It felt like old times, watching Patrick Dolan revisit the now familiar triangle he uses to form his discussion around educational systems. By the time he finished, his flip chart looked like a 2 year old had found his favorite wall to decorate, but I got it, and the pressures that are weighing on teachers’ shoulders had a larger context for me. (submitted by Kathryn Castle, Elgin Teachers Association, Illinois)

One type of big shift has been systems have eliminated the Board of Education, like Chicago. For the public, that meant a much clearer line of accountability. It has also meant that Unions no longer could sit back and let the administration and Board fight it out. The spotlight keeps coming our way. More and more the community sees the focus belongs on individual schools and that sites success. He also used the historical perspective of education to show how we have moved the focus from issues of equity, to citizenship, to development of the child, and now of course achievement. For teachers, it continues to be all those things. The reminder was that for parents, it will always be the development of the individual child and that relationship between parent and teacher will remain essential.

Those issues, of course, are how then teacher effectiveness and professional development are now framed. One of his simplest diagrams showed how we have defined out professionalism through the accumulation of degrees and certificates. Now the pressure is to use a student outcome to measure our worth. The challenge is for us to bring that outcome piece together with what we know about learning to make powerful teacher effectiveness evaluation. The ongoing challenge to the unions is to find a way to help the pressures of the site by finding a way to balance the old fairness issues with the need to support innovation.

As if that wasn’t enough to digest, then came along Jo Anderson, who describes himself as the, “union guy in the room,” as education policy is shaped by the Feds. He too used some history to shake up the discussion. Did you know that NCLB was really started by Ted Kennedy as a way to address equity? The Democrats saw the disparity in our schools as the new civil rights movement. That is the part of NCLB that most teachers knew needed to happen, but it certainly hasn’t gotten there. I think Illinois continues to be the poster child for inequity within a single state. Politically, the discussion about education is completely bipartisan at this point. If you look at any of the other issues out there, like healthcare, you see everyone is on board with an expedited reform model. That of course was clear to everyone when Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton ended up in the same room and the same time with the same message.  It seems that the real desire is for all kids to get the best,  and there has not been clear progress toward that. That is why unions are under the gun. Right now it looks like the teachers are the only ones that aren’t ready for change to bring good education for all students.

The good news from Jo is that there is an understanding that student outcomes is not a single test score for most parents and community. The pressure to reform is real, and teacher appraisal will have to be linked to whether or not students are gaining in each classroom. But how that assessment is made is where we can help shape the discussion if we focus on change and improvement rather than blame. For example, teachers like to point out  charter schools that have not shown any better scores than the public. But the other side of that is that parents are not yanking kids out. Those schools are providing something that parents do want, and we need to understand and respond to those things as well. That is something that teachers can get on board with I think.

That was just the first couple of hours of discussion out of two very full days. TURN provides a place for reform to be embraced and shaped by the union. Peer assistance programs, alternative evaluation and compensation are all topics that are part of the notes, articles, and handouts I came away with from the other sessons. The Widget Report caused a great deal of challenges from those present. Though Toledo participated in the study, they felt the conclusions did not highlight the success of their PAR initiative. I understand the challenges and concerns that our team continues to raise around the kind of perception data that shaped this report. But I also think there continues to be a fear around shining the spotlight on our practice that stops us from engaging in a real discussion about the Profect.

As the ETA presented the history and work we have done with our appraisal system, it really showed how far we have come and that we are prepared to move forward. It does show how even though we had financial difficulties, clashes with community over our contract, and a revolving door of central staff, we can shape positive change. That, I think is how union leadership needs to help members. Teacher leaders need to own and shape the change regardless of what swirls around us. We and the student are the focus and the constant in the classroom. It will be our vision and goals that move our profession forward if we are truly to be professionals. If we don’t, we will continue to be the victim in the system and ultimately the students will never have the full educational experience they deserve.

CHARLOTTE DANIELSON'S FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING

Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching is a researched-based set of components of instruction, aligned to the INTASC standards, and grounded in a constructivist view of learning and teaching.  Great Lakes TURN participants were provided an opportunity to examine the components of the Framework for Teaching as a basis for improving teacher effectiveness.  Teacher induction and mentoring programs, teacher appraisal systems and professional development offerings that incorporate the four domains in Danielson's Framework for Teaching are promising practices for unions and districts to consider implementing.

Four Domains:
I.  Planning & Preparation
II.  Classroom Environment
III.  Instruction
IV.  Professional Responsibility