Chicago Teacher's Strike
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-09-12/chicago-teachers-strike
Chicago teachers on strike: How the union’s fight over merit pay and job security highlights a broader national struggle.
Guests
Diane Ravitch
author and professor at New York University
Rick Hess
resident scholar and director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute
Andy Rotherham
co-founder of Bellwether Education, author of the weekly “School of Thought” column for TIME and blogger at Eduwonk.com
Adrian Fenty
former mayor of Washington, DC
Nancy Youssef
Middle East bureau chief, McClatchy Newspapers
Comments
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"The problem is getting rid of them. You can't."
Sure. I'll amend that. "You can't" and keep your job.
Here's the bottom line to the so-called "cheating":
"A memo later prepared by Victor Reinoso, Washington's deputy mayor for education, noted that McGraw-Hill itself had cautioned that officials "should not draw conclusions about cheating behavior" from the data analysis".
It especially should not point to Rhee. I'm sure you picture her in there with her Eberhard-Fabers, scrubbing away.
The best part of the Wiki article is this:
"Rhee defended herself on the Tavis Smiley Show, but has since retracted her comments. She claimed an unnamed "third party" investigated any suspicious scores. Rhee did not explain the high rate of erasures on tests, but called the USA Today article an attack on school reform. She said, "It isn’t surprising that the enemies of school reform once again are trying to argue that the Earth is flat and that there is no way test scores could have improved .... unless someone cheated." Since then she told Washington Post reporter Jay Mathews that her previous remarks were "stupid" and she is glad her successor, Acting Chancellor Kaya Henderson, ordered a new investigation"
It sounds to me like Rhee is hoping that if there was cheating the truth is found, and if there wasn't, that she is vidicated. I can see why you would be opposed to that, McChaun.
The truth is, DC didn't want its schools fixed. They said they did. But they really didn't or Rhee would still be there. The fact is, they didn't really deserve her. She has moved on to a much bigger fight for the kids than was available to her in the DC shcools.
Contriversial? Sure, but what crusader against a power as big as Teacher's Unions isn't going to generate controversy.
McChaun wrote:
"lying Psychopath"
lying Psychopath? That's a little harsh for someone shooting his mouth off without the facts to back it up, McChaun.
And yes, you are correct, I did not say that. It was part of a Wiki article.
Nevertheless, what you present as a "quote" is called "innuendo". Much like the "strawman" it is a tool of the dishonest.
here we have three pro reform guests, and one pro union guest who is hardly given a chance to speak. all the callers are cut off in the middle of their questions, and the guests simply ignore any challenge to the lies of reform. Diane doesn't really do anything to call them out on their falsehoods, this was just an hour of anti union, anti teacher propaganda, with a little bit of opposing viewpoint put in. how about you have a teacher on instead of the american enterprise guy, and how about you question the blatant lies they spout.
Of the three guests on today's show, only Diane Ravitch has any knowledge about the reality of the classroom. She has invaluable information about the dire consequences of the use of high-stakes testing for purposes for which the tests are not designed, and how over-testing is depriving students of the education they deserve, by cutting back on the teaching of science, social studies, languages, fine arts, creative and critical-thinking skills (and in many schools even eliminating recess) in order to teach a narrow curriculum based almost entirely on the subjects tested. Please have her back on your show and invite the other true experts--teachers. Invite Union leaders, who will explain why "what is good for teachers is good for students." Invite parents from grassroots organizations who are joining in with teachers and unions to protest the implementation of "reforms" that are destroying public education. In other words, invite people who dedicate their lives to putting students first. This is a conversation that is not finding its way into mainstream media, and one that people in our country deserve to hear.
It is nonsense that most school districts tenure is 2 years. In missouri it is 5 years. Tenure does not guarantee a job. It only guarantees due process if a district want to get rid of the teacher. What is so bad about due process.
The focus should not be on teachers, it should be on administrators. There is no good school with bad administrators. Bad schools can be turned around by good administrators. But too many administrators have little teaching experience. They become administrators for the higher pay. They should be Master Teachers who are allowed to focus on the classrooms.
I think we should take a good look at the curriculum and academic program at Sidwell Friends where President Obama's daughters attend school. That's the education all our children deserve, and it doesn't include standardized tests! If all the children were receiving that type of education there would be no argument.
Adrian Fenty was incredibly arrogant and smug when addressing Ms. Rehm, Diane Ravitch, and fellow callers. Was it necessary for him to "mansplain"? Is he offering opinion, or fact? Professor Ravitch was much more persuasive, her arguments were backed up by evidence, data proved through the years. The professor knows of what she speaks. The teacher's and former teacher's calls were more revealing for Mr. Fenty's bias and strategy than anything else. One does not scoff, laugh, and dismiss when having a discussion among their contemporaries. Politicians are incredibly disappointing. Unions are what keep us protected and set the bar for future generations. I apologize to Ms. Rehm and her guests and callers for his tone. Debating is considered audacious apparently; disagree, but only slightly, unless you want to end up like educators.
NH Bill,
Are teachers managers of the classroom?
In a word, NO. Administrators define the "discipline".......which is nearly non-existent. Reports of assaults on teachers skyrocket daily (while admins try to suppress the truth). I personally know several teachers who have been physically harmed....broken bones, internal injuries, concussions, stabbings........and those were in the ELEMENTARY grades. Teachers are forbidden to touch kids in ALL circumstances. Custodial staff are forbidden to even speak to kids.....even in cases of assault.
Its a daily zoo and the hyenas run wild.
Adrian Fenty was blunt, not arrogant. Mrs. Ravitch is trying to excuse teachers' failures as attributable only due to external forces (poverty, lack of parental involvement, etc.) and I did not find her argument persuasive at all. How can a logical argument be made for zero accountability after tenure? In every other profession, and I agree that teaching is a profession, that is NOT the case. In medicine there is constant continuing education requirements, Board recertifications, hospital staff credentialing and recredentialing, and recently patient reviews (for Board certification). I would argue that our teachers are just as important as our physicians. Wouldn't you?
I'm a Diane Ravitch reader thanks to my father who is a retired educator. One of Diane Ravitch's points was well illustrated in Wednesday's show: Most of the decision-makers regarding the problems with public education are not qualified to be deciding or writing policy. This includes politicians and others in "high" places who, because of their wealth are able to influence education policy. Invite some teachers to the party!
As retired NJ School Social Worker, I'm disgusted by two of the guests dismissal of the effects of poverty on student outcome. It's once again 'let's ignore the facts because it conflicts with my point of view'. I worked in a suburban school district which bordered a poor & working poor section of a urban area and one of the wealthiest communities in the USA. Our district improved our test scores, not through teacher evaluations, but through training teachers in multiple reading methods, after-school programs that provided instruction in English for our ESL students and tutoring for all attendees, a summer program for the same identified students, mentoring programs both in and out of school, and keeping our elementary school classes small. Elementary students were tested in reading and math at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year and, for those struggling with reading/math, there were interventions used to address their deficits. Yes, we had positive results because we targeted students and used money to help our those struggling students. Guess what, the majority of those students, were poor or working poor. And, despite all of these interventions, these same students were not achieving at the same level in middle and high school because of 'other factors' stemming from their environment. You can't dismiss the impact of poverty on the social and emotional development of a child and teenager. You can't dismiss the impact of witnessing violence, poor nutrition on the fetus and early childhood development, or the impact of how the poor and working poor are perceived by our society. (continued below)
You can't dismiss the fact that poverty and long-term unemployment leaves people in a 'hyper-vigilant' physical and mental state and what that does to the mind and brain; I had students worrying about scary things, 'what will happen to us if we can't pay our rent and our parent/parents work two or three jobs just to make the rent and put food on our home'. You can't ignore that one children is being exposed to the arts, travel, and other enriching daily experiences while the other child may not have gone out of their neighborhood. These all impact our learning. You can't just expect teachers to solve society's problems. It is our growing sense of 'I'm in it for me and me only' that is driving our income inequality in this country. It is magical thinking to believe that you will improve student outcome by paying teachers less, making them work longer hours, using test scores as a measure of teacher effectiveness, excluding teachers from decision making and ordering them to march in step with decisions made by non-educators such as politicians and politically driven administrators. You can't do it without addressing poverty and including teachers in the day to day decision-making of schools. You can't expect children to learn in classrooms that are downright ugly, neglected, poorly insulated and poor air quality, and large class sizes.
By the way, I recently started a new job working as a counselor for a non-profit. What a difference. I'm treated like an intelligent professional, provided a clean and modern office with a computer/telephone/desk, and given a reasonable caseload. This is not my former working conditions and sadly, it's not the working conditions of most teachers where students are struggling.
Unfunded pension plans for public employee unions are now at approximately 16 trillion dollars. In Wisconsin, as soon as compulsive union dues were no longer deducted from paychecks, fully 2/3rds quit. 95% of political funding from public unions goes to liberals. Add it up: unions to public employees are shoved down their throat and money spent to re-elect and elect liberal politicians who reward them with outragious benefits which can not possibly be met. (GM, CA) Why can't teachers speak for themselves? I don't agree with grading our teachers on how well their students perform on standardized testing, however, it must be part of an overall evaluation system. ALL employers evaluate their employees; what the union does is protect the teachers that have failed our children for years. Pay teachers a fair and honest wage, eliminate pension plans with 401k type funding and help pay for the above by firing the union. Our teachers DO deserve better; better than what their union has done to the profession and our children for decades. Oh, and don't pit me against the teachers that educate my children.
Shame on you, NPR. 3 against 1 doesn't seem like a fair fight. All of the callers were educators with legitimate rebuttals to the 3 anti-union, pro-privatization men and you kept cutting them off. I thought you had some journalistic integrity but the Gates and Broad foundations are big backers so I suppose you have pay them back. Shame.
I hope you will have Diane Ravitch return to your show with some other informed educators to discuss the destructive education polices that are being put into place by today's politicians and the wealthy businessmen led by Bill Gates.
Perhaps you could invite someone from Fairtest to discuss the uselessness of standardized tests.
What’s Wrong With Standardized Testing?
http://fairtest.org/facts/whatwron.htm
and the author of this article:
Standardized Tests Originated in the Eugenics Movement
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002565368
Here's another really important source of information about measuring learning:
Student Learning Can Only be Described, Not Measured
http://www.susanohanian.org//show_nclb_atrocities.php?id=4226/
And here's another problem. I was amazed at the actual cost of testing to local districts and schools, especially when presented beside the cost to states to get the tests from their publishers. This is insane!!! Our tax dollars at work!!! No way, just more waste that could be spent to provide new buildings and reduce class size in the inner city schools where children are suffering most. While this white paper explores Florida's testing program, the conclusions are relevant to testing programs across the country, including Chicago's because Florida is considered a model for others, Valerie Strauss writes:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/2012/05/17/gIQABH1...
Anthony Cody is another knowledgeable person. He's been collecting Teachers' Letters to Obama for many years:
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue
These websites provide valuable information that will help everyone understand why the Chicago teachers don't want their students or themselves measured by standardized tests.