Archives for category: Teacher Tenure
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Why Teacher Tenure Matters

By dianeravitch
July 21, 2013 //
120

I reported a few minutes ago that the extremist North Carolina legislature agreed to end teacher tenure. I pointed out that academic freedom will disappear. Joan Baratz Snowden, who has studied and written about the teaching profession for many years, says the consequences are even worse than loss of academic freedom.

She writes:

“Seems to me the more critical issue is not so much academic freedom (though that is important) but how no tenure will discourage talented individuals from going into teaching with such low salaries, large class sizes, no job security and the likelihood that when teachers have taught for several years and make more than beginning teachers they can just be let go so that a cheaper workforce can be employed.”

Categories Teacher Tenure

Breaking News: NC Legislature Approves Vouchers, Ends Teacher Tenure

By dianeravitch
July 21, 2013 //
46

The North Carolina legislature reached agreement on a budget that initiates vouchers in 2014 and ends teacher tenure.

The Republican leadership hailed the budget deal as a huge improvement for public education, which of course it is not. Vouchers are terrible public policy that will harm the public education system by draining dollars from it to fund religious schools. No voucher experiment in the past 20 years has shown that vouchers produce better education.

As for ending teacher tenure, it guarantees an end to academic freedom for teachers. Will any teacher dare to teach a controversial book or discuss evolution?

North Carolina was once hailed as one of the most progressive southern states. Now its governor and both houses of the legislature are members of the same party, and they are extremist in their determination to crush teachers and privatize public education. Teachers’ salaries in the state are among the lowest in the nation.

A critic said this about the budget deal:

“Lawmakers chose to drain available revenues by $524 million over the next two years through an ill-advised series of tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy and profitable corporations,” wrote Alexandra Forter Sirota, director of the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center, which has been critical of the Republican-led legislature. “This revenue loss isn’t just a number on a piece of paper—it means fewer teachers in more crowded classrooms, higher tuition rates and elevated debt load for families, scarcer economic development opportunities for distressed communities, and longer waiting lists for senior services.”

Categories North Carolina, Teacher Tenure, Vouchers

Secret Poll Urges Pa. Governor to Attack Philly Union to Improve His Image

By dianeravitch
June 19, 2013 //
14

A secret poll conducted on behalf of the Pennsylvania Republican Party found that Governor Tom Corbett is highly unpopular and likely to lose to his Democratic challenger.

Corbett’s biggest vulnerability is on education issues, which voters of both parties consider important. The poll recommends that the governor can improve his image on education issues by attacking the teachers’ unions.

Sixty-three percent of voters across the state disapprove of Corbett’s handling of education issues.

Most voters recognize that the problems of Philadelphia’s schools cannot be solved by Philadelphia alone.

91% believe that the Philadelphia public schools face an extremely serious funding problem.

62% of voters say that the state should provide greater funding to Philadelphia, as compared to 24% who say the district should declare bankruptcy, or 7% who say it should sell bonds.

The pollsters say that the governor should insist on such reforms as 1) allowing public schools to assign and transfer employees based on performance, not seniority; 2) allowing principals more say in hiring teachers for their schools; 3) no more automatic pay raises for years of service or degrees or certification. These are very popular with voters, who also believe that new funding should be tied to adopting these changes. Teacher union supporters agree with the first two, but not the third.

Most voters believe (despite the absence of any evidence) that these three reforms will improve education in the Philadelphia public schools while getting costs under control.

Some voters told the pollsters that these reforms would help “get bad teachers out of the classroom.”

Perhaps influenced by Rhee-style propaganda in recent years, voters think that the intense concentration of poverty and segregation in Philadelphia’s schools, as well as years of harsh budget cuts, can be cured by eliminating seniority and curbing the influence of the teachers’ union.

The pollsters conclude that Corbett can substantially improve his image as an “education reformer” and as someone who leads the battle for “change” by fighting the union.

The pollsters say that education is the wedge issue that Corbett can use to reverse his sagging approval ratings.

Categories Budget Cuts, Philadelphia, Teacher Tenure, Teachers, Unions

Miami: Are These Fears the Reality?

By dianeravitch
May 19, 2013 //
15

A teacher in Miami asks these questions. Can you answer and help us understand?

“I am writing out of anxiety and fear .. I have been a bit down for a year, I realize I may have to switch careers or move to another state.

“I could be wrong but I feel the greatest school reformation in the US is occurring in Miami-Dade county public schools.

“Miami-Dade is the 4th largest district in the country (392 schools, 345,000 students and over 40,000 employees). Miami-Dade has a WEAK union (right to work state)… The union is so weak, it feels as if the union is part of the school system.

“Miami insights

– teachers contribute 3% of our salary for retirement
– salary tied to Testing
– VAM
– weak union
– Eli Broad award
– Common Core
– $1.2 new technology bond (My fear, Bill Gates’ cameras will soon be in the classroom.)
– charter schools/ virtual schools
– 11,000 new immigrant students a year, 68,000 esol .
– financially, it is difficult for teachers to make ends meet … Miami is an expensive city, I wonder if some teachers are on Food Stamps and or have lost their homes — our salary scale is shocking
http://salary.dadeschools.net/Schd_Teachers/

***( I have been teaching 14 years but I am on step 11 due to frozen salaries ($42,128) , I just advanced a step, $300, which the school system considered a raise ( it was a step)….. No cost of living expense was factored in)

– the school system pays for teachers health insurance but high out of pocket expenses (Dr visits, prescriptions are VERY high, I pay an additional $2,400 a year with dental & vision) .

What do you see happening in Miami Dade County public schools??

Are my fears a reality???”

Categories Corporate Reformers, Florida, Teacher Evaluations, Teacher Tenure, Teachers and Teaching, Unions

Miami: Are These Fears the Reality?

By dianeravitch
May 19, 2013 //
15

A teacher in Miami asks these questions. Can you answer and help us understand?

“I am writing out of anxiety and fear .. I have been a bit down for a year, I realize I may have to switch careers or move to another state.

“I could be wrong but I feel the greatest school reformation in the US is occurring in Miami-Dade county public schools.

“Miami-Dade is the 4th largest district in the country (392 schools, 345,000 students and over 40,000 employees). Miami-Dade has a WEAK union (right to work state)… The union is so weak, it feels as if the union is part of the school system.

“Miami insights

– teachers contribute 3% of our salary for retirement
– salary tied to Testing
– VAM
– weak union
– Eli Broad award
– Common Core
– $1.2 new technology bond (My fear, Bill Gates’ cameras will soon be in the classroom.)
– charter schools/ virtual schools
– 11,000 new immigrant students a year, 68,000 esol .
– financially, it is difficult for teachers to make ends meet … Miami is an expensive city, I wonder if some teachers are on Food Stamps and or have lost their homes — our salary scale is shocking
http://salary.dadeschools.net/Schd_Teachers/

***( I have been teaching 14 years but I am on step 11 due to frozen salaries ($42,128) , I just advanced a step, $300, which the school system considered a raise ( it was a step)….. No cost of living expense was factored in)

– the school system pays for teachers health insurance but high out of pocket expenses (Dr visits, prescriptions are VERY high, I pay an additional $2,400 a year with dental & vision) .

What do you see happening in Miami Dade County public schools??

Are my fears a reality???”

Categories Corporate Reformers, Florida, Teacher Evaluations, Teacher Tenure, Teachers and Teaching, Unions

North Carolina: Public Schools and Students Endangered by Radical Agenda

By dianeravitch
May 14, 2013 //
36

Legislation is advancing in North Carolina that will harm the state’s underfunded public schools and strike a blow against its beleaguered teachers.

North Carolina is a right-to-work state, so there is no collective bargaining, and teachers have no voice in policy decisions about education.

Among the worst of the new bills is a proposal to fund a voucher/tax credit program, removing $90 million from public schools so that 1% of the state’s 1.5 million students may attend private and/or religious schools.

Another bill would strip away due process rights from teachers, so that teachers would have no right to a hearing if fired, no matter how many years of experience they have.

The new legislation would restrict eligibility for preschool, reducing the number of children who may enroll, and remove class size limits for some elementary grades.

Make no mistake (President Obama’s favorite expression, mine too): this legislation will save money in the short run but will cost the state far more in the long term. The Legislature is planning not only to harm public education, but to harm the children who benefit by being in preschool and in classes of reasonable size.

Former Congressman and State Superintendent Bob Etheridge said: “To the folks now running our state government in Raleigh, education reform is just another code word for cut, slash and burn.”

Governor Pat McCrory, who supports the radical anti-teacher, anti-public education agenda, has just named Eric Guckian as his Senior Education Advisor. Guckian was regional director of New Leaders in North Carolina (which recruits “transformational” leaders) and before that, was executive director of Teach for America in the state. He has been a consultant for the Gates Foundation and worked with KIPP. The following comes from the Governor’s press release:

“I am honored and humbled to serve as a member of Governor McCrory’s team,” said Guckian. “This is a critical time for education in our state, and I’m looking forward to working with committed teachers, leaders and community members to ensure that all of North Carolina’s students, regardless of circumstance, achieve an excellent education that will put them on the pathway to a better life; a life of honor, prosperity and service.”

Guckian joins John White in Louisiana and Kevin Huffman in Tennessee as TFA alumni in state-level positions serving reactionary administrations.

Categories Childhood, Pre-K, K, Class size, Corporate Reformers, North Carolina, Privatization, Teach for America TFA, Teacher Tenure, Vouchers

Charter Appreciation Week and Teacher Appreciation Week

By dianeravitch
May 8, 2013 //
60

By some strange coincidence, Teacher Appreciation Week coincides with National Charter School Week.

Bear in mind that almost 90% of charters are non-union, that charters may fire teachers at will, that charter teachers do not have tenure, that many charters are known for high teacher turnover due to the stress of longer school days, and that many do not hire certified teachers. In some states, like Ohio, charter teachers earn half as much as public school teachers, because the charter teachers are typically younger and less experienced.

Just thinking about that when I read President Obama’s proclamation.

Categories Charter Schools, Teach for America TFA, Teacher Tenure, Teachers and Teaching

Sharp Decline in Number Entering Teaching in California

By dianeravitch
May 3, 2013 //
31

The corporate reform movement has been bashing teachers and public education without let-up for the past several years. The bashing became super-charged after the introduction of Race to the Top in 2009, because it explicitly blames teachers for low test scores despite evidence to the contrary.

The “reformers” claim they want “great teachers” in every classroom, and the way to do it is to fire teachers whose students get low scores, to close schools with low scores, and to deny teachers the right to due process. This is their formula, and they are sticking to it even though no other nation in the world has launched a vendetta against the teaching profession and public schools.

Now the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing reports a sharp decline in the number of people who want to teach.

Teresa Watanabe writes that:

” Interest in teaching is steadily dropping in California, with the number of educators earning a teaching credential dipping by 12% last year — marking the eighth straight annual decline.

“The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing reported this month that 16,450 educators earned their credential in 2011-12, compared with 23,320 in 2007-08.

“The number of students enrolling in teacher preparation programs has also decreased, to 34,838 in 2010-11 from 51,744 in 2006-07.”

This fraudulent reform movement is not going to achieve any of its stated goals. It will not lead to a great teacher in every classroom. Left unchecked, it will turn teaching into a temp job and dismantle public education. This will benefit the haves, not the have-nots. And that may explain why the haves are dumping millions of dollars into state and local school board races, to elect candidates who share their contempt for career educators and democratic control of public education.

Categories California, Race to the Top, Teacher Evaluations, Teacher Tenure, Teachers and Teaching

Randy Turner Explains His Suspension

By dianeravitch
April 25, 2013 //
23

Randy Turner was suspended not for his Huffington Post article but for his book. This is why teachers need tenure: Academic freedom.

He sent this comment:

“Thanks for the kind words from everyone. My suspension coming at almost exactly the same time as my Huffington Post blog was a coincidence. Basically, it happened because I wrote a novel, No Child Left Alive, criticizing many of the practices in education today, particularly those done by overambitious administrators. I just finished posting the charges against me on my blog: http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-joplin-school-districts-charges.html

Categories NCLB (No Child Left Behind), Teacher Tenure, Teachers and Teaching

Is Jindal Losing Control?

By dianeravitch
April 25, 2013 //
7

Bobby Jindal’s most anti-teacher legislation was struck down as unconstitutional last fall on procedural grounds. It included too many subjects.

Jindal assumed he could ram through his proposals again but this year was different. The House shelved his bills.

Is the destructive Jindal machine losing steam?

Has reactionary reform run its course in Louisiana?

Categories Jindal, Bobby, Louisiana, Teacher Tenure
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