Posted on 09/22/2006 5:27:29 AM PDT by shrinkermd
Schools of education have gotten bad grades before. Yet there are some truly shocking statistics about teacher training in this week's report from the Education Schools Project. According to "Educating School Teachers," three-quarters of the country's 1,206 university-level schools of education don't have the capacity to produce excellent teachers. More than half of teachers are educated in programs with the lowest admission standards (often accepting 100% of applicants) and with "the least accomplished professors." When school principals were asked to rate the skills and preparedness of new teachers, only 40% on average thought education schools were doing even a moderately good job.
The Education Schools Project was begun in 2001, with foundation funding, to analyze how America trains its educators and to offer constructive criticism. Its report card this week is significant for two reasons. First, it is based on four years of broad and methodical research, including surveys of school principals and of the deans, faculty members and graduates of education schools. In addition, researchers studied programs and practices at 28 institutions. No matter how many establishment feathers get ruffled by the results of these inquiries, miffed educators can't easily brush off the basic findings: There are glaring flaws and gaps in our teacher-training system...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Last time I looked New York spends an average of $13,000 per student, and the teacher competency test may be further dumbed down because there is a lawsuit claiming that it is discriminatory.
One of the biggest problems is that there is no management/worker divide; the principals and superintendents are almost all drawn from a pool of teachers and comprise a fraternity of sorts.
Only in some districts are there school boards with the power to make hire or fire decisions.
Too often, school boards are merely platforms for political aspirants and teachers are zealous voters and campaigners.
And what would you do when the parent cussed you out, or laughed and said 'that is your problem.' Some parents will not take responsibility, and you can bet their kids won't either.
I am not suggesting that anything is 'unfair'. I have been in the classroom and in the workplace. Both have their problems.
'The tougher the job, the greater the pay.'
Already happening - at least in Texas. The state has a base pay, and districts add to that. The state has also begun to add more for certain areas - like math and science.
Problems exist because of poor preparation by education departments, lack of discipline allowed in schools (You think W is having problems with detainee treatment - multiply that for the child in school), parents who don't care or are too busy with their own lives ("I couldn't do my homework because we had to go to ____ "). Teachers who are not educated themselves add to the problems.
The public schools are yet another example of failed liberal/socialists policy. They just can't admit it..
Don't worry. Between teaching kids how to put on condoms, how to value the sexually disturbed, and how white male Europeans destroyed the world they won't have time to even read the basic findings.
Shalom.
Actually, as I understand it the Russian K1-12 or equivalent is vastly superior to ours.
I believe it was, "Them as can, does; them as can't teaches; them as can't teach, teaches teachers."
Shalom.
Anyone who reaches that level without having learned how to use the library is in very bad shape. (Plus, my Masters was in Library Science.)
[And what would you do when the parent cussed you out, or laughed and said 'that is your problem.' Some parents will not take responsibility, and you can bet their kids won't either.]
There are those. But the best any teacher can do is try to motivate the parents to help the kids. If the kids parents are drug dealings, welfare hording, government sucking, lack luster, slimeball scum buckets, then their child is a waste of time and should be sent to prison for the rest of its life (sarc). Obviously, there are people that should not be allowed to have kids. Then their are those that just "don't have time" to work with their kids. If a teacher is calling the house once or twice a month to discuss the kids progress, decent well intended folks are going to take notice.
Your hopeless child scenario exists, but I don't believe we should try and curtail an educational system around hopeless children and parents. This is still a free country and try as we may, you can't govern stupid. In order to address the problem of worthless parents (with regards to their children's education) you would literally have to make their kids go to boarding school (Take them away).
Well, here's something to ponder:
In Ohio, you now have to have a Masters degree to be able to renew your certificate and keep your job. However, because of this, districts have cut salaries offered to teachers holding masters degrees.
The amount of time off is nice - but it is overblown. My family members who teach routinely put in 10.5 months of work, with the only other time off being for christmas (a week and a half, normally) and spring break (1 week). They also routinely arrive at work by 7:30, and do not leave until after 4:30, with 15-20 minutes for lunch and no other breaks. Then there is routinely work that is still brought home.
So yes, there is more time off. The amount is typically overblown, though.
But here's the thing - the pay is lousy for the amount of education required. The pay raise given for a masters degree over just a bachelors is not enough to even service the loans for a cut-rate extension campus program.
And the benefits? The medical coverage isn't bad - slightly better than private industry. The dental is fantastic. Retirement? Not bad, but then how many of the rest of us would consider a mandatory contribution of 10% of your base salary a free benefit?
There are many Masters Degrees out there and they don't ALL do better than teachers. It probably differs from state to state but tell me, how does one who already has a Masters degree qualify to become a teacher?
Well, you can make his drink, and even serve it to him, but you can't make him give you a tip. Horse are notoriously bad tippers.
;-)
How many other jobs do you know of that pay just barely over $30k per year starting for someone with a masters (with yearly raises around 2-3%)?
I don't have this kind of degree but how about Masters in Fine Arts? I've known some, they're lucky to be employed with such a degree and then there are those Masters in Sociology, History, etc. By the way my pay raises with another type of Masters Degree have averaged around 3% over the last few years while unionized teachers in my town average around 6%. Is this typical, who knows but you asked.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
