E-mail This Page	Print This Page

REGION: North America

TOPIC: Education

Online NewsHour

Posted: July 29, 2008

John Merrow Answers Questions

Forum Introduction

		Over the course of the 2007-2008 school year, John Merrow, the NewsHour's special correspondent for education, reported on the challenges faced by two new superintendents in struggling school districts: Michelle Rhee in Washington, D.C., and Paul Vallas in New Orleans.

Do you think it is realistic for anyone to walk into a school district and expect much in only one year?

How do the D.C./New Orleans school systems deal with the families of the at-risk kids to convince them to support the schools?

How many D.C. administrators live in D.C. and send their children to D.C. schools?

What yardsticks is Michele Rhee looking to use in evaluating the performance of her teachers?

Is there an educational project underway to ensure that young students are encountering the best teachers at the elementary level?

Is the student morale in D.C. as low as the teacher morale?

What are Michele Rhee's detractors specifically opposed to?

How can you convince parents who are not readers themselves that reading is important for their children?


	Frank Palaia of Fort Myers, Fla., asks:

	I am a college and high-school teacher. I would like to know what yardsticks Ms. Rhee is looking to use in evaluating the performance of her teachers. I am certain that they are central to her negotiations with the teachers' union in D.C.

John Merrow responds:

Rhee, and administrators in most school districts today, can "drill down" in the data and see which kids are learning and which are not. They can then infer (incorrectly, in my view) which teachers are effective and which are not.

But Ms. Rhee and Mr. Vallas have endorsed what is called the "growth model" of evaluation, meaning that they look at where student A was on day one and where he ends up and draw conclusions from that.

The "growth model" is the latest magic bullet in education, but I think it's seriously flawed because of the way kids move around, particularly in urban areas. Paul Vallas also believes in looking at how committed teachers are - do they arrive early and stay late, do they tutor?




		June 18, 2008 D.C. Teachers Struggle to Adapt to School Reforms

		June 17, 2008 New Orleans School Reforms Target Young Readers

		April 3, 2008 Leaders Struggle to Bolster New Orleans Schools

		February 8, 2008 New Orleans Schools Chief Aims to Curb Dropout Rate

		February 7, 2008 In Battle to Revamp D.C. Schools, Education Leader Faces Resistance

		November 23, 2007 Schools Chief in New Orleans Faces Tough Road to Rebuilding

		November 19, 2007 D.C. Schools Chief Rhee Faces High Expectations for Reform


	Evolving U.S.-China Relationship Holds Promise, Pitfalls Breast Cancer Screenings Should Begin at Age 50, Panel Finds GM Offers Signs of Progress, Despite $1.2 Billion Loss

ABOUT US

FEEDBACK

SUBSCRIPTIONS / FEEDS:


Support the kind of journalism done by the NewsHour...Become a member of your local PBS station.

PBS Online Privacy Policy Copyright ©1996- MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. All Rights Reserved.