School boards and teachers should be held accountable for school performance, teacher-assignment policies should be re-examined, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said at a labor-management conference in Denver. "Duncan called on attendees to make student learning the foremost element in all of their interactions — and not just at the bargaining table or in budgets, but also in the classroom, at school board meetings, and on school leadership teams," Stephen Sawchuck of Education Week reports. Duncan said teachers "have a point" when they say all the pressure for academic outcomes is on their shoulders.
He said that pressure should be spread to school boards as well. "This is not an area where there are a lot of examples," Duncan said. "Most school boards have to face voters. On the other hand, many school board elections have a low turnout—so we need a system where school boards also get the meaningful feedback they need from their partners, not just voters."
Duncan was vague about his plans for teacher assignment and layoff issues, but said they needed to be examined closely. "My view is that we need to look hard at the impact of staffing rules, seniority, and funding policies on students, especially in low-achieving schools," he said. "That means recruiting the best teachers and then making sure that our state laws, labor contracts and personnel practices support these teachers and keep them in their schools." (Read more)
Meanwhile, Duncan's Department of Education will convene four community college regional summits in the next two months to identify promising practices for increasing completion at community colleges, according to a press release from the department. Community colleges provide a handy door to higher education in rural areas. "Community colleges must lead the way to ... having the highest college attainment rate in the world by 2020," Duncan said. "All of higher education must contribute to reaching this goal - but community colleges will be the linchpin." (Read more)
The conferences are:
• February 28: Community College of Philadelphia, "Transitioning Adult Learners to Community Colleges and the Workforce"
• March 9: Lone Star College System, Houston, "Successful Transfer Programs"
• March 23: Ivy Tech Community College, Indianapolis, "Partnerships Between Community Colleges and Employers"
• April 15: San Diego Community College District, San Diego, "Exemplary Programs for Veterans, Military Members, and Families"
He said that pressure should be spread to school boards as well. "This is not an area where there are a lot of examples," Duncan said. "Most school boards have to face voters. On the other hand, many school board elections have a low turnout—so we need a system where school boards also get the meaningful feedback they need from their partners, not just voters."
Duncan was vague about his plans for teacher assignment and layoff issues, but said they needed to be examined closely. "My view is that we need to look hard at the impact of staffing rules, seniority, and funding policies on students, especially in low-achieving schools," he said. "That means recruiting the best teachers and then making sure that our state laws, labor contracts and personnel practices support these teachers and keep them in their schools." (Read more)
Meanwhile, Duncan's Department of Education will convene four community college regional summits in the next two months to identify promising practices for increasing completion at community colleges, according to a press release from the department. Community colleges provide a handy door to higher education in rural areas. "Community colleges must lead the way to ... having the highest college attainment rate in the world by 2020," Duncan said. "All of higher education must contribute to reaching this goal - but community colleges will be the linchpin." (Read more)
The conferences are:
• February 28: Community College of Philadelphia, "Transitioning Adult Learners to Community Colleges and the Workforce"
• March 9: Lone Star College System, Houston, "Successful Transfer Programs"
• March 23: Ivy Tech Community College, Indianapolis, "Partnerships Between Community Colleges and Employers"
• April 15: San Diego Community College District, San Diego, "Exemplary Programs for Veterans, Military Members, and Families"
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