Joe Williams' Blog
August 15, 2007
Baseball and Education Reform
Today's post is in honor of the Scooter, who is also responsible for today's DFER "Quote of the Day."
Writing in Education Week, Jeanne Century is the latest to compare education reform with the book Money Ball. Looking at the management of the Oakland A's, Money Ball is a baseball book that isn't really about baseball. (Warning: Cliches ahead.) It is really about systems resistant to change, data-driven decision making, team-building, getting the right people onto the bus and into the right seats, etc.
Century's box score on the similarities between baseball and ed reform (Warning: Liberal cutting and pasting ahead):
Continue reading "Baseball and Education Reform"....
Posted by Joe Williams on August 15, 2007 10:00 AM
August 13, 2007
Geriatric Rock And Rollers And Exit, Voice and Loyalty
Per this post on generational differences in views on social justice, EdWize's Leo Casey emphasizes which side of the generation gap he calls home by basing his critique of the post on a song written in 1965 - back when NYC subway fares were still 15-cents and a full two decades earlier than the birth of the average college graduate this past spring!!!
Leo does make a good point that I can't fully claim that teachers at charter schools named after civil rights leaders have chosen to work in non-unionized settings without sworn affadavits claiming they were forced into employment against their will. He notes that we don't know how teachers in those schools would have voted in a unionization election because those elections have never been held. But whose fault is that? The charter schools or the flat-footed labor unions who can't seem to get their shit act together to go in and organize? (In all fairness, it can't be easy to organize in schools you are trying to whack at the same time.)
While Leo may be quick to pooh-pooh the motivations of anyone who was born after he started teaching back in the day, I think he's making a mistake by trashing the modern-day appeal of empowerment through exit. There are a lot more options for educators these days. Remember Albert Hirschman's theory that people in crappy situations will typically exit (if they can, and if there are appealing alternatives) or voice (where they become determined to stay and fight to improve the situation)?? Just because yesterday's generation prized voice, doesn't mean that younger teachers/employees don't understand and appreciate that they can easily bolt to greener pastures these days if need be. The key dynamic seems to be where loyalty kicks in. (Hirschman argued that where 'loyalty' exists in organizations and institutions, exit is reduced.)
Which organizations and institutions are the ones inspiring loyalty among young educators today? Teachers unions which seem to be speaking a different language than young teachers? Large, impersonal public education bureaucracies which sometimes don't even seem capable of getting paychecks cut to teachers with any degree of reliability? Overgrown government institutions, in general? (Ask a 25-year-old whether she expects to get a Social Security check after the baby Boomers cash out...)
Can you fault them for flocking to something that is perceived to be better?
The people at EdWize are smart enough not to seek my advice, but getting back to the original post on generational shifts, this is how I would have responded if I was speaking on behalf of a forward-thinking teachers union which actually operates a charter school or two:
Continue reading "Geriatric Rock And Rollers And Exit, Voice and Loyalty"....
Posted by Joe Williams on August 13, 2007 10:38 AM
August 9, 2007
A Different Lens: Generational Shifts and Social Justice
The recent back-and-forth over whether or not public charter schools where teachers choose not to become unionized should be named after pro-labor civil rights figures like Cesar Chavez exposed one obvious reality that is just hanging over today's school reform scene:
While plenty of younger (in a world run by washed up baby-boomers, young = under 45) people in the sphere have nothing at all against things like democratic teacher voice, solidarity, and the like, their core motivations seem completely different than the generation that was once forced to fight the good fight for respect, better wages, etc.
This largely generational split is most easily seen when people talk about "social justice" and how they define it. Ask the average TFA-er or NLNSer or KIPPster or (fill in the acronym for whatever group of youngish do-gooders you like) what gets them out of bed in the morning ready to fight for what is right, and you are likely to hear the phrase "achievement gap" somewhere in their answer.
Continue reading "A Different Lens: Generational Shifts and Social Justice"....
Posted by Joe Williams on August 9, 2007 8:04 AM
August 7, 2007
Teach For America, The West-Coast Offense, and A Generation of Acolytes
Before I jump too far into this post, I have to make clear that I am in no way carrying water for Teach For America. In fact, I've been critical in the past of the general TFA reluctance to air publicly the dirty laundry of public education that its corps members see on a daily basis.
I also have to state, emphatically, that I am not a fan of the San Francisco 49'ers football team. A dozen years spent living in a state where the most popular public figure is named Favre made sure of that.
Stick with me. I'm heading somewhere with this.
Continue reading "Teach For America, The West-Coast Offense, and A Generation of Acolytes"....
Posted by Joe Williams on August 7, 2007 4:24 PM
More On Merit Pay In Schools
The other day I included a few riffs on merit pay in response to a question posed by James Foreman. James has a response on his blog here.
Two other friends of DFER offered their thoughts on the matter. Wrote the first:
Continue reading "More On Merit Pay In Schools"....
Posted by Joe Williams on August 7, 2007 2:29 PM
Do Clinton and Obama Look Softer Than They Really Are On Education?
The Boston Globe looks at the issue and (navel gazing alert!) highlights some of the frustrations expressed by Democrats for Education Reform.
Worth noting: Both presidential campaigns say they are still working on their education platforms, so there's still time for each to show us that they've got that good reform blood in them...
Let's see.
Posted by Joe Williams on August 7, 2007 1:55 PM
Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick: "Everything Is On The Table..."
Is Massachusetts in play for some serious reform? Don't lace up the dancing shoes just yet, but keep a close eye on Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and his newly-appointed panel of heavy-hitters who will develop a new statewide ed reform plan.
"We need to change fundamentally the way we think about and most of all deliver public education in this commonwealth," the Democratic governor said. "Everything is on the table."
The panel, which includes DFER friends like Chris Gabrielli, has until March to come up with recommendations such as longer school days, strengthening curriculum, and revamping schools of education in the Commonwealth.
Posted by Joe Williams on August 7, 2007 10:52 AM
