RE: Questions for the day

I am a science teacher and curriculum developer, currently teaching middle school science, and finishing a master's degree in 
Educational Leadership. I have 18 years teaching experience, in a variety of settings - the U.K., and in inner city and suburban Bay Area schools.

I'm replying to Michael Ricketts' questions.
1.) What do you hope a Master Plan will mean for California education (pre-kindergarten through postsecondary education)? 
I'd like to see a master plan which puts the achievement of students as the central piece of any plan. By 'achievement', I mean a diverse array of achievement, not just that measured by the current STAR tests. I want to see an educational system that is reflective and makes constant adjustments to it's course as new challenges emerge. I do NOT want to see a Master Plan that has perscriptive detail that will lock schools into blind followers of an imposed policy document. Rather, I would like to see reflective practice and critical thinking become part of the culture of school personnel. Reflective thinking will then become part of the class room and of student's experience of learning. 

        2.) How much influence can a state-level Master Plan have on education in classrooms across the state? There has been a postsecondary
        education plan since 1960. Has it made a real difference? In what ways? Can a Master Plan create a more "aligned" or "cohesive"
        education system, in which the parts work in a coordinated way?

I have no idea what effects this plan has had on any system that I have worked in. It is not a document at the forefront of any discussion I have been involved in at school sites. 

Certainly, the focus on accountability is interpreted extremely narrowly in the schools I have worked in - improvement in STAR scores or tests. But there is very little reflective discussion of what is it we want to achieve and how can we get our students there? I do think that it is high time that there was some sort of external standard by which to evaluate how well schools are doing and STAR is a start. I hope though, that it is a stepping stone toward a more holistic assessment of student achievement.

        3.) The draft Plan talks about accountability as an essential component to achieving the vision of a cohesive education system. What does
        accountability mean in such a complex system? 
        Can a Master Plan create real accountability, so that someone is responsible when student achievement doesn't happen?
 
Accountability could mean that staff at a school decide on what the priority problems are that must be addressed. They decide what progress would look like. They collect research and pool ideas and decide what measures they will take to try to achieve their self identified measures. They then make their plan and goals public, along with the data that they collect. I'd like to see significant staff development on how to do this process. Site based goals and improvement plans would need to be approved by the district and by the state, and should include some form of state wide testing. A start might be to have people read Schmoker's slim volume "Results" - Schmoker suggests that people are happiest when they are working towards self selected, measurable and attainable goals. This sounds like such a refreshing and workable plan for schools. The trickle down could be so powerful for our students. 

        4.) After the Master Plan is written, how much influence will the public have on the process of putting it into effect?

I'd like to see communities involved in selection of goals that a school should be addressing. I'd like to see the community involved in the discussions of data and where to go next. I'd like however, the roles of educators, board and community members to be made clear, and to always keep their focus on what their children need the most.