BIll Gates Puts his 2 Cents in the Pot (ok, a little more than 2 cents)

We all remember Bill Gates from Microsoft and now his charity work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation has been the biggest player by far in the school reform movement, spending around $200 million a year on grants to elementary and secondary education.

Well now the foundation is spending millions to influence how the federal government distributes $5 billion in grants to overhaul public schools. Read the article Bill Gates makes big push on education reform to learn more.

The catch is that the foundation believes in paying teachers based on student test scores, among other measures of achievement; charter schools that operate independently of local school boards; and a set of common academic standards adopted by every state. (To me, as an instructor and a professor, I can’t disagree entirely with those points…although, I think that pay needs to be based on a combination of factors that can include test scores but also should include other outcomes)

However, as much money and effort that is being put behind the reform, we’ve seen similar efforts before. To really reform schools, we need a national imperative like the space race to get students, teachers and parents all on board concerning the value of education. We need a “stop everything” mandate like “we will have an oil free economy by 2015” now that would be a Big Harry Audacious Goal and it just might work. Short of that, I see little hope of meaningful reform.

On a related note, their is an increasing call for reform in Teacher Education programs. As one article notes, the “administration is calling for an overhaul of college programs that prepare teachers, saying they are cash cows that do a mediocre job of preparing teachers for the classroom.” From what I’ve seen a need for more technology education, a better understanding of educational research and more focus on instructional design is definitely required within these programs. Read the complete article Education chief: Overhaul teacher training

However, when people talk about “pay for performance for teachers” I always wonder if it will end up like the “pay for performance” of Wall Street brokers who get bonuses no matter how much jeopardy they place their company or themselves or the country. Not sure “pay for performance” is the universal answer to educational reform.It did keep our financial markets from doing anything but work in the favor of the few and not the many.
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