June Atkinson, the state superintendent in North Carolina, can’t remember a worse time for public education or a te when teachers were so disrespected.
NC ranks 46th in the nation in teachers’ salaries. Teachers must teach 15 years to reach $40,000 a year. What a disgrace!
It started, she says, 3-4 years ago at the national level. Let’s see, that would coincide with the launch of Race to Top. This is a bipartisan disaster.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It’s worse then that. Legislation passes to eliminate higher pay for advanced degrees. Everyone makes the same regardless of level of education. No raise for at least another 2 years, totaling 7 years with no increase in pay. I actually make less then I did 6 years ago and now they are increasing student days from 180 to 185, with no extra compensation. I am looking feverishly to move to another state that treats educators like professionals and not babysitters.
Good luck finding that state. You can cross off my state– PA
And then we have CT with among the highest teacher salaries and benefits in the country and the highest achievement gap in the country.
Kenny, the highest achievement gap in the nation is not Connecticut but Washington, DC. The size of the gap is larger because of the very high white scores, due to white college grad rates.
We certainly have a large gap between highest income earners and lowest income earners. Could there be a correlation there?
Democracy is broken, because corporate powers have found a way to hijack state legislatures! Amber, sad to say, but there are not too many states that treat teachers like professionals.
Time to put those White Board to good use. How about a Timeline Map? We teach our kids to Connect The Dots, don’t we?
Post it, Post it, Post it.
ALEC, Stand Your Ground, NCLB, Common Core Standards, Privatized Charter Schools, School Closures, Elimination of School Boards, Destruction of Voting Rights Act, Repeated Wall Street Bailouts, Assault Weapon Easy Access, Austerity Budget Bludgeoning, Military Industrial Complex, NSA Subcontractors Gobbling Our Tax $$$.
Here’s one more dot for the board. The so called “school principals” who resemble corporate managers that have only a couple years of teaching experience and no masters degree.
What happened to principals who are expert teachers? This is the new TFA for principals employed in NC:
http://www.newleaders.org/apply-now/requirements-by-location/
I think they “abandonment” idea is really powerful. As the parent of a public school kid in Ohio, I really do feel abandoned by both my state government and the federal government. Ordinary local public schools need not apply!
The crazy state and federal focus on the 5% of schools that conform to the rigid “reform” recipe is something we’re going to regret.
Besides Arne Duncan’s one statement on Philadelphia schools, a statement he made only after being pushed, has one single national “reformer” advocated for a restoration of pubic school funding?
We could use less “innovation” and more simple, competent stewardship of the schools that MOST children attend, existing schools, but I suppose “stewardship” isn’t nearly as exciting and media-friendly as “cage-busting.’
It’s neglect.
Yes it is (bipartisan disaster).
Until June St Claire Atkinson admits that RttT is a factor in the equation, I don’t see changes coming.
I saw the sharp contrast, leaving two public schools in 2009 to have my son and returning to a third in 2012. Before I worked in schools beholden to NCLB. But then . . . a data room? Unhappy teachers (really)–kids assessed every 12 days (sometimes missing music to do so).
So correct!!
Diane do not forget about the extremely high funding/student in D.C. If I remember correctly Connetticut is also high funded just not that high. This is a planned disaster purposely done. When there is chaos there is opportunity in war and business. This is both to them. War for total domination and business because they deserve all the money. Just that simple. In the normal world a “Real PHD”, not like Deasy’s, gets almost double a bachelors. I have always wondered why teachers with high degrees did not hardly get paid for them. Why is it the opposite of everywhere else? Teaching is supposed to be one of the highest callings. They are either creating a worse world or a better one as that is where our youth go. You cannot operate properly in a state of constant fear as it is now. This is why CORE-CA yesterday filed an Amicus Brief with the California State Supreme Court for them to hear a case of an employee who was physically battered by her new principal three times. As soon as they file the complaint as they were told to they were illegally terminated. This needs to stop. We need to support our teachers and they need to fight for their profession as they are in Chicago. L.A., N.Y. the rest of them are still asleep as far as the unions are concerned anyway. Not the public. That is how we are winning here. PEOPLE POWER. Another term is BLOWBACK.
Maybe John Edwards can write a check to get us out of RttT and atone for his wrongs at the same time.
Anybody have his number? I will call him and ask him.
Somebody needs to get us out of this.
June is a great and gracious lady, one savvy broad (meant in the the kindest and most genteel way if “broad” can be genteel). We are fortunate to have her on our side but unfortunately she is exponentially outnumbered.
I too make less that I did several years ago and with 4 years until retirement I pray my job won’t be cut and I need to stay put and not exit the state.
Basically we have abandoned our humanity. As a state, nation, world we no longer value our fellow man. Children are being sacrificed for the bottom line but I somehow think the bottom line really is “profits” in disquise. Short term profits moving towards future societal destruction make the situation grim indeed.
If she would just admit that RttT is part of the problem a lot could change.
That is a bold conversation that needs to happen. If Clinton can get on tv and tell the nation he lied about an affair, why can’t our leaders admit that money has caused more harm than good?
“That” money, meaning RttT
June admit to RttT money?
That money = used to make or pay companies to make the 194 plus tests they give in NC
Her department has literally thrown teachers under a bus.
Adopted the ccss with zero resources.
Teachers work 17/24 and on weekends trying to make it right.
What a disaster.
Damn! You made an excellent point, Joanna!
Maybe she will help us get an opt out option for the EOGs??????????
I don’ think you need her in order to have that happen. Did you see the post on this blog a few weeks ago about united opt out. Look it up–good website.
I looked it up and asked my local board directly about opting out and I was pointed to the GS that supposedly states EOG are required.
I am struggling with how much of a pain I want to be and demand my child not participate in the act of taking the EOGs.
Here’s a list of all the bills for education in NC.
http://ncpta.org/index.php/2013/03/22/new-bills-that-impact-education-and-children/
(I wonder how many bills were first drafted in cursive?)
I just replied with about 5 paragraphs..then deleted all.
They pretend to listen in NC..They do not.
Joanna has it right…
The RttT is the problem!!
All of the money has been used to make or buy tests..That is it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are also right. June is a big support of CCSS and RttT. She is right about one thing. Teachers are leaving NC, either to teach in other states where the salaries are higher or to change career paths. It’s really said what’s happening here. Really sad? What really can we do?
It’s really sad what happening here. Really sad!!!!! What really can we do?
Once again, there will always be a state that ranks 46th in the nation in teacher salary, no matter how much teachers as a group are paid. Which state Should rank 46th?
Forget the rank…fifteen years to make $40,000?!
I posted mainly because the rank criticism makes little sense. The BLS has a nice table of average wages. You can look here http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm
Found a better table: wages in North Carolina. You can search by occupational title.
This is the link:http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nc.htm
How does one say , “no” to the federal government?
I vaguely remember something about governors and ccss but then again, my critical thinking skills are slipping.