Michelle Rhee, Merit Pay, & Cheating

"...

Michelle Rhee, then chancellor of D.C. schools, took a special interest in Noyes. She touted the school... as an example of how the sweeping changes she championed could transform even the lowest-performing Washington schools. Twice in three years, she rewarded Noyes' staff for boosting scores: In 2008 and again in 2010, each teacher won an $8,000 bonus, and the principal won $10,000.

A closer look at Noyes, however, raises questions about its test scores from 2006 to 2010. Its proficiency rates rose at a much faster rate than the average for D.C. schools. Then, in 2010, when scores dipped for most of the district's elementary schools, Noyes' proficiency rates fell further than average..."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-03-28-1Aschooltesting28_CV_N.htm?sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4d8ff2dc3b0fe8d5,0

Great Article on Diane Ravitch

"...Once a vocal proponent of No Child Left Behind, charter schools, vouchers, and merit pay for teachers, Ravitch decided sometime around 2006 that there was actually no evidence that any of those policies improved American education. She now believes that the “corporatist agenda” of school choice, teacher layoffs, and standardized testing has undermined public respect for one of the nation’s most vital institutions, the neighborhood school, and for one of society’s most crucial professions: teaching...."

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/41083/diane-ravitch-the-anti-rhee/full/

Kasich's Pension Hypocrisy

It's an old article that's linked below, but I still can't get over the irony of Kasich's Lehman Brothers work, his scapegoating of firemen, teachers, & police for the economic problems we find ourselves in, and his advocacy for "merit pay". Here's a man who worked as a managing director for an investment company whose bankruptcy was the largest in U.S. history. Lehman's sleazy practices and subsequent failure played a big role in the recent financial crisis.   Was Governor Kasich involved in these unethical practices that helped tank the global economy? Probably not. But he did try to persuade the Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund and the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System to invest with Lehman. Both purchased funds from Lehman, although the governor's efforts may not have played a role in the purchases, they lost hundreds of millions. The governor is now blaming the pension systems of these same "greedy" firemen, policemen, public employees, and teachers for the state's economic woes. That takes chutzpah. Was his multimillion dollar  salary some form of merit pay?

http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/12/copy/candidate-connected-pensions-lehman.html?sid=101

The True Monetary Cost of Education Reform in Ohio

"Our illustrious Ohio Republican leadership is pitching a fit over this legislation that will increase the annual cost of state assessments from the FY2011 budgeted amount of $56,703,265 to a staggering $305,369,575.  Will that also be spun to be the fault of the teacher unions and local district mismanagement?
These people are just brilliant.  Why do we even try to argue educational philosophy when they can’t even comprehend the basic financial implications of this legislation?"

Great read: http://www.plunderbund.com/2011/06/04/doing-the-math-batchelder-wants-addl-330-million-for-education/

Great to take the long view, Governor

"After a separate public appearance in St. Clairsville yesterday, Kasich rejected the notion that Stewart's departure is related to Senate Bill 5. He also said he hadn't entertained the possibility that the bill might cause Republican political casualties.
'That's the first time anyone's ever said that to me. I'll just have to think about it,' Kasich said."

Really Governor Kasich? You never entertained the possibility that pushing through this vindictive train-wreck of a bill that devalues firefighters, policemen, and teachers might cost Republicans seats? You really have no idea what you're doing to the future of the Republican party in Ohio, do you?


http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/05/27/senator-denies-sb-5-backlash-prompting-resignation.html?sid=101&adsec=politics

Another Miserable Poll for Governor Kasich

sicWill he take the entire Republican ship down with him?

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/05/another_poll_shows_low_approva.html

Thank You to the Principled GOP Senators who Opposed SB5.

Bill Seitz, Scott Oelslager, Tim Grendell, Gayle Manning, Jim Hughes, Tom Patton

MIchelle Rhee, Cheating, & Incentives

John Kasich is taking Michelle Rhee's advice on formulating a merit pay plan for Ohio teachers. It appears that Ms. Rhee's tactics have some unintended consequences...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-03-28-1Aschooltesting28_CV_N.htm

SB5 not polling well. Trouble for Republicans.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/05/19/big-majority-favors-repealing-sb-5-poll-shows.html?sid=101

SB5 Fact Sheet (as it applies to teachers)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/54263272/Ohio-Senate-Bill-5-One-Page-Facts

Senate Speeches SB 5 Debate - Senator Tim Grendell - ProgressOhio

Senate Speeches SB 5 Debate - Senator Tim Grendell - ProgressOhio

Thank you Senator Grendell. Another Republican who gets it.  

Some Republicans Get It

Seitz has some good advice for the governor in this article. Also of note, he claims that Senate Republican leaders "behaved in a petty and vindictive way" in removing his chairmanship from him.I agree, Senator. It's the same vindictiveness that drives 85% of SB5, at least in relation to teachers.

"Gov. John Kasich should become more of a consensus-builder as he guides Ohio through one of the most challenging periods in its history, state Sen. Bill Seitz said Friday..."


http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2FAB%2F20110429%2FNEWS0108%2F104300336%2F

Fantastic Blog

For those who are interested in delving into SB5, the budget, and the implications of both I strongly suggest that you check out this site. It's a fantastic resource!

http://americansocietytoday.blogspot.com/

Ohio Teachers and Collective Bargaining: An Analysis

Research Overview (albeit not from a conservative organization)

"Our leaders must work together to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s jobs, rather than pursue an ill-advised assault on collective bargaining justified by the false claim that teachers’ ability to negotiate wages and benefits has contributed to Ohio’s projected budget deficit.

The opposite is true. During the depths of the Great Recession, Ohio teachers made great financial sacrifices – among the largest in the country. They also served as willing partners in reforming how educators are evaluated and compensated and their efforts in the classroom have resulted in improved student outcomes.

In short, Ohio’s teachers have worked with school districts and the state to make Ohio schools better and our education system more financially sustainable.

If our political leaders fail to recognize these realities, they risk undermining and trading long-term success for minor short-term state budget gains. In fact, research shows that eliminating or effectively crippling the state’s collective bargaining system will be as likely to add to state and local budget woes as cure them."

http://innovationohio.org/featured/teachers-and-collective-bargaining

Kasich & the Bureaucracy Hypocrisy

"Putting money in the bureaucracy is not the ticket. It's dollars in the classroom" -John Kasich

I guess the governor forgot about this promise when he created his education reform plan, which takes dollars out of the classroom and creates vast new bureaucracies. How many people will be employed by the state to formulate the "merit" pay formulas and assessments? Implementation? Evaluation (after it becomes clear to even his followers that the system has too many flaws)? What will be the cost of their salaries and benefits? How much red tape will local schools have to follow to be compliant? Bureaucracy. Bureaucracy. Bureaucracy.

What will the additional costs be to perform the additional teacher evaluations? Most principals are able to exercise situational leadership. This plan takes away their ability to do so and mandates that either most of their time be spent on observations and conferences or that they hire additional administrators to do the evaluations. Costs. Costs. Costs. (Outside of the classroom).

Listen to the Governor's own words:

I spent years disliking Jon Stewart. He's on target here, though.

As a Republican Jon Stewart has often agitated me. In the past few months, however, I've come to appreciate how he's put things into perspective with levity. This one is a must see.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-march-3-2011/crisis-in-the-dairyland---for-richer-and-poorer---teachers-and-wall-street?xrs=share_fb

How Ohio's Budget Battle Could Decide Who Wins the White House

"...But a funny thing happened on the way to political nirvana: one by one, Walker’s fellow Republican governors began to come out against his hardline proposals. Last week Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said they would not repeal collective bargaining. In Indiana, Gov. Mitch Daniels asked Republican lawmakers to table legislation that mirrored Wisconsin’s. “There [is] a better time and place to have this … issue raised,” he said. Even Garden State Gov. Chris Christie, who’s spent the past year branding himself as the party’s most avid union adversary, refused to adopt Walker’s tactics, telling The New York Times that “I’m ready to embrace the collective-bargaining situation.” By the time Gallup released a poll last week showing that 61 percent of voters oppose laws designed to do away with collective bargaining, there were few Republican governors on Walker’s side.
All of which invites an important question: have Republicans gone too far, damaging their political prospects in the process? Or are Christie, Daniels, Branstad, and Corbett missing some sort of golden opportunity here? Ohio may be the best place to look for answers. In part that’s because Kasich is one of the only governors still waging war on collective bargaining. But it’s also because the political stakes are higher in Ohio than almost anywhere else. In the general assembly, Republicans outnumber Democrats 82 to 50, which means the bill has a better chance of passing than in the more evenly divided Wisconsin legislature. But it also means a lot of Republican lawmakers now represent union-heavy districts that usually elect Democrats. If they overreach, they risk losing their seats. The presidential politics are even chancier. Since 1944, Ohioans have sided with the losing candidate only once—opting for Nixon over Kennedy in 1960—and few Republicans have won the White House without winning the state’s electoral votes. Any passions unleashed by the collective-bargain battle could alter the local political landscape heading into 2012—and potentially swing a crucial battleground state. “Something like this can tilt the balance one way or the other quite easily,” says John C. Green, a political-science professor at the University of Akron. “It really doesn’t take very much in Ohio.”

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/27/showdown.html

An explanation of the science behind motivation, incentives, and merit pay

An explanation of the science behind motivation, incentives, and merit pay. The bottom line: higher incentives work for people performing mechanical tasks, but in jobs that require cognitive skills "merit pay" leads to poorer performance. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc