Washington State Board of Education

Gearing Up for the Board Meeting. . .

2010-01-11T09:58:00.001-08:00

State Board Addressed 2010 K-12 Education Reform / Honors Four of Washington’s Top Teachers

Olympia, WA – The Washington State Board of Education’s meeting this week will center on education reform and the importance of proposed legislation to make Washington a competitive recipient for the federal $4 billion Race to the Top grant.

Race to the Top requires states to utilize and implement national standards and assessments, data systems to support instruction, and programs designed to increase teacher effectiveness and turn around struggling schools.

Though some states already have such programs and supporting legislation in place to make them competitive for the grant, most states have been scrambling to enact the required education reforms in the short time before the application is due.

States are using Race to the Top as a catalyst for change, instituting and implementing legislative education reforms with the greatest capacity to create lasting change in student achievement.

Governor Gregoire elected to apply for the grant in the second and final round (this spring), giving legislators and education leaders as much time as possible to enact the required reforms.

One such reform, the capacity of a state to ‘turnaround’ struggle schools, is the current focal point of the Board’s work. Although Washington does not currently allow specific state intervention in struggling schools, the Board is proposing legislation that would allow for a state/local partnership in addressing our persistently low-achieving schools.

The Board will review this legislation and other reform efforts on Wednesday, January 13.

On Thursday, the State Board of Education will honor four of Washington’s top teachers.

The four honorees, all public K-12 educators, will receive their awards and have an opportunity to share their experiences with the Board on Thursday, January 14.

Attending the ceremony will be Washington State Teacher of the Year - Jamie Yoos (Bellingham High School – Bellingham); 2009 Milken Educator Kymberly Larson (Shaw Middle School – Spokane); and two Presidential Award Winners for Excellence in Science and Math Teaching - Georgia Boatman (Education Service District 123 – Pasco) and Michele Brees (Madrona Elementary School – Seatac).

Information about the Washington state educator award nominees, as well as a meeting agenda and other materials, are available on the Washington State Board of Education Website.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday.

Time for public comment will be provided.

The public and news media are invited to attend. For more information visit: www.sbe.wa.gov .

Contact:

Edie Harding, Executive Director

The Washington State Board of Education

(360) 725-6025

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Warren Smith's Columbian Op Ed - Great Teachers Matter

2010-01-04T11:27:00.000-08:00

True education reform starts with good teachers

By Warren Smith

Sunday, January 3, 2010

There is a lot of talk about education reform, but let’s face it: True education reform takes

place once the classroom door closes. A recent report by the National Council on Teacher

Quality (“Human Capital in Seattle Public Schools”) reinforces this point. The most effective

education reform begins and ends in the classroom. Nothing we do at the state level can

replace the value of a superior teacher.

So what is the measurement of a premier educator? It’s more than just a student’s test

scores.

The best teachers value their students as individuals. Danyell Laughlin, an English teacher

in Silverdale, works tirelessly to show students that each one “of them is valuable and has

valuable things to share.” Every child is a priority, and because that child is valued, that

child values learning.

Our best teachers foster a respect for self and others, a love for learning, and a child’s

capacity to dream and achieve those dreams.

The best teachers also believe that each and every child can learn. Their belief in their

students is contagious.

The best teachers succeed with all students. They are open and approachable, able to

relate to all as individuals and still lead the gathering of those individuals as a purposedriven

class. The superior educator has wall-to-wall impact; children lucky enough to find

seats in their classes need not worry about being left behind. That overused term is more

than just policy fluff here; it is a daily practice. These teachers are catalysts incarnate,

capable of sparking learning in all students.

As a long-standing member of the Washington State Board of Education, I can tell you that

we at the SBE work hard to create positive and long-lasting education reforms that will help

students achieve. We aspire to make a difference, but the differences we make revolve

around law and policy — “big picture items.” Our initiatives take time to manifest.

Contrast that with the classroom, where the effect of a quality teacher is immediate. A good

teacher can make a positive impact today, and tomorrow is another opportunity to create

positive change in the lives of their students.

Those of us in Olympia and Washington, D.C., may pour our hearts and minds into creating

schools that do right by kids, but without compassionate and talented teachers at the helm,

all is for naught.

Mentoring

I truly believe we can increase the effectiveness of our best teachers, as well as increasing

their ranks.

The National Council on Teacher Quality’s report offers several suggestions for improving

the educator work force. First, we must put the best teachers in the classrooms where they

are most needed — in our persistently low-achieving schools.

In the Seattle School District, as with the majority of others across the state, there is no pay

incentive for the best teachers to relocate.

Nationally Board Certified Teachers, however, do receive a state incentive package for

working in a Title I school.

Second, we must make sure that all first-year teachers are mentored with successful and

proven educators.

Finally, we must create a partnership of excellence in the school where success for all staff

members is the expectation. Administrators should do away with incentives for more

teachers to take more classes in the summer (studies consistently show that increased

coursework for educators has little bearing on student performance), and should also set up

a system of peer intervention to allow successful teachers to help their struggling peers

when necessary.

The human capital of our schools, the best teachers, is the foundation for reform. We must

take that capital and expand upon it, fostering excellent educators for every school and

every classroom.

Although the State Board of Education is making great strides in turning around struggling

schools and ensuring all students graduate with a meaningful high school diploma, the most

important link to success is the classroom is the gifted teacher.

Warren Smith of Spanaway is vice chairman of the Washington State Board of Education:

http://www.sbe.wa.gov.

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2009-12-30T08:48:00.000-08:00

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