Education Week - September 18, 2013 - 27

EDUCATION WEEK
n
SEPTEMBER 18, 2013 www.edweek.org
n
27
Nelba MarquezGreene’s
daughter,
Ana Grace, was killed
in the shootings at
Sandy Hook
Elementary School
last December.
also allow them to spot areas of improvement and benchmark themselves
against peer programs. In fact, we believe the real change-making potential
of the standards lies within CAEP’s work to help institutions strengthen the
collection of the right kinds of data and make use of the information internally—by
sharing what’s working and what needs to be improved with
providers, faculty, partner institutions, and students themselves. Only in this
way will a true culture of continuous improvement flourish.
CAEP also recognizes that its standards are bounded by the types of evidence
currently available and the limitations on what they can measure. As
part of the development process, CAEP studied the use of surveys, observational
measures, value-added measures, and other student-growth models,
and it is keenly aware of the limitations of each set of measures and under
what circumstances they are usable.
We know we need far better research on exactly what constitutes highquality
teacher preparation. However, we believe the emphasis on evidence
and other expectations of programs are precisely what will move the field in
the right direction, and CAEP will work with institutions, states, the federal
government, and other stakeholders to develop the right kinds of data and
eliminate duplicative efforts. In particular, we need the help of state leaders,
many of whom are collecting, or are seeking to collect, the same kinds of
data that CAEP is asking of institutions. The new standards are a big lift—for
teacher-preparation programs, for teacher-candidates, for states, and for the
field as a whole. But we believe that the higher expectations they represent
are the only way to both elevate the teaching profession and improve outcomes
for students—two lofty goals that now have both aspirational and
concrete guidelines to help make them a reality.n
MARY BRABECK is the dean of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and
Human Development at New York University. Christopher Koch is the Illinois state
superintendent of education. They are the chair and the vice chair, respectively, of
the board of directors for the Washington-based Council for the Accreditation of
Educator Preparation.
system, and many do, the picture is not rosy.”
“
The courts will not rule on the appropriateness of a teacher-evaluation
system, or the evidence-collection procedures incorporated in
that system, if the procedures are applied in a fair and consistent
manner to all teachers affected. Thus, even an inadequate evaluation
system will avoid the rigor of court scrutiny when it is applied
equally to all teachers.
Rigorous teacher-evaluation systems, if properly conceived and
appropriately implemented, will have a positive impact on teachers’
instructional ability and, as a result, on their students’ learning.
But not all of today’s teacher-evaluation procedures are defensible.
If the nation’s teachers realize that our courts can’t protect them
from unsound teacher evaluations, perhaps they will dig into the
details of their state and local teacher-evaluation procedures. Then,
possibly with the support of relevant advocacy groups, any significant
shortcomings can be brought to the attention of state authorities.
The stakes are too high to allow shoddy teacher-evaluation
procedures to exist. n
W. JAMES POPHAM is a professor emeritus in the graduate school of
education and information studies at the University of California, Los Angeles,
and the author of Evaluating America’s Teachers: Mission Possible? (Corwin
Press, 2013). MARGUERITA K. DeSANDER, a visiting assistant professor of
education administration at George Washington University, was formerly a
practicing attorney specializing in employment-related law.
A Sandy Hook Parent’s
Letter to Teachers
By Nelba Marquez-Greene
A
For those who think that unjustly fired
teachers will be protected by our court
s another school year begins and
old routines settle back into place, I
wanted to share my story in honor
of the teachers everywhere who
care for our children.
I lost my 6-year-old daughter, Ana
Grace, on Dec. 14, 2012, in the rampage at Sandy
Hook Elementary School. My son, who was in the
building and heard the shooting, survived.
While waiting in the firehouse that day to hear
the official news that our daughter was dead, my
husband and I made promises to ourselves, to
each other, and to our son. We promised to face the
future with courage, faith, and love.
As teachers and school employees begin this new
year, my wish for you is that same courage, faith,
and love.
It takes guts to be a teacher. Six brave women
gave their lives trying to protect their students at
Sandy Hook. Other teachers were forced to run
from the building, stepping over the bodies of their
friends and colleagues, and they came right back
to work.
When I asked my son’s teacher why she returned,
she responded, “Because they are my kids.
And my students need me now more than ever.”
She sent daily updates on my son’s progress, from
his behavior to what he’d eaten for lunch. And four
months later, when my son finally smiled one day
after school, I asked him about it. His response?
“Mom. My teacher is so funny. I had an epic day.”
While I pray you will never find yourself in the
position of the teachers at Sandy Hook, your courage
will support students like my son, who have
lived through traumas no child should have to.
Your courage will support students who are left
out and overlooked, like the isolated young man
who killed my daughter. At some point he was a
young, impressionable student, often sitting all
alone at school. You will have kids facing long odds
for whom your smile, your encouraging word, and
your willingness to go the extra mile will provide
the comfort and security they need to try again
tomorrow.
When you Google “hero,” there should be a
picture of a principal, a school lunch worker, a
custodian, a reading specialist, a teacher, or a bus
monitor. Real heroes don’t wear capes. They work
in America’s schools.
Being courageous requires faith. It took faith to
go back to work at Sandy Hook after the shooting.
Nobody had the answers or knew what would
come tomorrow, but they just kept going. Every
opportunity you have to create welcoming environments
in our schools where parents and students
feel connected counts.
Have faith that your hard work is having a
profound impact on your students. Of the 15,000
personal letters I received after the shooting, only
one stays at my bedside. It’s from my high school
English teacher, Robert Buckley.
But you can’t be courageous or step out on faith
without a deep love for what you do.
Parents are sending their precious children to
you this fall. Some will come fully prepared, and
others not. They will come fed and with empty
bellies. They will come from intact homes and
fractured ones. Love them all.
When my son returned to school in January,
I thought I was going to lose my mind. Imagine
“
Real heroes don’t wear
capes. They work in America’s
schools.”
the difficulty in sending your surviving child into
a classroom when you lost your baby in a school
shooting. We sent him because we didn’t want
him to be afraid. We sent him because we wanted
him to understand that while our lives would
never be the same, our lives still needed to move
forward.
According to the 2011-12 National Survey
of Children’s Health, nearly half of America’s
children will have suffered at least one childhood
trauma before the age of 18. They need your love.
A few weeks before the shooting, Ana Grace
and I shared a special morning. Lunches were
packed and clothes were picked out the night before,
so we had extra time to snuggle. And while
I lay in bed with my beautiful caramel princess,
she sensed that I was distracted and asked,
“What’s the matter, Mom?” I remember saying to
her, “Nothing, baby. It’s just work.” She looked at
me for a very long time with a thoughtful stare,
then she told me, “Don’t let them suck your fun
circuits dry, Mom.”
As you begin this school year, remember Ana
Grace. Walk with courage, with faith, and with love.
And don’t let them suck your fun circuits dry.n
NELBA MARQUEZ-GREENE is a marriage and family
therapist and the mental-health and relational-wellness
director for Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit organization
that supports those affected by the mass shooting at
Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and
advocates policy changes related to mental health and
gun violence. Ms. Marquez-Greene’s 6-year-old daughter,
Ana Grace, was among the students killed.
iStockphoto.com/Peter Spiro
Courtesy of Nelba Marquez-Greene
http://www.edweek.org http://www.iStockphoto.com/PeterSpiro
Education Week - September 18, 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Education Week - September 18, 2013
