Seven Keys to Education Reform
February 20, 2011 at 12:12 PM 2 comments
My reflection on posts to date led to the revised list of seven keys to education reform…
- Build the data infrastructure for the next generation of education leadership, from formulas for government funding to data on student outcomes and teacher effectiveness.
- Make teacher pensions portable.
- Place teachers and administrators in a shared bonus pool linked to student achievement in their school.
- Develop and share best practices – all of them, not just the fashionable lessons du jour.
- Reinvent school leadership modeled on the general manager role and asset-based management.
- Open up the dialogue on Special Education to include the children prior to high school.
- Value people of all ages.
This supersedes my earlier Four-Point Plan to Support Education Reform.
Entry filed under: ESEA-NCLB, Seven Keys to Reform. Tags: education, Education Reform Plan, ESEA-NCLB.
SchoolsRetooled TM 
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Lucky Teacher | February 24, 2011 at 11:41 PM
Number 2 would be very positive — educators being able to take their pensions (or their seniority) to other districts. But it won’t happen: It’s not in the interest of the districts or of the unions.
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schoolsretooled | February 25, 2011 at 8:21 AM
I agree that it would be a struggle, but there are two not-so-positive reasons for hope on pension portability. First, many pension funds are looking like they are underfunded, and changes are being proposed that could force a transition to alternatives that can be transferred. Policy made under duress is not always good policy, but we should at least offer suggestions that help solve the problem in a favorable way. Secondly, people who feel trapped by their pension investments are often cited (not necessarily fairly) as potential deadwood to the system, making districts more likely to consider allowing people to exit with their funds. I wish we could be innovative without throwing someone under the bus…