Whats controversial in Oregon school reform?
I’ve been wondering what, exactly, would prove to be the most controversial part of Oregon’s mammoth plan to win federal Race to the Top money. Well, the state’s application, finished just before midnight Monday, provides a handy statistical key, showing what proportion of Oregon school districts pledged to adopt each of the primary components of the plan. Bottom line: Merit pay — phrased in the application as “using evaluations to inform compensation, promotion and retention” — is hands-down more controversial than any other element. Only 65 percent of the Oregon school districts that signed on — and these are the districts that like the concepts in the application — checked the box saying they would be willing to use teacher and principal evaluations to help set pay. Forcing low-performing schools to make big changes; raising academic standards; giving schools with the most poor students strong teachers; and using performance evaluations to determine which teachers to let go all
