TEAch by Chris Watson

MOON JOURNALS! page 4

Published by the TENNESSEE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

NO PIECE of

CAKE

Vol. 41, No. 5

Speaking Out for You

teach (USPS 742-450) is published monthly (except for July and December) by the Tennessee Education Association, 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville TN 37201-1099. Periodical postage paid at Nashville, TN. The subscription price of $3.65 is allocated from annual membership dues of $254.00 for active members; $127.00 for associate, education support and staff members; $16.00 for retired members; and $10.00 for student members. Postmaster: Send address changes to teach, 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37201-1099. MANAGING EDITOR: Alexei Smirnov asmirnov@tea.nea.org PUBLISHER: Alphonso C. Mance MANAGER OF COMMUNICATIONS: A.L. Hayes

Tennessee Education Association 801 Second Avenue North Nashville, TN 37201-1099 Telephone: (615)242-8392, Toll Free: (800)342-8367, (800)342-8262 Fax: (615)242-7397 Web site: www.teateachers.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT: Earl Wiman* (800)342-8367 VICE PRESIDENT: Gera Summerford* (865)436-5637 DISTRICT 1 Karen Anderson (423)610-6030 DISTRICT 2 Melinda Reese (423)587-2120 DISTRICT 3 Patsye Thurmon (865)457-1636 DISTRICT 4 Kim Waller* (865)594-1345 DISTRICT 5 Sandy Smith (423)991-8856 DISTRICT 6 Beth Brown (931)779-8016 DISTRICT 7 Pamela Jones (615)904-3870 DISTRICT 8 Cindy Young (931)205-0399 DISTRICT 9 Erick Huth (615)973-5851 DISTRICT 10 Amanda Fields* (615)643-4526 DISTRICT 11 Melanie Buchanan (615)305-2214 DISTRICT 12 Debbie D’Angelo (731)247-3152 DISTRICT 13 LoMay Richmond (901)867-1541 DISTRICT 14 LaVerne Dickerson* (901)416-7122 DISTRICT 15 Stephanie Fitzgerald (901)872-4878 ADMINISTRATOR EAST Carmelita Perry (865)594-4471 ADMINISTRATOR MIDDLE Margaret Thompson (615)643-7823 ADMINISTRATOR WEST Barbara Gray* (901)353-8590 HIGHER EDUCATION Donald Sneed BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER EAST Tanya T. Coats (865)594-1330 BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER MIDDLE Alzenia Walls (615)230-8144 BLACK CLASSROOM TEACHER WEST Sarah Kennedy-Harper (901)416-4582 STATE SPECIAL SCHOOLS Mary Rinehart (615)231-7300 ESP Marilda Smith (931)859-5252 TN NEA DIRECTOR Stephen Henry (615)519-5691 TN NEA DIRECTOR Diccie Smith (901)482-0627 TN NEA DIRECTOR Diane Lillard* (423)478-8827 STEA MEMBER Renata Rogers (901)628-4491 TN RETIRED Gerald Lillard (423)478-8827 NEW TEACHER LarryProffitt(423)608-7855 * Executive Committee

TEA HEADQUARTERS STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Alphonso C. Mance; ASST. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AFFILIATE SERVICES: Mitchell Johnson; ASST. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PROGRAM SERVICES: Carol K. Schmoock; ASST. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & TEA GENERAL COUNSEL; Bryan McCarty; MANAGER OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS: Stephanie Faulkner; INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & SYSTEMS MANAGER, Galen Riggs; MANAGER OF UNISERV: Ronny Clemmons; MANAGER OF UNISERV & BARGAINING COORDINATOR: Donna Cotner; STAFF ATTORNEYS: Tina Rose Camba, Katherine Curlee, Virginia A. McCoy; MANAGER OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS: Jerry Winters; GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ASSISTANT: Antoinette Lee; MANAGER OF COMMUNICATIONS & GRAPHICS: A.L. Hayes; WEB MASTER & COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT: Tanya Ruder; MANAGING EDITOR & COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT: Alexei Smirnov; MANAGER OF RESEARCH & INFORMATION: Melissa Brown; RESEARCH & INFORMATION ASSISTANTS: Susan Ogg, Yixiu Zhou; MANAGER FOR INSTRUCTION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Terrance Gibson; INSTRUCTION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COORDINATORS: Susan Dalton, Nicki Fields; COORDINATOR OF MEMBERSHIP & AFFILIATE RELATIONS: Duran Williams; PLT—UNISERV FIELD ORGANIZERS:JeffGarrett,CherylRichardson,RhondaThompson.

UniServ Staff Contact Information can be found on page 12.

January 2010

Earl Wiman, President

Al Mance, Executive Director

Read Across America 2010 Begins Here!

Where We Stand on Tennessee and Race to the Top

The infamous Dr. Seuss once said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” This year on March 2, 2010, we will not only celebrate Read Across America (RAA) and Dr. Seuss’ birthday, but also the importance of Pre-K education in our schools. A strong early learning experience is the foundation in a child’s educational future. Pre-K programs have proven to increase readiness levels of children entering kindergarten, especially those of low-income or at-risk families. That is why it is as important as ever to celebrate not only reading, but also the preparation of our students in Pre-K for many successful years of learning to follow. This year, the TEA is partnering with the Tennessee Department of Education Office of Early Learning and the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation to bring you the Read Across Tennessee Pre-K Celebration! RAA is celebrated by reading and participating in activities that engage the whole child, regardless of the age. We are asking local associations to partner with their school districts to celebrate RAA and to highlight their Pre-K programs for the entire community. Celebration ideas for elementary school students include starting the day by serving Green Eggs and Ham for breakfast, holding The Cat in the Hat Mess Relays and using laundry baskets to clean up afterward, and using books like “Fox in Socks” and “The Foot Book” to inspire students to play games like Twister, which teach the concepts of left hand, right hand and colors to students. There are Web pages on www.teateachers.org and www.nea. org/readacross dedicated to RAA and the Read Across Tennessee Pre-K Celebration. Here you will find more ideas for creating events and activities to promote reading and to help engage both parents and community members. These events will also serve as a great outlet to share all of the wonderful things that are taking place in our schools. By engaging our parents and community members, we are inviting them to invest in our goal of Educating Our Children, Engaging Our Parents, Empowering Our Schools.

The Race to the Top Program (RTTT) is a $4 billion competitive grant program funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Each state that wishes to compete must apply. Thanks to NEA, the program specifically requires that teacher unions be involved at the state and local levels. Though the number varies, according to who is giving it, the latest estimate is that only six or seven states will receive RTTT grants. If Tennessee is one of the successful applicants, the state stands to receive upwards of $400 million over four years for education. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the RTTT program is designed to “encourage and reward States that are implementing significant education reforms across four assurance areas: 1) implementing standards and assessments, 2) improving teacher effectiveness and achieving equity in teacher distribution, 3) improving collection and use of data, and 4) supporting struggling schools. The application must come from the governor and the state teachers association must be given the opportunity to be involved in its development. Local school systems that wish to participate must sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to be included with the state’s application. The local teachers association must be involved in defining the scope of work described in the local MOU and given the opportunity to sign off on it. Signing the MOU before the scope of work is defined does not give up the right to negotiate items that are mandatory subjects of bargaining. The implications of the policy and scope of work contained in a successful Tennessee application will determine TEA’s support. The core issues for Tennessee’s teachers are: the use of student achievement data in teacher and principal evaluations; the frequency of teacher evaluations; the use of student data in tenure; promotions and compensation decisions; the length of the teacher probationary period; preservation of the integrity of the Tennessee negotiations law and the policies that govern Tennessee’s strategies for helping struggling schools. TEA has policies and positions on all of these issues. They were developed and adopted based on the best research available, decades of member experience and ideas, and our organizational core values. When representatives of TEA meet with policy makers and others in the community of interest around public education, these positions guide our actions. Of course, every issue or problem has at least two sides whose interests are affected by the solution. There are always those whose views on the issues, problems and solutions differ from TEA’s. Our job is to persuade them of the wisdom and effectiveness of ours. The same conditions exist in every local association and school system. Locals must insist on negotiating mandatory subjects and persuade the administration to adopt strategies that make sense in the local environment. TEA will represent you well and keep you informed of progress. Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen invited TEA to meet with him and his staff to discuss our support for the state’s application. We have had follow-up meetings to further explore the scope of the work in the state’s application and what Tennessee teachers support. Until issues are clarified, all of us must avoid reacting to fantastic rumors about what TEA supports. By the time the smoke clears around Tennessee’s RTTT application, all of us will have learned a lot. Most of it may be a relearning of things we have known for decades. Stay tuned. You count.

Dr. Seuss on Race to the Top Our TEA Executive Director in his column has eloquently expressed our concerns over Race to the Top and the Governor’s Special Session. I believe it is immoral to use test scores in any large measure to judge a teacher’s effectiveness. Teachers do not control all the conditions that contribute to a successful test score. When teachers are evaluated they should be able to bring all their student achievement data, not just value added or TCAP. On facing up to Race to the Top, Dr. Seuss tells us in his book, The Lorax, “I learned there are troubles of more than one kind, some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready, you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me.” Go to www.teateachers.org and tell the governor and your state legislators how you feel about being evaluated on student test scores.

TEA Executive Director Al Mance’s column on the facing page of this issue addresses the Association’s position on Race to the Top. The questions and answers below are intended to help interested members better understand this complex program that could deliver as much as $400 million to Tennessee’s education system over the next four years. 1) What is the Race to the Top program? Race to the Top was authorized by the American

considered a participating district. School districts that do not sign up for all of the MOU’s components will not receive Race to the Top funds. (Those components align with the four education reform areas listed in question 1, which all state grant applications must address.) 5) How many states will be awarded grants? A pre-determined number of grantees has not been set for either phase, though it is expected to be a small number. The process is competitive,

On data systems, a teacher-friendly “dashboard” of student data, developed by SAS and expanded to every district in the state. On great teachers and leaders, a new annual teacher and principal evaluation system—designed collaboratively with teachers and principals—that uses student growth as one of multiple measures and is linked to all human capital decisions, including tenure, promotion, retention and compensation On school turnaround, new interventions for schools failing to make adequate yearly progress with

Tennessee Competes for Race to the Top Money Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. It is a highly competitive grant program among states designed to encourage and reward those states that are implementing significant education reform efforts in four areas: • enhancing standards and assessments • improving the collection and use of data • increasing teacher and principal effectiveness and achieving equity in teacher distribution • turning around struggling schools 2) What is the timeline for states to apply? States have two opportunities to apply for Race to the Top grants. Applications for Phase 1 are due January 19, 2010; awards will be announced in April 2010. Phase 2 applications are due June 1, 2010, with awards announced by September 30, 2010. States that apply in Phase I but are not awarded grants may reapply for funding in Phase 2. Tennessee intends to submit its application in Phase 1. 3) How will grant sizes be determined? In the notice inviting applications, ED provided non-binding budget guidelines to states based on their student population. Tennessee is in the middle category, with a suggested grant range of $140 to $250 million. States were encouraged to develop budgets that match the plans they outline in their applications and “use these ranges to guide their thinking.” Tennessee’s grant application is expected to seek at least $400 million. 4) Will local school districts get any money if Tennessee’s grant is funded? At least 50 percent of the Race to the Top funds a state receives must be passed on to participating local school districts, including charter schools. (Private schools are not eligible to receive Race to the Top funds). School districts become “participating districts” by submitting a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the director of schools, local school board chair and local association president. The signed MOU is due to the Tennessee Department of Education (TDE) by December 18. According to TDE, a school district must sign up for all of the MOU’s components in order to be

with the number of grants depending on the quality of the applications and the size of the grants awarded. (If Tennessee’s application for $400 million represents the average size of grants awarded, the total allocation of $4 billion would allow only 10 grants to be funded.) 6) What is the timeline for spending Race to the Top funds? All funds will be obligated to those states selected for grants by September 30, 2010. States will have four years from the time of the award to implement their plans and spend their grant money. States will receive the awarded funds based on a schedule tied to meeting goals, timelines and annual targets. 7) Exactly what will be included in Tennessee’s grant application? Tennessee’s application is in the development stage as this issue of teach goes to press, so all the details of what will be included in Tennessee’s application is unknown. Every state’s application must address the four areas listed in question 1, and will be scored on the strength of those responses. In a November 30 meeting with directors of schools, TDE indicated the following elements would be included in the state’s and local district’s scope of work: On standards and assessments, complete participation in new state standards and assessments aligned with the Tennessee Diploma Project.

state takeover of Restructuring 2 and beyond schools and districts which will include a plan to turn around the school, build capacity and return the school to the district. 8) How will the applications be evaluated? Applications will be reviewed by independent reviewers chosen from a pool of qualified educators, scholars and other individuals knowledgeable in education reform. The reviewers will use a detailed rubric for scoring applications, with a maximum of 500 points distributed as follows: • State Success Factors (125 points) • Standards and Assessments (70 points) • Data Systems to Support Instruction (47 points) • Great Teachers and Leaders (138 points) • Turning Around Lowest-Achieving Schools (50 points) To be continued on page 9 3

Looking for ways to creatively involve young children’s families in early childhood programs? Here’s a great science project designed by Dyer Co. EA member and Newbern Elementary School teacher Judy Brown. Brown co-wrote this article with Satomi Izumi-Taylor, University of Memphis professor of early childhood education, for Dimensions of Early Childhood magazine (Spring/Summer 2009, vol. 37, No. 2). “Last night me and my dad saw the moon in the sky, and the moon was looking at me!” “This morning I saw the moon in the sky...I never saw the moon in the morning before.” “You know what? They got wavy chemicals on the moon.” Preschool children who engaged in a moon observation journal project made many comments like these. A moon observation journal project is a series of activities that teachers and family members of young children can do together to promote children’s observation and communication skills. Children and their families • observe the moon for a period of time, • come up with questions about the moon, • find answers to their questions, and • keep a record of their observations. Related experiences to enhance the learning process include science, math, literature, dramatic play, and art. The inspiration for the project—keeping a weekly journal based on observations, questions, and reflections of the moon—transcends ages and experiences. It engages everyone’s abilities to observe and articulate thoughts. Teachers can offer moon journals as one way to encourage family participation and as the foundation for a variety of learning activities in the classroom. This article • offers suggestions on how to start a moon journal project,

Judy Brown works with her students

What Is a Moon Journal Project?

A moon journal project is thematic and reflects both emergent curriculum and project approaches, especially with regard to the spontaneity of some activities and the duration of the project. Project work can become a vehicle for building strong relationships among children and families because it establishes a common focus for everyone involved (Helm & Beneke,

4 January 2010

Most young children have yet to grasp the difference between fantasy and reality. Teachers can respect their ideas while dispelling any misconceptions. For example, after Morgan poetically observed that the moon was sleeping behind the clouds, her teacher followed up on the concept. “That is a very interesting idea. I wonder, can the moon really sleep…like a person or an animal?” Other children contributed their perspectives to the discussion, which helped the teacher understand what they knew. The teacher then introduced the idea of living and nonliving things, especially with respect to people and the moon, asking for comments and suggestions from the group. Together, they looked at pictures

pads and furnished the vehicle with other supplies of their choice. Karin’s expression, “Ohh! Can we have special outfits?” inspired the creation of paper bag vests, milk jug helmets, and car-wash-size sponge “moon shoes.” Children engaged in many other related activities as well. They • wrote and illustrated a class book, • sequenced moon-phase felt pieces on the flannel board, • made moon-shaped sponge paintings, • read moon-related fiction and nonfiction, • solved moon puzzles, • sang moon travel songs, • ate fanciful snacks such as moon milkshakes and

the project. Everyone involved agreed that these learning experiences encouraged children to engage, independently and collaboratively, with their surroundings through oral, written, and graphic representations. Families also connected as they collaborated in the observation and recording their ideas about the moon. Key Recommendations for Moon Journal Projects 1. Involve families as volunteers to help plan the project, prepare packets, keep records, and display observations. 2. Clearly explain how both families and children will observe and write about the moon. 3. File each week’s entries and restock the packets.

Sciencing With Young Children: Moon Journals! By Judy Brown and Sotomi Izumi-Taylor

NASA

2003). This collaborative activity supports children by encouraging their growing knowledge, skills, and dispositions toward learning (Helm & Beneke, 2003). Moreover, it promotes the enhancement of children’s self-images by helping them view themselves as both learners and problem solvers. The moon-observing journal project is based on the notion that children innately have wonderful ideas that are the essence of their intellectual development (Duckworth, 2006). In suggesting strategies for inspiring this process, Duckworth challenges educators to provide appropriate settings, to value the unexpected, to look for and accept children’s insights, and to allow them to feel confident in their own discoveries.

Table 1. Sample letter to families about the moon journal project Dear families, Our class is starting a fun project for your entire family! It is called “Moon Journals.” Every Monday for the next 6 weeks, your child will bring home this envelope. On a convenient, clear evening during the week, please go outside and look at the moon. Talk with your child about its shape, surface texture, and color. Look for buildings, trees, or other landmarks to help remember the moon’s location in the sky. After you come back inside, ask your child to describe the moon. Write these words on the lined paper inside this packet. Ask your child to draw a picture of the moon. If any of you wonder something about the moon, write down your questions. Be sure to include your child’s name and the date. Please bring your envelope with the notes and drawings back to school by Friday. We hope your family has fun finding the moon and watching it change from week to week. Thanks for your support with this fascinating learning activity. Sincerely, ... • describes an early childhood classroom engaged in moon journaling, • explains families’ responses to this project, and • shares practical recommendations for teachers to promote family involvement.

children’s art and family moon observations. In the classroom, planning times such as circle time or daily reviews are perfect venues to introduce a project like this to children. By engaging children in a conversation about the moon, teachers can explain in detail the exciting activity that children will be doing with their family members in the evening. For example, teachers might say something like this. Beginning tonight, you and your families are going to start a new project together. What will you do? All of you can go outside tonight to look at the moon. What do you think you will see? (list children’s responses on a chart) When you go back inside, what could you do to help remember what you saw outdoors? (list responses)

In order to stimulate their initial inquiries, Duckworth (2006) points out that children must be engaged with some type of phenomena, such as the moon, about which teachers encourage children’s articulation of ideas, independence in inquiry, and reasoning. She also insists that teachers take children’s ideas seriously.

Prepare to Keep Moon Journals

Families are always most likely to participate in a project like this if they are involved in its planning. Ask for family volunteers to help generate ideas and prepare materials whenever possible. As the project unfolds, volunteers can also organize and display

Yes, one thing you could do is to ask someone to write down a description of what your family saw. You could draw pictures of the shape of the moon. If you have any questions about the moon, someone can write them, too. You and your family can search for some answers and we can learn more about the moon together. After the opening conversation, teachers can help children visualize the project by showing them their moon-viewing packets, which include: • a large envelope labeled with each child’s name, • a memo to families (see Table 1), • 9” x 12” light-colored construction paper, • lined paper, • crayons, markers, and a pencil. To assure sufficient time for exploration, journal packets are best distributed once each week, on a specified day, for at least 6 weeks. Sending them home early in the week, with a request to return the observation by the end of the week, works well. That way, weather conditions may change for better viewing conditions and families’ busy schedules are respected. Label a box or bin to collect Moon Journal envelopes as they are returned. Ask family or older child volunteers to remove, date, and display or file each child’s materials. Restock the envelopes for the next Journal day.

Build on Children’s Moon Journal Experiences

Successful implementation of the moon journal project led to a variety of learning experiences for young children in one public school-based preschool program. They were excited to talk about their weekly entries and explore related ideas. A few of the children’s responses and possible curriculum extensions are discussed here.

Journal Entries Children and their families were very eager to look at the moon and record what they saw. The fact that the moon was not always visible inspired interesting comments on where it might be. Children also noticed differences in the moon’s appearance over time. Some of their comments and questions are listed in Table 2.

astronaut pudding. The journaling process for this class ended with spring break. When the children returned to school, they were still talking about the moon. The teacher and children then created an experience story to display in the classroom, with children contributing one or more statements describing what they knew about the moon. Children engaged in dramatic play with their rocket ship for weeks afterward. taken of the moon and compared its surface to familiar textures, such as rocks and soil. Related Explorations Throughout the project, a variety of fiction and nonfiction books, borrowed from the local library, were displayed and available for children and their families to reference. The children’s interest in the moon also inspired a number of related activities in the classroom. Teachers can integrate additional language arts, math, science, and social studies concepts as these interests emerge from children’s explorations. A few examples are described here. In his journal, Anthony first expressed a desire to go to the moon. “Are you, me, my brother, and Michael gonna fly to the moon? Mom, I want to fly to the moon now. Can we all fly to the moon?” The following week, his statements reflected a similar theme. “We can’t eat dinner because we gotta fly to the moon! Can we fly to the moon now?” Given Anthony’s interests, the teacher initiated a class discussion about how people might travel to the moon. Research in books and on the Internet followed. Children were captivated by pictures of the space vehicles and moon-landing equipment. As a result of their continued curiosity, the group decided to create a class rocket ship with cardboard boxes. After painting several boxes, the children chose how to arrange and secure the boxes to each other. Windows and other embellishments were added. Also, from the photographic illustrations, children noticed that letters, numbers, and representations of flags were painted on the exterior, so the classroom vehicle was similar designed. On the inside of the rocket ship, children used recycled computer keyboards as control

Seek Families’ Responses

When the activities ended, families’ were asked to write their comments concerning moon viewing. They were asked not to indicate their names on the responses. Many of the comments reflected the families’ enjoyment to hear what their children had to say. “I think the Moon Journal was a great activity. It gives the children a chance to observe and state their own opinion.” “I think the Moon Journal is a great idea. My child comes up with some wonderful questions. It’s great practice for when they actually have to do homework.” Some were happy to have a time, out of the ordinary, to spend with their children. “We really enjoyed the Moon Journal. It was a quiet time for both of us. Megan liked looking at the moon and imagining what was on it. It kind of took us away from the normal routine.” “We had a wonderful time doing this activity on Tuesdays. It allowed us to use our imagination together and have some alone time with one another. It was great. Thanks a lot for that.” These perspectives are congruent with Bailey (2003) who explains how simple, caring rituals among children and their family members can enhance emotional as well as intellectual growth. Bailey explains that the goal of routines is continuity, while the goal of rituals is connection. In a sense, the journaling activity became a ritual for some families. * * * Journal entries were stapled together chronologically and returned to the children and their families in their envelopes at the end of

4. Talk with children about their observations. 5. Explore related, integrated learning activities that follow the children’s leads. 6. Communicate excitement about the children’s discoveries! Table 2. Children’s moon observations. Morgan, February 6: “The moon is sleeping behind the clouds.” Alyssa, February 21: “The moon looks like a boomerang. The moon looks like a fingernail. I can see the line around the rest of the moon.” Rorry, January 30: “The moon is really cool. It’s bright and it goes really high.” Serita, February 21: “I see the moon. It’s so beautiful! It looks like a banana.” Felix, March 26: “The moon is white. You can fly to the moon. They go fishing on the moon. You can jump on a trampoline on the moon. Can you jump to the moon? Can you bounce to the moon?” (Brown, 2007). Judy Brown, M.S., is a pre-K teacher with Dyer County Schools in Newbern, Tenn. She has more than 20 years of teaching experience in kindergarten and pre-K classrooms. Her professional interests include science, literacy and social competence. Satomi Izumi-Taylor, professor of Early Childhood Education at the Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, University of Memphis, Tenn. She teaches a constructivist classroom in early childhood education and asks her students to write their moon journals. NASA

Does Differentiated Pay Have Merit?

nearby counties with single-salary compensation models. One reason for her declining faith in Chattanooga’s model is caused by losing a lot of decision-making power in the schools. “Teachers are feeling so much pressure and see a lack of support, so the money doesn’t matter so much anymore,” says Hughes. She has taught at a private school in Nashville for two years and is able to compare school management and teacher compensation plans. She says it doesn’t help teacher morale to observe the constantly changing requirements and lack of transparency in the decision-making behind a formula used by the schools to evaluate their teachers. “The powers that be decide what gets done,” says Hughes. “We’ve lost a lot of authority to make decisions in our classroom, and it’s causing a lot of teachers to burn out.” Some 130 miles northwest of Chattanooga, Erick Huth is trying to prevent this from happening in Nashville. As president of Metro Nashville Education Association and TEA board member, Huth has been in and out of meetings with Nashville Mayor Karl Dean’s office in attempts to voice teachers’ concerns over proposed implementation of a pay-for-performance—or differentiated pay—system. “When you move away from a system that’s objective, you’re going to lose people,” says Huth. “Opponents say we reward people for things that don’t show results, but teaching and learning is more than just test scores. If we over-rely on standardized test scores, we remove creativity from the curriculum.” MNEA is asking Dean to wait until the National Center on Performance Incentives at Vanderbilt University releases its multi-year study on performance pay in mid-April. But the mayor appears to be in a hurry. So far, Huth has seen no research proving that performance pay motivates teachers to improve students’ test scores. “Mayor Dean says you have to give performance pay to good teachers to attract them to inner-city schools, but that’s not true. You have to give them a good principal,” says Huth. At the same time, research does show that differentiated pay initiatives will succeed only when teachers understand and buy into them. Practitioners must be at the table as plans are developed. Another concern is the limited-time nature of much of the funding being proposed for performance pay measures today. As Huth watches the Tennessee legislature rush to install new pay structures in order to get one-time funding for the state through initiatives such as Race to the Top and the Gates Foundation’s education effort, he points out that teachers are being set up for failure in the future. “RTTT and the Gates Foundation money will dry up,” he says. “Teachers deserve secure compensation in the form of reliable revenue streams.” He and leaders like him suggest a deliberate, research-oriented approach as new measures are implemented. As politicians defy those calls, one is compelled to ask: are they simply afraid that further inquiry will undermine their efforts? While researchers like Martin West of the Harvard Graduate School of Education say that performance pay could be part of a set of policies to improve

teacher quality, the latest findings from the Vanderbilt study suggest that paying a sample of teachers for performance failed to translate into any significant gains in achievement for students, according to a report in the November 11, 2009, edition of Education Week.

No Business Like School Business

TEA board member Kim Waller, a librarian at Northwest Middle School in Knoxville, is one of many teachers who appreciate their bonus checks. Waller was president of the Knox County Education Association when it negotiated the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP), which kicked off during the 2006-07 school year. All four participating schools have free and reduced lunch students. As of this year, Waller’s school is officially off the No-Child-Left-Behind list. Teachers are relieved and proud. Is this a direct result of Northwest Middle being a part of the TAP program? Hard to tell, says Waller. “It’s a combination of all things we have—there’s no data that points to a singular program that brought us up. We have several programs, including AVID, Language!, and we’re a Title I school.” TAP was instrumental in helping Northwest Middle to look at student test data before other schools started doing it. Still, there is no evidence that it singlehandedly pulled teachers and students off the NCLB list. “All teachers are evaluated three times a year, which caused them to rethink their teaching strategies and to develop new ones,” says Waller. “Teachers had to get used to having observers in their classrooms. But no one has turned down their bonus checks.” Under the TAP program, 50% of teachers’ compensation is based on evaluation scores, 30% on school-wide gains and 20% on TVAAS scores (related arts teachers and others whose students aren’t tested by TVAAS fall under the 50%50% evaluation formula). Of course, there’s always grumbling about one teacher getting paid more than the other. All teacher observations are subjective, which leaves plenty of room for speculation and teacher-lounge envy. Just as it happened in Chattanooga and Knoxville, proponents of performance-pay measures for Metro Nashville Public Schools and elsewhere in the country often say that schools must function like private businesses. Teachers take issue with this approach. “Schools and businesses don’t really compare,” says Chris Glenn, music teacher at Park Avenue Elementary in Nashville. “Businesses take their raw material and turn it into a product to sell. If they don’t like the raw materials they send them back and get a replacement in order to make a superior product.” Public schools, on the other hand, accept students from all walks of life and family backgrounds. Glenn speaks for many teachers when he says that focusing on student test scores will cause administrators to push teachers to teach to the test. As a music teacher, he observes plenty of talented, effective teachers have a successful year followed by a very bad streak of low student test scores. “It all depends on what students you get,” says Glenn. “It’s like playing the lottery.” Echoing Glenn’s concerns is a second-career teacher who asked not to be identified in this article. Fresh out of a fast-track teacher

“Now that I’m a teacher, I have less of an idea how they would determine who the good teachers are.”

Heather Hughes

has been paid for performance as a teacher during the last six years and she’s not too impressed, even though her performance is rewarded with bonus checks. The initiative to pay high-performing, effective teachers in Hamilton County came from Chattanooga’s Community Education Alliance, a consortium of business leaders, and was eventually taken over by Hamilton County Schools. It is now one of several school systems in Tennessee which use pay-for-performance schemes to compensate public school employees. “When the program began it was a huge help to keep teachers in struggling schools,” says Hughes, who teaches second grade at Hardy Elementary in Chattanooga. “It was a great thing because it gave teachers a boost. We saw a lot of teachers coming to interview with us. It helped retain existing teachers and get new ones.” Chattanooga’s teachers receive an incentive of $5,000 once they meet performance requirements. An additional $2,000 is offered if the grade level performs well, and if the entire school meets its performance goals the check grows by another $1,000. Such incentives helped boost Chattanooga’s hard-tostaff schools during the last several years. Now, Hughes says, everything seems to be moving in the opposite direction. In her 12th year of teaching, Hughes has heard that many of her colleagues are looking forward to turning in their bid sheets in an effort to transfer to

6 January 2010

training program, he now teaches in a rural Middle Tennessee county and says that he used to wonder how school administrators could fairly determine which teachers are effective and which ones are not. “In theory, I’m for [performancebased pay], but now that I’m a teacher, I have less of an idea how they would determine who the good teachers are.” Evaluating teachers is especially difficult when their classrooms are full of students from disadvantaged families. As someone who has excelled in math and is a business owner, this teacher exemplifies the real distrust educators have toward rushed measures aimed at improving education outcomes, including tinkering with teacher compensation. During interviews for this article, teachers across Tennessee mentioned plenty of reasons why school administrators might be tempted to manipulate student test scores. As school systems are pushed to rely more heavily on testing students and using those scores as a measure for compensating teachers, politicians must realize that the quality of education will continue to decline and the children will not receive the education they could have received five years ago. In December, as the state of Tennessee prepared to file its Race to the Top application, the Tennessee Education Association told state officials and policymakers that the use of a single measure of student performance in teacher evaluation, such as TVAAS scores, is simply not acceptable because this approach is ineffective and unfair. Teachers aren’t afraid of jumping through extra evaluation hoops in order to be compensated fairly. They are suspicious that efforts like these will lead to teachers being paid even less than they are now—a rather distinct possibility under the current economic conditions.

Show Me the Money

In his recent talk in front of the Tennessee School Board Association, Gov. Phil Bredesen admitted that the coming months will be the hardest of his tenure as governor. Facing an unprecedented $1 billion projected revenue deficit, the state’s lawmakers are preparing for harsh maneuvering in order to pass a balanced budget during the upcoming legislative session, while state departments are being asked to come up with 6%-9% operating reductions on top of $753 million of previously planned cuts. Back in Chattanooga, as she watches her colleagues bolt for neighboring counties in search of more attractive compensation, Heather Hughes ponders her own financial security: “In our contract, under performance pay, it says— ‘pending the funding.’ It looks like this coming year there is not going to be any funding, so teachers won’t receive performance pay like they did initially. They will say—I’m holding up my end of the bargain, but now, all of a sudden, there’s not going to be money to pay for this.” And this is the core concern teachers have with all performance-based compensation schemes. Many of them ask why police and fire departments don’t compensate their employees based on performance. Some suggest that local and state governments should set the standard if they are so keen on imposing performance pay on teachers. Indeed, if Tennessee ends up with a net loss of jobs at the end of Gov. Bredesen’s tenure, whose paycheck should suffer? Will the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development take the blame? Will it be the Wall Street bankers who packaged subprime loans and caused the economy to crash? Or will everything always be the teachers’ fault?

Tennessee Space Week Grant Winners Announced The TEA is proud to announce the winners of the 2010 Tennessee Space Week learning grants for space-themed projects to be held in classrooms across Tennessee during the week of January 24-30, 2010. The winners are: Teresa Taylor of Chuckey, (“Chuckey Space Station” project); Jane Wiseman of Moscow January 24-30 (“The Shape of Space Travel”); Dianna Watkins and April Owens 2010 of Pulaski (“Let’s Harness That Space Energy”); Frances Hamilton of Taft (“Rocket Day”); Tamara Williams of Ashland City (“By the Light of the Silvery Moon”); Tanisha Wesby of Goodlettsville (“Moon Munchies—NASA Educators Guide”); Kenton Wesby of Goodlettsville (“Rock-It-Art”). What on earth is TSW? TSW is a statewide project designed to increase student interest and performance in science and mathematics through a focus on aerospace programs and accomplishments. Activities are co-sponsored by the TEA, the Tennessee Space Grant Consortium, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Originated in 1986 by TEA, the TSW project includes many learning opportunities for both students and teachers. TEA strongly encourages interdisciplinary project development as well as traditional proposals within math and science departments across the state. In addition to TSW, TEA offers workshops that deal directly with teaching math and science at the annual TEA Spring Symposium in March. Information about other available training opportunities is disseminated to members through TEA publications and the Special Events section at www.teateachers.org. Every teacher who applies for a grant automatically receives notification of training opportunities sponsored by the Tennessee Space Grant Consortium and NASA. TEA awards TSW Learning Grants to members each year, prior to Tennessee Space Week. Since 1999, TEA has awarded over $170,000 to over 215 members in various school systems across the state. These grants fund special TSW materials and activities. Grant awards vary in amount to a maximum of $1,000, with special consideration given to proposals from first-time applicants. Proposals that include matching funds from other sources are also given special consideration. Applications are available annually in May at www.teateachers.org with a deadline in late September. Awards are mailed directly to winners in late November or early December.

TEA Scholarships Can Help With Rising Tuition Costs

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Are you or someone you know wondering how to afford the rising cost of college tuition in these challenging economic times? TEA offers up to eight Don Sahli-Kathy Woodall scholarships of $500 or $1,000 each year for students attending or planning to attend a Tennessee college and major in education. The application process is simple and straightforward, requiring little more than a short essay on why the applicant wants to be a teacher. Scholarship winners are selected on the basis of academic excellence, demonstrated leadership abilities, economic need and—for all but the graduate scholarship—demonstrated interest in becoming a teacher. Scholarships are offered each year in the following categories: Student Tennessee Education Association, Sons and Daughters of a TEA Member, Future Teachers of America, Minority Student, Graduate Student. The application deadline for all scholarships but the Graduate Student scholarship is March 1. The deadline for the Graduate scholarship is June 1. More information about the available scholarships, the legacy of Don Sahli and Kathy Woodall, and application forms for the scholarships are available on the TEA Web site at www.teateachers.org. From the home page, click on Scholarships and Awards. Contributions to the Don Sahli-Kathy Woodall Scholarship Fund of the Tennessee Education Association are invited from TEA members, friends and local affiliates. Every contribution to the fund helps to grow a Tennessee teacher.

Race to the Top ...continued from page 3 • General Selection Criteria (55 points) • Emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (competitive preference priority, 15 points) 9) What exactly are the “State Success Factors” that are worth 125 points in the application? Three different considerations will be evaluated in this section: Articulating the state’s education reform agenda and local district’s participation in it (65 points) Building strong statewide capacity to implement, scale up and sustain proposed plans (30 points) Demonstrating significant progress in raising achievement and closing gaps (30 points) In this section, state applications will be judged on the number and degree of participating school districts in each specific reform area. States will also be judged by the extent to which participating districts will translate into “broad statewide impact.” This is where signed MOU’s from all or most Tennessee school districts are important to the strength of Tennessee’s application. “Statewide capacity to implement” includes the degree to which the state has support from a broad group of stakeholders to implement its plans including “the state’s teachers unions or statewide teacher associations and other critical stakeholders.” 10) Realistically, what are Tennessee’s chances of winning a Race to the Top grant? Since this is a competitive grant program for which all or most states are expected to compete, the answer to this question depends on the strength of Tennessee’s application as well as the strength of the applications from competing states. The governor and other state leaders believe Tennessee is well positioned to win funding in this competition because of our “compelling story” which includes the Tennessee Diploma Project, the state’s nationally recognized data system (TVAAS) and the state’s commitment to common core standards. An outside organization recently rated Tennessee’s chances of winning a Race to the Top grant as “competitive.” Those interested in learning more about Race to the Top developments at the state and federal level may wish to consult the following Web sites: http:// www.tennessee.gov/education/recovery.shtml#RTTT and www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html

2009 Bargaining Conference Murfreesboro, TN

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The TEA Bargaining Conference held in mid-November at Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro helped locals gain a deeper understanding of their bargaining options. Titled “Collective Action is the Key to Effective Bargaining,” the conference included sessions on using data to get members engaged in association activities; moving from apathy to action through better communication; getting informed about working conditions, and other topics. To view more photos, visit: www.flickr.com/photos/ teateachers

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African American Read-In R ad-In Re

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Ash Wednesday

Presidents’ Day

African American Read-In

Pairing powerful language with i unforgettable images, author and playwright Ntozake Shange and illustrator Kadir Nelson team up to tell the story of the Civil Rights Movement through one of its most elegant champions. ©2009. Coretta Scott by Ntozake Shange and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Harper Collins, www.harpercollins.com. Used with permission.

Tip of the Month Make literacy the cornerstone of your Black History Month celebration. Celebrate the 2010 National African American Read-In by holding reading events at your school, library, church, or community center. Go to www.ncte.org/action/ aari/packetinfo. Link of the Month Read Across America partner SchoolTube offers students and educators an outlet for their creativity. Create your own reading videos to share with friends and colleagues around the country at www.schooltube.com. Activity of the Month If you love writing, don’t forget to share your work through the National Gallery of Writing, a new Web site from the National Council of Teachers of English. You can post your own work, create a local gallery, or read the work of writers from all walks of life. Go to www.galleryofwriting.org. FEBRUARY LITERACY DATES ` February 21–22 African American Read-In www.ncte.org/action/aari/packetinfo

www.nea.org/readacross 28 2

BLACK HISTORY MONTH NEA’S Read Across America

10 January 2010

Building a Nation of Readers www.nea.org/readacross

Need information, services? Mitchell Johnson Assistant Executive Director for Affiliate Services Ronny Clemmons & Donna Cotner Managers of UniServ Tennessee Education Association, 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37201-1099 (615) 242-8392, (800) 342-8367, FAX (615) 259-4581

UniServ Coordinators

TEA Spring Symposium Planned

Clifton Taulbert and TEA President Earl Wiman will keynote the 14th Annual Spring Symposium at Gatlinburg’s Park Vista Resort Hotel March 1920, 2010. Clifton Taulbert is a Pulitzerprize-nominated author, filmmaker and president of The Freemount Corporation and Building Community Institute. He is sought by Fortune 500 companies, educators and institutions of higher learning to provide a clear picture of the role of community as a foundational Clifton Taulbert asset to bring about transformation and change. Taulbert is recognized as one of America’s top thought-leaders when it comes to community empowerment. He was chosen by CNN at the turn of the millennium to represent one of the voices of ‘Community.’ Taulbert’s work brought him to former United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day Earl Wiman

O’Connor, who personally invited him to address members of the court and their guests. Taulbert delivers a message that is powerful and timeless on concepts of leadership, diversity, capacity building and team connectivity to educators nationwide. TEA President Earl Wiman has dedicated his life to public education with experience ranging from kindergarten teacher to school administrator to earning a Ph.D. in education. He simply cannot be described nor defined. Instead, he must be experienced. The remarkable combination of his personal style and message delivers a certain magic that cannot be captured in text or verse. His message will undoubtedly motivate educators as they face today’s challenges. This year’s teaching and learning symposium is dubbed “Teaching. Learning. Leading.” It will provide TEA members an unparalleled opportunity to hone their skills while enjoying the Great Smoky Mountains. Conference registration and hotel reservations must be made by February 26, 2010. For more details, go to Conferences & Workshops at www.teateachers.org.

The Johnella Martin / TEA Statewide Minority Affairs Conference March 26 - 27, 2010

District 1 — Harry Farthing, P.O. Box 298, Elizabethton, TN 37644; phone: (423)262-8035, fax: (423)262-8053; Assns: Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Bristol, Kingsport, Northeast State C.C. District 2 — Marilyn Hankins, P.O. Box 396, Jonesborough, TN 37659-0396; phone: (423)753-9444, fax: (423)753-6144; Assns: Greene, Greeneville, Unicoi, Washington, Elizabethton, Johnson City, ETSU District 3 — Mike Lee, 1607 Solod Drive, Morristown, TN 37814; (423)587-8001, fax: (423)587-8550; Assns: Cocke, Newport, Hancock, Hamblen, Hawkins, Rogersville, Walter State C.C. District 4 — VACANCY, P.O. Box 688, Dandridge, TN 37725; phone: 800.932.2186, fax: 865.397.7375; Assns: Claiborne, Grainger, Jefferson, Union District 5— Jim Petrie, Knox County Education Association, 2411 Magnolia Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917-8289; (865)522-9793, fax: (865)522-9866; Assns: Knox, UT-Knoxville, Pellisippi State C.C. District 6 — Reba Luttrell, 503 Cardinal St., Maryville, TN 37803; phone/fax: (865)983-8640; Assns: Blount, Alcoa, Maryville, Monroe, Sweetwater, Loudon, Lenoir City District 7 — Donna Jerden, P.O. Box 222, Wartburg, TN 37887-0222; phone/fax: (423) 346-6165; Assns: Anderson, Clinton, Oak Ridge, Campbell, Morgan, Scott, Oneida, TSD District 8 — Jim Jordan, P.O. Box 4878, Cleveland, TN 37320; phone/fax: (423)472-3315; Assns: Bradley, Cleveland, McMinn, Athens, Etowah, Meigs, Polk, Rhea-Dayton, Cleveland State C.C. District 9 — Dannise McKinney, P.O. Box 117, Kingston, TN 37763; phone/fax: (865)882-8211; Assns: Bledsoe, Cumberland, Fentress, York Institute, Roane, Sequatchie, White, Van Buren, Roane State C.C. District 10 — Rhonda Catanzaro, Hamilton County Education Association, 4655 Shallowford Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37411; (423)485-9535, fax: (423)485-9512; Assns: Hamilton County, Chattanooga State C.C., UT-Chattanooga District 11 — Emily Watson, 207 Country Estates Drive, Winchester, TN 37398; phone/fax: (931)967-0175; Assns: Coffee, Manchester, Tullahoma, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Warren District 12 — VACANCY, P.O. Box 846, Cookeville, TN 38503 ; phone/fax: (931)526-2394; Assns: Clay, DeKalb, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Trousdale, TTU District 13 — Arthur Patterson, 101 Copperas Court, Murfreesboro, TN 37128; phone: (615)907-9912, fax: (615) 907-5490; Assns: Cannon, Wilson, Lebanon S.S.D., Volunteer State C.C. District 14 — Susan Young, P.O. Box 422, Madison, TN 37116-0422; phone/fax: (615)865-9700; Assns: Cheatham, Murfreesboro, MTSU, Rutherford, TSB, TN Department of Education District 15 — Miley Durham, P.O. Box 10, Lawrenceburg, TN 38464; phone/ fax: (931)766-7874; Assns: Bedford, Giles, Lawrence, Lincoln, Fayetteville, Marshall, Moore, Motlow State C.C. District 16 — Alice Spicer, 106 Stillwater Trail, Hendersonville, TN 37075; (615)826-1394, fax: (615)8264589; Assns: Clarksville-Montgomery, Robertson, APSU District 17 — Forestine Cole, Ralph Smith, VACANCY, — Metro Nashville, 531 Fairground Court, Nashville, TN

37211; (615)726-1499, fax: (615)726-2501; Assns: Metro Nashville, Nashville State C.C., TSU, Department of Higher Education District 18 — Jackie Pope, 2326 Valley Grove Dr., Murfreesboro, TN 37128; (615) 898-1060, fax: (615) 898-1099; Assns: Lewis, Maury, Williamson, Franklin S.S.D., Columbia State C.C., District 19— Melinda Webb, 56 Lakeview Cove, Linden, TN 37096; (931)593-3532, fax: (931)593-3543; Assns: Decatur, Dickson, Hardin, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Perry, Wayne District 20 — Maria Uffelman, P.O. Box 99, Cumberland City, TN 37050; phone/ fax: (931)827-3333; Assns: Benton, Carroll (West Carroll) Central, Clarksburg, Huntingdon, McKenzie, Gibson, Bradford, Humboldt, Milan, Henry, Paris, Stewart, Weakley, UT-Martin, FTA District 21 — Lorrie Butler, P.O. Box 387, Henderson, TN 38340; (731)989-4860, fax: (731)989-9254; Assns: Chester, Hardeman, Henderson, Lexington, JacksonMadison, McNairy, Jackson State C.C. District 22 — Karla Carpenter, P.O. Box 177, Brunswick, TN 38014; phone/ fax: (901)590-2543; Assns: Crockett, Dyer, Dyersburg, Haywood, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion, Union City, Tipton, Dyersburg State C.C. District 23 — Zandra Foster, 3897 Homewood Cove, Memphis, TN 38128; phone/fax: (901)3779472; Assns: Fayette, Shelby, Univ. of Memphis, Southwest Tenn. C.C., University of Memphis. Priority Local Team

Field Organizers — Jeff Garrett, Cheryl Richardson, Rhonda Thompson, 801 Second Avenue North, Nashville,

TN 37201; (615)242-8392 or (800)342-8367 Assns: Sevier, Sumner, Trenton. MEA — Ken Foster, Executive Director;

Susanne Jackson, Terri Jones, Tom Marchand, Herman Sawyer and Marilyn Webley, MEA, 126 South Flicker

Street, Memphis, TN 38104; (901)454-0966, fax: (901)4549979; Assn: Memphis. www.teateachers.org www.nea.org

We Can,

Visit www.teateachers.org to register by March 12, 2010

12 January 2010