Yesterday, I called Maryland the nation's greatest Race to the Top disappointment. But the state superintendent appears to be trying to do something about that.
At a meeting of the state board of education, schools chief Nancy Grasmick announced her intention to change three state policies related to teachers: lengthening the period for granting tenure, requiring unions to negotiate on performance pay, and allowing districts to use achievement data in teacher evaluations.
Because these changes need to be made in order for Maryland to be competitive, the board also voted to bypass the first round of RTT and compete in the second round in mid-2010. (Two of the proposals require changes in state law, and the General Assembly session begins in mid-January and runs for 90 days.)
The changes would be steps in the right direction. But several words of caution are in order. First, no details were provided, so we need to keep our expectations in check; the devil is in the details. Second, I'm not sure how the second change would actually work--how do you require a union to bargain something? What if they agree to discuss it, discuss it, and then reject it? They've complied with the policy but no progress was made.
Third, as the article notes, the teachers union is not pleased; it carries major sway in the state, especially right now since the Democrat incumbent governor is up for re-election in 2010. Fourth, the state legislature is??generally??not receptive to such bold reforms.
Fifth, a change in the state charter law is desperately needed, and the state superintendent is leaving that up to others.
So all in all, yesterday was a good day for Maryland. It hasn't joined the race yet, but it's beginning to stretch.
PS: The Gates foundation deserves a bit of credit here. I was skeptical when it decided to expand its offer of consulting help from 15 states to all 50. It seemed like a concession to the establishment. But by allowing Maryland to apply for funds, the foundation was able to deliver the state a clear message: you aren't up to snuff. I strongly suspect that played a role in this movement. Congratulations and thanks to Gates.
PPS: For those keeping score at home, by my count four states have decided to skip the first round of RTT competition and apply the second time around: Nevada, Maine, Maryland, and Washington. New Jersey had been on the list until its recent volte-face.
-Andy Smarick