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Re: [Phys-l] NCLB: End It, Don't Mend It



Bernard,

The primary points made in my post did not relate to unions. I wasn't necessary singling them out, but
I do think that in some places they do contribute to the much larger number of problems from other
sources. I do remember the post from 3 years ago.

David

On 31 Oct 2011 at 13:58, Bernard Cleyet wrote:


On 2011, Oct 31, , at 11:25, David Marx wrote:

We also have unionized teachers that may not be able to be fired if they are
demonstrably incompetent.


Every time I read similar, I want to scream!


I posted the below about three years ago, evidently it didn't work -- or result in a rebuttal.

[Link is at end.]

Bill Maher Reveals His Ignorance...Again
The Myth of the "Powerful" Teachers´ Union
by DAVID MACARAY
There´s a myth circulating out there that not only threatens to ruin the reputation of America´s school teachers, but has the potential to side-track any realistic hopes of education reform. It´s the assertion that "powerful" teachers´ unions are responsible for the decline of public education in the United States in general, and Caliornia in particular.

Propagators of this myth claim that the reason test scores of American children have sunk so low in recent years is because our public school teachers are too incompetent and lazy to provide adequate instruction.

Moreover, because the teachers´ unions are so domineering and evil-because their leaders will do anything to maintain union hegemony, including not allowing demonstrably inferior teachers to be fired-school administrators are powerless to act.

----------------------



In Georgia, where 92.5% of the teachers are non-union, only 0.5% of tenured/post-probationary teachers get fired. In South Carolina, where 100% of the teachers are non-union, it´s 0.32%. And in North Carolina, where 97.7% are non-union, a miniscule .03% of tenured/post-probationary teachers get fired-the exact same percentage as California.

An even more startling comparison: In California, with its "powerful" teachers´ union, school administrators fire, on average, 6.91% of its probationary teachers. In non-union North Carolina, that figure is only 1.38%. California is actually tougher on prospective candidates.
---------------------------------------

Fact: During the 1950s and 1960s, California´s public school system was routinely ranked among the nation´s finest. You can look it up. More significantly, the teachers in those classrooms were union members. The same teachers who were winning those awards for excellence belonged to the "powerful" teachers´ union. Let that sink in a moment: Good schools, good teachers,big union.

Which raises the question: Has anything else changed in California (and the rest of the country, for that matter) in the last 40 years to lead one to believe there might be causes other than labor unions to explain the drop in graduation rates? Have there been any significant changes in, say, cultural attitudes or demographics?

For openers, how about the disintegration of the American family and the decline in parental supervision/involvement? Being a good student requires discipline, application and, perhaps, a certain level of respect for authority. Have we witnessed any "breakdowns" in these areas over the last 40 years?

Or how about the rise in urban poverty?
------------
http://www.counterpunch.org/2009/03/20/the-myth-of-the-quot-powerful-quot-teachers-union/



bc prays he may rest his voice.
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