Federal Update - July 18, 2008
Brought
to you by your voice at the national level,
the Association of American
Educators.
Revolutionary Contract Proposed for DC Teachers
Senator Obama Addresses the NEA and AFT Conventions
New AFT President Proposes New Role for Schools
“NEA too Big for its Britches”
NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act
Revolutionary Contract Proposed for DC Teachers
Currently contract discussions are underway in Washington, D.C. between the teachers union and the administration. If approved, the contract will be one of the innovative contracts in the country with teachers given the opportunity to earn more than $100,000. The contract would allow teachers the choice between two different pay structures, a traditional structure with tenure and a new pay structure where tenure would not exist. In the first tier, the red tier, teachers would maintain tenure and be given traditional pay raises. Teachers in the green tier, the second tier, would give up tenure but would be eligible for larger raises for raising student achievement.
“You may be trading off your future, your tenure, your job security,” a union member said. “When you trade that, it seems to me you’re not getting much.”
D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, however, has said that she wants to ensure that D.C. “has the most highly compensated and competent” teachers in the country. Individuals following the contract proceedings believe that this contract will help accomplish Chancellor Rhee’s goal of making sure teachers in the district are the highest paid. Education experts also believe that the elimination of tenure will be groundbreaking.
To pay for the additional bonuses to non-tenured employees the district hopes to use donations from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and the Broad Foundation.
For more information about the proposed contract, please go to the article titled, “Rhee Seeks Tenure-Pay Swap for Teachers,” at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/02/AR2008070203498.html.
On July 16, at the NAACP convention, Senator John McCain, discussed in greater detail his plans for education. At the forefront of his plan is expanding education opportunities, alternative certification, and performance pay. He also criticized the status quo for blocking education reforms.
“After decades of hearing the same big promises from the public education establishment, and seeing the same poor results, it is surely time to shake off old ways and to demand new reforms. That isn't just my opinion; it is the conviction of parents in poor neighborhoods across this nation who want better lives for their children,” McCain stated.
McCain stressed his belief that parents and those who want to become teachers should have more options in the education system. Parents, he believes, should have the choice of sending their children to a public or private school when a public school fails to educate children. McCain also believes that individuals should be able to pursue other routes, besides schools of education, such as Teach for America, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, and the New Teacher Project if they wish to become teachers. “You can be a Nobel Laureate and not qualify to teach in most public schools today. They don't have all the proper credits in educational “theory” or “methodology”- all they have is learning and the desire and ability to share it. If we're putting the interests of students first, then those qualifications should be enough,” he stated.
In the speech McCain reiterated his support of giving teachers that teach in hard to staff schools and teachers that raise student achievement additional pay. In his plan, McCain wishes to give control of the funds for the bonuses to principals, not Washington, the state capital, or even the district office.
McCain also stated in his speech that he will allocate $250 million to expand virtual education, including virtual charter schools.
For more information about McCain’s education plan, please go to http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/Speeches/Read.aspx?guid=611f71e5-0d16-49da-914a-d741646fa1e2.
Senator Obama Adresses the NEA and AFT Conventions
At the beginning of July the NEA and AFT held their annual conventions in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, respectively. Both unions have decided to endorse Senator Barack Obama in the upcoming presidential election. In the Democratic primary the AFT had endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton. The NEA did not make a decision to endorse anyone until it was clear that Obama would be the presumptive Democratic candidate. At the NEA RA the delegates were asked to vote on the NEA Board of Director’s decision to endorse Senator Obama in the upcoming presidential election. Even though Obama is now the presumptive Democratic nominee the RA approved the decision to endorse Obama with the lowest percentage in recent history. Obama received 79.8 percent of the vote which is notably below the 91 percent Bill Clinton received in 1996, 89.5 percent Al Gore received in 2000, and the 86.5 percent John Kerry received in 2004.
Obama spoke to the AFT and NEA conventions via satellite. At both conventions he discussed his support of merit pay which upset some teachers at both conventions, especially the NEA where he was noticeably booed.
“Under my plan, districts will be able to design programs to give educators who serve them as mentors to new teachers the salary increases they've earned. They'll be able to reward those who teach underserved areas or take on added responsibility. As teachers learn new skills or serve their students better or if they consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well,” stated Obama at the NEA convention.
“I know this wasn't necessarily the most popular part of my speech last year, but I said it then, and I'm saying it again today, because it is what I believe,” Obama stated later in his speech.
Teachers at the AFT convention did not boo him when he mentioned merit pay but some AFT members expressed concern about his support of it. “That was the one statement that raised eyebrows,” stated A.J. Duffy, the AFT Los Angeles chapter president. “Our question is what does that mean, ‘who consistently do well in classrooms,’ and based upon whose guidelines? Is it a principal, a test score? We’re going to continue to have a dialogue with him.”
To view portions of Obama’s speech at the NEA, please go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQRGpAPnfjE.
New AFT President Proposes New Role for Schools
In a recent speech at the AFT conference, the newly elected AFT president, Randi Weingarten, has laid out what she believes schools in the future should like. She believes that the schools should take on a more social and medical roles. “Imagine schools that are open all day and offer after-school and evening recreational activities, child care and preschool, tutoring and homework assistance,” she said. “Schools that include dental, medical and counseling clinics.” Ms. Weingarten admits that she does not know how much schools like these will cost.
At the conference Ms. Weingarten also commended individuals who have spoken out against the idea that schools alone should be responsible for raising student achievement when broader social issues are at play. She believes that measures such as publicly funded early childhood education and health services for the poor are needed.
Ms. Weingarten has also laid out her vision for a federal education plan. She believes that an education law should be based on a rich core curriculum, competitive salaries, and mentoring for new teachers. She said that “overhauling” NCLB will be the AFT’s number one priority.
For more information about Randi Weingarten’s plans, please go to http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/education/14cnd-teachers.html?ref=education.
“NEA too Big for its Britches”
In an article for Politico, titled “NEA too Big for its Britches,” Richard Whitmore examines the NEA’s role in the 2008 elections and points out the fact that the liberal politics of the NEA are not being readily embraced by Senator Obama. Their shunning of charter schools and performance pay runs afoul to what many in society want. In the piece Whitmore asks, “And if the NEA is the all-powerful force Republicans project it to be ─ prompting Democratic candidates to genuflect before its agenda ─ why did Obama tweak those teachers (via satellite) with jabs favoring charter schools and performance pay?”
Many charter schools are allowing poor and minority children to receive a quality education, something that they may not have received from a traditional inner city school. In regard to performance pay Whitmore states, “American parents are willing to pay far more for a quality education, but only if that education comes with high-quality math and science teachers attracted and retained by free market salaries.”
At the beginning of the article Whitmore stated, “Everyone knows you don’t tug on Superman’s cape, spit into the wind or mess with the 3.2-million-member National Education Association, especially during election time.” The NEA has a campaign war chest of more than $40 million and thousands of volunteers ready to work for a Democratic candidate. After taking a closer look at the NEA’s politics Whitmore points out at the end, “Perhaps tugging on Superman’s cape, gently, isn’t such a bad idea after all.”
NCLB Recess Until Reauthorization Act
A bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would suspend many of the accountability measures under NCLB during the 2008-2009 school year, but schools would still receive federal funds. Under the bill new schools would not be able to be identified as needing improvement if they fail to make AYP. The NEA is in support of this bill while other minority and liberal groups do not support the bill such as the Citizens Commission on Civil Rights, the NAACP, the National Council of La Raza, the National Urban League, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.
An editorial in the Wall Street Journal states, “We are nowhere near closing the gap, but it is undeniable that the lowest-performing students have made significant gains on standardized test in the NCLB era. Easing up on accountability would be a big step backward.”
The bill is currently in the House Education and Labor Committee.
For more information please go to “The Wrong Education Fix,” at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121581793188647485.html?mod=googlenews_wsj.