CEC Policy Insider

NJ Governor Touts Teacher Evaluation Law in Republican Convention Keynote

Whether you loved it or hated it, last night’s keynote address delivered by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie brought the issue of evaluating teacher performance to the national spotlight. 

If you’re from the Garden State, have relatives there, or have been following the debate over reforming tenure and revamping teacher evaluation systems to be based partially on the performance of students, then Gov. Christie’s comments will not have come as a surprise.  For some time, Gov. Christie has been engulfed in public feud with the NJ teachers union as his speech last night highlighted:

They said it was impossible to speak the truth to the teachers union. They were just too powerful. Real teacher tenure reform that demands accountability and ends the guarantee of a job for life regardless of performance would never happen.

This summer, the New Jersey legislature passed and Gov. Christie signed into law a bill which rethinks teacher evaluation systems.  While much has been written on the subject from bill supporters and critics, the underlying issue of reforming evaluation systems is occurring in states across the country, some spurred by the enticement to receive more federal funding (i.e. Race to the Top) or waivers from some of NCLB’s most controversial requirements (i.e. all students making AYP by 2014).  Regardless of the motivation, we know that teacher evaluation reform is happening. 

President Obama’s administration and Gov. Romney’s position on education support rethinking teacher evaluation systems – embracing linking student achievement to teacher performance.  CEC has been working on this issue for some time and in 2010 unveiled a series of recommendations in this area which include not using any one single measure (i.e. test score) for any high stakes personnel decision, including all educators in one evaluation system, doing additional research, and others.  CEC is currently developing a position on special education teacher evaluation that will be released this fall. Look for more information from CEC on this issue soon!

With the election season in full swing, tell us your reactions to the keynote address and what is going on in your state regarding changes to teacher evaluation systems. 

TESOL Provides Policy Explanation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – A Program for Undocumented Noncitizens

The Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages organization has released a policy guide, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals: A Program for Undocumented Youth in the United States, in response to the Obama Administration’s new policy on undocumented children who have arrived in the United States from other countries. This program allows the Department of Homeland Security to defer deportment for any undocumented noncitizens who arrived in the United States prior to their sixteenth birthday. The policy document provided by TESOL details the eligibility requirements for deferred action as well as the steps for applying. The application period for deferred action began on August 15, 2012.

For more information, please see the policy guide provided by TESOL here.

President Obama Sends Delegation to the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games

President Obama announced that the White House will be sending a Presidential Delegation to the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games which will commence on August 29, 2012. This delegation will be led by U.S. Army General Martin E. Dempsey, 18^th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The delegation will also include the following:

• The Honorable Louis B. Susman, Ambassador of the United States to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• The Honorable Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
• Mr. Kareem A. Dale, Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy, The White House
• Ms. Jean Driscoll, U.S. two-time Olympic silver medalist, five-time Paralympic gold medalist, three-time Paralympic silver medalist, and four-time Paralympic bronze medalist
• Ms. Sharon Hedrick, U.S. two-time Olympic gold medalist, six-time Paralympic gold medalist, four-time Paralympic silver medalist, and two-time Paralympic bronze medalist
• Mr. Larry T. Hughes, U.S. Paralympic gold medalist

For more information about the 2012 Paralympic Games, please click here. CEC congratulates those named to the delegation and looks forward to the commencement of these games.

Video: President Obama Engages Young People with Disabilities

Recently, as part of a grassroots policy research initiative, President Obama met with several young people with disabilities from the American Association of People with Disabilities internship program who spent the summer interning at various organizations in the D.C. Metropolitan area. Together, they discussed the future disability policy. Below is a video compiled from the meeting.

 

U.S. Department of Education Awards Grant to the Institute of Rehabilitation and Research

The U.S. Department of Education awarded a grant for $613,019 to the Institute of Rehabilitation and Research in Houston, Texas (TIRR) that will help the institute further their research into improving life and work for people with disabilities. TIRR plans to establish the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) National Network Research Collaborative to examine factors that influence community living and participation and work and economic participation of people with disabilities. The purpose of the studies of this collaborative will be to identify and evaluate participation disparities as well as the solutions to address them.

TIRR received this grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), an office of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS).