The 2016 regular session has just a little more than a week left, but for the most part, the bills addressing education concerns are done. Looking back at the 2016 Regular Session, it is pretty clear that the gap between party lines is much larger than in years past. Though newly elected governor, John Bel […]
May 3rd, 4th and 5th were probably the most frustrating, disappointing and exciting days that I’ve spent in the legislature. Tuesday, May 3rd, the House Education Committee heard a bill submitted by committee chairperson, Nancy Landry. This bill would allow a school district to reduce a teacher’s salary under certain circumstances. Landry submitted the bill […]
On Wednesday, April 27th, the House and Governmental Affairs committee of the Louisiana Legislature heard HB-473, a bill submitted by Representative Bob Hensgens related to BESE Ethics. The bill has a history in the House. In the 2014 regular session, former representative, Brett Geymann, filed the bill which quickly gained momentum in the House, but […]
[do_widget id=dk_speakout_petition_widget-3] Dear Members of the Education Committee, We believe that professional educators deserve an evaluation plan that is fair and yields valid results with total transparency. Since 2011, the great state of Louisiana has utilized the “Value-Added Model,” also known as VAM. This model is unreliable and invalid. It has resulted in hundreds of […]
It is Springtime in Louisiana, and for teachers, students and parents, that is an indicator that statewide assessment are just around the corner. As many of you know, last year’s assessments were marred by a growing number of parents protesting against the chosen assessment known as PARCC. This movement wasn’t, and still isn’t, limited to […]
On Sunday, February 14th, the Louisiana Legislature commenced the first extraordinary legislative session. It will be over in three weeks. Then, less than a week later, the regular session will begin. With a new governor at the helm, and all of the political posturing taking place, this year’s session is sure to be interesting. I […]
Like most of the folks in Louisiana who have fought against Common Core and various forms of education reforms, I have watched and followed newly elected Governor, John Bel Edwards, very closely. Why? Because for 8 years in the legislature he fought against the same reforms that we were fighting, and throughout his campaign, he […]
In the previous blog, Act 1: Damage Done, I attempted to illustrate how and why the teacher evaluation plan outlined in Act 1 is invalid and damaging to the teaching profession. The main reasons being: The design of the VAM is not being adhered to. The cost of adminstering VAM as it is designed would […]
While the content of this blog appears to be directed at teachers, it is just as important to parents of children in public school. The intent is to illustrate an incorrect and invalid method of labeling teachers as “ineffective,” which, in turn, incorrectly and invalidly assesses your child. The History In the 2012 regular session, Louisiana […]
I’d like to introduce you to my new blog for education stakeholders. I will be providing information for students, teachers, administrators, district personnel and the business community about future legislation, changes in education and advocacy. I may also publish opinion pieces about an issue, and will indicate that it is such in the tagging. I […]
