In a continuing display of ignorance, Answer Sheet, WaPo’s anti-education reform blog, published a piece arguing the simple question… what if a college football team employed a similar philosophy to Teach For America?

Using the logic of the Huntsville City Board of Education, University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban should only use his youngest, most inexperienced players when his team plays a Top Ten opponent.

The author goes on to engage in the tit-for-tat argument pitting one negative study against a body of positive research about the effectiveness of the organization.

What I want to hone in on is the ridiculousness of an argument that ignores the reality of TFA and football. His basis is that you would not play young, inexperienced players, which is, in his mind, the same as top college graduates committing to educating children in challenging schools. Setting aside the insulting nature of his argument he fails to acknowledge the numerous teams where older, underperforming players are passed over in critical games for younger players willing to fight and perform for the position. For example, the New Orleans Saints playing Mark Ingram ahead of older players, or U of M playing a Denard Robinson ahead of an older Tate Forcier (Michigan reference for Michigan friends).

Additionally, most football teams work on a basis where new, high-performing players take the field alongside more veteran team members, thus supplementing the old talent with the new. The coach has the ability to make personnel decisions that place players in the positions where they will be the most effective to move the team towards their overall goal. Many anti-reform writers, like Answer Sheet, argue against giving individual principals the power to make the personnel decisions that best benefit students – one of those decisions being whether or not hiring TFA would be beneficial to students.

I just really wish these people would stop making this really dumb arguments, because this one is really bad.

News nerds, like myself, sometimes like to set up Google News Alerts for various things important to themselves. My Teach For America news alerts let me know each day what newspapers and websites are talking about TFA across the nation. I highly suggest this for people too lazy to actually type words into Google.

Imagine my surprise when I see TFA pop up on Daily Kos – the venerable elder statesman of the liberal blogosphere. Even more interesting, this blog post was specifically titled “Defeating Teach for America at the Apple Store — A Small Victory.” Of course, this post is referencing Apple’s recent donation of thousands of iPads to TFA teachers across the country.

The rest of the post is one person’s rant against the perceived affront to education that Apple, a private company, has perpetuated by donating refurbished versions of its product to a non-profit. I will have to let you read this rant, plus watch a really informative video, on your own because I flat-out refuse to spend the time and blog space going through, paragraph by paragraph, and refuting a webpage full of crazy.

There is one quote I need to pull out and emphasize, which I think gets at the root of what annoys me so much about this post. While on her quest, this blogger quixotically called Apple to inform them that their “campaign was a fraud and that Apple was giving legitimacy to an organization proven to do real harm to children.” (Emphasis mine)

You are allowed to rant via blog. This is about what 90% of the internet is all about. Unfortunately, I MUST respond to the statement that TFA is PROVEN to do REAL harm to children. Without providing any evidence to support her claim she lets this ridiculousness underlie the entire premise of her rant, therefore invalidating any sort of argument she is attempting to make.

As a quick response… I want to go over a sample of four studies, amongst many, that refute the idea that TFA does HARM to students. I will start with an opinion (like I teach my children) and then back it up with evidence (like I teach my children).

Teach For America does not harm children. My evidence…

1) From Tennessee – a study that shows TFA teachers often outperform veteran teachers in many subjects.

2) From the American Educational Research Association - a study showing the retention of TFA teachers in their placement schools.

3) From the Urban Institue – a study that shows TFA teachers are more effective, on average, than TFA teachers in most subjects – especially math and science.

4) From Harvard – a study showing that the characteristics screened for in the TFA selection process have a measurable impact on student achievement.

I am sorry Daily Kos diarist, you may have free rein to rant and post ridiculous YouTube videos, which probably took up valuable lesson planning time, but you are not allowed to your own ridiculous and unsubstantiated facts.

PS – Apple did not end their campaign due to this woman’s efforts, like she wants you to believe, they finished it and started handing out iPads to TFA teachers across the nation.

Posted from my (TFA) iPad.

Expect more quality and irregular content!

NECS

Meaningful change is happening right there.

**Also, sorry if this is disjointed. I wrote it on the car ride home.**

One of the biggest complaints thrown at Teach For America is that the two year commitment and retention rate (debated by TFA and anti-TFAers) hurts education and wholly devalues the education profession. Wading into this argument is EducationNext, a Harvard education think tank, that just released a study investigating the impact TFA corps members have on the broader movement of bettering public education in America.

What EducationNext found was that in the work histories of founders, co-founders, and top management team (TMT) employees of 49 influential and entrepreneurial educations organizations (like KIPP, New Leaders for New Schools, and Uncommon Schools)  TFA lead the pack in being listed across biographies and resumes.

What I found significant and illuminating was the conclusion that the authors’ established: “Finally, our research suggests the value of rethinking how TFA and its alumni have been studied in education and also how we think about retention.” The authors’ argue that the debate around Teach For America’s retention rate should not be seen through the lens of “Teacher-in-the-Classroom,” rather what impact TFA Corps Members have in the field of education after their 2 years are up.

The authors’ wrap up their findings by posing a series of questions meant to challenge our traditional views of retention. These are questions I would like to pose to any of my 50 or so page viewers that feel the desire to chime in.

Another intriguing question is how to weigh the impact of a single Mike Feinberg, Mike Johnston, or Michelle Rhee. Is their impact equal to that of having 100 teachers stay another year? Of 1,000 teachers staying another five years? Is it worth having thousands frequently depart classrooms if it increases the likelihood that a single game-changing entrepreneur—a Steve Jobs or a Bill Gates—will emerge? Conventional debates about retention and TFA teacher effects may start to seem trivial when we compare the potentially enormous impact of a few such individuals.

I don’t like Michigan’s Governor Rick Snyder. Since entering office earlier this year he has proposed radically draconian budget reforms while instituting an Emergency Financial Manager program that effectively disenfranchises cities declared “failed.” Snyder fashions himself a benevolent overlord, but in reality he is just a less brazen WI Governor Scott Walker.

This week Snyder unveiled his plan to revolutionize education in the state of Michigan. I have some thoughts…

* One note. Read his plan in whole or read a summary… my incoherent thoughts might not help you come to your own conclusion on the merits of this plan.*

The Good 

What Snyder proposes puts Michigan on a serious path to putting children first in terms of education policy. His proposal consolidates early childhood education under one office which will help cement together fragmented programs with fragmented funding. He looks to pass anti-bullying legislation that has been stalled due to lack of Republican cooperation. Finally, he wants to expand and emphasize opportunities for college-bound students. Each one of these proposals put students back into the education discussion.

The Ambitious 

The Snyder proposal also works to end the monopoly of geography-based school districts in the State of Michigan. Through a combination of lifting charter school caps and forcing district to take students from other districts if they have room students will be given a choice and agency in their education. He also includes several systems to grade, evaluate, and reward schools that make significant progress with their students. All in order to provide parents and students more information to make crucial educational decisions.

This would essentially start turning some districts in Michigan into education systems that look like New Orleans. The benefit here is that independent schools led by independent school leaders will be able to innovate and offer unique educational opportunities to students who were previously denied a choice in education.

The Ballsy 

Finally, Snyder takes on the idea that when money is short older teachers, who may not be the best teachers, ought to be the last fired. Shouldn’t we keep the most effective teachers in the classroom during layoffs regardless of the amount of time they served the district? I have seen fantastic veteran teachers and fantastic first year teachers. I have also seen horrible veteran teachers. Why should they be kept and the first year fired?

To strengthen the quality of teacher in the State of Michigan Synder looks to implement yearly teacher evaluations (something many teachers do not receive) that are based 40% on student achievement scores, which I think strikes a decent balance between score based evaluation and a holistic view of teachers. He also standardizes the standards for teachers at the state level so that teachers can be fairly judged and held to high expectations.

Teachers should applaud these changes, but instead the unions are already howling. What Synder is looking to do is applaud the work of excellent teachers and promote them in the system. The only teachers who should fear this proposal are bad teachers. He is not attack their pension or their benefits in this plan… he is merely asking good teachers to take a stand against bad teachers that plague the profession.

The Concern

There is much more to this proposal and I suggest every read his speech in full. My concern is that Synder looks to implement these reforms at a time when his budget is also slicing funding. If he wishes to accomplish both goals he is going to have to get highly creative with how funds are used in order to attain the level of reform and achievement he appeals to. New Orleans was able to do a lot with an influx of money post-Katrina, yet is still struggling to implement many reforms. Addtionally, New Orleans was one city… Synder looks to expand this model state-wide, which is a task that should be taken lightly.

Finally, my major concern is that unions and other opponents will tie recent anger against radical Republican policies to honest efforts at reform. I also fear Republicans will attempt to tie draconian policies that attack pensions and health care benefits to the very same efforts. The genius of Snyder’s plan is that it is clean… none of these poisonous policies are attached at the moment, but I doubt this will last long in the Republican held legislature.

Not the same TFA…

Since a new crop of 2011s is entering TFA I thought I would put together an index of the resources I’ve used so far this year. This is by no means complete… the internet has been amazing to me this year.

Current TFAers… if you want to add anything (especially in the math and science categories)  comment below!

Essential Teacher Resources

http://www.tfanet.org/ – TFA’s answer to October of your first year.

http://betterlesson.org/ – A TFA Alumn’s attempt to make TFANet better. Sign up… some of the stuff is helpful.

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3755565 – Scholastic has already done what I am doing right now… still you know me so therefore mine is better.

http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/ – Need to print off a graphic organizer right now for that class in 43 minutes? Freeology.

http://www.louisianaschools.net/ – helpful if you need a headache and heartburn at the same time.

Writing Resources

10 Universities Offering Free Writing Courses – a good index of writing courses that will help you with your own writing course.

Every-Day Edit – Month specific paragraphs with 10 errors for your students to correct as a DO NOW or however else you want to use it.

Purdue Writing Lab – pretty solid writing resource site.

Reading Resources

Read Print – Free books and short stories. Free!

I really should have more here….

Social Studies Resources

http://mrzindman.com/ – Louisiana social studies teacher literally posted every part of his course online. Download powerpoints, guided notes… everything.

PBS Newshour Extra – News stories for Middle/High Schools children with pre-made reading comprehension and teaching guides.

National Archives – Good place for primary docs.

More DBQs and primary sources – Basically what the title says.

Management and Investment Resources – There are far more than this, but this was all I have bookmarked.

Teaching As Leadership – a TFA stalwart that can actually be quite helpful.

Education World – just a decent website in general. Just decent.

Not the same person.

SHUT ER DOWN, SHUT ER DOWN, SHUT ER DOWN was the rallying cry of House Republicans this week and they might just get their way.  Additionally, boy wizard Rep. Paul Ryan released a budget that builds an America that is held aloft by poor people, old people, and the deregulation of the financial industry.

I decided to wrap up all of this through Lil’ Wayne quotes.  This may be a stretch… follow along for a little bit.

“The top gets higher the more that I climb.” or “Elevator in my crib ’cause it’s 5 floors. I’m not expectin’ you to have one in yours.”

”Paul Ryan’s budget (READ THIS & THIS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS IN IT) essentially delivers astronomical cuts via trashing the elderly and the poor. Seriously 2/3 of the cuts from programs that help the poor in this country.  Within those cuts it explicitly roles back the Pell Grant program… one of the ways the poor in country actually are able to access the means to lift themselves up. This cynical budget cuts tax rates for the rich and prosperous and assumes that the poor will be able to deal…

Ezra Klein does a good job pointing out the risks of presenting a plan that so fundamentally sticks to CYNICAL, ABUSIVE, CONSERVATIVE principles instead of diversifying his plan.

“We probably ain’t supposed to be together, but I wonder if my love of her could last forever.” or “Been to hell and back, I can show you vouchers.”

What gets me, and relates to the Wayne quote, is that Republican spent all fall decrying Democrats for putting their government in old people’s Medicare. Now, Paul Ryan proposes a change to Medicare that would, according to the CBO, fail to CAP costs and merely SHIFT them to the elderly. Essentially, health care would continue to increase in cost and the elderly will be given a static (indexed merely to GDP, which is far lower than health care inflation) amount of voucher money and told to stick it in their pacemakers.

“We are not the same. I’m a martian, this is Space Jam.”

I am a huge fan of how Ryan’s budget predicts 2.8% unemployment. First, the Fed and everyone would never allow this low of unemployment, not seen since the 50s to exist, to ever exist. Secondly, he bases this off of some funny numbers from the Heritage Foundation that assumes an Ayn Rand reality where economics bend to their will.  I don’t understand math so I’ll link to smarter people.

FireDogLake (I know…) compiles Krugman’s take down.

“Me and shawty go together like chemicals.”

Speaker Boehner is quoted as saying there is no sunlight between him and the Tea Party. This bonded association is now making it nearly impossible for Boehner to reach a consensus with Obama and the Democrats. Boehner, I legitimately believe, is a consensus figure in the mold of Harry Reid and maybe even Obama, but has now boxed him, and the future of his job, into the Tea Party corner. This may now be a damned if you do, damned if you don’t hell situation for Boehner.

“I don’t go around fire expectin’ not to sweat”

The House Republicans attached little hot button issues to their budget 1) neutering the EPA and 2) de-funding Planned Parenthood and some sort of Mythical United Nations Abortions funded by the United States. Unfortunately, these have ABSOLUTELY NO EFFECT ON THE BUDGET. Therefore, we might get a shut down over…. Planned Parenthood. I think this will confuse and anger most Americans.

Additionally, PAUL RYAN included some of his own hot buttons into his plan that have no effect on the long-term fiscal health of the country. He repeals the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform bill – Repeal of the Affordable Care Act (something that reduces the deficit) – and adds some energy reform portion that focuses America on fossil fuels… for some reason. These are all issues that could hinder any serious consideration of this budget plan.

“I’m the cashier, I change girls.”

Seriously, this is all coming down to Planned Parenthood?

Note – this is all I have for right now. Let me drive home and think of some more / get angrier.

I love gumbo. I love the stuff I get at Gott Gourmet, I love the stuff I get in the Quarter, and I love the rural St. James gumbo we get at school. I love gumbo. Yet, I did not understand exactly what constitutes “gumbo” until I saw this great infographic from GOOD.

Click to make BIG!

Amidst budget battles education reform has repeatedly come up as a solution to budget problems, a way to break up Unions, a way to save children, and a non-partisan way to solve our Union. Basically, it is the next big fight our political system will have.

President Obama has staked himself pretty squarely in the crowd of reformers. Many of these policies I vehemently agree with. Unfortunately, he goes and says something like this…

“One thing I never want to see happen is schools that are just teaching the test because then you’re not learning about the world, you’re not learning about different cultures, you’re not learning about science, you’re not learning about math,” the president said. “All you’re learning about is how to fill out a little bubble on an exam and little tricks that you need to do in order to take a test and that’s not going to make education interesting.”

This is the kind of sloppy attack and argument that often obscures legitimate policy discussions around education reform. Should there be multiple ways to gauge effectiveness in the classroom? Absolutely yes. Yet, when we allow silly arguments like “Teachers spend all day, every day in the classroom teaching kids to fill out bubbles” to permeate the discourse we lose sight of real reform. You just whacking an already tattered pinata.

Obama advocates for strong national standards of educational excellence. I agree, but to make sure those measures are being hit a student must be measured and quantified. Whacking the test pinata doesn’t move us towards a better system… it just muddies the debate.

Note – I am writing this as a teacher who is administering a standardized test in T-7 days.

Carnival season ended at Midnight on Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras. In the style of a proper TFA Corps Member I think it is time to look back and do a little bit of Mardi Gras reflection.

Reflection #10 – Getting hit in the face with a large set of beads, especially the giant white ones, always hurts – no matter your state of consciousness.

Reflection #9 – Having friends in town in great, but beware of the chance that you may lose your friends in the chaos. Just hope they don’t have AT&T and you can still get a hold of them.

Reflection #8 – Some neighbors can be finicky about noise. Even it is Mardi Gras and even if the party did shut down at 9:45pm.

Reflection #7 – The City of New Orleans funds Mardi Gras through parking fines. Can you get a fine for blocking a non-existent sidewalk? Yes, you most certainly can.

Reflection #6 – The experience of waking up early and moving with massive crowds evokes strong feelings of nostalgia for college football games.

Reflection #5 – Uptown > CBD, FQ

Reflection #4 – An exception to #5 is the Krewe of Barkus. Go to that… it is a must.

Reflection #3 – Old ladies with canes are extremely territorial. If you wish to have pain-free ankles you best not block the throw routes of any cane-weldings folks.

Reflection #2 – The St. Augustine Drum Majors high stepped more through Mardi Gras than the Michigan Marching Band does in an entire season.

Reflection #1 – Even though it is possible to be severely paraded out you must always remember that you are #winning* during Mardi Gras.

* Thank you  Charlie Sheen for conveniently creating a world of memes in time for Mardi Gras.