A fascinating study and article by the LA Times discusses the role of value-added analysis in teacher evaluation.  This is a controversial subject, at least among teachers unions and politicians.  The role of value-added evaluation is presented most often as an input in to firing decisions, with the question being one of proportion relative to other inputs in to the evaluation.  This does education measurement a disservice.

On Thursday July 22, 2010, the College Board hosted a convening of education leaders to address now ongoing concerns about college attainment rates in the United States. They have followed a long train of education stakeholders including Grantmakers for Education, the National Governors Association, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Obama Administration that have shined intense light on the college attainment deficits in the US. Like nearly all education and social challenges, the causes are multidimensional and the parties necessary to solve the problems are equally broad and varied. 

Ed Week's Article, “A Kentucky High School Gears Up Amid Building Pressure for Change”, is the first report in a series that will chronicle the transformation of Shawnee High School in Louisville, KY over the 2010-11 school year. While the principal was retained, at least 50% of the HS staff must be replaced as defined by the Dept. of Education’s turnaround model.

  This week’s EdWeek profiled a Massachusetts high school, M.C. Durfee, and its march toward improved graduation rates and cultural renovation (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/06/10/34suburban.h29.html?tkn=UMUFgg6gxdvwya%2BRnkRGMNAn7ARw5aeicTs3&cmp=clp-edweek).   

Every offense in football shares the same mission: score points. The best way to score points is the touchdown (big news, I know). To do this, teams utilize a combination of players with different skill sets suited to a number of different roles. Quarterbacks take the ball and put it in the hands of running backs and wide receivers who elude would-be tacklers as they advance the ball downfield. These "skill position" players score the touchdowns and get the accompanying glory. Every fall, millions of fantasy football owners across the country obsess over touchdowns and the skill position players who score them. But that's only half of the story.  

Bill Tucker's Commentary in EdWeek shares important lessons from the move to electronic medical records in the health care industry. Of particular note, Tucker is clear, as many of us have found, that the technology and mere availability of data are necessary, but not sufficient to create change.

Last week the National Governor's Association Center for Best Practices in collaboration with the Council of Chief State School Officers released the proposed national K-12 education standards in english/language arts/literacy (ELA/literacy) and mathematics designed to provide a clear and consistent framework for preparing students for college and the twenty-first century economy. NGA’s director of education, Dane Linn, said, these standards build upon the goals articulated in the college- and career-readiness standards released last year and will ensure our students are prepared to compete and succeed in a global economy.

In a March 8, 2010 Education Sector article, author Bill Tucker discussed the disparity between the billions of dollars spent on upgrading schools data systems and the actual use of data at the classroom level stating, ..despite states' and districts' tremendous progress in building data systems, policymakers are not yet routinely using these new data to improve accountability systems, support performance management processes, evaluate programs, or influence resource allocation decisions. And most importantly, the data is not yet being used where it matters most—in the classroom.

How do we know if we are preparing students for life after high school? Are our current measures of high school quality indicative of how well their graduates fare after high school? Are there existing practices that states and others can use to inform these questions? 

This week President Obama announced he “will seek an additional $1.35 billion in next year’s budget to expand the Race to the Top competition.” As states rush to submit their 1st round Race to the Top applications, let us pause for a moment and reflect on some lessons learned from this first round.