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COMMUNIQUÉ A PUBLICATION OF THE IOWA STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION – SEPTEMBER 2011 – Vol. 49, No. 1 Iowa Education Summit receives mixed reviews from educators The Iowa Education Summit was held July 25-26 at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines. The theme for the summit was World-Class Education=World-Class Workforce. According to organizers Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, the purpose for the Summit was to build a consensus for how to give all students a world-class education, no matter where they live. "Some educators left feeling that education in Iowa is failing because of what was presented. We needed to hear that educators are still valued and honored in this state. The ISEA is at the table with the Governor and his staff drafting the plan that will be presented to the public this fall in a series of town meetings. It is more important than ever that members get to these meetings," said Chris Bern, ISEA president. In an online chat presented by the Quad City Times, Jason Glass, director of the Iowa Department of Education, said that after the planning phase to design specific strategies to improve education in Iowa, he will present the plan to the Legislature. "We will then go to the Legislature with a compelling vision of what education in Iowa could be and what we must do to make the state a high- performing system globally…and we must work together as a coalition to protect that plan," Glass said. ISEA members in attendance at the Summit expressed concern that there were not many opportunities for input and discussion. "The worst part of the event was the lack of opportunity to actually talk with other educators. Mary Jane Cobb, ISEA executive director, participated in the Setting the Bar Higher for Teacher Evaluation and Compensation panel discussion. Tammy Wawro, ISEA vice president, participated in the Attracting More Top Talent and Better Preparing New Teachers panel discussion. We were talked at," said Tom Yates, president of the Iowa City Education Association. Members also expressed concern that so few presenters were familiar with Iowa's evaluation system. "We do have a very good evaluation system in Iowa. We need administrators that use it," said Roberta Haas. When asked what they heard at the Summit that would move Iowa in the right direction, educators responded, "All school staff and boards should watch a video of Linda Darling-Hammond's talk about what works and what doesn't work," said Don Miller. Linda Darling-Hammond has graciously shared her slide show from the Summit with ISEA members on the ISEA website www. isea.org. When asked what they heard that would move Iowa in the wrong direction, Barb Langner responded, "The sentiment that teachers are the enemy and do not believe change is needed." Update on the blueprint for education reform Since the Iowa Education Summit this summer ISEA's President and Executive Director have been engaged in conversations with Iowa Department of Education Director Jason Glass, the Governor's office, leaders of other education associations, business leaders, and legislators about the future of education in Iowa. A draft blueprint for education reform is expected by early October. Then, there will be a period of time for input and discussion before the final plan is converted to proposed legislation for the next legislative session. At this point, there is no written plan, but we can share with you the themes we have heard in our meetings thus far. Like the Summit, the new proposal will be centered around the three themes of: 1) High Expectations and Fair Measures; 2) Great Teachers and Leaders; and 3) the Spirit of Innovation. The strand of High Expectations and Fair Measures focuses on the implementation and improvement of the Iowa Core/Common Core and determining the best mix of student assessment measures. Iowa is participating in the SMARTER Balanced assessment consortium that is working on a computer-adaptive test aligned to the Common Core for grades 3-8. You can learn more about SMARTER Balanced at their web site http:// www.k12.wa.us/smarter/ There has also been conversation about other tests that could be utilized including the ACT, PISA and a high school exit exam. The strand of Great Teachers and Leaders focuses on efforts to recruit and retain the best and the cont.' on page 2 5 IN THIS ISSUE TEACHING & LEARNING ISEA to conduct webinars on National Board Certification 9 FALL CONFERENCES For ESPs, Students, Retired, & Higher Ed members 11 LEGAL Cyberbullying

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