REPA on the ropes

REPA on the ropes
By Karen Francisco
The Journal Gazette

I just returned from Rochester High School, where the Indiana Department of Education held the first of three public hearings on the proposed teacher licensing changes. I counted about 200 people in attendance -- almost 100 had signed up to speak.

I heard 35 speakers before the panel took a 40-minute recess. While there were a handful of speakers who praised single elements of the proposal, there was not a single speaker who favored the rule changes overall.

There was testimony from teachers, superintendents, education students, librarians, a school counselor, psychologist and faculty members from multiple schools of education.

One of the most articulate speakers was Calvin Bellamy, a Schererville attorney and former CEO and chairman of Bank Calumet. He addressed the rules' emphasis on content over pedagogy by noting that he has taught and lectured (at Northwestern and the DePaul University College of Law, according to his bio) but that he recognized the distinction between providing professional expertise and teaching.

"We would be very foolish to think there is nothing special about the science of teaching," Bellamy said.

Rep. Vernon Smith, a Gary Democrat who teaches educational leadership courses at IU Northwest, questioned what research was behind the proposed changes.

Tony Lux, the superintendent of Merrillville Community School Corp., told the hearing officers that the comments they had heard shouldn't be construed as complaints from education groups against education reform, but simply complaints about rules that are "short-sighted, illogical."

Pat Mapes, one of the hearing officers, told me during the break that DOE had received 534 online comments about the REPA rules as of Oct. 19.

"We haven't heard anything here today that we hadn't already heard in those comments," Mapes said.

DOE's Risa Regnier said it was difficult to compare the volume of response to the proposed changes to previous departmental revisions because the proposal is so broad. The rules changes would affect virtually every aspect of Indiana public education -- from the state's schools of education to individual teachers.

The one thread to all of the comments: Slow down. Listen to those who will be affected.

Will it happen?

"I want to stress the department's openness in this rule-changing process," state Superintendent Tony Bennett said in a news release sent today. "We will continue to listen to and address meaningful concerns."

The state has little choice but to listen, given the rules promulgation requirements. The real question is what the administration will concede as "meaningful concerns." My guess is -- not much.

The IDOE REPA website www.doe.in.gov/repacomment will remain open until October 30. We encourage you to submit your comments if you have not yet done so.

There are also two additional public hearings scheduled: one tomorrow at Scottsburg Middle School and one on November 2 at the Indianapolis State Library. Both are scheduled to start at 10:00 am.