North Carolina is one of the red states with a super-majority of Republicans in control of he legislature.
So Republicans can do anything they want, as they control state government.
The editorial today in the Raleigh News Observer defends teachers. The editorialist sharply rebukes Phil Berger’s punitive, mean-spirited education “reforms.” That’s welcome news.
The editorialist points out that the predictable consequence of letter grades will be to stigmatize schools, not improve them.
What’s more, he defends teachers. Picking on teachers is a favorite ploy of the state’s politicians. Given that North Carolina is a right to work state and teacher pay is nearly the worst in the nation, this ploy looks like bullying.
Bullying is bad when kids do it in school, why is it okay for the president pro tem of the state senate to bully teachers? Phil Berger seems to think that the schools will improve if teachers have no right to due process, if they can be fired for any reason at all. He confuses tenure for university professors (which is close to an ironclad guarantee of lifetime job protection) with due process rights for teachers, which guarantees nothing more than the right to a hearing before they can fire you.
Berger wants to eliminate due process. He wants teachers to be fired if their students get low test scores. Teachers of kids with disabilities and teachers of English language learners will be axed. Students can withhold effort and fire their teachers. Does Berger have a plan to recruit teachers to work in a state where teachers are public enemy #1?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Here’s a link to a column about a recently published book that urges greater trust for teachers. The book has been endorsed by Deborah Meier, Linda Darling Hammond, the head of the NEA, president of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, and others. The book suggests giving teachers the power to create the kinds of public schools they think make sense. It also describes some places where this has happened.
http://abcnewspapers.com/2013/03/14/new-book-about-teachers-draws-praise/
I have been advocating of teacher boards implementing curriculum in public schools for awhile now. I am glad to see what seems to be a credible book come out that makes that point.
To me, this is a no-brainer. Teachers are on the ground, know what our kids need, and are trained and licensed to educate our young people. In addition, imagine the savings to taxpayers! Better results for less money. Factor in the elimination of the financial incentive administrators have to steamroll teachers and you have a win to tenth power situation–for everyone but the education managers that is.
However, what is really needed is a return by those who serve the public trust to really serve the public instead of enriching and aggrandizing themselves on public funds. Nothing wrong with “profiteering” that is why we have a private sector. Plunder away, but not at the expense of public education, our children, and our collective futures.
See you today in Raleigh, Diane. I’ll be live-tweeting the event beginning at 11:45. Follow along @jeffbcdm
Tenure has become toxic. Perhaps union leaders should stop using the “T” word and start using “Due Process”. The public needs to understand that public school teachers never had a guaranteed lifetime job. Public school teachers, at least in NYC where I taught, were observed every semester after receiving tenure. Three consecutive unsatisfactory ratings was sufficient to begin the process for termination. In order for teachers to be exempt from the observation requirements they had/have to be at maximum pay level. In NYC reaching maximum pay level occurs after 22 years. While it is not necessary to be observed after 22 years, observations can still occur if a principal/asst principal wishes so, with termination possible after 3 consecutive unsatisfactory ratings.
“Does Berger have a plan to recruit teachers to work in a state where teachers are public enemy #1?”
Maybe those good teachers will start migrating to “where the gold is: – states like Massachusetts and Maryland and hmmm, well, you know, those other excellent education states.
I am glad NC is starting to receive your attention. We appreciated your visit, although I was not personally able to be there. It’s ironic that I was actually in Charlotte the day you were here, but I was unable to attend due to other obligations.
I can’t believe people are still putting out this stale agenda. Do politicians in NC have anything to do but pick on teachers?
As an NC teacher all I can say is thank you.