After watching Game of Thrones I understand Beverly Hall's thinking a little better. There is nothing else but success and if you can't win by following the rules make up your own. It really doesn't matter if she is convicted or not the damage is done. 90% of her principals left or were fired and scores increased in percentages that just aren't possible. I'm sorry something wasn't right. I hate to judge but why would any public school leader have an $100,000 budget per year for travel in her district.
So what's the take away, why should anyone care about Beverly Hall? Education can not be judge like a business that makes widgets or produces a product. If my Iphone doesn't work I can take it back to Apple. If everyone has problems their stock price may go down. If three students out of 30 fail math, is the teacher defective?
The struggle lies in how education is evaluated. It can't be test scores, but we need a way to evaluate ourselves. A teacher evaluation system needs to be based on science and art. Science of motivation - What principles do you use to motivate your students? What latest research have you read to back up your reasoning? What action research have you done over the years to evaluate your approach? The art of motivation is completely different because students are humans and humans are not the same. The art of motivation is making theories come to life. How would we know? School administrators that visit your class regularly and talk with your students and parents.
The science of teaching - What pedagogy styles do you adhere too? How do you engage, assess, differentiate, and grade your students? Show me you data, examples of student work, and videos of student lead conferences.
One more instrument to finish off the evaluation would be business of the classroom: attendance, grading, and school paper work on time. What type of team player are you? What type of professional learning are you doing and plan to do?
Our evaluation system doesn't have to be so complicated to work. Complicated systems create cheaters. It's just like our tax code, someone will find a flaw to make the system work for them. Simple is better. However, simple must be ruled by smart. The system I mentioned above will take time and lovers of education. It will not work with managers of schools that want boxes to check and standards to rate.
Beverly Hall thought she was the Queen of the House of Atlanta city schools but she didn't protect her name. In the Game of Thrones your name is the only thing that lives on. You have to honor it at all cost.
Great school leaders will hardly ever make the paper. They won't be seen smiling for awards or riding in expensive cars. You will see them in the back of school plays, putting out extra chairs at a school concert, helping pick up trash after the football game, visiting classrooms, riding school buses, attending PTO meetings, speaking at civic organizations about the importance of education, seen at the public library, and making sure every school has the best teachers he or she can find. Rewards will be given to teachers and students. Education is like religion the pay off is only at the end.
Stan for President!
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