Posted on 03/10/2009 11:55:18 AM PDT by steve-b
President Barack Obama embraced merit pay for teachers Tuesday in spelling out a vision of education that will almost certainly alienate union backers.
A strategy that ties teacher pay to student performance has for years been anathema to teachers' unions, a powerful force in the Democratic Party. These unions also are wary of charter schools, nontraditional educational systems that they believe compete with traditional schools for tax dollars.
Obama, however, also spoke favorably of charter schools, saying that where they work, they should be encouraged....
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Don’t just sometimes wish we had an “Edit” function?
Are they paying in Nerits again?
a sliver of goodness.
Nerit, schmerit. Vat vee need to do is get asses in the school seats.
Tank you.
I wish I had an “Edit” function!
They are getting tired of fending off all the criticism.
Does that mean any great changes to the union-run schools, esp. in failing urban districts?
Doubtful - “more merit pay” is probably code for “more pay for everybody.”
Don’t you just hate typo’s in titles.
“President Barack Obama embraced merit pay for teachers Tuesday in spelling out a vision of education that will almost certainly alienate union backers. “
All it means is seniority will get merit pay which they will tack on to their salaries. Then when they retire they will use that for their pension numbers.
If they want to give a merit increase to good teaching then they should also punish poor teaching.
Never thought I'd see words like that. Too bad it's not true. The air traffic controllers are planning on a strike soon if they don't get their demands. Then you'll see the difference between a Reagan and an Obama.
It is just him talking. Do we not understand this? By the time everything is factored in and after all the negotiating is done, the public school systems will receive more money with longer days, longer school years, more freebies for ‘tha chillrun...’ and all this talk about merit pay will be in the dustbin. Just because great leader’s lips are moving, does not mean he means what he says.
I am firmly convinced that the best merit pay would be to provide teachers in superbly performing schools with a 2% above inflation pay raise. Those in adequately performing schools an inflation only pay raise, and those in under-performing schools a 2% pay cut. This proposal would cause bad teachers to seek employment as pastry chefs or something they might be able to actually do.
Those lazy, narrow-minded, activist “teachers” might actually have to educate someone under a merit system. This would help separate the wheat from the chaff.
Don't bet on it.
The "Merit" pay will undoubtedly be based on how "Progressive" a teacher is.
And the Charter Schools will have some innocuous-sounding name, but will be designed to turn out "Community Organizers".
Never trust the Left's words. Always examine carefully what they are really up to.
Wink and nod, bait and switch.
I’ll bet all takers that this merit pay thing magically disappears without a peep before long, and if pressed Obama’s press blob will say something about how Obama is still 100% for it but blah blah blah.
I’ll bet all takers that this merit pay thing magically disappears without a peep before long, and if pressed Obama’s press blob will say something about how Obama is still 100% for it but blah blah blah.
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