The Daily Report Card: Alternative Teachers, Changing Schools, Marches On Washington

In The Classroom Today

Save Our Schools March: a teacher revolt against Obama education reform – CSMonitor.com That’s the opinion of a growing number of educators who are convinced that the current direction of reform – despite powerful backers that include President Obama, Bill Gates, and many influential academics and nonprofit leaders – is harming public schools rather than improving them. While teachers unions and a number of prominent education thinkers have been critical of the reform policies for some time, a more concerted effort is emerging to organize those critics. They plan to take to the streets in Washington on Saturday in hopes of galvanizing attention around their cause. The Save Our Schools March has attracted endorsements from well-known academics, educators, and authors. (csmonitor.com)

Survey: Alternative Teacher Certification on the Rise – Teaching Now – Education Week Teacher Four out of 10 new public school teachers hired since 2005 came through alternative teacher-preparation programs, according to a survey just released by the National Center for Education Information. That’s up from 22 percent of new teachers hired between 2000 and 2004. In addition, the survey found that alternative-route teachers are more in favor of using reforms such as performance pay, elimination of tenure, tying student achievement to teacher evaluations, and market-driven pay to strengthen the teaching profession than are their traditionally prepared counterparts. (blogs.edweek.org)

Our Children Our City: Change ahead for area schools | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com Whether it’s a shift from textbooks to tablets, changes in school calendars, or new fees for parents, the upcoming school year is shaping up to be one of change. And that new school year is suddenly upon us — classes begin Monday in Warren Township and just a week later in Indianapolis Public Schools. Here’s a look at what’s different this year for students in Marion County. (Indianapolis Star)