Changing Education Paradigms

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Sir Ken Robinson is a British author and creativity expert who challenges the way we're educating our children.  The video clip above has Sir Ken Robinson's talk at the 2006 TED conference as he calls for a radical rethinking of our school systems.  Here are a few quotes from the video above:

• "And my contention is, all kids have tremendous talents.  And we squander them pretty ruthlessly.  My contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status."

• "If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original."

In the video clip below Sir Ken Robinson examines the current factory model of the education system and the urgent need to re-examine how we teach students.



Ken  Robinson is the author of the book, Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative. You can learn more about Ken Robinson here.

What is a highly effective teacher actually worth to students?

The number one variable impacting student learning is the quality of the teacher in the classroom.  Stanford University's professor, Eric Hanushek, set out to determine the the impact of value added from highly effective teachers upon the future economic earnings of students. It is important to note that he was not seeking to solely isolate value added, as in the achievement gains, but rather the aggregate differences on lifetime earnings for students derived from having the highly effective public school teachers to less effective teachers expressed in percentiles.

His ideas are basically this: the current salary structure for public school teachers provides financial incentives based upon experience and advanced degrees and these factors are uncoupled from any systemic influence on student achievement.  His study examines the aggregate impact of effective teachers upon students' future economic earnings points towards two important variables, teacher effectiveness and class size.  The figure below illustrates this correlation in more detail.

Dr. Eric Hanushek is the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University and according to his webpage is, "a leader in the development of economic analysis of educational issues, and his work on efficiency, resource usage, and economic outcomes of schools has frequently entered into the design of both national and international educational policy."  He explained his concepts recently in a podcast on Econ Talk. The entire podcast can be found online here.

Dr. Hanushek's ideas are expanded in more detail by examining his recent paper, "The Economic Value of Higher Teacher Quality," by Eric Hanushek. Urban Institute, National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research, Working Paper 56, December 2010. Published version can be found at Economics of Education Review, volume 30, Issue 3, June 2011, pp. 466-479.  

How many individuals does it take to change an entire school system?

The question posed by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is more general, but still applicable to the school change process, "how can a committed set of minority opinion holders on a network, reverse the majority opinion?"  The question centers on the issue of how individuals adopt new behaviors and new opinions as influenced by group members.  These computer scientists examined historical evidence of how small groups of committed agents who consistently proselytize the opposing opinion and are immune to influence can change entire group behavior.

The researchers identified the minimum statistical threshold of 10% required to alter group majority opinion.  The online article, Minority Rules: Scientist Discover Tipping Point for the Spread of Ideas, explains the research, "Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society. The scientists, who are members of the Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center (SCNARC) at Rensselaer, used computational and analytical methods to discover the tipping point where a minority belief becomes the majority opinion."


The image below depicts group behavior over time and shows how the initial ten percent of  committed opinion holders can change entire group behavior.  It is important to note that the initial ten percent must hold an unshakable belief.  This study has potential implications for entire school systems and the adoption of innovative behavior.

The abstract of the research is below and an accompanying PDF located here.  The entire research article titled, "Social consensus through the influence of committed minorities" is available online.

Abstract:


We show how the prevailing majority opinion in a population can be rapidly reversed by a small fraction p of randomly distributed committed agents who consistently proselytize the opposing opinion and are immune to influence. Specifically, we show that when the committed fraction grows beyond a critical value p_c ≈ 10%, there is a dramatic decrease in the time, T_c, taken for the entire population to adopt the committed opinion. In particular, for complete graphs we show that when p < p_c, T_c ∼ \exp(α(p)N), while for p > p_c, T_c ∼ \ln N. We conclude with simulation results for Erd\Hos-Rényi random graphs and scale-free networks which show qualitatively similar behavior.

A Collaborative Data Driven Teaching Experiment

The below case study details how two teachers collaboratively implemented a series of common assessments and analyzed data to alter instruction with the stated goal of improving student achievement in a public middle school.

Assessment Methodologies

Teacher A and Teacher B decided to collaborate and analyze student achievement data based upon pre-test, formative and summative common assessments for one unit of study.  The teachers agreed to focus these common assessments towards two student performance standards:

1. Student understanding of US History content
2. Reading comprehension of primary and secondary source documents

Before any instruction was provided in the US History classes, both teachers gave students the same pre-test. The use of Einstruction's CPS clicker response pads expedited the grading time for these assessments.  This pre-test clicker data was disaggregated by two standards, those questions that were content-specific or questions assessing reading comprehension skill.

The ability to quickly use student achievement data was also improved by exporting CPS clicker data directly into an excel spreadsheet (CSV) format.  This data was then uploaded onto a google doc to enable real time collaboration and analysis between the teachers.

Pre-test results

Comparing the pre-test performance of students between teacher A and teacher B yields a few differences statistically however,  analyzing the combined pre-test performance demonstrates a larger sample size for later post-test analysis with the goal of determining effect size.  Not surprisingly, the teachers learned that students knew very little about the upcoming content of the unit with the combined average score on all content specific questions for all students was 44%.

The data also showed all students assessed using the pre-test had an average total score of 47%.  On average, students did marginally better on the reading skills questions, 57%.  One interesting statistic to note was the large combined standard deviation of 15 points from the average score for all students on the reading skill questions.

This is an interesting statistic to note as it indicates that we have a wide range of student reading ability in our classes.  See the pre-test student achievement data summary below from google docs.

Formative Assessment of Reading Standard Proficiency

Next both teachers provided a formative common assessment to all students to gauge change upon only the reading standard.  It is important to note that the formative achievement data is based upon a very small sample size of questions and this potentially skewed the results below.  

Teacher A: 87%

Teacher B: 88%

Summative Data Results

Following the formative assessment results teachers A and B decided to use different teaching  methodologies to address student reading comprehension.  Teacher A partnered students based upon proficiency levels proven from pre-test results and formative results.  Teacher B focused upon active reading and thematic reading skills and introduced and reviewed text reading strategies.

After altering instruction following the pre and formative assessment results a summative assessment was provided and an effect size was calculated based upon the formula below:

Teacher A:

Sample: 53

Mean: 88%

Std Dev: 11.77

Mean reading standard: 81%

Mean content standard: 91%

Effect Size = 1.681

Teacher B:

Sample: 38 students

Mean: 90.7%

Std Dev: 8.118

Mean reading standard: 83%

Mean content standard: 93%

Effect size = 1.513 

Analysis

Comparing the student achievement data throughout the assessment cycle of pre/formative/summative common assessments it is clear the student achievement increased.  Students gains were greatest on content standards largely due to a lack of previous knowledge.  Student achievement results on reading standard also increased but not at a similar rate.  Comparing the standard deviation on the assessment cycle both teachers significantly narrowed the variability of scores while increasing performance. This data indicates that both teachers were able to raise the achievement for all students and narrow the gap between proficiency and non-proficient students.  In addition, the effect size data clearly shows the teaching methods used, while divergent, were both highly effective instructional strategies.  It is difficult to isolate the causality in this case study and it is important to stress the extremely small sample size.

From MCAS to Teacher Evaluation

A recent task force report from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education proposes to overhaul the teacher evaluation system across the Commonwealth.

Described in a NPR article, the task force recommendations call for teachers to be evaluated using results from two types of student assessment, one of which must be the growth data from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Systems exam where it applies. This task force analyzed the current teacher evaluation systems and provided guidelines for improvement. This entire NPR article available online here.

This task force published the report "Building a Breakthrough Framework for Educator Evaluation in the Commonwealth". The entire report is available online and it outlined the below reasons for changing the existing system on page five:

The Task Force concludes that current educator evaluation practice in Massachusetts:

• Rarely includes student outcomes as a factor in evaluation
• Often fails to differentiate meaningfully between levels of educator effectiveness
• Fails to identify variation in effectiveness within schools and districts
• Rarely singles out excellence among educators
• Does not address issues of capacity, or “do-ability”
• Fails to calibrate ratings, allowing inconsistent practices across the state
• Fails to ensure educator input or continuous improvement
• Is often under-resourced or not taken seriously"

The task force recommends that evaluators use a wide variety of other local, district, state or commercially-available standardized exams. In addition the recommendations include student work samples can also be used and that teachers should also be judged during classroom observations on elements such as instruction, student assessment and curriculum measures.

These changes were recently described in a Boston Globe article titled, Rating Teachers on MCAS Results: Sweeping changes pushed by state education leader on April 17, 2011.

The Boston Globe article states that the new teacher evaluation system "also gives teachers who do not make the grade a year to show improvement or face termination. A fiery debate subsequently emerged over how much weight testing data should have in determining the overall effectiveness of a teacher or administrator." The entire Boston Globe article can be found online here.

How Data and Technology Improve Schools

Pedro Noguera, a Professor of Teaching and Learning at New York University, talks about how data and technology can improve schools in the video below.  The main idea he expresses in the video is that,

• "Data relieves teachers of the burden of guesswork, while technology gives students more control over learning." Pedro Noguera

In the video below Mr. Noguera comments upon SmartBoard technology and the mathematics program EPGY.  EPGY is the Education Program for Gifted Youth project at Stanford University which provides multimedia computer learning courses using Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI).  More information about Pedro Noguera can be found online at bigthink.com



A case study of a public school district-wide implementation of computer aided instruction is analyzed by Thomas Trautman of the American Education Corporation.  His research describes the impact upon student achievement following the implementation of A+ny Where Learning Systems (A+ny).  This research study examined students achievement of Illinois Public School District number 159 and offered the below findings:

• "The study showed that schools where the use of the A+nyWhere Learning System was encouraged used the software more than the neighboring schools where the use of the A+nyWhere Learning System was only made available and permitted. More importantly, the schools where the use of the A+nyWhere Learning System was encouraged and used more had greater gains in both reading and mathematics as measured by the Iowa Test of Basic Skills." (Trautman, pg 22)

The entire study titled, "Computer Aided Instruction and Academic Achievement" can be found online here.  More examples of CAI implementation can be found here.

Getting Teacher Assessment Right

The National Education Policy Center, NEPC released a report titled, "Getting Teacher Assessment Right: What Policymakers can Learn from Research"  in December 2010.  This report was created by Patricia Hinchey from Penn State University.  This report seeks seeks to address three main questions concerning evaluating teacher performance:

What should teachers be assessed upon?
What is the purposes of assessing teachers?
How can you assess teachers?


What to assess teachers upon? The report is concerned about the lack of an agreed-upon definition of teacher quality but points to ongoing research in the areas of teacher quality, teacher performance and teacher effectiveness.  Some of the research the report cited includes the following:

• Darling-Hammond, L., & Prince, C.D. (2007) Strengthening teacher quality in high-need schools: Policy and practice

• Geo, L., Bell, C., & Little, O. (2008) Approaches to evaluating teacher effectiveness: A research synthesis

• Kennedy, M. M. (2008) Sorting our teacher quality Phi Delta Kappan, 90(1), 59-63.

The below chart from the report summarize each of the categories derived from this research.

What is the purpose of assessing teachers?
The report provides two very different reasons or function towards assessing teachers.  Summative assessment is used to make a judgement while a formative assessment is "used to gain information that can help teachers improve or expand their abilities." (Hinchey, pg. 8)  Using formative assessment of teachers to improve practice requires positive, open relationships between teachers and administrators operating in an existing non-threatening environment.

What tools are available to better assess teachers? The report offers a wide array of methods in educator performance appraisal such as traditional classroom observation, use of instructional artifacts, portfolios, teacher self-reports, student surveys, value-added assessment (VAA) and peer assistance and review (PAR).

The entire report is available in PDF online here.

Presenting Data and Information

Edward Tufte is a professor at Yale University who focuses upon data visualization, analytic design and statistical evidence.  I recently attended instructed a course titled, "Presenting Data and Information" in Boston which examined the following topics (as posted from his website):

• fundamental strategies of analytical design
• evaluating evidence used in presentations
• statistical data: tables, graphics, and semi-graphics
• business, scientific, research, and financial presentations
• complexity and clarity
• effective presentations: on paper and in person
• interface design
• use of PowerPoint, video, overheads, and handouts
• multi-media, internet, and websites
• credibility of presentations
• animation and scientific visualizations

Why is this important information for teachers and educational leaders?

Edward Tufte thinks that PowerPoint is often misused for presentations as the software tends to have the creator elevate format over content.  He expresses these views in an article published at Wired.com titled, "PowerPoint is Evil."  His main point is this ubiquitous slide-based presentation software helps the speaker more than communicate the content to the audience.


He is also concerned over the educational impact on using PowerPoint in the classroom, "Particularly disturbing is the adoption of the PowerPoint cognitive style in our schools. Rather than learning to write a report using sentences, children are being taught how to formulate client pitches and infomercials. Elementary school PowerPoint exercises (as seen in teacher guides and in student work posted on the Internet) typically consist of 10 to 20 words and a piece of clip art on each slide in a presentation of three to six slides -a total of perhaps 80 words (15 seconds of silent reading) for a week of work. Students would be better off if the schools simply closed down on those days and everyone went to the Exploratorium or wrote an illustrated essay explaining something." (Tufte)  After listening to his presentation, I believe that Mr. Tufte's main concern is the lack of content able to be conveyed to an audience of learners using PowerPoint.


I stopped and thought about just how often PointPoint is used by teachers in a middle school classroom to enhance a lecture.  My rough estimate is 2-3 times a week per teacher.  That is approximately 8-12 classes of 25 students each.  Over the course of an 180+ day school year, this adds up.


The course addressed six fundamental principals of analytic design essential for content-rich presentations.  

1. Comparisons: this and that
2. Assessments of causality: cause and effect structure
3. Multivariate analysis: three or more
4. Integration of evidence, use of relevant data
5. Documentation to ensure creditability (meta data)
6. Content, reasoning

These principals are further described in his book, Beautiful Evidence.  NPR features a review of his book here.


Edward Tufte recommends using Sparklines embedded in documents to better convey visual data for an audience of learners.  Sparkline is an information graphic, usually small in size but dense with data.  Sparklines often display trends and changes over time associated with measurement.  

Edward Tufte describes the term sparkline as "small, high resolution graphics embedded in a context of words, numbers and images." (Tufte, Beautiful Evidence) 

The website jQuery Sparklines helps users create Sparklines.  This website enables users to create multiple types of Sparklines such as: Box Plots, Pie Charts, Bullet Graphs, Discrete, Tristate Charts, bar Charts and Line Charts.  See the examples of Sparklines below:

Throughout the course Edward Tufte offered specific advice to better present data and provided several memorable quotes:

• "All real data has wrinkles in it.  Otherwise it smells of data cherry picking."

• "Find good examples [of non-fiction quantitative data display] in the wild such as google news, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the journal of Nature."  

• "Look at the amount of data shown on the Sports page or in the weather section of major newspapers next time someone tells you that you have too much data in a presentation."

Another website tool which allows users to create sparklines is at http://www.style.org/chartapi/sparklines.  

This website allows users to access a google charting tool (google chart API) to generate charts and sparklines to embed in documents.  I find them simple and elegant such as:

Edward Tufte is the author of Beautiful Evidence, Visual Explanations, Envisioning Information, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, and Data Analysis for Politics and Policy.  More information can be found online at: http://www.edwardtufte.com

Changing Behaviors of 'Frequent Flyers'

What can we do differently to change the behavior of those students who seem to always be in the office?  You probably already know these students very well.  These are the kids who are the 'frequent flyers' of the behavior modification system of your school.

Ross Greene, an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and senior lecturer in the Department of Education at Tufts University wrote an article titled, "Calling All Frequent Flyers" in Education Leadership. This article examines the challenges posed by frequent flyers to school discipline and he recommends using a different approach.  His entire article can be found here.

The idea is called 'Collaborative Problem Solving'.  This approach focuses upon the question:

• Why are challenging students challenging?  

The first component of this approach is to view frequent flyers simply as students who lack the necessary behavioral skills required to successfully navigate the social demands of the school environment.

"When the environment demands skills that a kid lacks, the class of the the two forces occurs and the likelihood of challenging behavior increases.  In each challenging student,  this clash occurs under highly predictable conditions, which we sometimes refer to as antecedents, triggers or situations.  I refer to them as unsolved problems" (Greene, pg. 29)  So this results in these students becoming frequent flyers.  The next relevant question is to then identify:

• When are challenging students challenging?

To answer this question the use of Collaborative Problem Solving is necessary.  Green proposes to use  an Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems (ALSUP) to help educators identify lagging skills that trigger challenging behavior.   Click here for an online copy of an ALSUP.

The Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems:

Collaboratively assessing specific student behavioral challenges between teachers, administrators and parents and the student enables actionable information.  This identifies behavioral factors of control and provides each group with actionable information to solve problems.

Here is Dr. Greene's suggested method to solve the problem of frequent flyers called Plan B, since plan A to solve frequent flyer behavior has shown to be ineffective.

"Plan B involves solving problems collaboratively. I'm much more enthusiastic about this approach. Plan B is composed of three basic steps. The first—Empathy—involves gathering information from a student to achieve the clearest possible understanding of his or her perspective on a given unsolved problem. The second—Define the Problem—involves entering the adult's concern or perspective on the same unsolved problem into consideration. The third—Invitation—is where student and adult brainstorm solutions that are realistic and mutually satisfactory."

More information can be found at Dr. Greene's website: http://www.lostatschool.org

What do students think of vodcasts?

Mr. Aaron Sams is a high school science teacher in Colorado who uses video podcasts to flip his class. He currently teaches in Woodland Park Colorado and is writing a book about the Flipped Classroom.  He filmed some of the reactions and opinions from students in his flipped classroom in the video below.  More information about this teaching technique can be found online at the Learning 4 Mastery website at: http://learning4mastery.com

The University of Northern Colorado has information on vodcasting and homework flipping at this website.  This website describes the process as, "Students conduct experiments, watch video podcasts, work on assignments, interact with the class Moodle site, have one-on-one discussions with their teacher, and get tutored by their peers and cadet teachers. This is Mastery Learning at work.


Mastery of Learning allows students to work at their own pace through the science curriculum. When they complete a unit they must demonstrate that they have learned the content by taking an exit assessment that includes both a lab and a written component. If students score less than 85% on these exit assessments, they must go back and re-learn those concepts they missed and retake the exam. Grades are no longer determined by a percentage but rather how much content they have mastered." 


Teaching Vodcasting Network, a social network site for teachers using vodcasts, was created to support teachers who are using this new educational technology.

8 subtle ways to prepare middle schoolers for success

Jay Matthews, an educational columnist for the Washington Post, outlined several positive tips for parents to help middle school students.  The article titled, "Eight Subtle Ways to Prepare Middle Schoolers for College", was published on February 2, 2011 in the Washington Post and is available online here.  He asked several college admissions and education experts about positive steps that middle-school parents can take.  Mr. Matthews states in his article that "Some of the ideas don’t sound like college prep at all, but they are. If you help a preteen get ready for life, there will be some preparation for college in there somewhere."


Here are his eight suggestions for parents:
1. Notice what they enjoy doing, and help them do more of it.
2. Make sure your child knows that B’s are fine in middle school and that fun is important.
3. Enroll them in Algebra I in the eighth grade.
4. Insist they develop some practical housework skills. 
5. Flavor family trips with a bit of college atmosphere.
6. Encourage children who are curious about the world to take a foreign language.
7. Character counts. Encourage its development.
8. Do everything you can to encourage reading.


As you can see, some of the suggestions on the list are very general, while others appear very focused and specific.  I think that many of the stated ideas are helpful suggestions but ultimately parents should be mindful not to take this list as a recipe for success.  I tend to agree with the famous quote of Booker T. Washington, "Success is to measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome."


Source: http://ed.stanford.edu/in-the-media/8-subtle-ways-prepare-middle-schoolers-college
excerpt, edited

Race to Nowhere

The following text is a description of the 'Race to Nowhere' documentary from the film's website.

"Featuring the heartbreaking stories of young people across the country who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are burned out and worried that students aren’t developing the skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what’s best for their kids, Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace, students have become disengaged, stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant, and young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.

Race to Nowhere is a call to mobilize families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens.

Featured in the film:

• Dr. Madeline Levine, Clinical Psychologist and author of the best-seller, The Price of Privilege
• Dr. Wendy Mogel, Clinical Psychologist and author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee
• Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, Adolescent Medicine Specialist, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Dr. Deborah Stipek, Dean of the School of Education at Stanford University
• Dr. Denise Pope, Co-Founder, Challenge Success, Stanford University
• Sara Bennett, Founder, Stop Homework

In a grassroots sensation already feeding a groundswell for change, hundreds of theaters, schools and organizations nationwide are hosting community screenings during a six month campaign to screen the film nationwide. Tens of thousands of people are coming together, using the film as the centerpiece for raising awareness, radically changing the national dialogue on education and galvanizing change."

Source: http://www.racetonowhere.com/about-film

Homework Flipping & Blended Learning

What if out-of-school homework was the direct instruction from the teacher and the usual homework practice happened in the classroom as the teacher provided feedback?  This idea is called 'flipping' and it is catching on.

• Traditionally direct instruction occurs in the classroom and practice consists of homework assignments.

• But the practice of 'homework flipping' alters the sequence of instruction and homework practice as students receive direct instruction via internet podcasts and then the practice occurs in the classroom with the teacher providing ongoing feedback.

• The You Tube video clip below features Mr. Dale Eizenga, a chemistry teacher, as he describes how the implementation of educational technology using video podcasts or screencasts for homework as flipped his teaching methodology.  This has allowed him to alter the usual relationship between direct instruction and homework.

• It seems that across the pond a parallel idea for flipping was recently outlined in an article titled, "Think Thank: Flip-thinking - the new buzz word sweeping the US" published in The Telegraph on Saturday, January 22, 2011.  This article focused upon another teacher, Mr. Karl Fisch, who uses a similar methodology for instruction.

Common Core Standards: Progress & Challenges

Momentum is clearly building as 60% of the country has signed onto K-12 common core standards in English and Math.  The Center on Education Policy recently published a study authored by Nancy Kober and Diane Stark Rentner titled, States' Progress and Challenges in Implementing Common Core Standards.  This report is based upon survey data from state education offices across the country and stated that, "State decisions to adopt common core standards have been positively influenced by federal encouragement, such as Race to the Top grants."


Currently 32 States have adopted the standards, yet total implementation is down the road.  The research has shown that states have cited the following necessary steps for full implementation of common core standards:

• Changes in professional development are required
• Major changes and revision of state wide assessments
• Realigning curriculum
• Teacher evaluation and certification

The research stated that many states expressed the need for more time to implement the common core standards and that full adoption and implementation was most likely to occur after 2013.

The entire research article can be found online here.

Bullying Prevention Program

Bullying comes in many sizes, shapes and forms.  Cyber Bullying is defined as bullying through email, instant messaging, chat room exchanges, Web site posts, or digital messages or images sent to a cellular phone or personal digital assistant by the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP).  This program uses a school wide system to change student behavior and reduces the incidents of bullying.


"This definition includes three important components:

1. Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions.
2. Bullying involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time.
3. Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength."

(Source: Dr. Dan Olweus)

The program describes students involved or witnessing bullying as having roles contributing in the bullying cycle.  The below image outlines the bullying cycle and was created by the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.

More information can be found online at http://www.olweus.org
Additionally, several research articles describing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program can be found here.

The Widget Effect

The New Teacher Project poses the following question, "If teachers are so important, why do we treat them like widgets?" This issue is addressed is a large scale study of twelve public school districts across four states which gathered data involving teacher performance appraisal.

It is important to note that this study included teachers' union representation on the advisory panel which analyzed written feedback from survey responses from over 15,000 teachers, 1,300 principals and data from more than 40,000 teacher evaluation records. This research study produced some very interesting findings about the existing

teacher evaluation system:

1. All teachers are rated good or great: Less than 1% of teachers evaluated received unsatisfactory ratings.

2. Excellence goes unrecognized: When 99% of teachers evaluated are satisfactory or greater it creates methodological evaluative challenges to identify the truly exceptional teachers

3. Professional development is inadequate: Almost 75% of teachers did not receive specific feedback targeted towards instructional improvement from the evaluation process.

4. Novice teachers are neglected: Many districts had low expectations for beginning teachers

5. Poor performance is not addressed: 50% of the districts examined in this research study did not dismiss a tenured teacher for poor performance over a five year period.

You can download the executive summary of the Widget Effect in a 1.5 MB PDF here.

Source: The Widget Effect (edited)