Dropout Nation on Twitter for Feb. 17

Subscribe to the Dropout Nation Twitter feed for up-to-the-minute news and commentary. Check out what followers read yesterday:

• In D.C., Grassroots Education Project needs volunteers to work w/Tubman Elementary School students. Learn more: http://bit.ly/aWElRX #DCPS #
• RT @Edubeat: Two unions willing to negotiate a cut in #LAUnified school year: http://bit.ly/b3S0t5 Shouldn’t be a discussion. Understand… #
• that the district is open more days than required. But still, unless #LAUnified increases instructional time in schools, cuts in school… #
• seems counterproductive to improving student learning. #
• RT @MarcSean86: #Edweek N.J. Leg. Panel to Consider School Choice Measure — http://bit.ly/a70VHX #edreform #ChrisChristie #
• RT @MarcSean86: Thanks to Parent Revolution, CA parents now have a voice in the schools — now its CT’s turn http://bit.ly/aRabn9 #edreform #
• Cato’s @Andrew_Coulson rightly fisks @Myglesias/M. McCardle for touting “anti-lemon” study. Shoddy #edresearch http://bit.ly/aNLAb5 #
• In D.C., #MichelleRhee considers extending #DCPS year to make up for snow closings. May even extend instructional day. http://bit.ly/bWUVIw #
• Dallas already engages in school research, so #HISD wants to do so too, according to HouChron http://bit.ly/bpx6TO #edreform #edresearch #
• RT @tvanderark: 2 important #teacherquality articles: Klein’s op-ed and LA Daily’ News http://bit.ly/amGa1P #edreform #edpolicy #edequality #
• RT @MarcSean86: Funny but kinda true — 5 phrases black people must abolish if we are ever to get ahead — http://bit.ly/dB3MDP #
• Do parents know best? Not always. Have teachers/school districts failed to show they can do better? Well… #parentpower #edreform #
• A child’s education is like a house. Parents are architects; teachers/admins are the contractors/builders… #parentpower #edreform #
• And the child is ultimately the client. #parentpower #edreform #
• RT @linkstoliteracy @GraphicNovels: Best Graphic Novels 4 Kids February 2010 http://bit.ly/b4dgwd #literacy #education #
• RT @ibeatcancrtwice: True character is revealed by how we treat people who can do nothing for us. ~ unknown Too true. #
• RT @lioncaller: @davidwlocke I think #edreform is also motivated by uneven access/quality among classes/races. #
• RT @lioncaller: @davidwlocke No, the conversation now about #edreform is about trying to make sure everyone gets a good education. #
• RT @EdEquality: DO NOT MISS THIS NYer tribute to the civil rights mt w/ photos and audio. (Tx @alexanderrusso) http://bit.ly/dC21hp #edgap #
• RT @Eduflack: RT @saramead Education policy lessons from health care reform http://alturl.com/iuak #edreform #edpolicy #NoChild #
• RT @josephlawler: SCOTUS campaign finance decision may tilt political field in favor of young folks, help reform SS http://nyti.ms/cZYQZl #
• BTW Citizens United decision may also help spur #edreform into the 2010 congressional, state races. #
• RT @DrStevePerry: Discussing Merit Pay for Teachers on CNN: http://tiny.cc/m29jo – What do YOU think? #TeacherQuality #edreform #

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Watch: Jason Kamras of D.C Public Schools on Performance Pay

As D.C. Public Schools and the American Federation of Teachers’ Beltway local continue to spar over competing contract proposals — and Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s school reform plans — the district’s teacher quality czar continues to implement IMPACT, the performance review program that features the use of student test score data in evaluating teacher performance.

Jason Kamras may be the most-important person in education today. Yes, more important than Arne Duncan or Joel Klein or any of the two national union heads or even Rhee herself. On Rhee’s behalf, he is overseeing the most-comprehensive reform of teacher evaluation and performance management going on today. More importantly, he is already saying that the results he sees from this effort may be used in wide-ranging ways, from rewarding the best teachers to deciding which ed schools are deserving of D.C.’s patronage.

At a meeting with education professionals last night, Kamras admitted that the plan still needed some work. Although D.C. held a mass professional development session early in the school year, along with other meetings, Kamras said the district needed “to do more communication [with teachers]. We can never do enough of that” He also noted that the student benchmark tests given throughout the year aren’t fully included in the value-added analysis used in evaluating teachers; the final value-added assessment isn’t completed and delivered to teachers for their evaluations until July, just when they have to decide whether to stay and go through the remediation (if they are lagging) or quit. That said, Kamras notes that the rest of the evaluation scores, which are given in June, should give teachers more than enough info on where they are likely to stand; especially if their performance is in  the proverbial red.

Kamras notes that there is still more work ahead. D.C. Public Schools is working with its test provider on delivering the final standardized test data in time so all the information can be used to fully evaluate teachers in a more-timely manner. There is also some discussion on how to use technology to conduct teacher observations; but, as Kamras noted in response to one question, cameras in the classroom aren’t comforting to teachers (who often prefer in-person observations) and given D.C. law (which requires a person to give permission to being taped on camera), it may not be worth it. Kamras notes that if a teacher rejects the use of cameras, then “we’re back at square one.”

The biggest impact may come in terms of choosing which ed schools from which D.C. and its sister traditional districts and charters schools they choose. Kamras said last night that if an ed school produces far too many laggard instructors, he will tell them that he’s not recruiting from their schools — and will tell his colleagues throughout the D.C.-Virginia-Maryland region as well. He will likely tell those districts about the successful ed schools as well. This could actually result in improvements in teaching quality throughout the area — and ultimately, the nation.

The efforts in D.C. are certainly interesting to watch. Whether or not other school districts will follow its model will largely depend on the willingness of school chief executives to take on the lax performance management cultures and servile relationships districts often have with their union locals. As you can see below, here is a short clip of Kamras’ response to a question about how he thinks performance pay will shake up teaching.