Race to the Top

Please! Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm guessing that Clay's cartoon depicts a situation in the University of Tennessee where the female professors are carrying the load but fail to receive tenure?

Clara, this is referring to the new legislation regarding teacher evaluations in public schools (K-12).

A very good assessment, Clay.

Rather than copy and paste, I will post the link to my comment on the Times' editorial response to the matter...

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/jan/19/t1-sub-school-reform-put-on-track/#22488

Clara, it's all about money.

I'm all for making teachers accountable. However, who is watching those who are watching the teachers??

And..who is keeping the students accountable for their part in all of this??

It has been said, "...pick your battles...." Governor Bredesen, me thinks you should have thought this one out a little more before calling the "Special Session."

Here's hoping everyone does their homework, Woody

I am happy about this, but that is do to my own personal situation. I pulled my kids out of public school and sent them to private, because 1) the teachers ran it, 2) we (the parents) were doing much of the critical teaching. I am not saying that we are not willing to do our part, but when we are teaching multiplication and the teacher's bonus question on the math test was the UT score? Come on! This might be one school, but I have talked to active principals who have teachers who are not effective. Now they have cause to engage them or get them out.

Tenure is inappropriate for anything below undergraduate university level (even at the university level it takes 7 years). Teachers should be on one-year contracts. Principals should be responsible for teacher effectiveness (and not based on standardized tests; they measure little of value) A good principal knows his or her school and its students; you would not teach the same way in every school. Give full control to the principals, then make them demonstrate how each teacher is doing by collecting and evaluating assessment tools and results, as well as classroom monitoring, parent, colleague and student feedback. Get rid of school boards altogether, and let each school develop the curriculum according to the needs of the kids.

This is what independent schools do, and why they are often more successful.

Who is more accountable, a public school teacher or homeschool tutor Dave Bird? Dave, because if he doesn't produce, he stops getting paid. But any tax-paid system, including schools, gets paid whether or not its customers like it. So which would do more for accountability: the new laws, or privatizing all schooling? (Which would do more for freedom, innovation, efficiency, and diversity in education?)

Not to knock the new laws. They sound like a bit of an improvement. But we've had 30 or 40 years of falling test scores, rising spending, and education reforms. That shows me a strategic problem, calling for a strategic solution. The strategic problem is a system paid by taxes. This avoids accountability (previous paragraph.) It historically fails (this paragraph.) Jesus and the Bible say nothing in favor of tax-paid schools (read.) The presidents from Tennessee never attended tax-paid schools.

One way the existing schools could save money would be to pay students to leave early. Instead of Tennessee taxpayers spending $7000 or more per student per year, offer students $3500 to move into home, private, or out-of-state schools, saving the taxpayers $3500 per student (provided the student is one who'd be costing the $7000 without this.) Spending-cut scholarships! (A secular purpose. Make each such student get the signatures of 4 Tennessee taxpayers who approve of the money being spent this way, so no one who objects suffers.)

Just for fun: What is the definition of teachers' "tenure"? Answer: Avoiding fornication with schoolkids (what euphemizers call "statutory rape.")

I've never understood why teachers need a union or why they feel entitled to tenure. I can think of no private sector job that you can't be fired from after working there a set period of time. I'm evaluated twice a year in my job. Why can't teachers be evaluated? Its not like the curriculum of public schools is in depth or difficult. I look back on my public school education and shudder. Half my teachers were coaches that thought that a productive day was putting a video in and reading the newspaper.

JHenry, that is sad. I've seen worse though in recent years.

Most of my teachers and a very few Professors (because most Profs don't even know HOW to teach), all publicly funded, were very good and dedicated individuals. Some were stricter than others, yet all taught a broad curriculum, incorporating the essentials, and went over and above the accepted norm. We've noticed over the decades, in education as well as in society, more emphasis on Progressive principles (like "self-esteem", "diversity") and Politics, in everything taught. Emphasis on Degrees (as in the medical, teaching, and business fields), yet no emphasis during the child's development on moral character, ethics, unselfishness and generosity. Is it a wonder we've had a few generations now of increasingly political "Progressive" types with a high expectancy of hand-outs, the easy-way-out and "nobody matters but me" entitlements. I know excellent teachers today and they are tired, overwhelmed and sometimes sickened by what they see and hear in-and out of the classroom. Some of them have been hit, punched and verbally abused by their students. I'd say it can be a thankless job and joins the ranks of elder-care nursing, farming and janitorial work. All absolutely essential to a viable, healthy community, but so ignored, sometimes even denigrated.

Try a modern California public school. Any of them from pre-school through Post-graduate. Talk about rotten...but at least you are "sensitive" when you get through it; ignorant, but ever so "sensitive".

In all my years there I recall only two of lesser quality...not because of lack of knowledge but because we knew how to get them started on the more interesting off-topic subjects. Come to think of it, we learned a lot from them -- man and wife, almost at retirement.

But those days are no more. Today's California public school teachers/profs are relative cesspools -- stagnant and full of poop.

Unions were formed when tyrant private companies grew fat rich off the backs of their employees and unions served a good purpose, to a point. Public employees of any form are paid by the taxpayers and are not in this category and should not be allowed to unionize. I'm not sure who let the tiger out of the cage, but I suspect it had something to do with politicians and buying votes.

Thank you all for your efforts at my enlightenment. Thank you espectially, somethingorother. I do think that there should be more emphasis on beginning the 3 Rs at an earlier age.

My dial-up is SO slow. I've spent the morning trying to download various Google and Mapquest maps I need, especially when sorting through the different sizes.

Perhaps I will take a chance on a lottery, win something and apply it to broadband or whatever they might try to supply to my area. That $30 a month or so is a real set back. Nah! I need the dollar for 1/3 gallon of gas.

Better teachers, whose for it?? I am, Iam!!! The race to the top includes 4 Billion federal tax dollars. Now why would someone pass up some of that? Every system claims they need more money. Well folks, here it is!! In return all the fed is asking is for a system of checks and balances. Some people, after college find themselves involved in a profession that they are not well suited. SAT scores are at the bottom of the list for the area states. SAT scores are based on every student across the country that takes the test during that testing window and when you see area students not scoring as well as students from other states you must address the problem. Are children smarter in other states?? NO!!! So where are the students failing? Or is the shoe on the other foot. Without the demands from NCLB the gains that have been made would not have been realized. The only way to motivate some people is through money. In this case it is the threat of removing funding. It seems to be very effective. If teachers have to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and perform better, I am all for it. This isn't about the poor, overworked teacher. It's about the future of children. Everybody grow up and do what the job demands. Otherwise, if teaching is such a terrible, underpaid job, perhaps a future in fixing toilets is more to your liking! I'm just sayin!!

whatsthefuss...you should probably get your head out of the toilet and quit blaming teachers for all of the problems with education system.

Let's start with discipline....How does a teacher teach while constantly being interrupted by unruly students? Teachers can't bust their butt. Teachers send the student to office and the office turns around and sends them back to the classroom. The teacher calls their parents and the parents tell the teacher to quit picking on their child. The teacher is the problem...not their child. It happens every day. How does a teacher do their job under these circumstances?

Take a classroom with 25 students in it. 5 are gifted, 15 are average students, and 5 have learning disabilities. How does a teacher bring this class up? Why don't we have all gifted students together, all average students together, and all learning disabled together. This social experiment has failed.

What does a 5th grade teacher do with a student reading on 2nd grade level? Why was this child promoted over and over? Some parents refuse to allow their children to be retained. How do you grade a teacher with this child?

Parents must assist their children with homework in the evening and quit whining about it. Teachers cannot give one on one attention to 25 children every day. It is impossible.

If your school has a school resource officer (SRO) please understand, authorities are so concerned for the safety of the students and faculty. They have placed a full time police officer in the school. Let's get thugs out of school and into a program for delinquents. They are ruining education for everyone else.

An evaluation should be done on each child at the end of the 8th grade and they need to have the availability more than one education path. We need one path for the college bound, one path for vocational, and one path for military. Every child is not college material.

Parents must place an emphasis on academics instead of athletics and extracurricular activity. Every child should be well rounded but the emphasis has to be on academics.

Do we need to get rid of bad teachers? Yes but 95% of our teachers are good teachers.

THIS JUST IN FROM DRUDGEREPORT.COM:

In the other "Race To The Top", while running over 100,000 votes behind [6%], MA AG Coakley conceded the election to the US Senate seat to MA Sen Brown.

The Senate is no longer filibuster proof; discussion and openness reigns again!

On to November!

John Kerry is next.

To The Great Wizard Of Oz!! Lets start with the first day of school. Discipline should be the first order of business. My sons school system worked on the ADMINISTRATIVE DISCIPLINE method. Go sit in the corner, face a student away from the others, public reprimand, go to the office. After many hours insisting that this 1960's method does not work, the suggestion was for a positive discipline model be developed. Again day one is when the rules are to be established and yes children do respond to reason and logic. Including the entire class into the process is the strongest form of discipline. No child wants to be on the outside of their own peer group. Adults demanding of a child or removing children from a group , demonstrates the lack of understanding that teacher posesses. If you can't think like a 5 year old, you should not be teaching 5 year old children. The emotions of children are not complex. They do change drastically year after year though. Keep up or get out!! We as adults should be able to think back to moments in our youth and understand what worked and what didn't. If you do not possess this ability to remember, thats where fixing toilets comes in. As to heterogenius groupings, it should be very obvious. The world is made up of many diverse groups of people. If you are grouped with only "GIFTED CHILDREN" {don't you love that term??? Aren't all children gifted???} you grow up with the belief that the world only contains people who are just like you!! To be continued!!!

The rest of the story!! If you have been left behind academically you feel you will never succeed and OZ, can you see that this could cause a child to find a reason to act out and rebel??? Children grouped in a hetero group function better emotionally as well as socially. Don't take my word for it, LOOK IT UP!!! Oz, if your a teacher, I am glad I am not in your class. If you are defending a child of yours or a relative who is a teacher go back to my last sentence. As to children behind grade level, communication between school and home is job one. There are many resources available to schools to achieve a proper level of co-operation between school and home. Many systems refuse to take advantage of these tools. No one expects a teacher to make more than one years gain in education for the school year. When you see teachers who continue to fail students in the learning process, that is when action should be taken. Instead the wagons are circled and the childrens well being is sacrificed. Children are born to learn. It seems when you have adults that are demanding it be their way and not taking advantage of natural curiosity, conflict begins and students are forever turned off to so called education. Teachers need to convey thoughts and create enthuseasism with a student feeling acomplished. If the teachers from previous years failed at any of these disciplines, that is where the system of trained professionals must police their own and keep education moving in a forward direction. As a parent, you can spend hours with homework only to return your children to people who should fix toilets. Hey Oz, can I come up for air now. I'll keep my head in the toilet until I receive your permission to do otherwise. Please advise!! I'm just askin!!!

whatsthefuss,

Very Good!

First off I'm not a teacher. I know several and have a relative out of state in education. No one could pay me enough money to put up with the crap that most teacher's put up with. However, I have all of the respect in the world for teachers.

I agree 100% that every child is gifted. I know first hand about learning disabilities. I have a couple myself. I am far from gifted in academics but I found my niche and I am gifted in my niche. I can't think inside the box but I do a damn good job outside of the box. You don't have to tell me about being left behind. I'm quite familiar with the program but I made it. Liberals think they have a lock on creativity. If they only knew.

We probably agree on most things but you cannot blame all of the failures of education on teachers. It's easy to say discipline is job one on day one but the reality is; discipline is a daily battle in the school system. That is why police officers are in schools. Teachers are put in the middle and most don't receive the support they need from the administration or parents. Someone has to enforce discipline and it is not being done. Teachers have their hands tied.

The teachers I know are not in education for the money. They love learning, teaching, and truly love inspiring children. However they spend 25% of their time in the classroom on discipline. Discipline should be taught in the home before a child attends the first day of school but sadly it's not.

I can assure you every teacher knows who the problem teachers are in their school. Tenure protects them and that is a problem. Excellent teachers and lousy teachers are paid the same money and that is a problem. Professionals should police themselves but tenure stops them from doing anything about it.

We have a one size fits all education system and the system has failed. Teachers are only implementing the plans of a failed system. Teachers do not control the plan. Everyday Math is a joke but teachers are required to teach it. We keep requiring more from students and teachers an we're getting less. We should spend more time on fundmentals in the early years. When students start reading is not as important as how well they read the rest of their life.

Sorry for the venting but you cannot blame teachers for everything.

Excellent posts Oz. You really succeeded in pointing out many different sides of the story-aka the truth. I lived in and taught kids and adults in three ghettos in Southern CA. Some posters need to try that on for size before criticizing teachers only and excusing bad behavior (which is the Progressive mantra btw). There are bad and lazy teachers for sure. No school system I or my teaching friends have been in has been perfect. The fifties and sixties weren't perfect. But Oz touched on some realities that were evident then and are not today.

There are parents who could care less their kids are dealing drugs and in gangs (or disrespecting adults). Those kids are in some teacher's classroom. The system today is so PC (thanks to Progressive hippieism from the '60's), that if they act out (which they do); it's seen as a) the teacher's fault. b) the school's fault. c) the child is misunderstood, and /or has a mental illness. Solution: give the kid Ritalin or anti-depressants, blame the teacher, the school and while you're at it, blame Bush and No Child Left Behind.

In our day, the kid would have been sent to the office or detention or suspended and/or strapped on the hand. End of story. Very few were re-offenders. Parents didn't all demand 'special' circumstances for each 'victim' child. They let the school do the job of discipline/teaching, etc. When the child went home the parent backed up the teacher's role and did their part to discipline/teach their own kids.

As a whole (nothing is perfect), most of us lived in communities where everyone did their part and supported the school. Oz's points are excellent as to why it did work better-most people still had morals, values and were decent folks. Not now, by any stretch. And kids? Today, they are STILL gifted individuals and need to be taught and encouraged-starting at home. They do not need to be all Computer geniuses or lawyers or doctors. Some will want/need a trade or other noble path in life. Instead, they are homogenized, compartmentalized, and indoctrinated with the 'victim'/self-esteem mantra. They are bred for the Big Brother Gov't or Big Brother Corporation, where they are expected to spend most of their lives 'fitting in'. No wonder suicide rates and depression rates are the highest in history among our young today. They've lost their way.

**whatsthefuss!!!!!you need to get some realtime experience, take your pick. In one of our lovely ghettos in this nation or in a third-world nation. That way, you'll get a well-rounded education in Life and maybe, you will stop punctuating this way !!!!! so much. It looks like you're yelling instead of spelling....<@

***my hat's off to all who do good out there, whether you're a teacher, student, mechanic, principal, firefighter, farmer, artist, soldier, janitor, editor or just a plain ole blogger, etc., etc. Ya'll are what makes this country go around.

whatsthefuss...After some thought I realize you are coming from a personal point of view and may very well have valid points based on your experience. You may have a child in the class of a teacher that should be repairing toilets. I really should not have attacked you on a personal level and I apologize for making it personal. However, teachers cannot be blamed for all of the problems with education.

Until someone looks at the big picture, nothing is going to change. We keep raising the bar for education but we need to repair the foundation first.

I don't always agree with you canary, but that's a good post. As an educator, let me add: Yes, some kids have learning differences. Some kids learn better orally, some visually, some tactile-based. Most learn by experience and "doing". No matter what the learning style, all can succeed if the curriculum is designed to work with all students and it is relevant to them. It needs to build skills and then assess them in meaningful ways. It should foster cooperation, allowing each student to contribute their own unique talents, interests and abilities. Some kids have physical disabilities. Some suffer from mental illness. Each must work with the hand that they are dealt, and make something of themselves. Not all need to go to college, but all need skills to become productive adults. Allowing them to be "victims" accomplishes nothing. They should all feel loved and accepted for who they are, but rewarded for hard work and achievement. All bad behavior should have consequences, and the rules should apply to everyone: rich, poor, bright, struggling, black, white, athlete, spectator, artist, musician etc. Our education system is too cumbersome, one-size-fits-all, too dependent on standardized tests, too top-heavy administratively. All schools should be independent, and all principals should demonstrate that their school is working effectively with their unique population and culture. Principals that can't show progress should be replaced (kind of like coaches, yes?) Teachers that don't do their jobs should be replaced. Parents who can't convince their kids to behave should attend school with them to supervise. As crazy as it sounds, all families should pay a nominal fee for their children to attend. (yes, above and beyond taxes-when you have to pay, you value it more. Of course it can be adjustable for families that are poor, but all should pay. Countries where schools have a fee value education and take it seriously)

Excellent ikeithlu. Your additions are right on. I have many friends from third world countries who have had excellent educations and have superb characters and study habits. All this was accomplished with far less money than what we pour into our Ed System.

Schools should have the right to boot behavorial problems out of school. I spent a small fortune putting my 2 children through private school. Private schools don't have discipline problems for long. Teachers do spend more time teaching in the classroom and it shows. Both of my children graduated from college, magna cum laude, in 4 years without one remedial class.

It's wasn't easy but it was money well spent.

Canary, How is the air down there??? Getting a little thin??? I just love puncuation, don't you!!! I see your post is directed at me so I will attempt to correct you on your angry, slanderous, judgemental accusations. To address your first point, I WAS THE ONLY WHITE KID IN CLASS!!! How about you, and what ghetto did you call home in L.A. I lived there when Reginald Denny took a brick to the side of his head. I drove down Firestone Blvd. in Watts during the riots. I have spent many evenings in jazz clubs in the same area, they always booked the best musicians, and been one of a handful of white people in the room. I have never had a problem. It seems you did. Not only did you dislike where you worked as stated by your post, it sounds like you didn't enjoy your time spent teaching there. I have a daughter that I raised who graduated from the USF School of Education. While there she formed a Big Brothers, Big Sisters chapter, she was the X0 president her senior year, she also established a Walk for the Cure fundraiser to benefit type one diabetes as our 9 year old is diabetic. She had enough AP and dual enrollment passing scores to finish in three years. She walked across the stage with more rope on her than a sailor has on a tall ship!!!She teaches in Tampa Florida. Her classroom is in a very Title 1 neighborhood. Observing her class several times I noticed something very human. The children wanted to come to class. It seems it is the only consistent thing in their lives. The only safe place. The only place where food is consistently available. Where compassion and expectations are taught hand in hand. As a father, the proudest moment came when I saw her without resentment and happy to be there seeing an absolute need to demonstrate to these children that anything is possible. It sounds like you didn't share this experience. As far as my wellroundedness, are you calling me FAT!!! Yes I am yelling. It not only looks that way, it is that way!!! As for me being in the middle of my fifth decade on the planet, I assure you I have seen and experienced more diversity, and natural beauty this country has to offer than most Americans. I'm just sayin!! Have you checked the methane levels today??? Pretty Bird!! NOT.

Goodness. All that anger. Surprised the CAPS key isn't on...

Try teaching three years in Rialto. As the only natural-born, King's English speaker in the room.

WTF: how old are you did you say? Speaking of judgemental and angry, look in the mirror bub. I (Oz and ikeithlu) wrote very balanced, informative posts. Nowhere in any of mine did I say I hated teaching kids or adults-in or out of the ghettos. I merely pointed out that there are many sides to a story and there are parents and kids who abuse the system, abuse teachers and abuse each other. All over the country, not just in ghettos either. There are also abusive teachers, we all know that.

I'm very familiar with Watts and South Central as well as the ghettos that breed MS13 gangs and others. Your post suggests it was a sort of 'Rebecca from Sunnybrook Farm' experience. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is much evil practiced and evildoers to go around in Southern Cal.

If you've read my other posts on the subject of poverty/crime and misplaced Progressive policies, you would know what I believe and what compassion I believe should be practiced and where. You need to calm down and see the other side of a story as the posts above outlined.

Rolando, My last trip to L.A. 10 years ago was a shock. I don't think it is just Rialto. Sorry if you thought there was any anger. I suppose we can all sing KUMBAYA and the worlds problems will be fixed. Or as a famous American, Rodney King once said,"Can't we all just get along." No comment on the humor?? Like HA HA?? You do know how to laugh, don't you? The big suprise is how thin skinned teachers are. This cartoon was in refrence to another push from the fed to raise the level of education for our children by demanding higher standards for teachers in exchange for $$$$$. Teachers should be embarrased that it took NCLB to force them to a higher level of performance. As I stated before, Police Your Own!!! The light is shining on you! Then you might could make fur sure these childrens git sum education. I'm just sayin!!!

To the bird in the cage, Please watch your language, there may be children reading. As for your question about my age, that was a math quiz for all the teachers. Now, everyone who got it right, raise their hand. Very good!!! Now for the rest of your response, read it and see what you said. It seems the teacher does not like to be corrected. What else is new. If you care to read the post you responded to, there is no mention of a pass on bad behavior as you indicated. Also blaming Bush for NCLB seems to be the norm for a teacher. I am not that thrilled with it either, but it was taylor made for inner city schools and the south. As for Rebecca on the Farm, did you miss the part about Reginald Denny? I didn't go to see movies at the drive -in. How about you? Like nobody knows gangs exist. Its like swimming in the everglades and being suprised you were attacked by an alligator. As for you wanting me to read your other posts, NO. I responded to what you wrote. I didn't even have to try it on for size. It seems the shoe has always fit. Be nice, Santas watching!!! I'm just sayin!!!

whatthefuss: Your daughter is a teacher and you are bashing teachers? You should know the difficulty of the job more than anyone else.

The more you post, the more it seems like you are venting anger at the teachers of your childhood.