Teacher Compensation Reform

I remain wary of Obama’s teacher compensation plan, but here are two articles on the subject. As I opined previously, the idea of paying the good teachers well is wonderful and I would wholeheartedly say “yes” if the world were more with the logic and the black-and-whiteness and less with the grey areas and [...]

I remain wary of Obama’s teacher compensation plan, but here are two articles on the subject. As I opined previously, the idea of paying the good teachers well is wonderful and I would wholeheartedly say “yes” if the world were more with the logic and the black-and-whiteness and less with the grey areas and red tape.

Perhaps I’m being too pessimistic, but I worry that somehow, even the great teachers who are doing the best they can with what they have will get screwed because they don’t have the resources available to them to do the proper job of educating that they’d like to do. Also, it strikes me that the only way for the powers that be to know which educators are improving/ being wonderful teachers is to test the students. That brings us right back to standardized testing and kids being caught in the middle and that always just pisses me off. Sometimes I wish I were brilliant think-tank fodder so I could solve problems like this.

Further Reading:

Obama Pushes to Reward Great Teachers
The Future of Teacher Compensation
School Leaders Target Salary Reform Toward Newer Teachers
Lessons From 40 Years of Education ‘Reform’
National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality: Useful Links
Democrats for Education Reform

Posted by Alexa Harrington

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Bihar : There are many problems facing our country today

Bihar : There are many problems facing our country today
Bihar : State-wise opinion poll * Corruption 27.20% * Crime 5.80% * Drug or alcohol abuse 6.20% * Educational system 3.30% * My country's relationship to its neighbors 4.30% * Poverty 4.20% * Rising prices 6.50% * Unemployment 28.10% * Others 14.40%

MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning Competition

Should be interesting to see what emerges from this new funding direction by the MacArthur Foundation. ____JH

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"Awards will be made in the two categories of Innovation and Knowledge-Networking.  Innovation Awards ($100,000 and $250,000) will support learning pioneers, entrepreneurs, and builders of new digital learning environments for formal and informal learning. Knowledge-Networking Awards ($30,000 base award, to a total of $75,000 if budget warrants) will support communicators in connecting, mobilizing, circulating, or translating new ideas around digital media and learning. Entries to the Competition are due October 15, 2007.

Details and application requirements can be found at www.dmlcompetition.net.  If you have comments or questions about the Competition that you would like to share publicly, we would love to hear from you via this Spotlight Blog."

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