Follow-Up to Houston Regional Meeting Dec. 7-8, 2007

District Reform: What's Cosmetic and What's Meaningful?

More than 30 newspaper reporters attended EWA's Houston seminar "District Reform: What's Cosmetic and What's Meaningful?"

With so many initiatives and education reforms being pushed at once today, reporters got a chance to get back tobasics and discuss what the foundation of a good school district should be.

Reporters at this seminar learned how outdated hiring practices and placement affect teacher morale and how quality staffs can be built. In addition, in a special session reporters learned 'what it means to follow the paper trail', examining decades old habits that some school districts use to direct money into wealthy schools.

Two top administrators from Miami-Dade County Public Schools spoke to the group about initatives they are working on, and the future challenges school districts everywhere will face educating students fromculturally diverse backgrounds.

To view the seminar's brochure, go here. Toview the seminar's agenda, go here.

Presentations:

• Gene Bottoms of the Southern Regional Education Board, presented'Making Middle Schools Work Program,'outlining the problems in middle schools that make it difficult for students to adjust to high school level work.
• Zeph Capoisthe legislative and educational issues director for the Houston Federation of Teachers.Hediscussed pay for performance programs and the challenges in gaining teacher support.
• Laura Hamiltona researcher from the RANDCorporation, presented'Reforming Educator: Compensation: Current Trends and Future Directions,'which examinedpay for performance programs across the country and which models werewidespread and most effective in gaining teacher support.
• Ken James is the commissioner of the Arkansas Department of Education. He discussed his state's recent effort to ensure all children receive a fair education and all schools have the resources they need.
• Manuel Rodriguez is thepresident of the HISD Board of Education, and presented several initiatives that Houston is doing to reach middle school students. Check out his presentation.
• Marguerite Rozaaresearcher at the University of Washington, presented her concept of "forensic accounting." She finds some school districts unfairly distribute less federal, state and local money to schools with more low-income children, and outlined the method for reporters see if this is happening in their district.
• Marina Walneis the executive director of the Institute for Public School Initiatives at The University of Texas System. Sheshared her experience with the Teacher Advancement Program, one of the few pay-for -performance programs praised in the country. TAPS allows teachers to advance professionally without having to give up the classroom or become an administrator.
• Tim WatersofMid-continent Research for Education and Learning, spoke to participants about his research into effective district-wide leadership and reforms. Read his presentation.

Also, read this academic paper released by Education/Evolving which examines the need for innovation in public education.