Technology Questions — v3

Bill Jackson offers a review of the Los Angeles Times-RAND Corporation study of the effectiveness of 6,000 teachers in Los Angeles published August 14, 2010. The report includes these findings:

• Students of highly effective teachers routinely increase scores from below grade level to advanced in a single year.

- There is a substantial gap at year’s end between students whose teachers were in the top 10% in effectiveness and the bottom 10%.

•Contrary to popular belief, the quality of instruction typically varied far more within a school than between schools.

- The most effective teachers were scattered across the school district, not concentrated in good or wealthest schools.

• The fact that teachers were paid more for experience, education and training had little bearing on whether their students’ performance increased.

There’s more and of course comments to Jackson’s as well as the original article.

Here’s an unanswered question left by the study: Does teacher effectiveness or instructional efficiency come first? My answer, instructional effiency leads to teacher effectiveness. That’s why I’m developing aLEAP.

Thanks, Bill, for a straight forward report from a parent’s view of this study. I hope you’ll comment further. And best wishes for a learning year for your daughter.

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