The latest bad news about pensions comes to us via the National
Council on Teacher Quality. “Doing the Math on Teacher Pensions: How to Protect
Teachers and Taxpayers” is a state-by-state analysis that challenges the claims
of pension boards and other groups about “the cost-effectiveness, fairness and
flexibility of the traditional defined benefit pension plans still in place in
38 states.” It includes a report card on each of the 50 states and D.C. with a
detailed analysis of state teacher pension policies. To access the report, go
to http://nctq.org/dmsStage/Doing_the_Math Details on California, rated “C,” are here - http://nctq.org/dmsView/Pension_Report_Card_California
EdVoice, a Sacramento based advocacy group, came out with a
report in January: “Student Progress Ignored: An examination of California
school districts’ compliance with the Stull Act.” After 40 years of ignoring
the law and a lawsuit which was supposed to have changed things, school districts are still not
evaluating teachers and principals properly. “Overall, 86.5% of evaluations did not include
a connection to pupil progress in their comments. Even in the best district,
only 36% of district’s teachers had an evaluation that included any mention of
pupil progress.” To learn more about the original EdVoice lawsuit, go here - http://www.city-journal.org/2012/cjc0119ls.html To see
the report, go to http://edvoice.org/sites/default/files/STUDENT%20PROGRESS%20IGNORED.pdf
The debate about testing has become one of the most talked
about subjects in education circles. Moderate voices are not always heard, but
Teach Plus’s Celine Coggins suggests a sensible approach.
I know annual testing
is being hotly debated by teachers right now, with folks on either side of the
issue. I stand with Dwight in support of annual assessments. Without them, I
fear that we’ll go back in time to 1995, where you couldn’t ask the
question: What did I do this year to help my students succeed? Without
annual testing we cannot be pinpoint-focused on closing the achievement gap.
To read her entire statement, go to http://cm.teachplus.org/t/ViewEmail/r/83FC0043058C2FD12540EF23F30FEDED/39A765B280D914F1148F9D201EEB5695
The National
Education Association has hired a couple of communications firms to help
bolster its image with the public. Over at the Daily Beast, Conor Williams has unearthed and posted the formerly internal
communiqué. He writes,
The
document, titled ‘Persuading the People on Public Schools,' lists a series of
educational and political buzzwords and offers euphemisms of varying degrees of
synonymy. Instead of ‘inequality,’ the NEA suggests ‘living in the right ZIP
Code.’
This
is odd: Those ‘right’ ZIP Codes are usually full of families on the wealthy
side of America’s growing inequality gap. How can we talk about ZIP Codes
without discussing inequality? It’s also ironic, given the union’s usual
resistance to school-choice policies (often involving charter schools) that
would weaken links between high real-estate prices and access to quality
schools.
Williams’ piece and
the document itself can be accessed here – http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/02/union-to-teachers-say-right-zip-code-not-rich.html
Friedrichs v.
CTA, the Center for Individual Rights challenge to compulsory union dues, is
one step closer to the Supreme Court. CIR informs us that on January 26th,
“Michael Carvin, lead counsel in the case, filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court. The
petition asks the Court to take the case and rule that the compulsory union
dues laws now in effect in twenty-six states unconstitutionally force
individuals to subsidize union positions with which they may fundamentally
disagree. If the Court takes Friedrichs,
it will likely schedule the case for the term beginning October, 2015, with a
decision likely by June 2016.” To learn more and read the petition, go to https://www.cir-usa.org/cases/friedrichs-v-california-teachers-association-et-al/
In Illinois, Governor Bruce Rauner apparently decided not to wait for the
SCOTUS to rule on the Friedrichs case,
and issued an executive order barring unions from forcing public employees to
pay dues.
(T)he newly
elected Republican who has often criticized public sector unions, took his
first step toward curbing their power on Monday by announcing an executive
order that would bar unions from requiring all state workers to pay the
equivalent of dues.
Mr. Rauner, who
faces a Democratic-controlled legislature with strong ties to labor, took the
unilateral step saying that he believed those fees violate the United States
Constitution.
‘Forced union
dues are a critical cog in the corrupt bargain that is crushing taxpayers,’ Mr.
Rauner said. ‘An employee who is forced to pay unfair share dues is being
forced to fund political activity with which they disagree. That is a clear
violation of First Amendment rights — and something that, as governor, I am
duty bound to correct.’
This
will be interesting to watch. If Rauner’s decision stands, will other governors
try to follow suit? To read more, go here - http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/10/us/illinois-governor-bruce-rauner-acts-to-curb-power-of-public-sector-unions.html
On the national stage, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) is
pushing for a school choice bill that would help children with disabilities,
provide more choices to military families and expanded educational options for
low-income families in Washington, DC. To learn more about the CHOICE Act, go
to http://www.scott.senate.gov/issue/choice-act
To get a varied view on why choice, in general, is beneficial, go here - http://amplifyschoolchoice.com/expert-opinions/
This
coming June and July, the Independent Institute is hosting “Challenge of Liberty,” a free
market seminar for students who are at least 18 years old.
The five-day series of
lectures, readings, films, multimedia presentations, and debates teach
participants what economics is, how it affects their lives, and how
understanding it can help them achieve better lives for themselves, their
communities, and the world at large. Challenge of Liberty illuminates
the intimate connection between principles of free market economics and public
policy decisions. Informative, inspiring, and fun, Challenge of Liberty is
an ideal way stay intellectually engaged over the summer while bolstering your personal
network and building your skill set.
Know anyone who is interested in
becoming a member of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing?
There is a Public Member vacancy
on the Committee of Credentials. By statute, the committee is responsible for
initiating all investigations into allegations of misconduct by credential
holders and applicants. To serve in the Public Member position on the COC,
applicants may not have been employed in either a certificated public school
position and/or have been a member of any governing board of a school district
or county board of education within the five years prior to the date of appointment.
Applications must be postmarked no later than May 29, 2015. Visit
the CTC website (http://www.ctc.ca.gov/) for additional information and a copy of the application.
If you are interested in giving CTEN brochures to
colleagues, you can print them right from the home page - http://www.ctenhome.org/PDFdocs/CTEN -
Brochure.pdf Or, if you prefer, we will be happy to send
you as many preprinted ones as you need.
Also, anyone wishing to donate to CTEN can do so very
simply through check, money order or PayPal - http://www.ctenhome.org/donate.html As
a non-profit, we exist only through the generosity of others. Thanks, as always.
Sincerely,
Larry Sand
CTEN President
Mark Isler - http://www.markisler.com/
I am
running to reverse a long decline in the quality and performance of our
educational system. Too many students graduate from high school who can't read,
write, spell, or even fill out a job application so the community colleges have
had to make up for the failure of the lower grades.
Our community colleges spend too much time and money providing programs and classes that don't translate into marketable skills and true opportunities. My mission will be to challenge schools to provide programs and degrees that translate into jobs and opportunities.
Our community colleges spend too much time and money providing programs and classes that don't translate into marketable skills and true opportunities. My mission will be to challenge schools to provide programs and degrees that translate into jobs and opportunities.
We need
to go back to high standards, high expectations, and strong discipline.
One of the best ways to achieve these results is by providing school choice.
With competition, the public schools will get much better, but we need to
redefine public schools as schools the public chooses, be they public, charter,
private or home schools.
I have 17 years of experience as a community
college educator. I currently work at a local community college as a
Professor in the Political Science and Business Divisions; I also run the Job
Placement Center where I place students in jobs and internships both on and off
campus, and I am the Government Relations liaison to the college. Every year I
bring students, faculty and staff to Sacramento to lobby the legislature and teach
them how to advocate for issues that matter. I have seen first hand what our
community colleges can do to improve the lives of those who walk through our
doors. I’ve also seen underprepared and underserved populations struggle
to be successful in college. I am running because I want to remove barriers and
make sure that all students regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or
socio-economic status have an opportunity to benefit from an affordable, high
quality public higher education.
