rivista anarchica
anno 41 n. 359
febbraio 2011


school

Here comes the Evaluation Team
by Cosimo Scarinzi

Among the innovations introduced with the reform Gelmini, this leads to a necessary deepening of the meritocratic ideology.

Finally we are starting to evaluate teachers and schools on the basis of merit. Awards, therefore, for the best and not only money related to length of career, however, thanks to the efforts of the government, were secured to the whole field.”.

From the press release with which the Less Public Education Minister Maria Stella Gelmini in November 2010 shows the "experimental project to reward teachers who are characterized by a general appreciation in the vocational school."

The electronic traveler who had read the statement from the minister would stay at least admired: a government that, much effort has ensured teachers increases linked to length of career and at the same time, from awards to the best. Objectively, a result that contradicts all the bad things that are free from journalists poorly against our minister, and especially those of the Minister Tremonti presented without any foundation as a cutter of compensations. Pity it is not like that, if, in fact, we calculate the unprecedented cuts to the organic, the blocking of contracts and the fact that seniority for the future are no longer guaranteed, it is clear that this experimental project is not, unless in an ironic sense, a cherry on the cake. You should go and see in what constituted the project.

The proposal of the technicians-scientists.

The "Proposal" is the work of a CTS (Scientific Committee) appointed in the month of February, in which we find the names of renowned Israel and Bottani, Andrea Gavosto (director of the Agnelli Foundation), Giancarlo Capello (director of the Centro Studi CISL school), Claudio Gentile (Director of the Education Unit of Confindustria), Attilio Oliva (TreeLLLe), Andrea Ichino etc. etc. chaired by Anna Maria Poggi, Professor of Law and law school, which supports the belief that while Article 33 of the Constitution states that private schools should not entail any cost to the state, this does not mean that regions can not give money to private schools.
We then found the mistress of penser of Cota, President of Regione Piemonte.
The document, which we imagine will reflect the activities of these technicians, scientists, contains such phrases:
"The trial will focus on teachers of twenty selected schools in two cities (Turin and Naples). The schools will be identified through a lottery made between those who have expressed their commitment to the project. The project will be submitted to the college teachers in each school draw for the act of accession. (...) The core (of evaluation) will be responsible for evaluating teachers who have demonstrated their commitment to testing ... "
And the Evaluation Team is - it goes without saying - consisting of the headmaster and two colleagues willing to act as headhunters chosen, imagine with that spirit, by the School Committee as well as the Chairman of the Institute. Easy to imagine that will make a real choice of the "deserving".
The first striking element is the "voluntariness", schools would have to adhere voluntarily, as a voluntary adherence to the evaluation of teachers.
The thinking behind this "libertarian" plant is obvious: since the project requires "the most deserving teachers (a maximum of 15% - 20%) will be assigned individual premiums equal to one month gross salary. The results for the members of the teaching awards will be affixed on the school "and that" deserving "are identified on this unique system.
"The assessment of teachers will refer to two elements that will be used to formulate the opinion:

– curriculum vitae
– self-evaluation document

In addition to these factors, the core must also consider the results of investigations carried out to detect the appreciation of teachers from the users (parents and students). Explore the use of indicators of appreciation from the users is a major element of the trial, as it makes the assessment more comprehensive, meaningful and, above all, not self-referential. "
It is imagined that a number of colleges teachers motivated by greed to reach a fourteenth salary would allow voluntary data, at little cost - we saw, after all, it was twenty schools to demonstrate that it has spread among the teachers' meritocratic ideology and consensus in the educational policy of the government.
Less clear is why the ministry has chosen to double as lively as Naples and Turin, perhaps looking for a showdown? In case it lost it.

Torino, November 30

At the prestigious Liceo D'Azeglio school managers of the city are meeting to be learned about the experimentation.
What is striking in the human type that gathers is the stellar distance from the image that the Ministry would like to credit, in place of a host of rampant managers come gray bureaucrats or, at best, the classic role of head teachers in the past and forced to participate the skit.
Outside the high school CUB School distributes an open letter to leaders who are requested to kindly not lend itself to the nth business of government. In particular my manager, left the Catholic devoted to the company-school, informs me that I have already assessed, I admit that it does not surprise me.
The legendary General Manager Giovanni Rossi, a man of lively Tuscan speech, begins with a piqued response to the flyer Association and insists that testing, we have actually mocked rather, it is something serious and fair.
Recommended to school officials, who do not seem full of enthusiasm, if not anonymous to encourage membership in the clandestine assessment and returns to Rome.
The adventure begins
At this point the DS, it's their role, begin to call the teachers colleges to present the project and apply for membership.
We do our part by encouraging colleagues and co-workers to oppose the testing with an emphasis on two topics:

1. It is not a serious thing
2. In trend is credited to a division of the class together as a democratic and free foo saved and submerged

An important role plays the methodical dissemination of models of antisperimentation motions, brief reports of the state of teachers colleges and a daily updated list of schools that bounce experimentation.
In Turin, the city on Dec. 22 that more than 100 out of 118 schools have rejected the trial and that the school has accepted a hill with the middle-class college professors split in half and with the casting vote of school administrator .
The administration to save face at first extends the trials to schools in the province except in the first instance and then to Milan by moving the deadline for acceptance from 22 December to 7 January.
Whatever you do to finish a debacle.

Some synthetic assessments

Deceive ourselves if we say that what has happened is the product of radically subversive attitude of the Turin teachers.
The debacle of the ministry comes, obviously, from the sum of three segments of the category:

1. The radical antimeritocratics
2. The meritocratics precluding the lack of seriousness of the trial and not the principle itself
3. The fear of the new

In favor were then deployed and only shoe-shiners and the pasdaran of the aziendalism. Facing, however, a proposal based on merit not insane and not linked to an attack on wages and employment, such as this one it does not necessarily pass the same position.
It is therefore necessary to consider appropriate to today meritocratic ideology, a deepening in the making of that mobilization was not possible but now it is only right.

Cosimo Scarinzi
National coordinator CUB-Scuola