New education reform advocacy group in Maryland
More than five years ago, a group called ConnCAN formed in Connecticut to advocate for those who wanted to bring a more reform agenda to the state. Now with the backing of a national organization, the group is spreading to new states, including Maryland. MarylandCAN's new executive director, Curtis Valentine, began work in August and has been talking to educators and advocacy groups around the state since then.
Half of the funding for MarylandCAN comes from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. The remainder will need to be raised within the state through individual and foundation donations, according to Valentine. The agenda for MarylandCAN is still in the development stages, but Valentine said it should be clearer by the beginning of January. Valentine said he is going around the state meeting with lots of people in the education community, including superintendents, parents, teachers and legislators, and asking: "Where can we really move the needle?"
Whatever the agenda becomes, he said, it will fall into one of three categories: greater choice of schools for students, greater flexibility for teachers and principals to educate students in the way they want, and greater accountability.
While there's clearly an education reform agenda here, Valentine said he hopes to bring in parents and others who want to advocate but have no prior knowledge of the reform movement, but know that their child's school isn't working and want to do something about it.
The board is being expanded, but currently includes Omari Todd, at Teach for America; Jason Botel at KIPP; Peter Kannam, former executive director of the Baltimore operation of New Leaders for New Schools; Howard Stone, former vice chair of the Prince George's County Public Schools as well as a teacher of the year from Howard County.
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Comments
One could think, in order to have an honest debate or discussion on school reform that there should be an anti-reform coalition of sorts. Who are they?
The NAACP, the Urban League and other organizations co-authored a position paper that was against some of the current methods of reform. They were co-opted by USDE and their statement semi-retracted.
Who needs Gates ans Walton money when the Feds are doing the job for them?
Posted by: OverTheTop | December 11, 2011 6:27 AM
Wasn't Omari Todd's wife the principal of the school with the cheating scandal in Baltimore? She was working for New Leaders for New Schools when exposed.
Posted by: Susie Kellerhan | December 13, 2011 10:24 PM
We definitely have to determine how to more effectively teach our children. We have to focus more of our resources in the field of motivation. We have to find out what we need to do to get our children to want to learn what we are teaching.
Posted by: Anonymous | January 13, 2012 9:56 AM
Just what we need, more private foundation money being pumped into MD to rewrite public education policies. You know, who voted for Gates anyway? I don't remember this guy on any ballot? Their brand of reform is all about test based accountability that is actually re-segregating schools by race and class. What they don't realize is that this will lead to a privatized education system. And ask yourself this question: why do private school parents get to avoid this kind of reform? Why are tests and drill and kill instruction only good for the poor kids?
Posted by: Chalk Face | February 8, 2012 12:28 PM