District 299: The Inside Scoop on CPS

To: SSNS Subscribers

From: Jim Broadway, Publisher

Subject: 'We can do better' report

As noted in today's SSNS newsletter, AdvanceIllinois promised to announce a "radical" proposal for "reinventing" Illinoiseducation at 3. p.m. today. Their media release, including a link to
their report, follows below. A quick scan left me unimpressed, but I'm
interested in your opinions.

My
sense is that the organization hit upon some valid observations (high
dropout rates, for example) but did not even try to ascribe the causes
accurately. It compares common statistics of Illinois,
not with a national average but with the averages for the "top" five
states. This is not always a valid comparison. For example, Texas
scores high in one important measure - but Texas is famous for cheating
on its stats.

There
are some fundamental inconsistencies in the document. It proposes to
give local school boards more freedom to be "creative" in deciding what
should take place in the classroom - a great idea - but then wants to
hold all schools "accountable" for students' scores on tests driven,
not just by "nationally normed" standards, but by "internationally"
normed standards. Rewarding high scores on international standards
seems inconsistent with encouraging creativity in Cairo and Moline.

While
the report is strong on "raising the bar," it is silent on the issue of
the state's resources to pay for all this new accountability. It is
also silent on the issue of state resources - last in the nation in per
capita state support for education - as a causal factor in any of the
deficits the report identifies in our school system.

These
are just some of my initial impressions. I am no expert - but you are.
I'd appreciate any comments SSNS subscribers can provide that will
deepen my understanding of what AdvanceIllinois is proposing and how that squares with conditions in the classrooms around Illinois.

Just post any remarks you have at: http://www.stateschoolnews.com/welcome/contact.htm

Thanks. - Jim

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Bipartisan leaders call for radical reinvention of Illinois schools

NOTE: Recommendations available at www.advanceillinois.org  

-AdvanceIllinois, the education reform group co-chaired by former IllinoisGovernor Jim Edgar and former Secretary of Commerce William Daley,
today issued recommendations for radical reform of the state's
education system to dramatically raise the bar for Illinois schools and reverse an alarming decline in student performance.

"The need has never been more acute, as our student achievement is slipping dangerously," said Robin Steans, AdvanceIllinoisexecutive director. "The opportunities have never been greater, as the
federal stimulus is pointing us toward aggressive reform. And never
before has such a bipartisan group of people come together around
comprehensive, student-focused reform." 

AdvanceIllinois today published a report, We Can Do Better: Advancing Public Education in Illinois. The
report calls for setting world-class standards, holding school
districts and teacher training programs accountable for results,
linking teacher and principal evaluations to academic outcomes, and
empowering local schools and districts to stimulate innovation.

Data shows Illinois has been falling behind the rest of the country and the world.

"For
the first time in history, a generation of young people is at risk to
be less educated than that of their parents," said Daley. "It's time to
think differently."

For every four students who enter high school in Illinois,
one will drop out, two will finish school but be unprepared for work or
further education, and only one will graduate ready for whatever comes
next.

"We
hurt our young people most by low expectations," said Governor Edgar.
"We can and must do better. Every student has the right to a diploma
that means something. We do children a great injustice by failing to
prepare them to succeed in a highly competitive world."

The report focuses its proposed reform in three main areas:

·         Recruit, Develop and Empower the Most Effective Educators

·         Set World-class Expectations and Provide Essential Supports

·         Empower Local Innovation in Exchange for Accountability and Results  

The
report calls for teaching, arguably the most important job in America,
to be treated as a profession. It recommends re-allocating resources
away from strategies that don't improve student achievement to those
that do.

For
example, the report notes that, currently, more than $400 million is
spent every year to reward teachers for completing graduate coursework
and degrees.  This despite the fact that, with minimal exceptions,
there is no evidence that advanced degrees increase teacher
effectiveness in the classroom.

In
the same vein, the state should retool how teachers and principals are
evaluated and reach career milestones, starting with measuring their
impact on student achievement. At the same time, teacher training
programs should be evaluated based on the quality of their programs and their graduates.

"Our
focus should be on what the evidence shows works for students, and on
rewarding strategies and people who help students meet new, tougher
standards," said Steans.

The state's standards have slipped. While Illinois Standards Achievement Test scores are rising, Illinois students' scores on national tests have shown little improvement.

To
that end, the report recommends adopting internationally benchmarked
college- and career-ready standards and raising graduation requirements
to match college and career requirements 

"We are failing our students and their families who believe making the grade in Illinoismeans you are ready to take on college or the workplace," said Edgar.
"Sadly, that's often not the case because our standards in Illinois are so low."

School reform in Illinois has often been presented as a choice between local or state control. AdvanceIllinoiscalls for breaking free of what is a false choice; there should be more
state support but it should be designed to empower local communities
with more resources and information to adopt the best available
practices that suit their particular circumstances. 

"While
it may seem self-evident or just plain common sense, many simple steps
like tracking student outcomes to determine what works and what doesn't
just hasn't been done in Illinois," said Miguel del Valle, Chicago City Clerk, former Chair of the Illinois Senate Education Committee and AdvanceIllinois board member. "This is just a starting point, but we have to start getting serious before it's too late for Illinois students."

Among
the report's recommendations is the creation of a State Innovation
Fund, to support districts and schools willing to creatively tackle
priority issues.

AdvanceIllinois recommends tracking progress against aggressive measures to match the achievement of the most successful states. Illinois must lower achievement gaps and raise graduation rates.  Now in the middle rank of U.S. performance, Illinoisshould aim to be in the top 5 states, across a range of measurements,
including academic proficiency, student achievement and educational
attainment.

The
group's proposed reforms correspond to criteria the federal government
will use to award additional education stimulus dollars on a
competitive basis starting this fall. These sound reform steps should
be implemented regardless of the stimulus, but -- taken seriously -
could trigger significant federal dollars for cash-strapped Illinois schools.

"Not all new funding means more money out of the pockets of Illinois taxpayers, and Illinois should actively pursue federal funds," said Edgar. "Education Secretary Arne Duncan has warned us that Illinoismay not have implemented enough reforms yet to get some of those
federal funds. That is why we must show we are willing and capable of
changing our ways when it comes to education."

"While
there are some very encouraging initiatives coming out of Washington to
help our schools, we have to roll up our sleeves here in Illinoisbecause no one is going to do the hard work for us," said Dennis
Hastert, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and an AdvanceIllinois Board member.

The
recommendations are based on nearly a year of consultation with experts
across the nation, research into successful reforms elsewhere and
dozens of meetings and public Town Hall sessions with parents,
educators, academics and community leaders across Illinois.

AdvanceIllinoisis funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Joyce
Foundation, the Grand Victoria Foundation, The John D. & Catherine
T. MacArthur Foundation, McCormick Foundation, The Wallace Foundation,
The Chicago Community Trust and the Boeing Company Charitable Trust.

For more information visit www.advanceillinois.org.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

We Can Do Better: Advancing Public Education in Illinois 

RECRUIT, DEVELOP AND EMPOWER THE MOST EFFECTIVE EDUCATORS

·         Evaluate and accredit teacher training programs based on the quality of their program and their graduates

·         Evaluate teachers and principals based on their performance, starting with their impact on student achievement

·         Award tenure and certification of principals and teachers based on performance, not coursework or years served

·         Give schools and districts serving at-risk children greater control and flexibility to attract and hire effective teachers 

SET WORLD-CLASS EXPECTATIONS AND PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SUPPORTS

·         Adopt internationally benchmarked college- and career-ready standards

·         Revise
current assessments, agree on a mechanism for measuring student growth,
and develop end-of-course exams to measure mastery of subjects
throughout high school

·         Raise graduation requirements to match college and career requirements

·         Make cutting-edge curricula and formative assessments readily available to teachers

·         Provide parents with early, relevant information about student development and progress 

EMPOWER LOCAL INNOVATION IN EXCHANGE FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESULTS

·         Create a State Innovation Fund, to support districts and schools willing to creatively tackle priority issues

·         Build a world-class data system

·         Develop the measures, capacity and strategies to constructively intervene in failing schools

The report recommends Illinois commit to meeting the following goals by 2020:

·         Increase Illinois' proficiency rate on the Nation's Report Card to 50 percent for reading and math, placing us among the top five states. Illinois currently trails more than half the states with a rate of 30-35 percent.

·         Increase
graduation rates by 10 percent to 85 percent, and increase the rate of
students receiving post-graduate education by 12 percent to 40 percent.

·         Raise the number of students receiving a college and career-ready curriculum to 70 percent, from 45 percent today.

·         Close
the gap in reading and math on the Nation's Report Card between
minority and white students and poor/non-poor students to less than 10
percent from 20 to 40 in all areas, among the worst in the nation.