Education in the News
Ravitch on Obama
“Over the past year, I have traveled the nation speaking to nearly 100,000 educators, parents, and school-board members. No matter the city, state, or region, those who know schools best are frightened for the future of public education. They see no one in a position of leadership who understands the damage being done to their schools by federal policies.
They feel keenly betrayed by President Obama. Most voted for him, hoping he would reverse the ruinous No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation of George W. Bush.”
Read more by Diane Ravitch in Newsweek.
State Task Force Releases Report on Performance Evaluation of Teachers
Michelle Rhee’s DC Reforms: Were they Real? Or Too Good to be True?
WASHINGTON – In just two years, Crosby S. Noyes Education Campus went from a school deemed in need of improvement to a place that the District of Columbia Public Schools called one of its “shining stars.”
… Michelle Rhee, then chancellor of D.C. schools, took a special interest in Noyes. She touted the school, which now serves preschoolers through eighth-graders, 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…A USA TODAY investigation, based on documents and data secured under D.C.’s Freedom of Information Act, found that for the past three school years most of Noyes’ classrooms had extraordinarily high numbers of erasures on standardized tests. The consistent pattern was that wrong answers were erased and changed to right ones.”?
Read the full USA Today article.
Professional Development Opportunities
National Board Certified Teacher Candidate Outreach
May 16th, 4:30-6:30 PM, CLD ;or
June 6, 4-6 PM, BTU
Meet NBCTs & learn about opportunities to become a National Board Certified Teacher!
Contact Maggie, Karene or Suzanne
The Professional Issues Committee of the BTU (PIC)
PIC is supporting two initiatives in conjunction with the Office of Teacher Development and Advancement.
The first is a Professional Development Survey that came about as a result of the ‘elevator question’ posted in the fall.The survey can be accessed on My Learning Plan. Please go here.Once you have signed in, the survey link can be found at the top of your homepage under the News and Info section. All respondents will be entered into a raffle for 3 iPads and 4 Flip Cameras!
The second initiative is to create a Professional Development Advisory Team which will be collaborative effort between BTU members and the Office of Teacher Development and Advancement. This team will provide a systematic way of incorporating teacher voice into the planning of professional development. We hope that this team will help set district policy around professional development. The objective is to create policies that improve the quality of professional development for all teachers.
To this end, the Professional Issues Committee will host a meeting of all interested teachers on Tuesday, March 29th at the BTU at 4PM. This is a stipend position and will meet monthly from April until August and bimonthly from Sept. until April, 2012. Applications will be available at the march 29th meeting. Any questions can be directed to Ted or Kathy.
MTEL Workshop Catalogue
The catalog of upcoming MTEL preparation workshops is now available on MyBPS>Central Admin>HR – Licensure and Certification page. In addition to the workshop schedule, the MTEL Handbook provides helpful information about the MTELs including online resources for self preparation.
All staff are welcome to participate in the MTEL support and workshops which are coordinated by the Office of Human Resources. Workshops fill quickly so please apply as soon as possible. Applications for workshops must be made using the Zoomerang survey link included on page 7 in the catalog. For more information concerning MTEL, please email.
Office of English Language Learners (OELL) Seeks to Hire Teachers
The Office of English Language Learners is hiring teachers to create curriculum maps and write assessments. There is a 60 hour time commitment, including 3 days over April vacation (April 19, 20, & 21). The remaining hours will take place after school during May and June. Teachers will be compensated $2520. Interested applicants, should email their resumes to Kristen D’Avolio.
Teach Plus
Teach Plus is currently seeking outstanding teachers with 2-10 years of experience to participate in the 2011 cohort of Teaching Policy Fellows.
The Teaching Policy Fellowship is an 18-month fellowship with a $2,400 stipend for teachers who want to engage in “big picture” policy issues with colleagues from across urban Greater Boston schools. Fellows analyze policy, connect with policy makers and advocate for changes they believe will better retain and support great teachers.
Applications are due April 11, 2011. For more information, visit, or contact Executive Director Maria Fenwick.
BPS Science Partnership
Are you a K-12 Boston science teacher or teacher of science who loves being in the classroom? Are you ready to learn, collaborate, and be reflective on your classroom practice while learning how to improve your leadership skills? Are you intrigued by how energy concepts cut across all disciplines and grade levels?
If you answered “Yes” to these question, then you should consider applying for a Science Education Fellowship in Energy. Access Fellowship information and download the application here. Please e-mail Allison Scheff to request an application or if you have any questions. Applications are due by deadline to 11:59 PM on April 3. Applicants will be notified by May 23.
Open Enrollment for Group Health Insurance
The open enrollment period for Health Insurance is April 6 to May 10, and the City will be here, at the BTU, on Tuesday, April 12th from 4-6 p.m. At the BTU session, you can make changes to your health insurance, add dependents, and so on.
Educators of the Year
The committee to honor the Boston “Educators of the Year” is delighted to announce that its annual Boston Educators of the Year event has been scheduled for Monday, June 20 at the Citi Performing Arts Center/Wang Theatre. At that time, they will publicly honor a select group of educators – teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses, therapists, and others – who have made a unique contribution to their students, to their classrooms, and to their schools.
How to nominate? At your earliest convenience, but no later than April 27, please fill out an application and send it here. Applications are available in your school office.