February 2011
11 posts
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President Obama Hangs Teachers & Public Workers...
I just finished reading President Obama, Where Are You on Teachers Union Rights? in the HuffPo, and it summarizes the feelings I’ve had watching protests unfold in Wisconsin and Ohio. What happened to Democratic support for the working people and for their unions?
It appears to me the President and his Secretary of Education are tools of the wealthy, same as the Republicans. With polls...
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Out of the top 10 donors to campaigns in the...
Hmmm, now that may help explain all the teacher-bashing that has been taking place for the past year. First mid-term elections which the Republican swept, now the chance to change from anti-teacher rhetoric to actual anti-teacher union legislation. Don’t Get Me Started…
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No strong teacher unions, lower SAT/ACT scores.... →
world-shaker:
Only five states do not have collective bargaining for educators and have deemed it illegal.
Those states and their ACT/SAT rankings are as follows:
South Carolina – 50th
North Carolina – 49th
Georgia – 48th
Texas – 47th
Virginia – 44th
If you are wondering, Wisconsin, with its collective bargaining for teachers, is ranked 2nd in the country.
If you want good people, you...
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It Will Get Worse - For All Of Us
I’m watching events in Wisconsin with interest. The governor and legislature were elected with, what they believe, are mandates to cut costs and reign in expenses. However, they also have extended their believed mandate to public employees and their unions. When legislation was introduced to reduce public pensions and roll back collective bargaining rights, people have taken to the...
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Save Our Schools March And Call To Action →
July 30, 2011 - Save Our Schools March in Washington, D.C.
July 28 - 31, 2011 - Save Our Schools Days of Action
Come on teachers - get involved!
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What A Bunch Of Hooey! →
The Democrats get their butts kicked in the recent elections, then alienate one of their larger constituencies, teachers, with the recent “Advancing Student Achievement Through Labor-Management Collaboration.” What a joke! Arne Duncan asking for teacher cooperation from one side of his mouth while advocating the end of tenure and implying teachers are lousy from the other side.
When...
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Tennessee Leads The Pack To Crush Public Education →
I’ve followed Schools Matter for a couple of years. The views might be considered extreme by some, but I often find myself reading and thinking, “this is right on.” I’ve quoted them and used their ideas for inspiration.
Tennessee is a special place for me. I attended public schools there for seven years, through my junior year of high school. It was always a conservative...
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Why Teachers Need Their Unions
If ever there was a reason why teachers need their unions it became clear watching CBS Sunday Morning earlier today. A teacher was forced to resign when an anonymous letter was received pointing to the teacher’s Facebook page where she was shown holding a beer and a glass of wine while on a trip to Europe (on her own time and without students). She also had participated in a Facebook game...
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To Really Learn, Quit Studying And Take A Test →
When I read this article I thought, “great - now the NCLB and Race to the Top people will point and say they told us so.” Then I read this rebuttal from Larry Ferlazzo and thought I could not agree more. Arm yourselves with information and counter those who attack educators and public education.
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Who's A Good Teacher? →
This article from the blog Reality Check (Education Week) takes a look at what makes a good teacher. To me, the most important point is the one where the author (Walt Gardner) notes that the people who are advocating for the use of value-added assessments of teachers are not educators at all.
My favorite quote was, “It’s hard to believe that these teachers became so dramatically...
