Now that the legislature has passed all of the reform bills for government schools, we can speculate on what their effect will be. These reforms will not "kill public education " as we know it, especially with respect to vouchers and charter schools. The pressure will be mostly on urban districts. Government schools have not been motivated to change by competition as yet, preferring just to circle the wagons and stay the course. Actually the best tool for rapid change would be the strict enforcement of PL 221. But that depends on consistency in the testing program and the willingness of the IDE to step in, both of which are doubtful.
Vouchers - will pay up to $4700 for a student to attend a private school, depending on family income. That would be enough to pay tuition in parochial elementary and middle schools. The catch is that they have to attend a government school for at least a year and kindergarten doesn't count. That makes things awkward. But then what? The choice of private high schools is more limited, so are they then going to go end up having to go to a goverment high school?
Charters - it's hard to start a school, so I don't anticipate a slew of charter start ups. High schools are especially difficult and expensive. And they won't be able to control enrollment. If they end up admitting too many unprepared government school kids, a charter high school is going to have the same problems as a govenment high school. Having $1 access to a closed government school building will help but there will still be initial building outlays for revisions and repairs.
Teacher evaluations - have the potential to improve teacher quality, although slowly, if it's done right. Each district will have to set policies and salary administration factoring in test score data for at least 50% of the evaluation. An annual system based on competence and data instead of seniority can be a big step forward depending on how it's set up.
Collective bargaining - will now be limited to pay and benefits. Contracts last no longer than the state budget cycle, so they are forced to renegotiate every two years. Districts now have the opportunity to redefine their work rules and regain the flexibility they lost under collective bargaining agreements. Reasonable provisions of current contract can be kept so those will probably be used as a starting point. Again the benefits of this change will depend on how districts structure their new policies.
All in all teachers will be working under systems similar to those most professionals see in the private sector. Less job security with opportunity for higher pay. It will take years to see how this all pans out, so don't expect any dramatic change.
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Restrictions on public union negotiating rights did not go nearly far enough. Admittedly, union work rules have hindered management from imposing better methods, but the boat anchor pulling our economy under starts with underfunded public employee pension obligations. If 401Ks are good for the taxpayers, they are good enough for public servants. Wisconsin had to go to the well, and Indiana should have done the same thing, especially since the Indiana Dems also took vacations in Illinois.
I believe that Indiana took steps to meet teacher pension obligations a few years ago. Indiana is in good shape in this regard. I know the WSJ had an article about states' public pension obligations a few months ago and Indiana was waaay down the list. Indiana teacher pensions are quite conservative.
I honestly didn't look at these changes in terms of the cost of teacher salaries or pensions. But those costs crept into bargaining agreement along with the work rules as school boards continued to appease the unions who financed their campaigns. I don't know if cost reduction was an ulterior motive but curbing the unions who are the biggest contributors to Democratic politicians certainly was and in that respect they didn't go far enough.
Now we'll have to wait a few years to see how all this works out in terms of raising school performance. In the meanwhile we'll have to be content knowing that Karen Frisco is really, really upset.
Membership in a teachers' union in Indiana was already voluntary but I am sure the changes in collective bargaining will decrease membership.
I predict the Indiana laws will cause little change in student performance. But they will cause more teaching to the test and more attention to only two subjects, at a loss of a more well-rounded curriculum. Student performance is most closely tied to poverty level...how do we change that? In the US, nearly 20% of children grow up in poverty!!
You may be right. If we are going to overcome the effects of poverty it has to happen in K-3 first but I still don't see the necessary emphasis there. As far as teaching to the test, literacy is the basis for everything that follows. How can we complain about losing well rounded students when we graduate kids who don't read well enough to become well rounded?
While literacy is fundamental, young children need to explore their world, be creative and use imagination. The number one crisis we face in America is the lack of creativity! Our youngest students, especially those in poverty, are drilled and drilled on testing materials. They are not encouraged to think, but rather memorize. Such focus on memorization kills motivation to become a better student, as it becomes mudane. Per example, a recent kindergarten class completed five, yes five, hours of worksheets over memorized concepts. I remember kindergarten as a time of socialization, alphabet, play, etc. and our reading levels flourished.
I believe the odds of someone who is illiterate or semi- literate (which applies to about half the graduates of FWCS according to the ECA scores) has much of a future no matter how creative they are. There are some essentials which have to be memorized. If the parents don't see to that, as is the case with most kids in poverty, then the schools have to do that as their first priority.
If literacy can be achieved in ways tha foster creativity, great. It wasn't that way when I was in elementary school. We learned by threat and intimidation, we hated school, but we learned the basics.
I learn by creativity, and not by threat. Then, again, maybe that is why I have great ability to think and rationalize and utilize common sense.
What does threat have to do with rote memorization? Creativity has its place in both teaching and learning, but regardless of how "creative" one is, one must memorize the multiplication tables. If 3 x 3 = 9 is not committed to memory there is no way to begin to learn higher math.
Jon-
For me, getting rapped on the knuckles with a ruler if I couldn't recite what the teacher wanted to hear was pretty good motivation. That was my elementary school Holland.
Hmmm now that would be a threat!
See, fear can be a great motivating factor. Like the fear of being held back. I do have to say that in Holland we had school choice. If we didn't like going to a Protestant school we could go to a Catholic school. But the nuns had bigger rulers.
The JG reports that Canterbury will not accept vouchers, however the Catholic schools will.
That was a pretty good article. The Catholic schools have been suffering from declining enrollment as demographics have shifted to lower income families who can't afford tuition. The cost of educating a student in a Catholic k-8 school is about $4000/yr. The diocese subsidizes about half of that so vouchers could be a big boost to Catholic schools.
The Catholic school enrollment shifted to Timothy Johnson Academy and Imagine Master Academies.
Anon, you may be right. Imagine and TLJ may lose the most students to vouchers. Other than the comment from the principal in the JG article I had not heard much from the Lutherans regarding vouchers. Like you say, the Catholic schools are definitely excited; in the regard Bennett is certainly serving his base.
http://www.archindy.org/criterion/local/2009/11-27/bennett.html
Vouchers will have likely little impact on enrollment at local charters except to provide more alternatives for families with children in the upper grades. With no charter options beyond eighth grade currently, vouchers give parents affordable choices beyond returning their students to traditional public high schools.
There may be high school charter options if NSHS, SSHS and/or next year Wayne don't come around.
Lee Ann Kwiatkowski, the IDE'S Director of School Improvement (lkwia@doe.in.gov) will conduct public hearings on the subject on June 21 at SSHS (5 pm) and NSHS (7:30 pm). Should be a good pair of dog and pony shows.
Evert,
Funny how the person pushing for all of these reforms was a drug pusher in college, but hard working teachers should fear for their jobs. I guess doing the right thing really doesn't pay after all.
As some knows the inside scope regarding Imagine and Keystone, one must remember the same founder started both. Keystone parents jumped shipped when Imagine opened, and they didn't have to pay for a similar education.
I was speaking to a teacher at a school, that will be closing, and only one student out of 400 or more is looking at a parochial school.
To add further thought, one needs to look at the fact when Pleasant Center closed, 60 students went to Ossian Elementary with free enrollment/admissions policy for FWCS students. St. Al's in Yoder only recieved 3 students, even though they had scholarships available for 10 x that amount.
Keep in mind that Bishop Luers and Bishop Dwenger demand proof that the child can pass an ISTEP test upon enrollment. That puts most of the students at FWCS out of the private school voucher system.
The other factor is that technically a child will need to be at least a 2nd grader before they can apply for a voucher. The fact is these kids will be 2 years behind their private school peers!
BTW....what do you think about FWCS having a board member who gets into fist fights with his bar patrons?
It's obviously not clear how all this will pan out. Sarah Janssen had a good piece in the Sentinel the other day on charter schools. Other than the drivel from your favorite bar owner, it was pretty well balanced. Parents will have more choices so we'll have to see how they react. Some are dead set against parochial schools.
As far as Mitch (and Bill Clinton) smoking pot and other political "leaders" cheating on their wives and using drugs, I agree there is no justice in the world.
Susan,
I agree that there is no justice in the world. When did becoming a teacher make a person a terrorist? If I was a teacher I would quit and find another job. I never really thought it was the job of the government to provide free daycare anyway. Maybe if people knew they were going to have to raise their own kids they wouldn't be in such a hurry to have so many.
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