The Science Of Education

I wonder how much money is spent on exploring about how much money is spent on our public education.

I would imagine that more money would be spent on sea turtles and snail darters if they (sea turtles and snail darters) could organize political action committees, unions and a variety of looking-glass observers. Not that the money would go to the betterment of the sea turtles or snail darters, but to the cottage industry built around them.

From todays "The Gradebook", we have this link:Teachers' income doesn't reflect results - St. Petersburg Times

My understanding of the article is that "merit pay" has a low correlation to "tenure".

As I have gained some insight from the local blogs that purport that teacher performance is greatly dependent on the "raw material" or "learning readiness" of the students along with the level of familial support of the student regarding "school readiness", this comment must rankle a few feathers or erect a few hackles:

"Knowing that teachers are the single most important determinant of the learning that is going to take place in a year for that child, people have started conducting studies to see, 'What is the relationship between the experience and the degrees held and the student outcomes?' " says Matthew Springer, director of the National Center on Performance Incentives at Vanderbilt University."

According to the article, a 25 year teacher with a master's degree makes $61,000/yr while a 5 year teacher with no advanced degree makes $40,000. So, another kick-in-the-lesson-plan is that this five year teacher can earn a %5.25 award if the stars and the moon align correctly, whereas the same stars and moon alignment for the 25 year teacher would only gain a %3.44 award. Let me know if my math is wrong.

The article states that the teachers who received merit bonuses last year averaged 14 years in the classroom. I wonder what the mean and the mode was of the set of teachers. If you have a 1000 neophytes and five old timers, chances are the newbies are going to have an advantage based on just numbers. But if all 5 gray hairs received the merit pay, that would be a significant point to be made.

Another quantitative/qualitative exercise that would be interesting to see the results of is the correlation between the teaching setting of the new teachers compared to the teaching setting of the old ones. I may be out on a limb without citing resources, but it is my understanding that tenured teachers migrate to well supported schools and the incoming teachers are thrown into the lion pit. I know that there are monetary carrots used to urge the "good" teachers to go to the rough areas. What I am not sure of is what criteria is used to designate a "good" teacher. Would an old teacher who has never received a merit award be sought after as much or more than a 6 yr. teacher who has received a merit pay award for 2 or more years? How much could I get paid to study this?

Update: here is a resource Rookie teachers matched with poorer schools - St. Petersburg Times

Maybe this is how credit is given in our public education system

Thanks to The Gradebook for this link:

Hillsborough school incumbent wrongly claims credit for tax cut
By Letitia Stein, Times Staff Writer

If one follows the logic of Kurdell, one could take credit for a lot of actions just simply by being a member of any group.

The scary part is how one would deny being responsible for a lot of actions just simply by being a member of any group.

How does that play out?

Our Board member under question

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/08/24/Hillsborough/Move_may_violate_stat.shtml


This story does not sit well for those of us who have little faith in the system. This lack of faith was built on many, many many isolated incidents.

How can I believe that my representative who used to live in the "stereotype of your choice of southeast Hillsborough county" and now lives in the "stereotype of your choice of Davis Island" has southeast Hillsborough County at heart. I so much want to believe in the people I vote for.
I might as well have voted for someone that has been entrenched in the status quo of the system and represents the District instead of the people who vote them in.

Lets see, to drive from Davis Island to the ROSSAC building, I would cross through uh, uh, well I would cross over a short bridge in Tampa, and then a couple of blocks, turn right on Kennedy and voila - at work.

Now the whole evaluation comments make sense.
Click here: http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/boardagenda/pdfs/BD20070821_264/Attch_20070821_264_E8.01A.pdf


Had this been out in the open, the whole perspective would be different along with the amount of empathy.

Oh me of little faith with just a broad brush to paint with.

Wrong for 35 years

Click here: Hillsborough: Your kid's teacher? Connect the dots


"We've been doing it wrong for 30 years," said Debi Veranth, the director of administration tasked with fixing this most unlikely back-to-school bungle.
Several weeks ago, Veranth learned that postal regulations prevented the district from sending such personalized information with its bulk mailing rates.
The policy is nothing new. In fact, she said someone in the school district's mail room recently discovered a notice to this effect. It's dated 1972."


It is 2007 today - my math tells me it is closer to 35 years -but who is counting. Perhaps there is a chink in the cavalier attitude of "that's the way we have always done it so it must be right".

Perhaps there will be more professional standards being kept. I wonder what would have happened if a discontented parent would have pointed it out to them. Or a new teacher. Do you think the system would have taken an honest look at the law and took an honest look at their policies and procedures?

Where are the compliance officers and how much are they being paid?

Meanwhile, parents will be blamed for being too dumb to follow the instructions, as if they have been told the same thing for 35 years and still don't get it.