Observing Change? A new wave of education reform

Education policy is back in the news as I prepare to head back to the classroom as a high school teacher when my stint at the Economy League concludes. After a summer immersed in policy work, I'm excited to read about the latest education debate-President Obama Secretary of Education Arne Duncan are promising a major shift in education policy that many would argue is both imperative and long overdue. The administration plans to leverage federal stimulus dollars to make policy changes that they and others believe are essential to improve American education through their "Race to the Top" program. 

A sound public education system is indispensable to producing a knowledgeable and capable citizenry, which is the foundation of both our society and our economy. It's simple economics-if many American schools continue to fail, our country's great productive capacity will shrivel, making us all worse off. Federal education policy reform has the potential to provide better education for all, especially for struggling urban school districts to ensure that future economic growth is enjoyed more equitably. So how do we make these much needed improvements in Philadelphia, the surrounding region, and across the county? The answer is to focus on teaching.

The Obama Administration is right to examine charter schools and test scores as keys to helping improve student performance; however, the most valuable resource in the entire educational equation is the teacher. It is becoming more widely acknowledged that attracting the best and the brightest (as programs like Teach for America often do for a few years) to the teaching profession is just one half of the battle. To retain them the compensation structure for teachers must be radically changed. Performance pay appears to be the way of the future. Support is growing; it makes intuitive sense to people that compensation in education should be similar to that of other professions.

 On a national level, President Obama is leading the charge, and he has a legion of foot soldiers at the state and local levels that are making their cases for performance pay as well, such as Philadelphia School Superintendent Alrene Ackerman. But there is widespread disagreement as to how performance pay should be structured to best reward excellent teachers and improve student performance. It is almost guaranteed that tracking and comparing student test scores will be a component of such a plan; however, there is mounting evidence that classroom observations should be a critical piece.

Incorporating teacher observations into the evaluative basis for performance pay, if structured properly, has the potential to greatly improve not just the quality of candidates but also the actual quality of instruction. To begin with, rewarding excellent teaching (the combination of content, pedagogy, and professionalism) gives teachers the incentive to work to achieve those standards. That is in stark contrast to the way most educators currently receive raises, simply by not leaving. The importance of classroom observations as a catalyst for professional development should be integrated across the US. Several programs established around the county that link teacher pay to their observation-based evaluations have proven to be highly successful. By creating a system where teachers are reviewed by several different veteran teachers (preferably from outside of the building) of the same subject at the same level, they will not only be accurately assessed, but they will also receive the type of constructive feedback that will allow them to grow professionally.

Leaders like President Obama, Arne Duncan, and Arleen Ackerman are right to push for performance pay. Yet they must seize this opportunity to build programs that don't just entice the best and the brightest to teach (although that certainly is a good start), but to continually help teachers hone their craft. The benefits of such an investment would be enjoyed for generations to come. So let's observe our leaders at work and be sure to offer them the feedback they need so we get the education reform we deserve.

--Greg Bielecki, Postgraduate Fellow

(Ed.'s note: Greg teaches US history, economics, and political science at La Salle College High School. The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economy League.)