Secretary of Education Mark Murphy will be my guest on Sunday. I think this will be his first appearance to our community . All should tune in, education is so important.Read Kilroy, John Young, Kavips and Elizabeth Sheinberg and review Diane Ravitch for inspiration for questions for the call-in portion of the show.
High Stakes Testing is just that… High stakes… The underlying principle is that we hire you to do a job and if you don’t accomplish that job, we fire you; putting someone better in.
The job the education governor and his Secretary of Education were supposed to perform, was raise test scores. Test scores went down.
So under high stakes testing, what happens to a teacher when her scores go down? She gets fired.
So under high stakes testing, what happens to a school when it’s scores go down? It gets closed.
So under high stakes testing, what happens to the State of Delaware when it’s scores go down? It loses Federal Funding.
Our scores went down and Federal Funding for Race To The Top is not coming back….
Who was responsible? Our Governor who put in all these programs, invested millions of dollars in consultants, and paid heavily invested Wall Street educational companies to run our state’s education system…
If a teacher gets fired, if a school gets closed, if a state loses its grants, shouldn’t someone at the top be held accountable? or is it that high stakes testing only works for the poor, and downtrodden, but those at the top can do whatever they please?
Probably the latter is true, which is why we don’t see Mark Murphy packing his bags and headed to another Common Core State. Though he did NOT improve our states results (they actually got worse), he does not have to fear for his job.
Why? Because events were out of his control… So he shouldn’t be fired…
One would hope, the Delaware peoples’ sense of fairness would come into play here. One would think.. Why would we not fire the Secretary of Education, but fire his secretary who made his phone calls? Why would we not fire the proponents of charter schools who are in danger of failing dismally,, but fire those teachers doing well in those public schools competing against charter schools for student funding? Why would we fire those teachers who make strong gains with inner city children, and heap laud and praises on those in Charter Schools who took last years top students, and made them into this year’s top students?
Why would we use a double standard and fire those on the bottom, but allow those on the top to do the same mediocre performance they have always done in the past? Why would we fire those on the bottom from whom we tied their hands behind their backs, and pulled all the necessary resources needed to do their job, and not fire those who took those resources away?
“Put simply, the Delaware public should NOT tolerate, a Governor and Legislature who refuse to provide sufficient resources to high need schools and then turn around and blame the schools and communities for their own failures. (all the while, protecting millions of dollars in separate aid programs that drive funds straight into charter schools embedded in wealthy districts).”
They should be fired… Either one of two things must happen… If we choose to go the route of high-stakes testing, then it needs to apply to those at the top too. Actually first. If Michelle Rhee had gotten fired, none of the turmoil would have happened causing a whole generation to get lost. Or if you are not going to fire those at the top for factors they are responsible for, but have no control over, then you shouldn’t be firing those teachers dealing with poverty in their classrooms, with single parent issues, with neglect, with crime, with drugs, with home abuse, with parents who are unemployed. Sure they are responsible for doing the best they can; but you can’t have one set of rules at the top, another at the bottom and maintain your office….
Mark Murphy works for Jack Markell. He gets fired when Jack is tired of him. Jack will not be running for state office. He has two and a half years left on this cycle.
But, next November, we have legislative elections. We can pressure and fire THEM based on their attitudes and votes this upcoming session. If they don’t and can’t get high scores this next summer, and if they run on firing and demoting teachers, they should receive their just desserts.
This is actually very doable in this state. WE can eliminate all those legislators who state that teachers and parents are at fault for our schools, and turn a blind eye to their removal of “in school” funding, forcing public school teachers to have to do more, with much, much, less… Anyone who says we need to cut costs in schools, needs to go. Anyone who promotes a charter school, needs to go…. Anyone who by doing these things that damage the rest of our children who are trying to learn in some of the best public school districts in the country, before school reform began tearing them down…. needs to go.
A short list of those who, by their actions last session, should, unless they change, face the same forms of accountability affecting those who work in public schools.
David Sokola
Patty Blevins.
Greg Lavelle
Earl Jacques
Vote them out……
And from Murphy ~ Progress has been made, but more needed for students
As students return to the classroom, educators across the state are creating new and stronger opportunities to help them succeed. Fourteen grants were just awarded to schools around our state to drive innovative practices. Dozens of students from the Christina School District spent two weeks this summer at the University of Delaware preparing them for future success in college. And this year, Delaware will more than quadruple the number of high schools participating in College Application Week, as our educators break down the barriers that might exist for our children seeking to take that next step in their education.
These examples are just a few among many efforts underway in our schools to better serve and prepare our children. This progression is needed because our communities and our economy demand more of our children today than ever before. Estimates show about 60 percent of jobs in Delaware will require a college degree by 2020, but we are only on track for about 38 percent of adults to have a college degree. And, our current data shows that of 100 ninth-graders, only about 30 are seamlessly enrolling in college and then persisting to their sophomore year.
While the initiatives noted above deserve praise for meeting the needs of our children, it is important for all of us to recognize that foundational improvements are needed in our schools if we are to ensure our state’s success. In other words, supporting our students with opportunities to submit strong college applications and file for financial aid are important, but these efforts will fail to have a significant impact if our children arrive at their senior year of high school ill prepared for college’s rigor.
These expectations are the type of foundational improvement our educators are undertaking as they transition to the Common Core State Standards. These standards provide our children, parents and educators with expectations. For example, they outline what students should know by eighth grade to be confident they are on a trajectory of success for high school and beyond.
Transitioning to our state academic standards is a task for all of us in the educational community. Everyone has a role to play. And that is exactly what is happening. We live in a state where our educational community comes together to make significant progress. While opponents of higher standards have made headlines by misrepresenting the new standards across the country, we have had parents, teachers, school leaders, state leaders, colleges and universities, and dozens of organizations rally around expectations and achievement outlined by our newly adopted state standards.
In addition, we have carefully defined the state’s role in the transition, making it a school and district-driven effort. We asked educators what support they needed and we responded by creating Common Ground for Common Core – an 18month project focused on teachers and entire schools working together, with guidance and resources, to make the transition to higher academic standards a reality. We are not mandating particular plans or curriculum. Those are local decisions. And, participation in Common Ground is optional. Some schools have chosen a different path and a more aggressive timeline.
Beyond our state role, our educational community is demonstrating its commitment through action to support the new standards. Our state PTA has been driving an effort to build awareness about how parents can support their children as the transition occurs. The State Board of Education has trained school board members to disseminate information in their communities. This week, school board members and state legislators will join a series of “Back-to-School” nights during which they can participate in Common Corealigned lessons. Local teachers will demonstrate how these more rigorous standards are focusing on critical thinking and the practical application of classroom lessons.
We are fortunate that our community recognizes the value of our new Common Core State Standards and is focused on making the transition successful. Indeed Delaware is in a position to lead the country by providing flexibility and support for every school by helping teachers, administrators and parents through the implementation process. Together, we will ensure the Common Core State Standards help to give our children the skills they need to make the most of their abilities. And together we will ensure every student who graduates from our schools is prepared for college or a career with the freedom to choose his or her life path.
Mark Murphy is Delaware’s secretary of education.
DELAWARE VOICE
MARK MURPHY
~*~
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