We’re starting a new series of posts that include a roundup of education-related headlines. Here’s a rundown of topics from the week of June 14th.
The Colorado state legislature changed state-wide tenure rules for teachers, linking tenure eligibility with student performance. The move, which counts student performance for 50% in an annual teacher rating system, is viewed by some to be an effort to secure additional stimulus funds for the state.
Teachers in Washington D.C. will face a slightly different rating system, as the Washington Teachers’ Union approved an opt-in performance-based salary schedule. Additionally, schools in Washington in need of budget cutbacks will now base decisions on which teachers to keep on performance, rather than seniority. Washington’s teacher rating system is based on a combination of student performance and classroom observations.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s legislature has taken a more measured approach, as results from its first-year pilot teacher evaluation program have provided valuable data for future evaluations. The pilot program designated roughly a third of Chicago teachers as “proficient” or “distinguished”, with 8% of teachers receiving an “unsatisfactory” rating.
Philadelphia’s School of the Future, a high-tech public school designed by Microsoft, graduated its first senior class. Despite numerous administrative setbacks over the past three years, the School of the Future sent each and every one of its graduates to college.
Principal Eric C. Sheninger of New Milford High School in New Jersey has had success with integrating various social media applications into New Milford’s operations and curriculum. Students recently blogged daily during a school trip, and Sheninger secured donations of technological equipment through Twitter contacts.
According to a report compiled by Georgetown University, the number of jobs requiring at least a two-year college degree will outpace to the amount of qualified employees by 2018. The report underscores the increased importance of college education in the workforce, as high school graduates without a college degree – a demographic once at the heart of the workforce – are now in danger of facing diminishing employment opportunities.
Is there a story of headline you know of that’s worth sharing? Leave it in a comment or email alexa.scordato (at) usc.edu and we’ll include it in next week’s post!
