Comments (0)

By Kyle, November 20, 2011 4:04 pm

Jon Brion – Play the Game

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Once again, Howard Blume shows us in this YouTube video summary that yes, the media can, in fact, actually report education issues in a civilized and rational manner. His reasonableness applies not only to issues that are generally agreed upon by all (for example, more funding would definitely be a good thing), but also more contentious issues (such as charter schools – fast forward to about 1:20 to see).

Unfortunately, this method of reporting seems to be in the minority, as his colleagues have at times given up on taking nuanced positions in favor of headline-grabbing declarations, such as today’s “Teachers who just don’t care”. While I can empathize with the op-ed author’s frustration, expressing it in such virulent language does absolutely nothing to either inform or progress the conversation in a way than anyone desires.

And after being unsatisfied with the damage done after publishing their own value-added data rankings of LAUSD elementary teachers (see “Ratings, again” about halfway down the page), it looks as if some of the editors at the Times may now be trying to do the same using the district’s own value-added metric, which is designed to be confidential between teachers and principals (click to download our superintendent’s response).

Nice.

While this move may sell some more newspapers (though I doubt why, given the newspaper industry’s brilliantly astigmatic decision to give all their content away for free online), it will do nothing to further the discussion in a meaningful way, but rather will only undercut and further polarize what it is that the district (perhaps galvanized by the Times’ first exposé into teacher rankings) is actually hoping to do.

Apparently, some folks need to have their cake, eat it too, and then vomit it all over the room.

Comments (0)

By Kyle, November 17, 2011 9:58 pm

The Cars – Just What I Needed

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

There’s much to be frustrated in education policy these days, from media outlets muddying the waters of actual reform (the LA Times just asked for all of LAUSD’s teachers’ AGT data) , to simplistic data being touted in overreaching ways (48% of voters think charters provide “better” education…unfortunately, we’re not exactly sure what the term “better” means).

Thank goodness for satire.

A blog I’ve recently been following, notyetlausd.blogspot.com, has provided some much needed levity to the situation, and in so doing, actually speaks some truth that at times, is a bit uncomfortable. The latest? Viewing the Wasserman’s $4 million grant to LAUSD (directly to teacher projects) as….get this, reparations for Public School Choice.

Amazing.

And yes, after a long night of parent conferences were a wonderful chance to meet and interact with my students and their families (but nonetheless went 30 minutes over time because of my amazing horrible fluency in Spanish), this is just what I needed.