MEREDITH: Arts instruction reaches far beyond coursework
It seems that policymakers have created just enough direction to create stress over how to weave test scores into the evaluations of arts teachers.
Teresa Meredith / Special to IBJ
Articles
MEREDITH: Volunteers can best improve academic performance
Students who might have attendance problems tell stories about how they never missed school on tutoring day.
MEREDITH: Valuable teaching time drained by unnecessary testing
Used properly, better standardized testing can help tell us whether standards-based reforms are working.
MEREDITH: Most charters in Indiana lag behind their public-school peers
Why shouldn’t charter schools be held to the same level of accountability as their neighboring public school peers?
MEREDITH: Respect, reverence has devolved to blame, distrust, sadness
The Indiana’s Department of Education appears to have an attitude that teaching is just a stopover on the way to something better.
MEREDITH: Plan violates democratic role of the public in education
Indiana policymakers should not disregard the democratic will of the public in an attempt to push the reform efforts statewide.
MEREDITH: Use available technology first to improve learning
Yes, they could call a helpline, but they would land in an automated system, leave a message and days later might get a response.
MEREDITH: Let’s not be so quick to abandon schools in peril
The state is failing our schools and then punishing the very schools that carry the heaviest burden.
MEREDITH: State, parental action plans would bring better results
I’d also suggest that a legislative action plan be created that would actually require policymakers to fully fund the standards that they put in place more than a decade ago.
MEREDITH: Don’t cut corners on traditional, thorough preparation
Educators coming to the classroom from a non-traditional path might be an expert in their field, but they have no training in the art of educating students.
MEREDITH: Design districts with both students and the community in mind
The entire school culture would be developed to improve expectations and accountability for both its students and community.
MEREDITH: Parents are just one piece of intricate education puzzle
Policymakers, schools and educators must be realistic in their expectations for parents with the challenges families face.
MEREDITH: Diplomas don’t guarantee mastery of work or life skills
A diploma cannot guarantee commendable performance in college, respectable employment or even success in life.
MEREDITH: Early childhood education offers huge bang for the buck
It is vital that Indiana legislators begin to address the growing need for quality pre-kindergarten experiences.
MEREDITH: Questions are legion as critical reform details fall into place
In the end, the unintended consequences may be that Indiana is left without the high-quality teachers it needs to prepare our students for success.
MEREDITH: Bashing dedicated teachers is no way to reform education
Teachers simply cannot be made the scapegoats in the education reform debate. This merely distracts from the real issues at hand.
MEREDITH: Community leaders know what’s best for their schools
It seems clear that local control of school calendar issues should be based on what is best for the students in local settings and not about the bottom dollar of profit.
MEREDITH: Build evaluations on widely accepted teaching standards
I want the best teachers for my children, and I believe certain ideals should be considered when determining whether Indiana teachers meet the definition of the best teachers.
MEREDITH: Students achieve more under collective bargaining
Recent reform measures—aimed at blaming teachers’ unions for all that ails public schools—claim that negotiated agreements are a large part of student achievement problems. Yet research shows that Indiana students fare better in school corporations where teachers have the right to collectively bargain.
MEREDITH: Legislators must ask right questions about education
Indiana politicians clearly are divided on the “silver bullet” that will reform schools, but in reality, there is no simple solution to such a complicated issue.