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Teachers Network Leadership Institute:
List Archives

A Discussion of the Phi Delta Kappan article, "It's Time to Start the Slow School Movement," Written by Maurice Holt

Dear TNLI MetLife Fellows:

Greetings and Salutations from Santa Barbara County, where chilly winter weather of 65 degrees has settled across the land. Vacation is right around the corner, complete with eggnog and family, travel and excitement. But before you rush off and leave this turbulent profession of ours for a few weeks of well-earned rest, please print out and take with you January's article. Hopefully you will have ample time over the break to read and absorb Maurice Holt's writing and come back in January prepared for lively conversation.

Holt's article, "It's Time to Start the Slow School Movement," was published in the December 2002 issue of Phi Delta Kappan's magazine, and is available at: http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0212hol.htm. He questions the wisdom of using the same cookie-cutter approach used to produce fast food to teach our children and proposes a new model called a "Slow School" that emphasizes understanding, critical thinking, and innovation rather than memorization, cramming, and testing.

A few questions to ponder:

1) Holt raises the question of the connection between families and test performance. Do you agree/believe that standardized tests reflect "culturally embedded concepts of student quality?"

2) Do you agree with the similarities Holt draws between fast food culture and standards-based instruction? Is fast food a metaphor for teaching in today's climate?

3) Can/should we make a distinction between product and process in teaching? Is it possible to create "educative experiences" that promote the "moral agents" Holt discusses ("creativity, critical thinking, resilience,") that are testable?

4) What can we do as educators to convince communities and governments dead-set on standards that understanding matters more than coverage?

5) Has America become stuck in a time warp by producing pliant, disciplined workers instead of problem solvers and thinkers?

Hope your holiday is relaxing and rejuvenating!

Brett Piersma
Santa Barbara
December 17, 2005
Dear TNLI MetLife Fellows:

Welcome back! I hope each of you had a terrific break and are getting back into the swing of things. I would like to remind you of our January discussion topic and provide the link to the article:

http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0212hol.htm.

Here also are a few questions to get our discussion started:

1) Holt raises the question of the connection between families and test performance. Do you agree/believe that standardized tests reflect "culturally embedded concepts of student quality?"

2) Do you agree with the similarities Holt draws between fast food culture and standards-based instruction? Is fast food a metaphor for teaching in today's climate?

3) Can/should we make a distinction between product and process in teaching? Is it possible to create "educative experiences" that promote the "moral agents" Holt discusses ("creativity, critical thinking, resilience,") that are testable?

4) What can we do as educators to convince communities and governments dead-set on standards that understanding matters more than coverage?

5) Has America become stuck in a time warp by producing pliant, disciplined workers instead of problem solvers and thinkers?

I look forward to your responses!

Brett Piersma
Santa Barbara
January 5, 2005
Holt is right on in his "fast food" comparison. In fact, there are plenty of days when I feel like the guy in the window asking: "Would you like to supersize that?"
(I sometimes wonder what my 6 years of college were for.) I guess the trick is trying to sneak some goat cheese, pesto and sun dried tomatoes into the bag when the manager isn't looking.

The truth is that until the voters/politicians/pundits can find another political football, education is going to be under the microscope. And as long as that is the case, the powers that be are going to want ample, comparable concrete data. Unfortunately, as we are all too well aware, conceptual understanding, self-esteem, creativity, intellectual curiosity and artistic bliss cannot be measured by a number two pencil.

I guess my question is what got us into this mess? Why exactly are we as a nation so frantic to ensure that our children are meeting such broad, yet shallow standards? I can't imagine that most parents are sitting at home saying, "Boy, I hope Kiki learns a real big series of unconnected historical events today." Rather, I expect that most parents want their kids to develop a strong intellect, work ethic and love of learning that they can apply to real life situations. Is my experience atypical though? Are there just as many parents/employers that want our next generation of children to be proficient in basic educational skills while assuming that the same kids will naturally develop the attributes of higher level learning on their own? Is their a collective expectation in society that those traits of education that we most value as teachers are really not appropriate to our job anymore? Are we moving toward a teacher proof curriculum?

Perhaps the best thing we can do for now is to work in the fast food restaurant while slipping in a little (or a lot) of slow food on the side. Maybe over time the pendulum will swing back and parents will start wondering where that creative spark of the life-long-learner has gone. Maybe by then we will even be able to test meaningful learning with a number two pencil, but I hope not.

Chris Mullin
Santa Barbara
January 6, 2005

Ok, so can anybody explain "merit pay" for teachers to me? Gov. Arnold unveiled his big proposal yesterday to transfer California public school teachers to a merit pay system. Does this mean if I work really, really, really hard, I will earn $100,000 per year? Or does it mean that we teachers will still earn lower salaries but in a much more competitive and site-divisive manner? Seriously, if anybody can shed some light on the newly proposed state policy, I would appreciate it. I have a strange gut sensation that this is just another effort to transform California's public school system into some form a private/voucher school system. I am also curious about who decides which teachers "merit" the pay. Parents? Site principals? D.C. Department of Education? A subject matter multiple choice test? Student popularity?

If you have any history of this in your state please feel free to chime in.

Sincerely,

Chris "I used to live in a socially responsible progressive state" Mullin
Santa Barbara
January 7, 2005

No doubt we "eat" too much fast food schooling. Yea for a slow school movement. But who is actually standing up to the fast food chains of command to say, "Stop! This causes indigestion!" In Texas they are taking the literal fast food off the campus because of obesity problems. But who will stand on this issue? I have heard that some colleges are doing away with SAT's. How do we get curriculum fast food, driven by standardized tests, to take a back seat?

Connie Rohde-Stanchfield,
Santa Barbara
January 7, 2005

Chris-

I'm still on the listserv and saw your piece. I don't have the answer to your question, but I do know that Arnold gave tax breaks of 12 billion to the top 1% of the taxpayers in the state (today's L.A. Times). Where is the equity in that?? I'm married to a tax guy and he said if people actually knew the breaks the rich are getting, there would be a riot.

Tory Babcock
Santa Barbara
January 7, 2005

Hey Chris!

Glad to hear I wasn't the only one that felt that stab in the back during the State of the State speech this week. The tone he used to say "get rid of bad teachers" was not respectful to the profession. If anything it sounded like a threat! I heard he was going to try to get "Merit Pay" for teachers on a special ballot in July. Scary! I don't think any of us who work hard and are dedicated to the profession and the success of our students are going to argue that there are colleagues of ours that are not meet teaching standards... but whom exactly would you measure merit? That is what worries me. The Times has an interesting op. ed. today. (see below). They cite that Denver is beginning to look at teacher pay tied to student learning.

Feeling your pain,

Jane Fung
Los Angeles
January 7, 2005

A slightly different issue, perhaps related to Arnold. This was on a parent listserv. Hmmm…I never thought I was a "white collar worker" and I thought I was a professional...hmmmm...maybe this has something to do with women making 76 cents when men make a dollar???....

From: "KC Jones" <kc@imajazz.com>
Subject: Merit Pay and School Site Management

Here's an interesting note about merit pay for teachers found on the "Political Animal" blog writing by Kevin Drum. I agree with him that it is curious why schools and teachers are so minimally managed -- and that the lack of hands on management is more of a concern when it comes to merit pay than the potential unfairness of evaluation by principals.

There is a follow-up post on the same blog by another contributor that suggests retired teachers would be a good source of talent to enlist in any evaluation scheme. I'm not so sure about that. I'd suggest that some sort of "360 degree" review system where peer teachers would contribute to reviews would probably work better. That might also reduce the management versus union friction too.

Political Animal is found here: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/

The Managing Teachers posts are here: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2005_01/005412.php
or here: http://tinyurl.com/64ohu

Kay Hones
San Francisco
January 8, 2005

I hope I'm not off topic here but I have to let loose on this one. The use of pay on the basis of merit is just another example of how misguided people are about education in the classroom. Although the number one factor of student achievement may be the teacher, it is not the only factor. Let’s talk about the external forces that play on achievement. How about parent involvement? I am not speaking of the parent that comes to school for meetings, but those that are so wrapped up into their own lives that they are not interested in parenting. Let's talk about children whose basic needs are not being met each day they are sent to school. Who are abused, neglected, or ignored. How about parent request for certain teachers? This creates unequal abilities of students in the classroom, therefore unequal workloads from classroom to classroom. Video games, class size, the media's perspective, public perspective, unmotivated students who reap the spoils of over indulgent parents, inflated egos, and a society that does not accept "average" as good enough, just to name a few. Teachers are working hard to create well-rounded citizens and not just because they want money. Merit pay means another threat to this profession. Legislators, and individuals that have no clue as to how to manage, teach, and keep abreast of the current educational practices, drag the teaching profession through the toughest obstacle courses and through the deepest mud pits they can find. What a way to let prospective young teachers know that this is a well respected profession, that they should be happy to become a part of. Sounds like the wrong way to recruit.

Alberta Miclette
State of Delaware
January 8, 2005

The answer is obvious and spelled out in the comments: COST. Every penny spent on public schools (and other people's children) is begrudged by the people it serves; we are supposed to give of ourselves for nothing because we are dedicated. You all know the scenario. But the people making the policy suggestions don't even enter the public schools unless they are there for a conference or concert. A teacher friend, who formerly worked in industry, says no one in industry would be responsible for 100 - 180 individuals without at least one secretary. So every time they want to compare us to industry, I just laugh. They are clueless.
Helen

Helen Gieske
State of Delaware
January 8, 2005

Here in NYC, Giuliani made a big stink about merit pay a few years ago but it all went down the drain thanks to our pretty strong teachers union. It definitely makes no sense and Bloomberg is putting it out there again into the contract negotiations (that's what they're supposedly calling them...) for our way overdue contract (expired May '03). But as far as I understand it, the merit is based on standardized test scores (shocking), and maybe figures like attendance rates. But there are big question marks - what does that mean for secondary school teachers, especially those that don't teach "tested" areas (like foreign language or art, e.g.)? Is it school based or classroom by classroom in such settings? Is it based on progress the children make? Or just raw scores, giving those teachers who teach in the higher performing schools extra (padded) pats on the back? If they really think this will improve students' learning, they really need to rethink this and come up with really comprehensive measures for students' improvement and not to alienate teachers - who's not going to entirely teach to the test if your salary is based on it?

Gotta love the governator - who's his commissioner for ed. anyway? The former head of Edison schools?

We should get someone to write a good op. ed. piece to put up on the teachers network site about this issue to clarify to our not so clever leaders and the not-so-clever voters who put them in office how entirely absurd this notion is when implementation is examined closely. This way we can all send in letters to local papers on behalf of TNLI... wouldn't MetLife love that?

Jen "I live in a socially progressive state that somehow keeps electing Republican leaders" Dryer
New York City
January 9, 2005

In response to Jen Dryer:

—who's not going to entirely teach to the test if your salary is based on it?

Hey Jen!
California had a merit bonus pay a few years back. Schools that improved the most on standardize tests were given big bonuses and individual teachers as well. I say big because all the teachers down the street from my school got $10,000 each and my little sister as a counselor at her school got $5,000. That was our past governor's idea. It died after a few years (lack of funding) and I don't think it improved schools, but I bet teachers were "encouraged" to teach to the test.

—Gotta love the governator - who's his commissioner for ed. anyway? The former head of Edison schools?

The current Secretary of Education is the former Los Angeles Mayor and businessman Richard Riordan. His agenda is to push principals as CEOs. He (and Arnold) wants to give principals power to hire and fire at will. "The buck stops with them." Of course you are assuming that the principals we have are effective leaders. It's going to be an interesting year. He is pushing this on a special ballot I hear... all the while his children attend a posh private school in Brentwood.

Jane "Who lives in a progressive state that elects democratic leaders just to have them recalled" Fung
Los Angeles
January 9, 2005

Teachers are all talk. We talk and talk and talk in the teacher lounge about change. I mean look at us. A female profession (mostly) and how many days PAID do we get for having a baby. In Spain, 6 months paid, oh here in America, your sick days. We need to get some balls, quit whining and go on strike.
Christina Martinez
State of Delaware
January 12, 2005
Hey all,

I just read that Arnold wants to take the STRS (State Teacher Retirement Service/System?) money to help pay off the state debt. He then said that teachers should be prepared to negotiate down their salaries with their local school boards. That way, local districts can replenish the STRS money. For some reason, when I hear the phrase negotiate down, I hear "Pay Cut." Are we now talking about having a combined "pay-cut-merit-pay" policy?

Let me get this straight. I will earn less money while working harder, yet losing all my job security. I see now how we are going to attract the best and the brightest to our profession.

Chris Mullin
Santa Barbara
January 13, 2005

Hello all!

As you begin to prepare for the Feb. listserv discussion, I want to thank Brett Piersma for his facilitation of the Jan. discussion. January is always a difficult month as we are all getting back in the saddle after Winter break, and with all the side conversations regarding other issues, I just want to remind you that we do have another week in Jan. if you would like to jump in on the Jan. article.

I'm especially interested in your thoughts regarding questions 3 and 5. I believe standards are critical, as well as an accountability system. However, I do question the level of "educative experiences" that promote "moral agents" for our future society that are included in teaching and learning in today's schools - in general. Are learning outcomes becoming so test oriented that we are reducing the development of problem solvers and thinkers? If so, what can we do about it as influencers of policy???

Carol Gregor
Santa Barbara
January 21, 2005

 

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