tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post8872850257364327906..comments2024-03-06T06:34:42.881-05:00Comments on EconoSpeak: Exit, Voice and American EducationUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-27363004376934256052014-10-07T17:48:14.702-04:002014-10-07T17:48:14.702-04:00Peter, nice post, but I don’t think you’ve capture...Peter, nice post, but I don’t think you’ve captured the voice option to improve education. “One was to demand to open it up, make it more democratic with local control and lots of input and accountability. This was the way of voice.” There is an irony that you miss in defining voice. It has to do with the conflict between competence and autonomy. Just opening it up and having local control and demanding accountability doesn’t assure competence; in fact, it pretty much assures the failure to develop competence within a reasonable timeframe. What Finland had was a research-based, centralized system of teacher education that resulted in highly competent teachers who could be given autonomy. <br /><br />From <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/15/what-if-finlands-great-teachers-taught-in-u-s-schools-not-what-you-think/" rel="nofollow"> Pasi Sahlberg:</a><br /><br /><b>"In the United States, for example, there are more than 1,500 different teacher-preparation programs. The range in quality is wide. In Singapore and Finland only one academically rigorous teacher education program is available for those who desire to become teachers. . . . Teacher quality in high-performing countries is a result of careful quality control at entry into teaching rather than measuring teacher effectiveness in service.<br />"Finland is not a fan of standardization in education. However, teacher education in Finland is carefully standardized. All teachers must earn a master’s degree at one of the country’s research universities.</b><br /><br />We need “careful quality control” in practice-based teacher preparation. Elizabeth Green’s new book, <i>Building a Better Teacher</i>. IMO points us in the right direction. <a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119297/dana-goldsteins-teacher-wars-building-better-teacher-review" rel="nofollow"> Here</a> is a review of her book and Dana Goldstein’s book, <i>The Teacher Wars</i>.Burt Furutahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01686343855625452613noreply@blogger.com