Skip to main content

Home/ ADMS707/ Group items tagged Accountability

Rss Feed Group items tagged

Filter: All | Bookmarks | Topics Simple Middle
REL N

Accountability Lost : Education Next - 0 views

educationnext.org/accountability-lost

ADMS707 Niemeyer Boards accountability

shared by REL N on 17 Feb 11 - Cached
    • REL N
      REL N on 17 Feb 11
       
      Tried to identify confounding variables to increase the likelihood that any changes in voting behavior were due to school performance
  • incumbent school board members won a larger share of the total vote in a precinct when test scores in that precinct improved. We estimate that improvement from the 25th to the 75th percentile of test-score change—that is, moving from a loss of 4 percentile points to a gain of 3.8 percentile points between 1999 and 2000—produced on average an increase of 3 percentage points in an incumbent’s vote share. If precinct test scores dropped from the 75th to the 25th percentile of test-score change, the associated 3-percentage-point decrease in an incumbent’s vote share could substantially erode an incumbent’s margin of victory.
  • percentile scores had increased in the year preceding the election, incumbents won 81 percent of the time in competitive elections; in districts where scores had declined, incumbents won only 69 percent of the time.
  • ...24 more annotations...
  • significant relationship with precinct test scores and the absence of a relationship with district scores suggests that voters were more concerned with school performance within their immediate neighborhood than across the district.
  • all indications of a relationship between school performance and an incumbent school board member’s vote share vanished after the passage of NCLB in 2002.
  • None of these approaches yielded clear evidence of a link between school performance and voter behavior in school board elections.
  • the overwhelming weight of the evidence indicated that school board members were not being judged on improvement or weakening in school test scores.
  • School performance as measured by test scores may have helped determine which candidates sought reelection and which faced a challenger.
  • assess the relationship between test-score trends and incumbents’ decisions to run for reelection, and then to estimate the effect of test-score trends on the probability that an incumbent who runs faces an opponent.
  • incumbents may bow out in anticipation of being held accountable for poor test-score performance by schools in their district.
  • drop from the 75th to the 25th percentile of test-score change, our results lead us to expect that incumbents will be 13 percentage points less likely to run for reelection. In fact, 76 percent of incumbents sought reelection in districts with improving test scores; in districts with falling scores, only 66 percent did.
  • we failed to find any indication that incumbents in 2002 and 2004 based their decisions about running for reelection on student learning trends.
  • In these years, only 30 and 34 percent of articles, respectively, touched on test scores. The decline in media attention leads us to suspect that concerns about student learning trends probably did not stand at the forefront of voters’ or candidates’ thinking in the 2002 and 2004 elections.
  • “The PACT needs to be seen for what it is: a vehicle for politicians to say that they are tough on education (and educators). This may make for good politics, but it makes for bad educational policy.”
  • Reacting to the rising criticisms directed toward PACT, voters may have grown disenchanted with the state’s accountability system and removed test-score performance from among the criteria on which they evaluated school board candidates.
  • if most schools appeared to be average or better, parents may not have been prompted to hold incumbents accountable for poor school performance. Incumbents and potential challengers may also have become less responsive to scores when the testing regimen began to give nearly every school a passing mark.
  • School board elections give the public the leverage to improve their schools. If voters do not cast out incumbents when local school performance is poor, they forfeit that opportunity. As debate continues over components of NCLB, policymakers should consider whether it is realistic to assume voters will in fact use the polls to drive school improvement.
  • analyzed test-score data and election results from 499 races over three election cycles in South Carolina to study whether voters punish and reward incumbent school board members on the basis of changes in student learning, as measured by standardized tests, in district schools
  • According to a 2002 national survey, student achievement ranks second only to financial concerns as school board members’ highest priority.
  • the basic purpose of all school board activities is to facilitate the day-to-day functioning of schools.
  • Neither the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) nor the states impose direct sanctions on members of school boards that oversee large numbers of underperforming schools.
  • impact of school performance on incumbents’ decisions to seek reelection and potential challengers’ decisions to join the race.
  • All but 4 of the state’s 46 counties hold nonpartisan school board elections. Approximately 80 percent of school board members receive some compensation, either a salary, per diem payments, or reimbursement for their expenses. Over 90 percent of South Carolina’s 85 school boards have between 5 and 9 members, while the largest board has 11. And, as is common practice in other states, nearly 9 out of 10 South Carolina school districts hold board elections during the general election in November.
  • the most important difference between South Carolina and most other states when it comes to local school politics is the role played by the state’s teachers unions, which are among the weakest in the country.
  • South Carolina school boards are unlikely to be beholden to the unions, which should make the boards more responsive to the broader public.
  • examine whether voters are more concerned with student performance districtwide or in their local neighborhood, we computed two measures of average school performance to include in our analysis.
  • separate the effect of school performance from the effects of other factors that could reasonably influence an incumbent school board member’s vote share
  • REL N on 17 Feb 11
     
    Details about research on the impact school performance has on how people vote for school board members. The authors conclude "If voters do not cast out incumbents when local school performance is poor, they forfeit that opportunity. As debate continues over components of NCLB, policymakers should consider whether it is realistic to assume voters will in fact use the polls to drive school improvement."
Jonathan Becker

New NSBA report finds school boards focusing on achievement, accountability «... - 6 views

schoolboardnews.nsba.org/...-on-achievement-accountability

school boards nsba report research adms707

shared by Jonathan Becker on 03 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Jonathan Becker on 03 Feb 11
     
    An important read for the week on the role of school boards.
  • ...4 more comments...
  • Victoria Schnettler on 03 Feb 11
     
    Really??? Some good news today? Thanks.
  • Jonathan Becker on 03 Feb 11
     
    Only if you think achievement and accountability are worth focusing on... ;-)
  • REL N on 04 Feb 11
     
    Yipppeeee! 90% of school board members are "concerned about an overly narrow focus on achievement." There may be a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel.
  • mirabilecp on 05 Feb 11
     
    I don't find anything here groundbreaking as such...what was I supposed to be surprised by again?
  • Tara McDaniel on 05 Feb 11
     
    We shall see if their actions speak to their words
  • Phil Riddle on 05 Feb 11
     
    It is interesting that school board members are only "lukewarm" about certain "structural" changes such as school choice, charter schools, and year-round schooling.
Roger Mancastroppa

WHAT IS GOOD GOVERNANCE? - 0 views

www.unescap.org/...governance.asp

adms707 politics democracy Reform

shared by Roger Mancastroppa on 28 Jan 11 - Cached
  • Roger Mancastroppa on 28 Jan 11
     
    "Good governance has 8 major characteristics. It is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. It assures that corruption is minimized, the views of minorities are taken into account and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. It is also responsive to the present and future needs of society."
Phil Riddle

The Missing Link in Accountability? - 2 views

www.cnn.com/...index.html

Accountability School Reform

shared by Phil Riddle on 27 Jan 11 - No Cached
  • Phil Riddle on 27 Jan 11
     
    Teachers grading parents-a good read
  • mirabilecp on 31 Jan 11
     
    from Candy...Parenting is the hardest thing I have ever done, and I would not feel comforatble grading someone else as there are too many variables at play that I may not even know about....however, some type of voluntary request for feedback from teachers seems reasonable.
Jonathan Becker

Hampton School Board vs. Patrick Russo trial scheduled for March - dailypress.com - 3 views

www.dailypress.com/...-0214-20110214,0,2382190.story

school board hampton ADMS707

shared by Jonathan Becker on 14 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Jonathan Becker on 14 Feb 11
     
    The Hampton School Board's lawsuit against former superintendent Patrick Russo is back on the court docket. A two-day jury trial has been scheduled for March 21-22 in Hampton Circuit Court. The board is suing Russo for the $102,220 it paid into a retirement account before he resigned in February 2009 to leave for nearby Henrico County Public Schools, where he is still at the helm.
  • Phil Riddle on 14 Feb 11
     
    Dr. Becker, if you had to guess, what do you think will be the result?
  • Jonathan Becker on 15 Feb 11
     
    Hmmm...Philip. I wish I had some insight here. This is a contract issue and the worst grade I got in law school was in Contracts class :-)
REL N

Obama's budget: A play for the center? - CNN.com - 0 views

www.cnn.com/...index.html

ADMS707 Niemeyer Budget

shared by REL N on 15 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • While it's absolutely essential to live within our means ... we can't sacrifice our future in the process," he told reporters while touting some targeted new education spending. "We have a responsibility to invest in those areas that will have the biggest impact in our future" while "demanding accountability."
Roger Mancastroppa

A Battle Begun, Not Won - 0 views

educationnext.org/a-battle-begun-not-won

ADMS707 reform education school politics Federal NCLB Accountability democracy states

shared by Roger Mancastroppa on 06 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Roger Mancastroppa on 06 Feb 11
     
    These discussions are interesting. Mr. Finn and company seem to only see things through a particular paradigm. It is surprising, but it is interesting.
Roger Mancastroppa

Nobody Deserves Tenure - 0 views

educationnext.org/nobody-deserves-tenure

ADMS707 reform education school Accountability

shared by Roger Mancastroppa on 06 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Roger Mancastroppa on 06 Feb 11
     
    Interesting. Not much depth, a bit of history and a bit of the reasons why tenure was established. It is a conversation starter at best.
Roger Mancastroppa

A Union by any other name - 0 views

educationnext.org/...ednext20013_38moe.pdf

ADMS707 education school Federal states Accountability

shared by Roger Mancastroppa on 07 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Roger Mancastroppa on 07 Feb 11
     
    An article providing an overview of how the AFT & the NEA are flawed due to self-interest. His only path to reform seems to be school choice.
REL N

The "Big Three" of Education Reform - NYTimes.com - 1 views

freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/...-big-three-of-education-reform

Research Findings Accountability Nonprofit Foundations

shared by REL N on 01 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • REL N on 01 Feb 11
     
    Mounting evidence shows that business-type/market-based reforms are not delivering anticipated results.
Phil Riddle

Cheifs to Feds: Renew ESEA Soon or Help Us Innovate - 3 views

blogs.edweek.org/..._chiefs_to_hill_if_you_do.html

ESEA NCLB Race to the Top Accountability Systems

shared by Phil Riddle on 04 Feb 11 - No Cached
Tara McDaniel liked it
  • Phil Riddle on 04 Feb 11
     
    This article takes a macro look at what education might look like in a post NCLB world. The fact that we are even talking about a post NCLB world seems like a fundamental shift to me.
  • stephlennon on 04 Feb 11
     
    Post-NCLB sounds great, but I do wonder what will come next! The "Close-but-no-Cigar Race to the Top" may become mandatory! Yikes!
Phil Riddle

It May Be A Sputnik Moment, but Science Fairs Are Lagging - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...05science.html

Accountability Global Competition

shared by Phil Riddle on 05 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Phil Riddle on 05 Feb 11
     
    This article describes the disconnect between federal education policy focused on math and reading (and rote memorization in other subjects) and Obama's calls for greater emphasis on science education.
Roger Mancastroppa

For-Profit Schools: Large Schools and Schools that Specialize in Healthcare Are More Li... - 0 views

www.eric.ed.gov/...detail

ADMS707 education School Federal Accountability

shared by Roger Mancastroppa on 11 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Roger Mancastroppa on 11 Feb 11
     
    In 2008-2009, nearly $24 billion in loans and grants went to about 2k for-profit schools under federal student aid programs. About 20 years ago there was some concern by the Fed that the schools were recruiting students not ready or capable for higher education. A lot of the students were not prepared for the jobs they were supposedly trained for and so they never got jobs in those areas. In turn many of them defaulted on their student loans. Congress put the 85/15 rule in place - meaning that the for profit schools would have to raise 15% of their student aid from other sources. That was reduced to 10% in the late 90s under Clinton.
REL N

School Boards Circa 2010--Governance in the Accountability Era - 0 views

www.aei.org/103116

ADMS707 Niemeyer Governance Empirical Research

shared by REL N on 15 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • the National School Boards Association, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, the Iowa School Boards Foundation, and the Wallace Foundation have joined together to support new research on school boards and their members.
    • REL N
      REL N on 15 Feb 11
       
      Balance of politics across organizations
  • little empirical research on national board practices has been conducted since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001.
  • survey sample was drawn from the National School Boards Association's database of school boards and superintendents from 7,100 districts throughout the United States. The sample was stratified,
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • At least one response was received from 80.1 percent of the districts surveyed.
  • When asked what they consider the most important objectives for schooling, the most popular board member responses are to "prepare students for a satisfying and productive life" and to "help students fulfill their potential."
  • nearly two-thirds also see an urgent need to dramatically boost achievement.
  • Board members think a number of much-discussed reforms hold little or no promise, with 40 percent saying they attach little or no importance to recruiting nontraditional teachers. More than 50 percent feel that way about increasing within-district school choice, more than 60 percent about a year-round school calendar, and more than 80 percent about the creation of new charter schools
  • REL N on 15 Feb 11
     
    Posted 03-Feb-2011: Empirical research on school boards
REL N

D.C. schools to use data from teacher evaluation system in new ways - 0 views

www.washingtonpost.com/...AR2011021302584.html

ADMS707 Evidence-based Decision-making VAModels Niemeyer

shared by REL N on 16 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • by matching teachers' ratings to the universities they attended, officials are deciding which pipelines deliver the best, or worst, talent.
  • "We'll just stop taking graduates from institutions that aren't producing effective teachers."
  • Teacher ratings from one cluster of schools might be compared with those from another cluster to assess how a particular instructional superintendent is faring. Principals will be judged in part by the number of "highly effective" teachers they are able to retain from year to year. Instructional coaches will be held accountable for the ratings of the teachers they coach.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Critics of value-added evaluation models, who have objected to using the data to fire teachers, say that expanding their use is unwise at this point. "The core problem with these data is the creation of incentives to narrow the curriculum," said Richard Rothstein, a research associate with the Economic Policy Institute and one of the authors of a recent report critical of value-added evaluations.
  • "It's never been piloted, never been tested," Saunders said. "And the conclusions made using IMPACT as a basis will be just as flawed as the instrument they rely upon."
  • REL N on 16 Feb 11
     
    DC is expanding the use of the data from value-added evaluation models. "And the conclusions made using IMPACT as a basis will be just as flawed as the instrument they rely upon."
Roger Mancastroppa

www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR8-2/horn.pdf - 0 views

www.nova.edu/...horn.pdf

adms707 High Stakes Tests Accountability Testing Academic Achievement Evaluation Teacher Attitudes

shared by Roger Mancastroppa on 01 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Roger Mancastroppa on 01 Apr 11
     
    "It was found that the state test has far-reaching effects on teaching, curriculum, school climate, students, parents, and school administration. The ideology of testing as a positive reform idea and the practice of testing as a constant and tangible threat, form the two poles of an experiential field that these educators encounter as figure and ground. The avoidance of failure and the threat of failure push these educators toward an ideological commitment to testing."
REL N

Increase in education administrators causes New York State's public school spending to ... - 0 views

www.nypost.com/...verhead_gnbt3xbRu6hnqPRqrCTZvO

NIemeyer ADMS707 Superintendents

shared by REL N on 07 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • The number of supervisory staff in public schools increased to 42,000 this year from 31,332 in 1997, even as student enrollment statewide fell and performance rankings sat stagnant, according to a Post analysis of state Education Department data. The state's student population dropped to 2.7 million from 2.8 million -- or 4.6 percent -- during that period.
  • According to the governor's research, 223 (33 percent) of school-district superintendents earn more than $175,000.
  • Heads of the smallest districts, which oversee up to 250 students, would get a $125,000 cap.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • The largest, with more than 6,501 students, would see a $175,000 cap.
  • School officials say state and federal mandates have, since the mid-1990s, forced them to cut class sizes, beef up teacher evaluations, improve special education, increase the amount of Regents diplomas, and enhance internal financial accounting.
  • REL N on 07 Apr 11
     
    Some interesting numbers and ideas to consider, although it is important to consider the source... The NY Post.
1 - 17 of 17
Showing 20▼ items per page