The Answer Sheet - Willingham: Big questions about the LA Times teachers project

The Answer Sheet - Willingham: Big questions about the LA Times teachers project

I am glad Willingham called the LA Times on the status of the science on value-added models. The National Academies of Science, in their report on use of VA models said they should not be used to make high stakes decisions, and publicly posting teachers' results seems about as high a stake as you can get in this day and age, short of actually firing folks. So, I think it is important to improve the science.

But he makes a second, more important in my mind, point. Teachers and teachers unions need to begin to adopt some of the recommendations and practices of monitoring and evaluating teachers that work, such as the AFT-affiliated unions in Toledo and other districts in Ohio that do peer evaluations that lead to more terminations, and more importantly improvements, than do most district administrator-based evaluation systems. Until teachers allow their profession to remain professional and put in place stronger protections for the profession, others will do it for them. And probably not well.

Science and Subpoenas - Inside Higher Ed

In the piece Science and Subpoenas - Inside Higher Ed, Felice Levine does an excellent job of outlining the research ethics issues in the Arizona cases.

Education Week: Arizona Subpoena Seeks Researchers' ELL Data

Education Week: Arizona Subpoena Seeks Researchers' ELL Data

This seems to be an egregious misuse of power. I would never turn over data that I promised to be confidential. At best, I would work with my IRB to find another expert witness of the opposite side's choosing to review the data with me present only. And it would have to be anonymous versions of the data, particularly without teachers' names on it. Once the data is turned over, I would not be able to promise that it would be used ethically, which is the commitment I made when I collected the data and the informed consent. If I were one of the participating teachers, I would be waiving that consent form around and making sure there was no transfer of material of any sort that might implicate me. This kind of action would be stifling for future research on contentious issues where the participants' responses were promised confidentiality for the purposes of candor.