Getting better teachers, and other herculean tasks (Sec of Ed says Calif teachers lack skills)

Sacramento Bee ^ | June 19, 2002 | Peter Schrag

[John Jorsett]

Officials at California's teacher licensing board are livid at U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. In a report issued last week, Paige singled out the low standards in California's basic test for teachers as an egregious example of what he sees as the flabby academic skills of a large proportion of American teachers.

[John Jorsett]

Ping. Forgot the CALGOV2002 keyword again, dagnabbit. I hope Bill SImon knows how to capitalize on this stuff. I think he's making a good start with that Spanish language commercial telling Hispanics what a lousy job the state is doing in educating their kids.

[Fish out of Water]

*Index Bump

[Fish out of Water]

You can now go back and add keywords after you post the article, check the top right column.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Probably still makes sense to use the old index also.

Education is surely going to be a part of the election issues.

calgov2002:

calgov2002: for old calgov2002 articles. 

calgov2002: for new calgov2002 articles. 

Other Bump Lists at: Free Republic Bump List Register

[Nitro]

I would rather try and train tigers while wearing pants made of meat...

than teach at a Public School in NYC!!

[boris]

Here's my can't-fail plan to fix our education system:

1. Put me in charge...and I mean in charge. This isn't gonna be pretty, and it's gonna HURT.

2. Outlaw the NEA. While we're at it, outlaw the other one, too.

3. Nobody now a member of the NEA can ever teach again, or ever come within ten yards of a child.

4. Abolish all "schools of education" and all laws requiring "certificates" to teach.

5. No more mandatory schooling. Strictly voluntary.

6. All schools private; homeschooling OK.

7. Parent's tax refunds directly proportional to an annual standardized test. No 'teach to the test'...we change the test every year, in secret, but every test is a comprehensive general test of knowledge, comprehension and synthesis.

8. Teacher's compensation is proportional to the average score achieved by his/her students on these tests.

8a. The maximum teacher's salary will be the minimum salary paid to any NBA player in the current season.

9. At age 18 everyone takes SAT. Anyone scoring less than "X" (set a minimum) will be executed and the executions televised. The little b*****ds will study, I gar-UN-TEE.

My point is not to start lining up low-achieving high-schoolers and shooting them. My point is that there IS a solution, somewhere between here and there. We simply lack the will to impliment it. "We" do...I don't...which is why I am not calling the shots!

--Boris

[boris]

Clarification to #7: Parent's tax refunds proportional to their kids scores on the annualized test. Put a little feedback into the system, you see.

[IncredibleHulk]

I like your delusion, especially the part about the pay rate, except for part 3. Unfortunately, if you need to be protected from the Principal from Hell and a corrupt school district, like my wife was, joining the local union makes you a part of the state and national disasters.

You can read about my wife's school on the Drudge Report today in the article about the sex survey of 10 year olds. The article really whitewashs the district's part in the whole thing so don't believe what they say but the parent's statements are correct.

My wife was attacked and harrassed for years for reporting hidden video cameras in a classroom where "young, pretty" kindergarten teachers changed clothes to go running after school. The video recorder/cameras looked like a smoke detector on the ceiling and was bought illegally using district money. California now has a law specifically preventing this type of workplace surveillance because of this incident.

[boris]

"I like your delusion"

Sorry about your wife.

Re: my delusion: 1. What's delusional about it--other than being so politically incorrect that it is impossible...and 2. What's your plan?

--Boris

[IncredibleHulk]

2. What's your plan?

The education system can't be fixed without massive input from the parents and they're the major problem so it will never be done. My plan is to encourage capable parents to home school their children, those who can't home school should choose their teachers wisely and loving/caring people with their own children grown up should teach the younger kids so they can at least get a good start.