The head of a national teachers union — the other one, the AFT (American Federation of Teachers) — gave a significant speech the other day. The aspect of her speech that got the most attention (NYTimes article, HuffPo post) was a new receptiveness to merit pay for teachers and a willingness to discuss the future of tenure. These are the basic issues separating labor from management in the District of Columbia dispute.
In the spirit of this extraordinary moment, and as a pledge of shared responsibility, I’ll take the first step,” she said. “With the exception of vouchers, which siphon scarce resources from public schools, no issue should be off the table, provided it is good for children and fair to teachers.
Also in the Times article was this dry response:
“Randi said she was willing to talk about these things,” said Kate Walsh, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, a nonprofit group that seeks to increase the number of effective teachers. “But from my experience, the A.F.T. and its locals have always been willing to talk about tough issues. The problem is that they’re not often willing to give in on them.”
Less covered from her speech was a proposal called “Smart Investments in Education”:
- Providing universal early childhood education, starting with low-income children.
- Preparing young people for high-skill, high-demand “green jobs.”
- Providing a boost to high-achieving students from low-income households.
- Offering high-quality educational choices within the public school system.
- Focusing intensely on improving low-performing schools.
- Establishing community schools that serve the neediest children by bringing together services that they and their families need.
- Ensuring that every school facility is a place where teachers can teach and students can learn.
- Expanding teacher induction so that new teachers are not left to sink or swim.
- Creating an online teacher resource network with information on curriculum, lesson plans and source documents to enhance teaching.
- Offering every student a well-rounded education that would stand in stark contrast to the “standardized test score competition” that has resulted from NCLB.
(from the AFT press release; links are to AFT documents)
This was preceded by a call for “reinvestment, not disinvestment”:
We face very serious challenges — the financial crisis, the deepening recession, and thieir destructive consequences.Faced with declining tax revenues, state and local governments are cutting back on their most essential investment — educating the next generation. This disinvestment in education may help state and local governments’ bottom lines this year. But it places our economy in a race to the bottom for years to come.
I propose that the nation reinvest–not disinvest–in education. By reinvesting, I don’t just mean money… we also must commit to policies and programs that challenge our schools, demand that they do the very best for all children, and ensure that the people who teach our students are given the tools they need.
Here’s the full text of the speech; it’s an interesting read.
I’ll point out that all of this costs money, a lot of money!