Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Petrilli's Reform Taxonomy

Derived from How to push for reform without alienating teachers.

The Things Big Money is Worried About

(Stopping) ... unaffordable pensions or healthcare plans ... across-the-board raises ... LIFO and tenure and collective bargaining. (Starting) measuring teachers’ contributions to student achievement gains ... online learning.

Things Most Teachers Like But Reformers Have Not Supported

... treat (teachers) as true professionals. Let them call the shots. Set the budget. Hire new teachers. Deal with management concerns... low performers need to go ... there are trade-offs between small class sizes and more generous salaries and benefits; all teachers need their craft to be regularly evaluated against some clear and common expectations around good practice; etc.

Racially Divisive Policies Reformers Implicitly Support Within the Context of Segregated Charter Schools But Otherwise Don't Speak Of

... make it easier for educators to discipline unruly students, or to use “ability grouping” in their classrooms instead of mandating the nearly-impossible strategy of “differentiating instruction.” ... get their backs when they are faced with ridiculous demands from parents or others.

No comments: