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The budget shortfall is enormous, responsible budgeting process at the local level results in lottery money being used for one time expenses rather than operating expenses due to the unpredictable revenue stream and ever changing political climate.

Sales tax in VA plays a direct role in funding public education as well, so when retail sales are down, so also are the revenues available for school divisions.

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what i really meant to point out is that categorizing teacher compensation as instructional spending seems misquided, particularly when areas that are incredibly important to the personal development of students are being omitted from this category (playing it out, it would seem completely crazy to me if i read that physician’s compensation is an activity directly associated with the interaction between doctors and patients). let me again reiterate how valuable a good teacher is. let me again reiterate that we should pay those people well just as soon as they establish that they are good at what they do. let me again reiterate that 40k a year (plus benefits) is a ridiculous place to start a 22 year old with a one year master of teaching degree in our community (particularly when they’re getting paid to stay at home on a day that, as i’ve established in the past, they’d need to work 10 hours in order to equal the 40 hour per week, year long schedule of the genreral public (and if you guys make up all snowdays, then i apologize for my misconception).

i believe that there are a number of things that we can do in order to advance our society’s perception of teachers as professionals on par with doctors, lawyers, et al. maintaining their compensation regardless of skill and acting as if things that serve their personal interests necessarily serve those of their students doesn’t strike me as one.

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The problem in teaching is in having some form of accepted assessment for effectiveness – both for the sake of incentives and for the sake of knowing how to improve teaching. I don’t agree that the research is limited, though. It’s pretty extensive and longitudinal. That there’s arguments over validity and methodology are true.

I certainly believe the current flawed standards testing system is a horrible measure of effectiveness in so many ways. It doesn’t relate individual student progress with a teacher, its content and measures change over time, it’s designed for built-in failure, etc.

I do think there are effective measures. I also think whether teachers agree with them or not, assessments will continue to be implemented – good or bad. Parents pay and want to know about the teachers who’ll be guiding their children – that’s a fair request.

So……I believe teachers need to take more of a lead in developing good measures of effectiveness. Like it or not, it’s coming down the pike and will be done with or without teacher input. If it’s without teachers, I have no doubt it will be flawed and a morale buster.

The two largest unions have generally not been willing to take the reins on this. They need to be creative and willing to move from the status quo – they can’t just be the organization of “no.” They have been far too motivated to protect the lowest common denominator. Though it’s difficult, administrators need to be willing to move out bad teachers. About the only thing more difficult than firing a teacher is having a doctor losing his/her license for malpractice.

By the way, Jeremy. Congrats on the Masters! I actually do believe it’s a reasonable part of the rubric in determining what qualifies you for a raise. I also have no doubt you’ll put it to good use.

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I think the limited research that exists on teachers with or without masters degrees is fundamentally flawed (starting with the problem of trying to decide what an effective teacher is) and it’s way premature to say the limited studies that have been done are conclusive in any sense. Of course, I am a teacher who recently finished my masters so you have to take what I say with a grain of salt.

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Though I haven’t read your report, I don’t dismiss that there may be little correlation between a teacher having a “master’s in teaching” and helping student achievement. That does not mean there aren’t ways to identify and reward excellent teaching that are more than just by experience and credentials.

Your report may be more an indictment on a teacher training and credentialing system that needs vast improvements and is inconsistent across the board. There is plenty of data that shows that “excellent” teaching yields high achievement….the most direct correlation being that students with 2 out 3 “excellent” teachers in the K-2 years are most likely to be high achievers.

So, teachers are at the top of the list because they have the most direct impact on student achievement.

The current teacher reward system does little to sustain and motivate excellent teaching. What other professional field has such little financial incentives – and such few resources to create an incentivized system?

Part of the education reform you want needs to start at teaching universities. They need to raise the bar, attract the best students and then pump out better prepared teachers. The catch-22 is that those better prepared teachers will warrant better salaries – like other professional fields. However, I think the civic and economic benefits will justify the investment for our country.

Lowell is right about the challenge of the constantly shifting landscape and targets for teachers. He’s also right about the incomparable microscope which teachers operate under and the constant “crisis” call. These certainly do not help achievement or teacher morale.

That you’re engaged in debating the heart of democracy – our education system – is a great start, though.

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We’ve seen good gains here in Rockingham County Schools which would refute some of the conclusions in the cited study.

I’m glad you’re interested, but I am skeptical of the study.

You say: “(i hope we can agree that this sort of data would be unacceptable in almost any other professional field)”

I don’t agree. Tell me what other professional field undergoes the constant scrutiny to which public education is subjected?

One of the biggest challenges faced by public education is the constant see saw of political whim in the pursuit of ‘more for less”…

Keep in mind that America’s public education has been deemed by politicians, to be in a crisis of one form or another since Sputnik.

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