Good Education Policy in Florida

Woodring Law Firm is always particularly interested in helping further good education policy in Florida.

To discuss an education policy matter anywhere in Florida, call 850-567-8445 or use the contact form on this page.

Good Education Policy Explained

By Daniel Woodring

As noted on the Education Law page, I am particularly interested in using my legal abilities to further good educational policy. Educational policy does not exist in the abstract: pretty much every policy in the educational context either helps or hurts children in receiving a good education.

Some educational policy questions are still unknown, and that is probably as it always will be, but there are many educational policy questions that we know the correct answers to, yet that are not yet implemented. Some of the key concepts, policies that we really know beyond dispute, unless, as the saying goes, our paycheck depends on not understanding the policies, are as follows:

Effective Teachers Are the Highest Priority

While many factors can have an impact on a child’s education, with the family situation probably being the greatest factor, but also the one that those not in the family have the least ability to impact, the greatest factor that educators can control is the quality of the teacher. To a certain extent, the existence of a stable educational setting is presumed; a school in a war zone presents additional challenges. Clearly a good leader, a good principal, will help in having effective teachers, but schools and principals do not teach children; teachers do.

Effective teachers are considered effective when they can move students, whether the students come to them as high- or low-achieving students, from where they start, and demonstrate that the students have made significant progress during the course of the school year. How far they must move students will be a factor in how effective they are, but it can be safe to say that moving them less than a year’s worth of knowledge in a year’s time would not be an auspicious start. In many cases with already low-performing students, the effectiveness needed will be to move students 2, 3 or even 5 years ahead in knowledge.

What We Know About Effective Teachers

Well, what are some of the things we know about effective teachers? First, we know that years of experience have very little impact on student results once a teacher reaches the 3rd or 4th year of teaching. A 20-year teacher will be no more effective on average than the same teacher was at 4 years.

We also know that obtaining an advanced degree such as a master’s or doctorate has no positive impact on a teacher’s effectiveness, with a minor exception for a few math teachers, nor does a certification such as National Board Certification. In fact, for nationally board certified teachers, we know that their effectiveness goes down during the year they become nationally board certified.

We also know that the route to teacher certification is irrelevant: whether they went to a college of education or became certified by an alternative route has no significant impact on teacher effectiveness.

We also know that when teachers are paid the same, the better teachers, to the extent they stay in teaching, tend to choose the schools that have the better learning environments because of parental involvement and student preparation. Really, this is just one of those no-brainers: if the salary is the same, they might as well try to take advantage of non-salary benefits.

Additionally, while highly effective teachers are important at every level, we also know that they are most important at the elementary levels and particularly in the context of teaching students to read, and learn math. Students who leave the early grades several years behind have a very slim chance of ever catching up.

In Summary

In summation, it is hard to predict which teachers will be highly effective before they enter the classroom, but after 3 or 4 years they can be identified based on student results, and they will, on average, remain as effective or ineffective for the rest of their teaching careers. We also know that the traditional basis for determining salaries, years of experience and degrees obtained, has no positive correlation with teacher effectiveness and, in effect, has a negative correlation from a return-on-investment perspective. We also know that where collective bargaining agreements mandate that all teachers with the same years of experience be treated alike without regard to effectiveness or area of expertise, the better teachers tend to wind up over time in the schools with the less challenging students.

Florida Law Today

Florida law now reflects some of these points. A school district’s performance salary schedule ties salary adjustments to a teacher’s evaluation rating, and a district may count an advanced degree in setting salaries only if the degree is held in the teacher’s area of certification (section 1012.22, Florida Statutes). At least one-third of a teacher’s evaluation must be based on student performance (section 1012.34, Florida Statutes).

Visit myflteacher.com (not current since Covid) for the names of Florida’s best public school teachers based on student growth.

Talk to Us About Education Policy

If you think you have a way to further good education policy and would like our help, please let us know. Call 850-567-8445, email Info@woodringlawfirm.com, or use the contact form on this page. See also our Education Law, Charter School Law, and School Choice Law pages.

Common Questions

What is the greatest factor in a child’s education that educators can control?

The quality of the teacher. Many factors can have an impact on a child’s education, but the greatest factor that educators can control is the quality of the teacher.

How is an effective teacher identified?

By student results. Effective teachers move students from where they start and demonstrate that the students have made significant progress during the course of the school year.

Does Woodring Law Firm help with education policy matters?

Yes. If you think you have a way to further good education policy and would like our help, please let us know.