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H 17°, L 4°Gov. Jim Doyle announced an educational reform package Monday designed to help some of the state’s lowest performing schools and improve Wisconsin’s second-round application for Race to the Top funds.
The plan would increase the state superintendent’s authority in low-performing school districts, though officials are quick to point out it is not a state takeover of public schools.
“[The plan is] focusing on those students that need the most support. It’s building more community support, it’s building support at the district level and building support at the state level” said Kevin Benish, spokesperson for Rep. Tamara Grigsby, D-Milwaukee. “The most important thing to stress is this is not a school takeover. This is a turning of the page when it comes to that issue.”
Under the package, State Superintendent Tony Evers would be able to intervene in school districts that have been low performing for four or more years. One of the stipulations, however, would allow for local school boards to take action before Evers steps in, according to a statement from the Department of Public Instruction.
If Evers identified a school district as low-performing, the bill would allow the local school board to implement a standard curriculum that meets state standards, as well as use student performance data to individualize instruction and create academic and behavioral support systems for these students.
School boards would also pursue extra measures for schools in the lowest 5 percent of low-performing public schools in the state.
These schools would be subjected to annual performance evaluations and would have to implement training for teachers and principals and make sure there is a mechanism to ensure fair distribution of highly qualified teaching staff.
If a school district stays low performing for four consecutive years, the state superintendent may step in and direct the school to take added actions to improve.
For schools that do not improve for five years, Evers would be able to make the local school board create a school improvement council to take additional actions, according to the statement.
Benish said the new plan may also improve the state’s chances of securing second-round Race to the Top federal funding.
Wisconsin lost out on funding in the first round, which was due, in part, to concerns the Department of Education had regarding the state’s ability to intervene in struggling schools.
Adam Collins, spokesperson for Doyle, said the state is taking the comments from Race to the Top officials very seriously and this plan will put Wisconsin in a much better position for securing funding in the next round.
“This was something that needed to be done … even independent of Race to the Top, Collins said. “This legislation really moves the state forward in the right direction.”
Milwaukee County Executive and Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker said in a statement that any real reform measures must include teacher accountability standards.
“Without real standards of accountability for our teachers, we risk losing another generation of children in a broken school system,” Walker said in the statement. “It’s time to reward the good teachers, instead of protecting those who are failing our kids.”
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This bill is beneficial for several reasons. After being educated in a Wisconsin public school system I can testify first hand that improvements are needed. Although most of the teachers I had through elementary, middle school and high school were very well-educated and qualified teachers, there were some who should not have been allowed to teach. With this new package, more regulation and pressure would be put on schools to improve their faculty or have a committee assembled to do it for them. There may be a difficult transition period for schools with many under-performing instructors, however it is for the better as it should translate into a better education for students, which is the ultimate goal of this reform package.
Also, if this bill succeeds and improves struggling schools then there is a chance that Wisconsin will get funding in the second round of the Race to the Top grants. This would be very positive for the state, as it would be able to invest more money into the education system and hopefully further improve learning conditions for future generations. There is nothing more frustrating than completing a class and moving on to the next level in a new setting only to discover that you were not taught nearly enough to succeed there. With more funding, it is likely that this problem can be greatly reduced as struggling schools improve and are better able to educate students at the same level as well functioning institutions.
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This bill is beneficial for several reasons. After being educated in a Wisconsin public school system I can testify first hand that improvements are needed. Although most of the teachers I had through elementary, middle school and high school were very well-educated and qualified teachers, there were some who should not have been allowed to teach. With this new package, more regulation and pressure would be put on schools to improve their faculty or have a committee assembled to do it for them. There may be a difficult transition period for schools with many under-performing instructors, however it is for the better as it should translate into a better education for students, which is the ultimate goal of this reform package.
Also, if this bill succeeds and improves struggling schools then there is a chance that Wisconsin will get funding in the second round of the Race to the Top grants. This would be very positive for the state, as it would be able to invest more money into the education system and hopefully further improve learning conditions for future generations. There is nothing more frustrating than completing a class and moving on to the next level in a new setting only to discover that you were not taught nearly enough to succeed there. With more funding, it is likely that this problem can be greatly reduced as struggling schools improve and are better able to educate students at the same level as well functioning institutions.
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I agree that this reform package is very beneficial. I have attended several schools throughout the state, from more urban city schools to small rural schools, and feel that a higher standard of qualified educators is a necessity. While the comment above (or below) acknowledges the feeling of frustration in “completing a class and moving on to the next level… only to discover that you were not taught nearly enough to succeed there” I encountered a similar, yet different problem. As I moved from school to school, I found myself ahead of the coursework in my new setting. The educators that I had moved to could not compare to the ones I already had learned from. I found myself unchallenged during class for almost two years! Just another example of the importance of this plan. Hopefully it will pull Wisconsin school systems closer together in terms of education standards.