Monday, August 20, 2007

It's raining here...

...but here's some stuff to read while listening to the raindrops.

KIPP-- wow, they couldn't have paid for a better piece in the newspaper; though I didn't run across the word "union".

Doin' your union homework over summer. Seneca Valley Teachers in PA authorized a strike; at issue are pay raises and health care premiums.

This op ed piece in the Denver Post cries "Change teacher and principal working conditions, expectations and wages. Pay them more. Get rid of teacher tenure. Pay for expertise, performance and student results, not years served. Recruit the best and brightest. The best school leaders attract and retain the best teachers. Give schools the support and tools to manage their own budgets and the power to hire and fire staff. Make all staff retirement plans portable and flexible." Uhh...

Rumbles about UTLA's plans to turn around LAUSD.

Words about NYC's union-run charters.

Turning a failing public school into a charter approved by the district administration AND the teacher union to improve test scores AND increase funding WITH the support of the actual staff assigned to that building? Interesting.

Teaching boot camp? Yep, that's what they call it, though it's not mandatory and they don't shave your head. Teachers in Worchester, MA go to the camp (unpaid) but they do receive credits from a local college. Sounds like a good idea, and makes the worst faculty meeting ever sound like...nothing.

Students on strike.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The article about turning a public school states, in part:

"As a charter school, Silver Hill would no longer have to follow the district's curriculum guidelines,..."

Why not just release them from the requirement? Why is a charter needed?

But here's the good stuff:

"...and teachers would have the flexibility to work late and perform duties prohibited by their union contract."

Counters

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