could offer any advice to states is that they should see what NY did and do the opposite. I typically try to find common ground but I can’t where this situation is concerned.

How do you balance your personal life with your professional commitments?

Not very well! It’s always been one of my biggest issues. I get so passionate about education that it is hard to turn it off. I love learning and thrive on the connections that I have made with people in my life as a school leader, workshop facilitator or speaker, and through my connections I’ve made on Twitter.

When I was young, my grandparents had all passed away by the time I was 7, my dad passed when I was 11 and I was retained in fourth grade. I struggled academically throughout my school career, was a sub-sophomore because I lacked the credits to be a full-fledged sophomore and graduated fourth from last in my graduating class. I dropped out of two community colleges and was working at a liquor store. Fortunately, I was a long distance runner and I went to a community college for my last attempt, because that school had a X-country team. My coach encouraged me (forced…) to go to the Learning Assistance Center. That semester my grades went from a 1.7 to a 3.86 and they never went down again.

Something clicked with me, due to the family, friends and teachers around me, and I became successful in the very thing I failed at so many years ago. It’s hard to turn that off when you know there are many kids in that same position.

Can you give us 5 “must follow” people on Twitter?

Uh oh…the pressure is on! Only five??? This is not an easy question because there are so many great educators out there worth following. Besides two powerhouses, I’m going to have to go to a few of my New York friends for this one.

Todd Whitaker – Everyone knows Todd but he wrote the single best book I ever read as a leader. That book is What Great Principals Do Differently and it’s a must read for any school leader. Besides that he is an outstanding speaker and has some of the best one-liners I’ve ever heard.

Eric Sheninger – Eric is doing tremendous things when it comes to connected leadership. I’m in the middle of reviewing his new book for Corwin and it is going to be a huge success.

My NY Colleagues:

Tony Sinanis – https://twitter.com/TonySinanis

Vicki Day – https://twitter.com/VictoriaL_Day

Lisa Meade – https://twitter.com/LisaMeade23

Thanks, Peter!  We appreciate your support of #mdeschat and the example you set for school leaders across the country.  To learn more about Peter DeWitt, visit his webpage:

http://www.petermdewitt.com/

Will PISA Results Raise US Inferiority Complex?

christopherwooleyhand School Reform

“Why is a country the size of New Mexico beating the U.S. in academic performance?”

The headline above is from Valerie Strauss’ The Answer Sheet column in today’s Washington Post.  The article contains a piece by Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, and Olli Luukkainen, president of Finland’s Trade Union of Education.  They write about the PISA (Program for International Student Assessments) results, which will be released tomorrow, and discuss how they impact views on American education.

I have grown weary of the Finland/United States comparisons.  I think America is a unique country that is hard to compare to others.  Van Roekel and Luukkainen, however, are savvy educators who challenge our thinking when it comes to using Finland’s approach to improving the American education system.

They are clear and correct to point out that Finland’s 4% poverty rate strongly affects their student achievement results.  We could stop right there and say any further comparisons are without merit; however, Van Roekel and Luukkainen identify six points that are worth considering:

1-Teachers in Finland are recruited from the top 10% of high school graduates.
2-Teacher pay is commensurate with other professions with similar education requirements.
3-Teacher certification is more narrowly defined with few alternative routes to the profession.
4-Standardized testing does not begin until the end of high school.
5-Essay tests are valued above multiple choice/computer graded assessments.
6-Teacher autonomy and trust are high in Finland.

Can you imagine what would happen if those six points were the focus of education reformers in America?  If we recruited from the “cream of the crop” and paid teachers at the same level of other fields, we could raise the bar for the entire profession.  If we reduced the number of watered-down teaching programs we could certainly improve instruction.  Do the growing number of online programs and short-term master’s degree programs lead to a richer pool of teaching candidates?

Finland recognizes that standardized tests have no place in education until students are fully prepared to take them.  How much better would American teachers be if they weren’t constantly preparing students for developmentally inappropriate assessments?  When they do test, Finland understands that multiple choice tests are of little value when compared to extended writing tasks.

If those first five areas were addressed, teacher autonomy would soar and America would once again place its trust in educators.  We don’t need to become Finland, but we certainly can adopt practices that lead to the success of our students.

Full Washington Post Article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/12/02/why-is-a-country-the-size-of-new-mexico-beating-the-u-s-in-academic-performance/