Teacher Pay on Oregon Ballot

Most policy issues are too complicated to warrant direct democracy. That's why -- like 'em or hate 'em -- we elect presidents, governors, legislators, school board members, and the like to do that detailed work. The general public, by and large, doesn't have the time (or interest?) to wade into these issues at a level of depth that they require. Such is the case with teacher pay, especially when the issue is how it can fairly and accurately be tied to student outcomes. That's complicated stuff.

Oregon begs to differ. Oregon allows such complex issues to be voted on by direct public referendum. In fact, it leads the nation in such "voter" initiatives. Now, Oregon is one of my favorite places, but on this issue, I just think it is dead wrong.

The Associated Press reports that Oregon's 2008 ballot will feature 12 measures in all, one of which would require that teachers be paid based on "classroom performance" rather than on experience or seniority. It is sponsored by an unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial candidate and founder of Oregon Taxpayers United.

Oregon voters rejected a similar ballot measure eight years ago.

Hey, I'm all for thinking big and bold about how to change teacher compensation (see here, here, and here), but this ain't the way to do it.

And lest you think that ballot initiatives take the money out of politics, check out who is funding them in Oregon in 2008. For more information about Oregon's history of ballot measures, check out this handy guide from the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center.

More On The Generational Divide in Teaching

The generational divide in the teaching profession that I discussed back in August ('A Generational Divide Over Teacher Pay') is expounded upon by Paul Tough on his Schoolhouse Rock blog on slate.com.

Should We Postpone The Election, Too?

UPDATE: It appears that there will be a Obama-McCain tonight. Hold that chicken suit.

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It looks like it might be time to bring out a guy in a chicken suit for Obama to debate (perhaps Letterman can assist?) as McCain is likely to back out of tomorrow night's presidential debate -- despite this agreement -- due to the lack of agreement on Capitol Hill over the government bailout of rich guys. Makes sense, right? The economy is in the tank, so let's limit the exercise of American democracy. Sounds like a plan written by the Bush Administration, maybe even Uncle Dick himself.

Perhaps we should postpone the election, too. After all, high school civics instructs us that Article II 0f the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to set the date of the presidential election. So it's not too late!!! Given the fact that McCain's presence in Washington, DC is so critical the future of the American economy, let's give W another year at the helm and try this whole election thing again in 2009. Maybe that will even give McCain time to reconsider his choice for veep.

I feel an omnibus bill coming on: Wall Street bailout, election postponement. What else?

School Vouchers Are No Silver Bullet

Here is a compelling article by the American Enterprise Institute's Rick Hess about school choice in light of Milwaukee's experience with vouchers over the last two decades. His analysis is not as rosy as you might initially expect from a center/right researcher. But he does continue to see the potential in market-based reforms as long as they are envisioned more expansively and are accompanied with a focus on program growth, provider quality, professionalism, innovation, and accountability.

Many of Hess's proposed elements are exactly the kinds of reform that the Milwaukee voucher community fought tooth and nail over the years -- a fight led by politicized organizations such as School Choice Wisconsin, the Alliance for School Choice, and Advocates for School Choice. All of these organizations are interconnected and are bankrolled by national right-wing foundations, including Milwaukee's own Bradley Foundation. These groups have seemed to care little about the quality of education provided to Milwaukee's largely low-income and minority students -- but have willingly used these kids as political props at pro-voucher rallies during the school day -- and have made their sole focus the preservation of an unregulated and unfettered school voucher system in the city of Milwaukee. That changed a little bit a few years ago when media stories about graft, incompetence, and the utter absence of teaching and learning emerged at a number of Milwaukee voucher schools.

As education policy advisor to Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle from 2004 to 2006, I was involved in some of these skirmishes with the voucher leadership. Doyle was always clearly on the side of public education and generally steered a wise course through choppy political waters on this issue. However, I continue to believe that a 2006 compromise [2005 Wisconsin Act 125 summary] that injected some of the first ever accountability and quality control into Milwaukee's voucher program still gave away too much. As examples, I'd offer up the evaluation currently being conducted by the privately-funded, voucher-friendly School Choice Demonstration Project, the trouble that state officials are having in getting data from that entity, and the lack of a requirement that voucher schools (funded with more than $100 million in state monies) administer a standardized assessment that would provide parents, policymakers and researchers with comparable student achievement data.

Hopefully, moving forward, all involved will take some of Hess's recommendations under advisement. For now, the Milwaukee voucher program lives on in its current form.

Here are a few excerpts from Hess's article:

Nearly two decades have passed since the enactment of the landmark Milwaukee Parental Choice Program by the Wisconsin legislature. The program and its many supporters had hoped this experiment in school choice would lead the way in transforming American schools. But it is by now clear that aggressive reforms to bring market principles to American education have failed to live up to their billing.
...
Today, the Milwaukee voucher program enrolls nearly 20,000 students in more than 100 schools, yet this growing marketplace has yielded little innovation or excellence. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently described 10 percent of voucher schools as having “alarming deficiencies.” These include Alex’s Academics of Excellence, which was launched by a convicted rapist, and the Mandella School of Science and Math, whose director overreported its voucher enrollment and used the funds to purchase two Mercedes. Veteran Journal Sentinel writer Alan Borsuk has opined, “[Milwaukee Parental Choice Program] has preserved the status quo in terms of schooling options in the city more than it has offered a range of new, innovative, or distinctive schools.”
...
We should have no difficulty conceding Milwaukee’s disappointing record while remaining coolly confident that sensible K–12 market reforms have the potential to boost productivity, spur purposive innovation, provide more nuanced accountability, and make the sector a magnet for talent. Failures to dates should not be read as indictments of market reform but of the notion that “parental choice” programs represent a coherent approach to improving our schools. Reaching that goal will require approaching educational deregulation with an agenda much broader than simply increasing parental choice.
...
The lessons are increasingly clear. If school choice is to enjoy a brighter future than wave upon wave of supposed school reforms past, it is time for reformers to fight not just for choice but for good choices.

Read It Here First

Please don't confuse this blog with a breaking news operation. It's hard to be on top of everything amidst being parents, holding full-time jobs, and trying to follow the pennant races (Go Sox!). But sometimes, despite doing most of our blogging after the sun's gone down, we're way ahead of the curve.

Such was the case with the TEACH Grants. Sara was all over this issue back in April, prior to the U.S. Department of Education's release of regulations. I notice that Education Week picked up the story in the September 15, 2008 issue, six months later.

Now, Stephen Sawchuk is an excellent reporter (formerly with EdDaily), but my wife scooped you on this one, dude!!! Check out some of Stephen's blogging at Teacher Beat.

Musical Elective Of The Week

After a month-long hiatus following the relocation of the Optimists, Optimist Junior, and Optimist Dog from Madison to Stoughton, Wisconsin, this feature is finally back on track....

The Musical Elective Of The Week Month is The Decemberists.

The city of Portland, Oregon is good for so many reasons. It's one of our favorite places. It has great food, great wine, great coffee, great bread, and great bookstores. Well, maybe not good weather (perhaps that explains the umbrellas?). But it also provides The Decemberists. So that makes up for the occasional rainy day.

The Decemberists are songwriter and frontman Colin Meloy, multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk, keyboardist Jenny Conlee, bassist Nate Query and drummer John Moen. They burst onto the indie music scene with 2003's Her Majesty, The Decemberists and followed that up with 2005's Picaresque which includes the track "We Both Go Down Together". But it probably was The Crane Wife that earned them the immense attention they now receive.

The Crane Wife, released in 2006, is a masterpiece of an album. It's not a collection of songs. It's an album. Inspired by a Japanese folk tale of the same name, the album features "The Crane Wife 3" and the singles "O Valencia!" and "The Perfect Crime #2". It was voted the number one album of 2006 by National Public Radio listeners.

The Decemberists are anchored in Meloy's brilliant songwriting and are fueled by his unique voice and the band's lush instrumentation. As a band, they are hard to categorize musically. They are certainly cerebral, but also can deliver some compelling pop hooks. Without hearing them, perhaps a combination of folk, art rock, and rock is the most apt description.

Expect a new album from the Decemberists sometime in 2009.

The Decemberists will play select dates on the East and West Coasts during the month of November 2008. So, if you're lucky enough to live in those cities, go check them out.

To learn more, check out their web site.

My girl, linen and curls
Lips parting like a flag all unfurled
She's grand, the bend of her hand
Digging deep into the sweep of the sand
--"Summersong," The Crane Wife (2006)

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Extra Credit--Past Musical Electives of the Week:

Ron Sexsmith
Kasey Chambers
Lucinda Williams
Great Big Sea
Griffin House
Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
Neil Finn
Ray LaMontagne
Stuart Stotts
Dan Wilson
Kathleen Edwards

Geography: Love and Lies

I've had a love for geography ever since I was toddler. One of my earliest memories is of my paternal grandfather's haggard world map. To help me learn the location of nations and to have some fun, my grandfather wrote onto tiny strips of paper the names of the major countries of the world. Starting around age 3 or 4, I was able accurately to locate nations such as the U.S., U.S.S.R., China, Japan and Australia on this non-political world map, pleasing him to no end.

My grandfather was born on a farm in Ireland -- County Cavan to be specific -- and came "across the pond" as a teenager. Ten years ago, I had the pleasure of tracking down his sole surviving sibling, his youngest sister Teresa (who was a toddler when he left for America, never to return), who still lived in the same village where the family grew up. To date, that was my sole trip to the magical country of Ireland and I will never forget it.

Sarah Palin has been to Ireland, too. Or so she says. Or so her spokesperson says. This "visit" constituted a refueling stop at Shannon Airport in County Claire. This "visit" was offered by the campaign to defend her foreign policy experience. What compelling evidence. Wow.

But wait ... there's more.

Geography whiz and First Lady wannabe Cindy McCain undoubtedly shoots for that blue triangle from the get-go during games of Trivial Pursuit. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, McCain defends Palin's foreign policy experience by noting that "Alaska is the closest part of our continent to Russia." Take that, Joe Biden! (who must undoubtedly be an expert on Bermuda given Delaware's comparative proximity to that island).

Let me stipulate two things:

(1) A visit to an airport DOESN'T constitute a visit to a city or a country. I've been to the Detroit airport countless times (even slept on its floor once), but I've never actually visited the city of Detroit or the surrounding area in Michigan. Even with innocuous time-wasters such as TripAdvisor's Cities I've Visited on Facebook, I don't audaciously claim to have been to Detroit, to Cincinnati or Memphis--or other cities I've connected through. To base your qualifications to be vice-president on such a claim is downright pathetic. Frankly, it calls into question the judgment of the individual who invited you onto the Republican ticket and who wishes to be commander-in-chief.

(2) Proximity DOESN'T equal expertise. A math teacher who teaches in a classroom next to an English teacher isn't better equipped to teach English. A stock broker who lives next door to a mechanic doesn't necessarily know how to fix your carburetor. Living in the Madison, Wisconsin area doesn't make me qualified to lead walking tours of Rockford, Illinois.

What does this all have to do with education? Well, it seems to me that the McCain-Palin campaign doesn't think much of the intelligence of the American electorate by peddling this paltry defense of Palin's lack of foreign policy experience and nonexistent world view. On an intellectual level, I've got to believe that even Republican partisans can see through this flighty logic. If I'm wrong, then we're in some real trouble -- and not just from the potential results of this election.

I guess the moral of this blog post is that geographic literacy by itself isn't sufficient. Truth matters, too. Right, Cindy?

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BONUS: For those of you who haven't discovered PalinDrome yet, just like those MasterCard ads, it's priceless.

Who Says This Election Shouldn't Be About Education?

The staggering economy is clearly hitting working families, investors ... and college students with financial need. The New York Times reports that the Federal Pell Grant Program faces a $6 billion shortfall.

Battered by a worsening economy, college students are seeking federal financial aid in record numbers this year, leading Bush administration officials to warn Congress that the most important federal aid program, Pell Grants, may need up to $6 billion in additional taxpayer funds next year.

Driving the increased applications for federal aid, in part, have been nontraditional students returning to school to improve their job skills during the economic downturn, said Terry W. Hartle, senior vice president for public affairs at the American Council on Education, which represents colleges and universities.

Estimates by the Department of Education suggest that the new president will face an unusually burdensome financing shortfall or the fallout that would accompany trimming the nation’s leading college aid program.

“There are a lot of things going on — more people are applying for student aid, more people are going to college, more people who qualify for the aid are showing up at school,” said Thomas P. Skelly, the Department of Education’s director of budget service, who wrote a memorandum detailing the problem to Congress.

As of July 31, 800,000 more students had applied for grants than on that date last year, according to the memorandum, which called the increase one of the largest ever year to year.

This year, more than six million low-income college students will receive Pell Grants ranging from $431 to $4,731, federal officials said.

Congress appropriated $14 billion for the grants for the current fiscal year, but because of the increase and because of accumulated shortfalls from previous years, lawmakers will need to add $6 billion in new funds next year or cut the size of the grants, Department of Education officials said.

Perhaps the Iraqi government with its oil-driven $79 billion surplus can bail the Bush Administration out of this mess it has created.

Reaction to McCain's Speech

As seems to be typical in this presidential campaign, education got short shrift in John McCain's speech to the Republican National Convention this evening. Here's what he had to say:

Education -- education is the civil rights issue of this century. Equal access to public education has been gained, but what is the value of access to a failing school? We need to shake up failed school bureaucracies with competition, empower parents with choice. Let's remove barriers to qualified instructors, attract and reward good teachers, and help bad teachers find another line of work. When a public school fails to meet its obligations to students, parent -- when it fails to meet its obligations to students, parents deserve a choice in the education of their children. And I intend to give it to them. Some may choose a better public school. Some may choose a private one. Many will choose a charter school. But they will have the choice, and their children will have that opportunity. Senator Obama wants our schools to answer to unions and entrenched bureaucrats. I want schools to answer to parents and students. And when I'm president, they will.

Yawn.

The education portion of McCain's speech served up the same boring, rehashed Republicanism as the rest of his speech. Basically, it's all about choice and competition--and firing bad teachers. You always need an enemy. News to John McCain: The No Child Left Behind Act already has provisions for school choice. The trouble is that federal law doesn't allow children who attend failing schools in failing districts (where there aren't enough good schools to go around) to choose a school in a different district. For example, a Chicago Public Schools student can't choose to attend school in Evanston; a District of Columbia Public Schools student can't attend school in Montgomery County, Maryland or Arlington County, Virginia. And so on.

Unless McCain is willing to take a stand and allow largely urban, low-income students to storm the barracades of suburban schools (school districts where lots of wealthy Republicans live), then his hankering for more choice and competition in education ain't straight talk--just more empty rhetoric.