Schools chief wants proof

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jul 29, 2007 by James Carlson

By James Carlson

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Alexa Posny can repeat herself, but that is probably because she is asked the same question repeatedly: How do you walk the line between the moderate and conservative blocs on the Kansas State Board of Education?

As the new commissioner of the Kansas Department of Education, Posny points to her previous work in Washington, D.C., where she worked with varying interests from across the country.

"There's no agreement in terms of what needs to be done across the 50 states, so I don't necessarily believe there will ever be agreement within one state," she said in an interview this past week.

For her, she wants to see data and "research that points the way forward."

And she has inherited plenty of issues to deal with on her way forward: teacher shortages, the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and the divide on the board of education, whose votes the past few years, specifically on sexual education and the teaching of evolution, have fostered derision among some educators in the state and brought national attention to the board's policies.

Unlike her predecessor, Bob Corkins, who had little experience in education, Posny has spent a lifetime in and around schools, most recently as director of special education programs for the U.S. Department of Education. There, she said, she learned about dealing with vastly different opinions on how the system should work. While the means to the end may be different, she said, as long as everyone is focused on making sure every kid is successful, the schools will be fine.

Still, she is willing to speak her mind if she sees a proposal not supported by research.

"The bottom line is, let's take a look at the evidence," she said. "What does the data show?"

One thing everyone agrees on is there aren't enough teachers in Kansas. Posny said 50 percent of the state's teachers can retire in the next five years, and more than 30 percent of first-year teachers will leave the system within the first three years. On that note, she applauds the recent board decision to lower the grade-point average requirement for teachers coming from out of state.

"If a teacher has been teaching for 18 or 20 years very successfully, and possibly 20 years ago their grade-point average wasn't quite up to snuff, is that enough to say that a person is not qualified as a teacher?" she asked.

She also enters her new post in Congress is tasked with reauthorizing NCLB. When asked about whether she thinks the law has been positive, she sighs, then pauses before answering.

"You know NCLB has put a focus on being accountable on all students, and I don't think anyone would argue against that," she said.

But she can point to problems in the act, as well. For one thing, she says, there are 44 different targets states must meet to stay in compliance. If you miss one of those 44 indicators, you are sanctioned the same as if you missed 40. She said even U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling has recognized the possible need for different levels of proficiency.

She is heartened that the U.S. Department of Education has included a "student growth model" in its blueprint sent to Congress to consider when working out the details of NCLB. Unlike NCLB, which uses an aggregate measure of student achievement, the student growth model looks at improvements in individual students.

"Maybe some students need two years instead of one year to learn algebra, and this model would allow those students to learn at that pace and it still be considered progress," she said.

Traditionally, the easiest way to raise aggregate test scores for NCLB compliance was to help the kids just below the proficiency line, which often ignores gifted children and those who might be at the lower end of the spectrum.

Money certainly helps, she said.

After the Kansas Supreme Court ruled the state wasn't following its constitutional duty to adequately finance public schools, the Legislature allotted $831 million in new funds to be distributed over four years, starting with the 2005-2006 school year.

Much of those funds have gone to help the poor and minority students Posny says need more attention.

Overall, she says she wants a broader focus on both ends of the educational spectrum. The state needs to start addressing children's special needs earlier, she says, and needs to look at how to transition students out of high school and into some sort of higher education.

"There needs to be intense interventions at every step of the process," she said. "We need to look at the evidence-based practices that will really and truly help a student learn, and that's where we need to spend our time over the next few years."

James Carlson can be reached

at (785) 295-1186

or james.carlson@cjonline.com.