Master's Degree Offers No Reason for More Pay



Education Next examines President Obama’s stance on performance pay, how he has developed his strategy around it, and the steps necessary to make performance pay for teachers a national standard.

EdReformer offers ten reasons why kids would choose online learning if they were given the choice, via the Innovative Educator blog.

Edutopia provides ten simple strategies for educators to re-engage their students.  The list includes collaboration, constructive criticism and having more fun in the classroom.

The Wall Street Journal explains that prominent studies on charter school effectiveness rely on different methodologies, making them very difficult to compare or draw concrete conclusions.

The Wall Street Journal interviews US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on what is being done to fix our public education system, and what still needs to be done.  Good read.

The Associated Press reports that economists are criticizing bonuses for teachers with master’s degrees, arguing that there is no evidence to prove that the additional level of education correlates with higher student performance.

eSchool News reports that a growing number of traditional public schools are testing different versions of single-gender education. The approaches have various aims, including improving lagging test scores — particularly among boys — or boosting the confidence of girls and encouraging their interest in science and math.

ACSD takes a look at what it will take to successfully implement Common Core standards in over 40 states across the country by 2015.

The Times discusses the increased level of distraction our children face in the digital age.


From the States
Colorado
A Denver Post op-ed urges Denver Public Schools to “go deeper” with school turnarounds, adopting a more aggressive timeline, engaging parents and community members, and maximizing results in order to have a overwhelmingly positive effect on students and their communities.

Illinois
The New York Times profiles school reform in Chicago, highlighting the structural obstacles, such as low student enrollment and budgetary restrictions that impede sweeping reform efforts in the Windy City.

Louisiana
Public Radio Marketplace takes a look at teacher recruiting practices in Monroe, and its success in attracting high quality educators to that area.

New York
The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal report that NY State’s education commissioner, David M. Steiner, on Friday named the panel of experts he has asked to consider whether Cathleen P. Black, the media executive chosen by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, to be the city’s next schools chancellor, should be granted a waiver.  The panel members include Andres Alonso, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools (EEP signatory) and Jean-Claude Brizard, superintendent of Rochester City School District (EEP signatory).

The Daily News reports that Assemblyman Marcos Crespo (D-Bronx) and state Sen. Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn) will introduce a bill that gives them the power to stop noneducators from getting the job of NYC schools chancellor.

Pennsylvania
Teacher Magazine reports that, for the first time since 2002, the Pennsylvania state board of education approved an alternative teacher certification route: a year-long residency program to be offered by Pittsburgh Public Schools.

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Getting Smart Staff

The Getting Smart Staff believes in learning out loud and always being an advocate for things that we are excited about. As a result, we write a lot. Do you have a story we should cover? Email [email protected]

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1 Comment

Ed Jones
11/23/2010

We should point out that continued education is a great thing--if it has some substance. For example, Ashland University's Master of American History and Government offers a content-rich degree (or professional development accreditation.
At salaries averaging $50,000 a year, teachers should not be averse to spending three of their summers learning this type of in depth information, ideas for which there were likely no time in undergrad.
The alternative is what my sister-in-law is doing. In an online course, she is fighting with an instructor because her school of employment uses Macs and the online teacher uses a Windows machine. Her papers do not arrive formatted properly in the instructors software, which annoys the instructor. Offers to send PDF, Snail-mail, fax, or whatever are all rebuffed. All of this, of course, is to ensure that the Modern Languages Association standard of footnoting is strictly adhered to.
MLA formatting for an elementary teacher with ten years experience. Maybe we should be opening a grad school.

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