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Maryland spends up to $1 billion on teacher professional development every year, but there is little to no data showing that teachers improve in classrooms from such programs, according to a recent report.
Public school teachers in Maryland must renew their teaching license every five years, which involves three years of annual satisfactory evaluations and a certain number of hours of state-approved professional development opportunities and courses at colleges and universities.
But the effectiveness of teacher recertification requirements is ambiguous, according to Abell Foundation’s “Reconsidering Teacher Recertification in Maryland” report. And because of how many public dollars are invested in teacher licensure and professional development, it is important to ensure that these efforts are meaningful, Mark Procopio,
This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
The Maryland Senate on Friday voted to override Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.’s veto of a monumental education reform bill, culminating years of work from policy experts, education advocates and lawmakers and finalizing it into law.
The vote fell on party lines, 31-15, with Democrats in favor of overriding the veto. The House of Delegates had voted in favor of the override earlier this week, meaning that the bill will be enacted into law in 30 days.
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The state Senate on Friday followed the House of Delegates in overriding Gov. Larry Hogan s veto on landmark education reforms.
The bill implements the recommendations of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, commonly called the Kirwan Commission after its chair, former University System of Maryland Chancellor William Brit Kirwan. All Marylanders should rejoice over the General Assembly’s courageous action to override the veto of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future bill. As a result, desperately needed resources will now flow to the schools and children across the state, including an army of tutors, a significant expansion of community schools and preschools, greater support for teachers and much, much more, Kirwan said in a statement. With this action, Maryland is now on track to develop a school system that will be the envy of the n
Updated: 5:42 PM EST Feb 12, 2021 The Blueprint for Maryland s Future Act is now law after the General Assembly overrode the governor s veto, but Gov. Larry Hogan said the fight is not over.The state Senate voted 31-16 Friday to override Hogan s veto of the Kirwan education bill. This comes after the House of Delegates voted Monday to override the governor s veto.Supporters say the coronavirus pandemic has only widened the academic and performance gap among students and that the bill will help address that.Brit Kirwan, chairman in the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education (Kirwan Commission), released a statement on the veto override, saying: All Marylanders should rejoice over the General Assembly s courageous action to override the veto of the Blueprint for Maryland s Future bill. As a result, desperately needed resources will now flow to the schools and children across the state, including an army of tutors, a significant expansion of community schools
Kirwan education reforms are at high risk of repeating historical disappointments
From the cover of the preliminary report.
Accountability was certainly a feature of the massive 235-page bill, HB1300, that implements the 10-year, multi-billion-dollar plan for strengthening and rebuilding K-12 education in Maryland. Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed that bill not just because it would require higher taxes but also because he found it lacking in accountability.
Next week, the legislature will attempt to override Hogan’s veto. In this article, Maryland Reporter contributor Charlie Hayward, a life-long government auditor, takes a deep-dive into the accountability features in the legislation and finds numerous problems.