In a letter to all superintendents, Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist has told districts to end all teacher assignments that are based solely on seniority, and the Department of Education issued a press release announcing the end of seniority-based teacher assignment in Rhode Island. Gist told all superintendents “to ensure that nothing in any […]
Archive for the 'Teacher Quality' Category
Commissioner Gist Ends Seniority-Based Teacher Assignment
Published by October 23rd, 2009 in Great Leadership, RIDE, Race to the Top, Teacher Effectiveness and Teacher Quality. 0 CommentsSecretary Duncan Challenges Teacher Union to “Think Differently”
Published by July 2nd, 2009 in Federal Government, Great Leadership, Merit Pay, NCLB, NEARI, Obama, Race to the Top, Teacher Effectiveness and Teacher Quality. 2 CommentsIn a speech today to the NEA, the nation’s largest teacher’s union, Secretary Duncan challenged teacher unions to “think differently.” A full transcript of Secretary Duncan’s prepared remarks to the NEA is available, and a video will be posted here when it becomes available. Some choice excerpts leave little question that this is […]
The New Teacher Project Comes to RI
Published by January 21st, 2009 in Alternative Certification, Great Leadership, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher Quality and Urban Schools. 2 CommentsIt is rare in the education reform world that things move quickly from idea to action, but that’s exactly what’s happening today with the announcement from the RI Dept. of Education and The New Teacher Project about the launch of the Rhode Island Teaching Fellows program.
Less than a year ago, we wrote about […]
Times2 Closes Reading Achievement Gap
Published by May 1st, 2008 in Charter Schools, Curriculum, Fuzzy Math, High Schools, Providence, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher Quality and Urban Schools. 3 CommentsWe hear often about the gap in student achievement between low income children of color and wealthy white suburbanites. Several weeks ago, I joined Governor Carcieri on his visit to Times2, a public charter school in Providence. Unlike most charter schools in Rhode Island, Times2 is actually affiliated with the district and must employ its […]
Teach for America Knocks on Rhode Island’s Door
Published by April 28th, 2008 in Alternative Certification, Great Leadership, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher Quality and Urban Schools. 1 CommentEach year, many top university graduates join Teach for America, or “TFA” for short. TFA builds a diverse, selective corps of top college graduates who commit two years to work as teachers in low-income communities and become lifelong leaders in pursuit of educational excellence and equity.
Remarkably, despite accepting only 21 percent of program applicants, more […]
Report Underscores Success of Merit Pay
Published by January 24th, 2008 in Merit Pay, Teacher Effectiveness and Teacher Quality. 1 CommentIn Rhode Island, teachers are paid not on the basis of their ability in the classroom, or their demonstrated performance in raising student achievement. Instead, teachers are compensated based solely on their years of service in the job (i.e. seniority). The system typically employs 10 “steps,” with pay hikes for each step. […]
Michelle Rhee Tells it Like it Is
Published by September 25th, 2007 in Great Leadership, No Excuses, Teacher Quality and Urban Schools. 1 CommentPerhaps the most exciting thing to happen in Washington, DC public schools in recent years has been Mayor Adrian Fenty’s takeover of the failed public school district, and the appointment of Michelle Rhee as Superintendent. She should be an inspiration to every superintendent in Rhode Island’s troubled urban districts like Providence, Central Falls, Woonsocket […]
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