The only constant in the calculus of K-12 public education, it turns out, is … money. Who would have thought of that? But since that’s what it is, I am relieved that the Obama administration is using money as a leverage to connect student performance to teacher effectiveness in the nation’s public schools.
There has been little, if any, progress in correcting America’s dysfunctional public schools in spite of the billions of dollars spent by the federal government and wealthy philanthropists over the last few decades. George Bush’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was too malleable to be a meaningful criterion for progress. Teachers union has traditionally protected incompetent teachers despite their devastating effects on students. It also continues to put a limit on the number of district charter schools, a successful model in which student performances and teacher evaluations are treated as two sides of the same coin.
The Obama administration’s “Race to the Top” program changes the equation. And it comes not a moment too soon.
By dangling the carrot of money – federal grant of $4.35 billion for school reform and innovation throughout the country - Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has forced the issue. Either States abide by the Race to the Top guidelines to be eligible for grant, or they don’t, in which case there will be no money. Take it or leave it. In other words, no more business as usual.
As Secretary Duncan explained in a Washington Post opinion piece (7/24/09):
"Under Race to the Top guidelines, states seeking funds will be pressed to implement four core interconnected reforms.
- To reverse the pervasive dumbing-down of academic standards and assessments by states, Race to the Top winners need to work toward adopting common, internationally benchmarked K-12 standards that prepare students for success in college and careers.
- To close the data gap -- which now handcuffs districts from tracking growth in student learning and improving classroom instruction -- states will need to monitor advances in student achievement and identify effective instructional practices.
- To boost the quality of teachers and principals, especially in high-poverty schools and hard-to-staff subjects, states and districts should be able to identify effective teachers and principals -- and have strategies for rewarding and retaining more top-notch teachers and improving or replacing ones who aren't up to the job.
- Finally, to turn around the lowest-performing schools, states and districts must be ready to institute far-reaching reforms, from replacing staff and leadership to changing the school culture."
While several states have already signed on to the program, two notable holdouts are New York and California. The reason is the insistence of the teachers unions in these states to preserve the firewall between student performance and teacher effectiveness.
But the message from Washington is clear: This firewall must be taken down, or you can forget about asking for school reform money. Arne Duncan must ensure that states are not able to find loopholes in the program to undermine its effectiveness, as was the case with NCLB. His words instill hope: "For states, school districts, nonprofits, unions and businesses, Race to the Top is the equivalent of education reform's moon shot -- and the Obama administration is determined not to miss this opportunity. We will scrutinize state applications for a coordinated commitment to reform -- and award grants on a competitive basis in two rounds, allowing first-round losers to make necessary changes and reapply."
As an educator and a concerned citizen, I hope that recalcitrant teachers unions throughout the country will welcome Race to the Top as the best K-12 reform package to come from Washington in living memory. The holy grail of public education in America has been to measure whether kids are actually learning anything in our schools to help them become productive members of society. Race to the Top offers the best hope yet to make this measurement available for public scrutiny. Schools will then be forced to promote a culture of excellence, taking corrective actions where necessary, to make our K-12 public education system among the best in the world again.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Feynman Fans, Rejoice!
Richard Feynman, the late great Nobel Prize-winning physicist, remains an icon. One of his fans is Bill Gates, the Microsoft chairman. “He was incredibly inspirational,” Gates remarked once. “He was an independent thinker and gifted teacher who pushed himself to understand new things. I have enjoyed everything I’ve read about him and by him. I admired him deeply…"
The Feynman Lectures on Physics, a set of lectures Feynman gave to undergraduates at Caltech in '62-63, is a classic. (For a description of how the lectures came about, see the definitive article by Feynman's colleague Matthew Sands in Physics Today, April 2005).
Feynman’s fame grew when he was appointed to the Rogers commission in 1986 to investigate the Challenger shuttle explosion. His dramatic demonstration on television of the loss of resiliency in O-ring at freezing temperature as a principal cause of the accident made him a celebrity. In applauding his performance, the physicist Freeman Dyson said: "The public saw with their own eyes how science is done, how a great scientist thinks with his hands, how nature gives a clear answer when a scientist asks a clear question."
Since he passed away in 1988, Feynman lore has continued to grow. Several books have been published, including Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman (James Gleick, 1992), Most of the Good Stuff: Memories of Richard Feynman (American Institute of Physics, 1993), No Ordinary Genius (Christopher Sykes, 1994), The Beat of a Different Drum (Jagdish Mehra, 1994), Feynman’s Lost Lecture: The Motion of Planets Around the Sun (W.W. Norton, 1996), The Meaning of It All (Helix Books, 1998), The Pleasure of Finding Things Out (Perseus Books, 1999) Feynman's Rainbow (Leonard Mlodinow, 2003), and Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard Feynman (Edited by Michelle Feynman, Basic Books, 2005).
Reminiscences by colleagues also appear from time to time in Physics journals, such as "Capturing the Wisdom of Feynman" by Matthew Sands (Physics Today, April 2006) and "Memories of Feynman" by Theodore A. Welton (Physics Today, February 2007).
In 1964, Feynman gave a series of lectures at Cornell University, the Messenger Lectures, under the title "The Character of Physical Law." His topics ranged from symmetry, probability and uncertainty in physical laws to techniques by which physicists seek new laws. The lectures were recognized for their extraordinary quality. "I have videotapes of physics lectures Feynman gave at Cornell decades ago," said Gates. "They are the best lectures I’ve seen on any subject. He shared his enthusiasm and clarity energetically and persuasively."
And now the super-fan has paid his respect to the great physicist and teacher. Gates bought the rights to the seven videos that constitute the Messenger Lectures from BBC and has made them available to the public for free for the first time. On July 14, 2009, Microsoft Research, in collaboration with Gates, launched a Web site - Project Tuva – with the Messenger Lectures that is expected to, among other goals, "help kids get excited about physics and science.”
“I think someone who can make science interesting is magical” said Gates. “And the person who did that better than anybody was Richard Feynman. He took the mystery of science, the importance of science, the strangeness of science, and made it fun and interesting and approachable.”
One doesn’t have to be a physicist or even a student of physics to appreciate Feynman, a genius with the flair of a showman. At a time when science education is declining in our schools and colleges, partly as a result of uninspiring teachers, to be able to see a master in action is a rare treat indeed. For this, Bill Gates deserves our thanks.
(If you are up to it, here is an imaginary encounter between Richard Feynman and Bill Gates)
The Feynman Lectures on Physics, a set of lectures Feynman gave to undergraduates at Caltech in '62-63, is a classic. (For a description of how the lectures came about, see the definitive article by Feynman's colleague Matthew Sands in Physics Today, April 2005).
Feynman’s fame grew when he was appointed to the Rogers commission in 1986 to investigate the Challenger shuttle explosion. His dramatic demonstration on television of the loss of resiliency in O-ring at freezing temperature as a principal cause of the accident made him a celebrity. In applauding his performance, the physicist Freeman Dyson said: "The public saw with their own eyes how science is done, how a great scientist thinks with his hands, how nature gives a clear answer when a scientist asks a clear question."
Since he passed away in 1988, Feynman lore has continued to grow. Several books have been published, including Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman (James Gleick, 1992), Most of the Good Stuff: Memories of Richard Feynman (American Institute of Physics, 1993), No Ordinary Genius (Christopher Sykes, 1994), The Beat of a Different Drum (Jagdish Mehra, 1994), Feynman’s Lost Lecture: The Motion of Planets Around the Sun (W.W. Norton, 1996), The Meaning of It All (Helix Books, 1998), The Pleasure of Finding Things Out (Perseus Books, 1999) Feynman's Rainbow (Leonard Mlodinow, 2003), and Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard Feynman (Edited by Michelle Feynman, Basic Books, 2005).
Reminiscences by colleagues also appear from time to time in Physics journals, such as "Capturing the Wisdom of Feynman" by Matthew Sands (Physics Today, April 2006) and "Memories of Feynman" by Theodore A. Welton (Physics Today, February 2007).
In 1964, Feynman gave a series of lectures at Cornell University, the Messenger Lectures, under the title "The Character of Physical Law." His topics ranged from symmetry, probability and uncertainty in physical laws to techniques by which physicists seek new laws. The lectures were recognized for their extraordinary quality. "I have videotapes of physics lectures Feynman gave at Cornell decades ago," said Gates. "They are the best lectures I’ve seen on any subject. He shared his enthusiasm and clarity energetically and persuasively."
And now the super-fan has paid his respect to the great physicist and teacher. Gates bought the rights to the seven videos that constitute the Messenger Lectures from BBC and has made them available to the public for free for the first time. On July 14, 2009, Microsoft Research, in collaboration with Gates, launched a Web site - Project Tuva – with the Messenger Lectures that is expected to, among other goals, "help kids get excited about physics and science.”
“I think someone who can make science interesting is magical” said Gates. “And the person who did that better than anybody was Richard Feynman. He took the mystery of science, the importance of science, the strangeness of science, and made it fun and interesting and approachable.”
One doesn’t have to be a physicist or even a student of physics to appreciate Feynman, a genius with the flair of a showman. At a time when science education is declining in our schools and colleges, partly as a result of uninspiring teachers, to be able to see a master in action is a rare treat indeed. For this, Bill Gates deserves our thanks.
(If you are up to it, here is an imaginary encounter between Richard Feynman and Bill Gates)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Rekindling the Romance of Space Travel
Forty years ago today, as a student at Dhaka University in Bangladesh (then Pakistan), I remember staying up all night with friends in our hostel, glued to the radio for news of the moon-walking voyagers. Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin had fired our collective imagination as they took tentative steps on the moon while Michael Collins kept vigil in the orbit above. That first small step had opened the door to infinite possibilities. We were exhilarated, our sense of wonder kindled as it has rarely been since.
The daring Apollo 11 astronauts, soaring on the ingenuity of thousands of engineers, made us see the earth as she was: a fragile, small, lonely planet in the vastness of space, in need of the nurturing care of every one of its inhabitants. For a brief, shining moment, we even thought that’s how it was going to be.
On Monday, October 27, 1969, we thronged main street in front of Hotel Intercontinental (now Sheraton) in Dhaka for a glimpse of our heroes. The Apollo 11 astronauts were visiting the city as part of their world-wide goodwill tour. And suddenly there they were, riding in a motorcade, all eyes focused on … Neil Armstrong. Being the first certainly had its privileges, even if the toast of the world had missed an “a” in his unforgettable sentence.
There is talk now of reviving that ’69 spirit of adventure by shooting for Mars, a more hospitable target than the moon. But even if the money is there, is there the national will? “Man must understand his universe,” said Neil Armstrong, “in order to understand his destiny.” The question for us to resolve now as a nations is: What must be our destiny?
The daring Apollo 11 astronauts, soaring on the ingenuity of thousands of engineers, made us see the earth as she was: a fragile, small, lonely planet in the vastness of space, in need of the nurturing care of every one of its inhabitants. For a brief, shining moment, we even thought that’s how it was going to be.
On Monday, October 27, 1969, we thronged main street in front of Hotel Intercontinental (now Sheraton) in Dhaka for a glimpse of our heroes. The Apollo 11 astronauts were visiting the city as part of their world-wide goodwill tour. And suddenly there they were, riding in a motorcade, all eyes focused on … Neil Armstrong. Being the first certainly had its privileges, even if the toast of the world had missed an “a” in his unforgettable sentence.
There is talk now of reviving that ’69 spirit of adventure by shooting for Mars, a more hospitable target than the moon. But even if the money is there, is there the national will? “Man must understand his universe,” said Neil Armstrong, “in order to understand his destiny.” The question for us to resolve now as a nations is: What must be our destiny?
Friday, July 17, 2009
Ride Out and Meet Them
Militants have struck in two luxury hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia, after a lull of four years, killing eight and injuring many more. The country has been a model of progressive thinking and religious coexistence among its diverse population. Even though the most populous Muslim nation in the world, Indonesia’s recent election demonstrated that creed played hardly any part in it. In electing Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as president, Indonesians were united by what was good for the country. The transition to democracy, after years of secessionist sentiments and bloody clashes between different groups, has been remarkable.
This was too much for radical Islamist organizations, and so they did what they do best: kill innocents and try to destabilize a stable nation. Of course they will not succeed but Indonesia must step up its vigilance against them before they can do further damage. I join other Muslims in condemning this act of barbarism by fanatics who claim to be Muslims but who are nothing but cold-blooded murderers. I recall this scene from Lord of the Rings, Twin Towers, and affirm its sentiment:
King: What can man do against such reckless hate?
Aragorn: Ride out with me. Ride out & meet them.
This was too much for radical Islamist organizations, and so they did what they do best: kill innocents and try to destabilize a stable nation. Of course they will not succeed but Indonesia must step up its vigilance against them before they can do further damage. I join other Muslims in condemning this act of barbarism by fanatics who claim to be Muslims but who are nothing but cold-blooded murderers. I recall this scene from Lord of the Rings, Twin Towers, and affirm its sentiment:
King: What can man do against such reckless hate?
Aragorn: Ride out with me. Ride out & meet them.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Web Entrepreneurship in Bangladesh
Spent two weeks in Bangladesh, country of my birth, this summer. Held a seminar on “Web Entrepreneurship in Bangladesh: Lessons from Silicon Valley” on 4th of July. I was surprised by the turnout. Over 100 tech-savvy executives,managers, entrepreneurs and media representatives gathered in an auditorium in Dhaka on a Saturday to listen to what I had to say. (See coverage) More than Web technology, they were intrigued by the soft skills I listed as being critical to success in any Web venture.
After my hour-and-a-half presentation, animated discussions ensued. What impressed me most was how eager and excited my listeners were in starting their own Web businesses. Right at the beginning I was able to capture their attention by declaring that anyone with an intelligent cell phone could become a Web entrepreneur. 92% of Bangladesh is covered by mobile networks. You see advertisements for Grameen, Cell City and other mobile networks everywhere. With the head-start Bangladeshis have with mobile phones, eCommerce should see explosive growth. I am convinced of it.
What I am planning to offer as a starter is hands-on training on Web 2.0 technologies. An obstacle is difficulty with the English language. When I told the attendees that my training will help them improve their command of English as well, the response was heart-felt.
Rousing seminars are dime a dozen. “Ideas are easier to hatch than execute” was a point I made in one of my slides. Yearly week-long seminars by Non-Resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) in Dhaka have become a common occurrence, yet hardly anything has changed. What's needed is action. I am currently preparing a comprehensive hands-on Web 2.0 training manual and hope to travel to Dhaka and Chittagong in a few months to launch my Training of Trainers (TOT) program.
Bangladeshis are hungry for knowledge. If I can be a catalyst for at least some for them to harness the power of the Web to better their lot and help the country’s economy, it will be an exceptionally satisfying experience. Full steam ahead!
After my hour-and-a-half presentation, animated discussions ensued. What impressed me most was how eager and excited my listeners were in starting their own Web businesses. Right at the beginning I was able to capture their attention by declaring that anyone with an intelligent cell phone could become a Web entrepreneur. 92% of Bangladesh is covered by mobile networks. You see advertisements for Grameen, Cell City and other mobile networks everywhere. With the head-start Bangladeshis have with mobile phones, eCommerce should see explosive growth. I am convinced of it.
What I am planning to offer as a starter is hands-on training on Web 2.0 technologies. An obstacle is difficulty with the English language. When I told the attendees that my training will help them improve their command of English as well, the response was heart-felt.
Rousing seminars are dime a dozen. “Ideas are easier to hatch than execute” was a point I made in one of my slides. Yearly week-long seminars by Non-Resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) in Dhaka have become a common occurrence, yet hardly anything has changed. What's needed is action. I am currently preparing a comprehensive hands-on Web 2.0 training manual and hope to travel to Dhaka and Chittagong in a few months to launch my Training of Trainers (TOT) program.
Bangladeshis are hungry for knowledge. If I can be a catalyst for at least some for them to harness the power of the Web to better their lot and help the country’s economy, it will be an exceptionally satisfying experience. Full steam ahead!
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