Charter Schools Tied to Turkey Grow in Texas

I was ambivalent to Stephanie Saul’s article Charter Schools Tied to Turkey Grow in Texas in the NY Times, June 6, 2011.  Is the construction of so many of these Charter Schools a wonderful thing?  Or is there a big corporation privatizing education in Texas?  A clear advantage of Charter Schools in some cases is academic rigor and student success, but there is also clear inequity between the quality of these schools and some argue use of public funding - taking away from our own public schools system.  I was suspect of Harmony/Cosmos, the Turkish influence, Mr. Gulen - and the interlocking web of networks within education these corporations manage – from Pre K – 12 to institutions of higher education.  Are these schools that have been established throughout the state of Texas a well-intended, academic oasis for students – a “miracle” as Monique pointed out - of the organization?  Or are the schools being used as a source for propaganda and fraudulent use of tax-payers money?  It is certainly suspicious that “last year [Texas State Ed] took the unusual step of granting Harmony permission to open new schools outside the normal approval process.”  And the article sheds doubt on the schools’ mission, saying “Ultimately, some scholars say, the schools are about more than just teaching schoolchildren.   Hakan Yavuz, a Turkish-born assistant professor at the University of Utah’s Middle East Center, says he does not oppose the movement, though he is critical of what he calls its male domination and lack of transparency. In his view, the schools are the foundation for the movement’s attempts to grow in the United States.  “The main purpose right now is to show the positive side of Islam and to make Americans sympathize with Islam,” Dr. Yavuz said.

There are some astute comments posted at the end of this article – both in favor and against the schools.  A common theme in some postings is that this article could touch off some major anti-Turkish and anti-Muslim sentiments, and that the author should have been more concerned about this. But several Harmony School parents also posted their praises for the academic strength of the schools and for the focus math and science, as well as on Turkish language and opportunity to study in Turkey.

This article is intriguing and presents major considerations for educational leaders as to the future of the Charter School movement, and how these schools are to be held accountable for not only academics, but management of finances, teacher recruitment and mission.

Pre K - focusing developmental level pedagogy

http://www.childrenslearninginstitute.org/downloads/cbu-cli-final-highquality.pdf

Parent Resources - NCLB

Link to Parent Resources off of State's website: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/nclb/parents/fstqeng.html

“high objective uniform State standard of evaluation” (HOUSSE) - link to rubric form

http://www.p12.nysed.gov/nclb/guidance/memos/documents/housse_rubric.doc

New York State’s Revised Plan to Enhance Teacher Quality

Action Steps - Area 3

Certification and out-of-field teaching

3.1 INFORMATION TOOLS. Provide monitoring and analysis files with data on out-of-field teaching by

subject to priority and other LEAs and to Regional Network Partners in support of local and

regional planning.

with the New York City Department of Education to provide each principal with New York City data

on his/her teachers’ qualifications for each assignment and work with priority LEAs to ensure

appropriate placements of teachers and identify teachers needing additional support to become

highly qualified. (

See Action Steps 1.4, 5.3 and Area 7. In New York City, continue workingEMSC- SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT [R] AND [NYC])

3.2 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. Provide technical assistance to LEAs about assigning certified

teachers to in-field duties. Encourage LEAs to use all available federal and State funds to help

certified teachers in surplus areas, such as elementary education, to obtain a supplementary

certificate in a shortage subject. (

Area 7.

EMSC- SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT [R] & [NYC]) See Action Steps in

3.3 POLICY ALIGNMENT. Review certification requirements and seek authority from the Regents to

remove unnecessary barriers that may be causing shortages and out-of-field teaching. For

example, review certification requirements in special education to widen the scope of practice of

special education teachers. (See NOTE on Special Education Certificate Review.) Starting in the

2006-2007 school year, advise LEAs and schools to use the definition of a highly qualified teacher

for science subjects that appeared in Item A-18 of the USDOE’s Title II Non-Regulatory Guidance

issued on August 3, 2005, a definition that permits a teacher certified in one science subject to be

highly qualified to teach other science subjects provided that the State’s certification rules permit

the teacher to teach the other science subject. Starting in 2006-2007, work with the Regents and

education community to severely restrict incidental teaching, which will limit the use of the

HOUSSE.

NOTE on Special Education Certificate Review.

certificate for special education for all subjects in grades Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) through 12 and

three disability-specific certificates for grades PreK-12. The new certification regulations that went

into effect in February 2004 created nineteen separate certificate titles for Teachers of Students

with Disabilities, including Birth to Grade 2, Grades 1 - 6, Grades 5 - 9 Generalist, Grades 5 - 9

Specialist (math, biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, social studies, English and languages

other than English) and Grades 7 - 12 Specialist (math, biology, chemistry, physics, earth science,

social studies, English and languages other than English). Concerns have been raised that the

change from four K-12 certificate titles to nineteen certificate titles may be contributing to shortages

that will have a significant impact on students with disabilities in “special classes” (as opposed to

students in inclusive settings) because federal law requires teachers of special classes to be

certified in special education and demonstrate subject matter competency for all core assignments.

The Department is meeting with educators across the State, reviewing certification data by title and

reviewing policy options for the Board of Regents consideration to address both student needs and

shortage issues.

Prior to 2004, New York State had one

See Action Step 8.1.

(OHE- TEACHING INITIATIVES; OHE- QUALITY ASSURANCE, OHE-SPECIALP

from website  - http://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherqual/hqtplans/ny.pdfROJECTS & VESID)

Policy Option Brief Proposal

Lisa Coppola

Policy Option Brief Proposal

EDAD8051: Developing & Influencing Education Policy

Manhattanville College

Dr. Stephen Caldas

Fall 2010

No Child Left Behind changed New York State teacher certification regulations in a number of ways.  For one, Permanent Certification for classroom teaching titles no longer exists on new certificates issued after February 1, 2004.  New certificate types include Initial Certification which is progressed to Professional Certification after three years of teaching, a master’s degree and a mentor experience.  The validity of a Professional Certificate is continuously maintained through Professional Development activities.  The New York State Department of Education has charged school districts with developing professional development plans for their teachers, teaching assistants and administrators.  School Districts approve activities, keep track of hours and report these hours annually to the State.

Southern Westchester BOCES does not require specific activities towards the fulfillment of this State requirement (in fact, most school districts do not require specific activities).  Examples of acceptable activities for our teachers include in-service days and workshop attendance.  What would be of benefit to SWBOCES is for our teachers to fulfill this professional development requirement by expanding and extending their classroom teaching certificates.  For example, if a teacher only holds a content specific certificate (e.g. Biology, Social Studies, Math), (s)he should be encouraged to complete the additional credits necessary to tag on a Students with Disabilities credential to their existing certificate.  For only twelve content specific credits in Students with Disabilities and a CST exam, a teacher can obtain this additional certificate title. 

This new approach toward professional development can help ensure highly qualified teachers in our classrooms and eliminate the need for team teaching situations.  To stay in compliance with New York State regulations, two teachers would need to be in an academic specific class with special education students if neither of the teachers hold dual certification (content + students with disabilities).  Dual and triple certification is beneficial to the teacher and the district.  A new policy for professional development activity for teachers would include allowing academic coursework that is considered actively pursuing an additional certificate:

·        to fulfill professional development hours that maintains the validity of a Professional Certificate;

·        to apply the academic credits toward a salary differential.

Such “double dipping” of credits is currently not allowed at SWBOCES.  This new policy would allow a teacher to get credit for professional development, as well as move them along the salary scale.  This consideration would only be given to those that are working toward an additional classroom teaching certificate.

Professional Development Strategy - Abstract

Abstract

This policy option brief offers a strategic approach to fulfilling professional development for teachers.  No Child Left Behind (2001) modified teacher certification regulations in New York State. Teachers must now complete professional development activities to maintain the validity of their Professional Certificate.  The State has directed school districts to develop professional development plans for their schools in fulfillment of this requirement. The proposal in this brief offers a plan of focusing professional development activity that will lead to additional certification eligibility.  Such focus of professional development can result in teachers qualifying to extend certificate titles to all-grades (Pre K – 12), which will afford additional staffing considerations to districts.

Keywords: professional development, teacher certification, school districts, staffing