The first week it was journalists and grass roots groups giving Dr. Ackerman an overall grade of C. The second week the School Reform Commission voted to put her “Imagine 2014 Renaissance School” project on hold until they more fully understood it. This week the Principals Union and the Teachers union have come out together against Dr. Ackerman’s policy on Principals and Teachers.
But Dr. Ackerman does have supporters. Arne Duncan this week wrote in Education Week that the best way to fix schools is through reconstitution, replacing all the teachers. He cited his example of what happened at Dodge School in Chicago when under his leadership they did replace the teachers. Contrary to what he wrote though, about keeping the same students and only replacing the teachers, other reporters have uncovered and written that only 12 Dodge students were still at Dodge School when it demonstrated its remarkable turn around. Is our Secretary Of Education pulling a “Paige” out of his predecessor’s playbook?
Education researchers insist this is thee worst way to improve a school, creating lasting improvement less than 5% of the time. Malen, Croninger, Muncey, & Redmond-Jones (2002) write, “The evidence from this study suggests that the “theory of action” embedded in reconstitution reforms may be seriously, if not fatally flawed (P.113).”
The joint action by principals and teachers is intriguing. Could it lead to school wide improvement? As it stands now principals observe teachers and give them a piece of paper with their remarks on it. That is the extent of an observation. Imagine though, a follow up meeting where teacher and principal discuss the observation. Imagine a conversation concerning strengths and weaknesses, and that when these weaknesses are reviewed school or region wide, they lead to differentiated professional development based on the needs of the teachers by grade, subject, or class management specifics. I hope I don’t have to wait until 2014 to imagine this.
Reconstituting schools: “Testing” the “theory of action”, Malen B., Croninger R., Muncey D., and Redmond-Jones D.
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Vol. 24, No. 2, 113-132 (2002)
http://epa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/24/2/113
