tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post802988904469008819..comments2024-01-04T05:57:26.735-06:00Comments on Education Policy Blog: Hosted by the Forum on the Future of Public Education: Teach for America vs. National Board CertificationCraig A. Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160288758906798678noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-66156091870433846862010-01-08T12:54:45.548-06:002010-01-08T12:54:45.548-06:00You have an interesting argument, but I wanted to ...You have an interesting argument, but I wanted to point out that there are other options in alternative certification. The non-profit I work for, ABCTE (abcte.org), recruits and certifies highly qualified individuals for less money and more quickly than traditional routes. Check us out and see what you think!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-18295563651306963372009-08-31T04:32:32.227-05:002009-08-31T04:32:32.227-05:00The National Board for Professional Teaching Stand...The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards improves teaching and student learning. National Board Certified Teachers are highly accomplished educators who meet high and rigorous standards.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.teachingsolutions.org/praxisii.html" rel="nofollow">Praxis II study guide</a>dennisjoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09931732479826084382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-66892021352344094022009-08-29T07:53:33.871-05:002009-08-29T07:53:33.871-05:00Bingo, Aaron. The lone would-be teacher leader wit...Bingo, Aaron. The lone would-be teacher leader with demonstrably good ideas about instruction and school reform, but no followers, is precisely what we saw, over and over again.<br /><br />There are about three dozen NBCT Networks in existence-- groups of accomplished teachers who banded together outside their bargaining associations or disciplinary organizations, in hopes of building leadership. Jill Harrison Berg (Harvard) wrote a very compelling dissertation on ways that individual school leaders could reorganize instruction in their schools to maximize this leadership-- a low-key, easily doable model for utilizing leadership within the boundaries of current employment contracts. Part of the problem is current leadership thinking, of course, and part of the problem is the egalitarian ethos of teaching. There's a lot of work to be done--hearts and minds work, not research-- before there is general acceptance of the idea that teachers have important craft knowledge that will lead to better outcomes in schools.Nancy Flanaganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00047575960944913289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-90612543695368875362009-08-28T13:35:36.040-05:002009-08-28T13:35:36.040-05:00To be a bit of a broken record, I would emphasize ...To be a bit of a broken record, I would emphasize that the issue is not simply about training, it is about having an organization that can deploy NBCT in an effective way. It seems to me that the training should be linked to some kind of organization as opposed to a university program (although it could be both). A lot of individually trained folks without the capacity to act as a collective won't get you very far.Aaron Schutzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10667097977144954236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-54566783132678000192009-08-28T09:05:40.909-05:002009-08-28T09:05:40.909-05:00@ Claus: Love Linda Darling-Hammond's thoughtf...@ Claus: Love Linda Darling-Hammond's thoughtful and tempered comments. In fact, I think I was her very moderate stance on educational reform that made her such a threat to the people currently controlling the conversation. It's very hard to marginalize someone who makes so much sense. <br /><br />@Philip: I agree that teachers have to be taught to be part of the policy process--and the first step is getting them to believe that they *can* have both input and influence, a very tough sell. Their associations would prefer to pick and choose teacher spokespersons, to keep the message "unified." I understand why unions crack the rhetorical/editorial whip-- their job is protecting the teachers who pay dues. But teachers in non-collective-bargaining, weak-union states have even less influence and voice (and some of those states have large cadres of NBCTs).<br /><br />Ironically, inserting the voices of experienced, accomplished teachers into the school reform process was one of the original three missions of the National Board. The other two missions (writing professional standards, and assessing practice) are fully functional. Researchers and writers pay attention to those two goals. But almost nobody asks why NBCTs themselves--in survey data-- feel they have had little impact, outside of their classrooms. <br /><br />One of my life goals is starting a policy academy for accomplished teachers. Once teachers understand how the policies that control their work are shaped (and how uniformed many policy-creators are)-- they might be willing to step up to the plate.Nancy Flanaganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00047575960944913289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-20202609761894537302009-08-27T08:47:59.749-05:002009-08-27T08:47:59.749-05:00Thanks for pointing out the (barely) hidden and o...Thanks for pointing out the (barely) hidden and often perverse relationships teaching, punditry and social class.<br /><br />In related post, Linda Darling-Hammond made an interesting case some time ago for combining insights of TFA members and the "establishment": http://www.publicschoolinsights.org/node/2365Claushttp://www.publicschoolinsights.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-79261160505105409392009-08-27T08:23:40.642-05:002009-08-27T08:23:40.642-05:00Great post Nancy.
I too think teachers should be ...Great post Nancy.<br /><br />I too think teachers should be part of the policy process but that requires they be taught to participate. <br /><br />Furthermore, most great teachers are too buisy teaching to voice their concerns/perspectives, so I think it may be encumbant upon others to help them do so...<br /><br />...if only they had a union that represented their views and was willing to help them raise their voices in policy circles...philiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07461587137265412721noreply@blogger.com