Franklin Schargel’s Blog

Tony Thacker, my co-author Schools Where Teachers Lead, Creating School Cultures That Embrace Learning, and From At-Risk to Academic Excellence will be featured in the new documentary “American Teacher” directed by Vanessa Roth and Brian McGinn and narrated by Matt Damon. The documentary follows teachers as they face day to day struggles and is interspersed with interviews conducted with experts. Tony Thacker was chosen to be interviewed following a presentation he gave at a NCTAF Conference in Washington D.C ““ a sizeable portion of his interview was used in the documentary.

At the 34th Annual Philadelphia International Film Festival, “American Teacher” received the silver award in the documentary category. The documentary will officially debut on September 23rd, 2011, in New York and Los Angeles. The documentary will also screen on September 29th,2011 in San Francisco and October 3rd, 2011 in Boston.

After being beaten down by governors, the media and the film, “Bad Teacher” this film should uplift your spirits.

According to Diann Woodard, President of the American Federation of School Administrators, in the Summer Issue of The Leader, some American schools are globally competitive.  “The most recent results from the International Reading Literacy Study and the Trends in International Math and Science (TIMSS) conducted in 2006 revealed that a major group of American Students ranked first in reading, first in science, and third in math.  Who were these students?  They were kids in US schools that enjoyed a poverty rate of less than 10 percent. Even students in U.S. schools where the poverty rate rose to as high as 25 percent still ranked first in reading and science. As the percent of student in poverty rises, the test scores decline.”

As Ms.. Woodard points out 20 percent of all U.S. schools have poverty rates greater than 75 percent.  With the growing American economic crisis, we are creating an increasing permanent underclass.  With governors across the country making deep cuts in education, they are assigning a growing number of children to poverty which they will never get out of because they will lack the education and skills necessary.

The National Education Association (NEA) has at their annual conference in Chicago accepted a change to their constitution accepted a practice of evaluating teachers.  I believe that the change is so important that I included the entire message.

Consistent with NEA’s belief that the “teaching profession is a cornerstone of society,” “composed of individuals who meet the highest standards” of  “evaluation” and “accountability,” (NEA Resolution D-1), and recognizing that evaluation and accountability systems too often leave teachers without the feedback or support needed to enhance practice and advance student learning, NEA sets forth below the criteria for the types of teacher evaluation and accountability systems necessary to ensure a high quality public education for every student.

I. High Quality Teacher Evaluation Systems

NEA believes that our students and teachers deserve high quality evaluation systems that provide the tools teachers need to continuously tailor instruction, enhance practice and advance student learning.  Such systems must provide both ongoing non-evaluative, formative feedback and regular, comprehensive, meaningful and fair evaluations.  Such systems must be developed and implemented with teachers and their representatives, either through collective bargaining where available, or in partnership with the affiliate representing teachers at the state and local level.

a. All teachers should be regularly evaluated by highly trained evaluators on the basis of clear standards as to what teachers should know and be able to do.  Such standards should be high and rigorous and define the rich knowledge, skills, dispositions and responsibilities of teachers.  Such standards may be based on national models such as the NEA Principles of Professional Practice, the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium Model Core Teaching Standards, the Standards developed by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, or statewide standards for the teaching profession.

b. Evaluations must be comprehensive ““ based on multiple indicators to provide teachers with clear and actionable feedback to enhance their practice ““ and must include all three of the following components:

i. Indicators of Teacher Practice demonstrating a teacher’s subject matter knowledge, skill in planning and delivering instruction that engages students, ability to address issues of equity and diversity, and ability to monitor and assess student learning and adjust instruction accordingly. Such indicators may include the following indicators or others chosen by a local or state affiliate:  classroom observations, proof of practice (e.g., lesson plans, curriculum plans, student assessments, minutes from team planning meetings, curriculum maps, and teacher instructional notes), teacher interviews and self-assessments.

ii. Indicators of Teacher Contribution and Growth demonstrating a teacher’s professional growth and contribution to a school’s and/or district’s success.  Such indicators may include the following indicators or others chosen by a local or state affiliate:  completion of meaningful professional development that is applied to practice; structured collaboration with colleagues focused on improving practice and student outcomes (e.g., by way of professional learning communities and grade or subject teams); evidence of reflective practice; teacher leadership in the school, district or educational community; collaborative projects with institutions of higher education; and positive engagement with students, parents and colleagues.

iii.  Indicators of Contribution to Student Learning and Growth demonstrating a teacher’s impact on student learning and growth.  Such indicators must be authentic, reflect that there are multiple factors that impact a student’s learning beyond a teacher’s control, and may include the following indicators or others chosen by a local or state affiliate:  student learning objectives developed jointly by the teacher and principal/evaluator; teacher-created assessments; district or school assessments; student work (papers, portfolios, projects, presentations); teacher defined objectives for individual student growth; and high quality developmentally appropriate standardized tests that provide valid, reliable, timely and meaningful information regarding student learning and growth.  Unless such tests are shown to be developmentally appropriate, scientifically valid and reliable for the purpose of measuring both student learning and a teacher’s performance, such tests may not be used to support any employment action against a teacher and may be used only to provide non-evaluative formative feedback.

c. Evaluations must be meaningful, providing all teachers with clear and actionable feedback linked to tailored professional development.  Such feedback should include regular non-evaluative formative feedback ““ meaning feedback that serves only to inform practice and that does not contribute to formal evaluation results ““ as such feedback is often the most effective way to improve teacher practice.  Such non-evaluative feedback may include self-reflection, peer observation and/or teacher approved surveys of students to assess engagement and learning behaviors.

d. Evaluations must be fair, conducted by highly trained and objective supervisors or other evaluators as agreed to by the local affiliate, whose work is regularly reviewed to ensure the validity and reliability of evaluation results.  If an evaluation will be the basis for any action relating to a teacher’s employment, ratings by more than one evaluator must be provided in support of the action.  Where a teacher believes an evaluation does not accurately reflect his or her level of practice, the teacher must have the right to contest the evaluation, and have access to the information necessary to do so.

e. To satisfy these requirements, evaluation systems must be adequately funded and staffed, and fully developed and validated, including by training all teachers on the new systems, before they are used to make any high stakes employment decisions.  NEA recognizes that our schools do not currently have enough staff trained to provide meaningful evaluative and non-evaluative feedback to teachers.  To expand the number of people who can do so, the Representative Assembly directs NEA to examine existing mentorship, peer assistance and peer assistance and review programs, and report back to the October 2011 NEA Board meeting regarding those programs, their compliance with the requirements set forth in D-10 (Mentor Programs) and  D-11(Peer Assistance Programs and Peer Assistance & Review Programs), and to make programmatic recommendations as to whether to expand such programs or develop others in partnership with state and local associations.

II. High Quality Teacher Accountability Systems

NEA believes that teachers are accountable for high quality instruction that advances student learning.  High quality teacher accountability systems, developed and implemented with teachers and their representatives either through collective bargaining where available, or in partnership with the affiliate representing teachers at the state and local level, should be based on the following principles.

a. All teachers are responsible for providing a high quality education to students and supporting the efforts of colleagues and their school as a whole to do the same.  To fulfill that responsibility, teachers have the right to a safe and supportive working environment including ongoing non-evaluative feedback on their practice that supports teachers’ efforts to innovate and the right to regular, confidential evaluations.

b. All teachers have the responsibility to continually enhance their practice and to stay current in subject matter and pedagogical approaches by reflecting and acting on feedback received, accessing professional development opportunities provided and collaborating with colleagues to enhance instruction.  To fulfill that responsibility, teachers have the right to increased autonomy over instructional practices, time during the school day for collaboration with colleagues, a decisionmaking role in professional development, and the right to have such development tailored to enhancing skills identified as needing improvement in both non-evaluative feedback and in evaluations, as well as the ability to pursue advanced coursework and degrees as part of professional development.

c. If, through a high quality evaluation system, a teacher’s practice fails to meet performance standards, a teacher should be provided with clear notice of the deficiencies and an improvement plan should be developed by the teacher, local association and employer.  The improvement plan should provide the teacher with a reasonable opportunity ““ including time, high quality professional development and support ““ to meet expectations.  In addition, the teacher should receive regular and frequent feedback from the district and the local association regarding his or her progress during the support program period. What constitutes a reasonable opportunity will depend on the nature of the deficiencies identified, but in no event should an improvement plan exceed one school year.  During the period in which a teacher is implementing an improvement plan, the district shall provide a support program mutually agreed upon by the district and the local association, which shall include the assignment of an accomplished teacher to assist the teacher, not meeting performance standards in approving his or her practice and to ensure a quality education for that teacher’s students.

d. If a teacher fails to improve despite being given a reasonable opportunity to do so, or otherwise fails to meet expectations, the teacher may be counseled to leave the profession or be subject to fair, transparent and efficient dismissal process that provides due process.  Such a process should include:  notice to a teacher of the basis for the dismissal; early disclosure of all evidence on which the dismissal is based; an early mandatory meeting between the teacher, employer and the teacher’s representative to discuss possible resolution; and, failing such resolution, a prompt hearing before an impartial decisionmaker on the charges.

e. NEA believes that it is appropriate and fitting for accountability systems to continue to differentiate between the rights and responsibilities of probationary teachers, meaning those teachers in their initial years of employment who may be nonrenewed upon notice at the end of a school year, and career teachers, meaning those teachers who have successfully served through the probationary period and may be dismissed only for cause as defined by state law or local agreement or policy.

.  Probationary teachers should receive ongoing support for at least the first two years of their employment from locally developed and fully supported induction programs.  The focus of such induction programs should be supportive and non-evaluative, designed to provide beginning teachers with the support they need to learn and thrive in the teaching profession. Districts should be encouraged to partner with colleges and universities to develop joint induction programs. No beginning teacher should go for weeks, much less years, without receiving any feedback on their practice.

.  Probationary teachers should become career teachers if they meet or exceed expectations at the conclusion of their probationary employment period as defined by state law. A probationary teacher should have the right to require that the school district conduct the necessary evaluations within this time period, so that an appropriate determination can be made as to career status.

.  Probationary teachers who meet or exceed expectations at the conclusion of their probationary employment period as defined by state law, and who are not granted career status, should have the right to contest that denial before an impartial decisionmaker.

.  Once a probationary teacher has attained career status, that status should not be lost and should be portable from one school district to another within a state.  If a career teacher’s performance fails to meet expectations, the teacher may be counseled out of the profession or dismissed pursuant to a fair, transparent and efficient dismissal procedure that provides due process.

.  Career teachers have the responsibility to reflect upon and enhance their own practice and to support and enhance the practice of their colleagues, particularly probationary teachers.  NEA encourages local affiliates to institutionalize opportunities for career teachers to provide such support and enhance the practice of their colleagues by way of including in collective bargaining agreements or local policies provisions supporting professional learning communities, partnerships with local/regional institutions of higher education, mentorship and peer assistance programs.

III.  The Role of the Association in High Quality Evaluation and Accountability Systems

The development, implementation and enforcement of high quality evaluation and accountability systems are top priorities of NEA and its affiliates, presenting new opportunities and work for the Association and its affiliates.  The Representative Assembly therefore directs that NEA support that work by providing the training, resources (including model fair dismissal procedures and other model language) needed to develop, implement and enforce high quality evaluation and accountability systems that enhance instruction and improve student learning.

The most popular thing I have ever posted on this website is “25 Things Which Will be Extinct in 25 years.  I do not know who sent it to me.  If I did I would give them credit.  This was posted on Posted on March 11, 2011 by xenohistorian

Society is changing faster than ever. For example,  Do you remember the time when television used consist of three channels broadcasting until midnight?  When television was.  Cartoons were mostly confined to Saturday morning, and because we didn’t have remotes, we had to walk all the way across the room to change the channel.

Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part on how we adapt to them. But, ready or not, here they come.

1. The Post Office. Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. e-mail, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.

2. The Check. Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with checks by 2018. It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process checks. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the check. This plays right into the death of the post office. If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business.

3. The Newspaper. The younger generation simply doesn’t read the newspaper. They certainly don’t subscribe to a daily delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man. As for reading the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple, Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services.

4. The Book. You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the literal pages. I said the same thing about downloading music fromiTunes. I wanted my hard copy CD. But I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that I could get albums for half the price without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books. You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy. And the price is less than half that of a real book. And think of the convenience! Once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story, can’t wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you’re holding a gadget instead of a book.

5. The Land Line Telephone. Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don’t need it anymore. Most people keep it simply because they’ve always had it. But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes.

6. Music. This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death. Not just because of illegal downloading. It’s because innovative new music isn’t being given a chance to get to the people who would like to hear it. Greed and corruption is the problem. The record labels and the radio conglomerates are simply self-destructing. Over 40% of the music purchased today is “catalog items,” meaning traditional music that the public has heard for years, from older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit. To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book, “Appetite for Self-Destruction” by Steve Knopper, and the video documentary, “Before the Music Dies.”

7. Television. Revenues to the networks are down dramatically. Not just because of the economy. People are watching TV and movies streamed from their computers. And they’re playing games and doing lots of other things that take up the time that used to be spent watching TV. Prime time shows have degenerated down to lower than the lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I say good riddance to most of it. It’s time for the cable companies to be put out of our misery. Let the people choose what they want to watch online and through Netflix.

8. “Things” That You Own. Many of the very possessions that we used to own are still in our lives, but we may not actually own them in the future. They may simply reside in “the cloud.” Today your computer has a hard drive and you store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software is on a CD or DVD, and you can always re-install it if need be. But all of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up their latest “cloud services.” That means that when you turn on a computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system. So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet. If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If you save something, it will be saved to the cloud. And you may pay a monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world, you can access your music or your books, or your whatever from any laptop or handheld device. That’s the good news. But, will you actually own any of this “stuff” or will it all be able to disappear at any moment in a big “Poof?” Will most of the things in our lives be disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD case and pull out the insert.

9. Privacy. If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That’s gone. It’s been gone for a long time anyway. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that 24/7, “They” know who you are and where you are, right down to the GPS coordinates, and the Google Street View. If you buy something, your habit is put into a zillion profiles, and your ads will change to reflect those habits. And “They” will try to get you to buy something else. Again and again.

All we will have that can’t be changed are Memories.

This entry was posted in Blogroll, Random Acts of Thought.

On August 21st, Franklin Schargel sat down with Nicole Brady of Eye On New Mexico to discuss New Mexico’s education system. The segment aired soon after New Mexico’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) rankings were revealed. The rankings disclosed that nearly 87% of New Mexico’s schools are not making adequare progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

https://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2249041.shtml?cat=10106

Hope you all had a pleasant, well-rested summer. Hope you were able to catch up on your reading and relaxing.

While you were away, my 11th book was published.  The title, “Dropout Prevention Fieldbook” is full of exercises based on the 15 effective strategies developed by the National Dropout Prevention Center based at Clemson University and me.  The exercises are from practitioners in the field to practitioners in the field.

I have been delivering workshops in Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee.  It was a pleasure meeting and talking to a number of you.

This website is updated every two or three days.  If you are interested in keeping up with the latest information about our field, subscribe on this page in the upper right hand corner and you will receive updates and grant information automatically.

I wish that you have a really GREAT school year and as I travel, look forward to seeing and talking to you.

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