There’s an elephant in the room that the district keeps trying to sidestep when it comes to the new proposed pay for performance and its Shelby County’s teacher evaluation model, also know as TEM. It is crucial to ensure that these initiatives are supported by comprehensive and reliable service that provide teachers with the necessary resources and support for success. From talking to many of my…
Legislature
Standards, ACT and Political Action Legislation
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Several bills relevant to education are coming up for committee hearings in the Tennessee State legislature this week. Some of them could have dramatic impacts on education here in the volunteer state, and as such I think it’s important to spotlight…
School Finance
The BEP Law Suit Cometh
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In light of the Shelby County School board voting 9-0 to join Knox, Hamilton and Bradley counties in exploring the possibility of suing the state of Tennessee, I’d like to repost my piece from this last November calling for this…
School Finance
Congress Wants to Take Millions From SCS
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That’s the likely outcome of the US House of Representative’s partisan ESEA reauthorization bill. The Department of Education reported Tuesday that the 100 largest school districts in the country serving high proportions of black students, many of them represented by…
Teacher Salaries
Here’s Why We Should Pay Teachers More
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This post originally ran on the Huffington Post on April 30th, 2013. I’ve decided to repost it here given its relevance to the ongoing teacher pay discussion in Memphis and Tennessee. Here’s a conversation I had with my father over…
School Quality
Suspension to the Top?
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My second year teaching I received my Algebra I test scores back, and for the most part I was pleased with how my students did. Around seventy five percent of them had grown beyond their predicted level, and may had…
Teacher Salaries
Pay Teachers For Performance? Yes, But…
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This post originally ran on the Huffington Post on May 1st, 2013. I’m republishing it given the relevance it holds for Memphis’ and Tennessee’s teacher pay debate. I run a classroom store with my 9th graders using tickets, which they…
ASD
Legislating Targeting ASD Likely to Go Nowhere
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TNEdReport wrote this past Friday that two Nashville area elected officials have filed legislation (HB508/SB975) that would end the ASD at the end of the 2015-2016 school year. From the bill summary: As introduced, abolishes the achievement school district at…
Uncategorized
Quality Charters offer Quality Voucher Alternative
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Originally written January 12th, 2014. As true now as it was then, with one small update. I wrote a few days ago about my concerns with the likely school voucher systemproposal in Tennessee this legislative session. Vouchers are meant to…