Twitter is used to communicate with parents, teach students

Teachers in Kentucky's Jefferson County are slowly integrating social-networking Web sites into the classroom, saying the sites help improve student learning and communication with parents. One teacher has established a classroom Twitter page and selects students to post short updates about classroom activities throughout the day for parents. Teachers also are using YouTube in lessons, and officials say they are considering lifting a ban on Facebook in schools. The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.)

D.C. chancellor fires 18 special-education employees

Washington, D.C. schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee fired 18 employees from the school system's special-education department, according to an official statement. A spokeswoman for Rhee said the firings were part of cost-saving measures and attempts to achieve the special-education department's "overarching goals and initiatives," but Rhee's critics questioned whether there were other motives behind the cuts. The Examiner/Washington, D.C.

Whether this is related to the firings or not, DCPS announced last week that in an effort to cut costs and use space more efficiently and effectively, starting March 1, 2010 DCPS Central Office will be located at 1200 First St, NE, Washington, DC 20002, a few blocks north of the former location.

Fifteen states, D.C. are Race to the Top finalists

It was announced this week that fifteen states and Washington, D.C., have been selected by the Department of Education as finalists from a pool of 41 applicants in the federal Race to the Top grant competition. They are now closer to obtaining a piece of $4.35 billion for education. Other finalists are Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee. Officials expect to announce no more than six winners next month. A second round of competition will take place this year. (also check out The Wall Street Journal)

As soon as my RSS feeds received the news, I immediately checked the Race to the Top application of our district. I found that it is "bold and brave" and it states many of the necessary ingredients for 21st century education that if implemented effectively and collaboratively has the potential to transform the school district's culture of teaching and learning. Who wouldn't want quality and job embedded professional development for teachers, innovative classroom resources, and world class instruction taught by effective educators in every school in DC? We all want to see this happen!

But what is wrong in the picture? The application ties up 50% of the student test scores to teacher evaluations.

Part of the application states: "DCPS worked with the Washington Teachers Union (WTU) to obtain its support for the Race to the Top application, but the WTU opted not to sign on. The application - including its initiatives and goals - is bold, aggressive, and uncompromising, and while the union opted not to support the proposal, the Distict strongly believes that a broad base of reform-oriented teachers and leaders support the DC RTTT plan".

I commend our WTU President George Parker for not giving his support to something that is going to hurt our teachers and students in the long run. Our educators do not deserve all the blame for low school performance because there are other factors that contribute to a school's failure that even the highly qualified and the most effective teachers cannot overcome. Teachers should not be held solely accountable for poor student test scores. I wish we have the right evaluations that measure what our diverse learners and exceptional needs students know and are able to do. I feel that we are also setting up our students to fail when we don't have the right evaluations that measure what they are learning while considering their strengths, weaknesses and special needs.

I believe that the goals as stated in the application are great but overall is based on false assumptions, and having them implemented effectively is another story. I wish our policy makers had deeply involved the educators and sincerely listened to us (and to those who represent us) when making decisions on what is best for our students that we, teachers, truly understand.

D.C. evaluation system is winning over teachers (?)

According to a blog article, a teacher-evaluation system in place in Washington, D.C., schools has been criticized by a teachers union official as lacking an "appropriate system of support to improve instruction," but some educators say it is the best evaluation system they have seen. IMPACT requires teachers to have five observations each year from veteran teachers and administrators, with follow-up conferences where observers offer suggestions for improvement to teachers. The Washington Post/Class Struggle blog

My effectiveness as a DCPS teacher is also being judged by the IMPACT, so far so good, here's a memo from the Chancellor. Yes, my students and I worked very hard for this. Honestly, knowledge and implementation of the core propositions of the national teaching standards and the best teaching practices over time made me the teacher that I am today. I am now preparing for the 2nd cycle of the IMPACT from my Master Educator which will be anytime this week.

Back to the article. "DC evaluation system is winning over teachers"? Speaking as an educator I have some concerns about the truthfullness of this artcile. It would be best to see good data from DCPS and WTU to back up every assertion about the effect of the IMPACT evaluation system on students and teachers.

Firing teachers is not proven to turn around schools

A veteran education writer is calling the decision to fire all educators at a Rhode Island high school "sad and desperate" and a move that doesn't take into account issues such as poverty, home life and previous education. Valerie Strauss writes in this column that there is no evidence that schools improve if staffers are replaced and that no one reform method has led to across-the-board school improvement. The Washington Post