I am a Reinventor, a person who is in the process of shifting her life and repackaging herself for a new career. Pamela Mitchell, author of “The 10 Laws of Career Reinvention,” states in her book that careers are a conduit for the type of life you want to lead. Towards the end of last year, I was giving serious consideration to becoming an educator. I take no credit. I was inspired by my 3 year old granddaughter’s love of learning. She softened my heart. I began to like children again, believing that I could inspire more children to value their education. However, those plans have been thwarted by the school closings and pending teacher layoffs not only in Georgia, but also across the nation.
A nation which cannot afford to educate its youth is an impoverished nation, in my opinion. There are people today who believe that education in the United States is the civil rights issue of the 21st century. The arguments among government officials, educators, teachers unions and administrators about the best practices to educate the nation’s youth should do more to move the conversation forward, resulting in action-oriented improvements.
Each side has a stake in winning. Administrators want to ensure compliance with state laws and federal regulations in order to receive proper funding. For the teachers’ union, the battle includes the effort to preserve the holy grail of teaching: tenure. Currently, tenure is a presumed right for teachers. Some critics believe that tenure is a cover for incompetent teachers. Tenure should not be used as a shield to protect incompetent teachers when our children remain ill-equipped to compete in a 21st century economy. Conversely, teachers should not automatically loose their jobs for low student performance.
The Department of Education has developed initiatives targeted at making long-awaited changes to encourage improvements. The most notable program, Race to the Top, is a $4.35 billion funding program designed to advance education reform in four key areas. School districts compete for federal funding by implementing strategies to improve low achieving schools; recruit, retain, develop and reward quality teachers and principals; build data systems to measure the academic growth and success of students; and, adopt standards and assessments that will equip students to succeed in college, the workplace and a global economy. Teacher pay is tied to student performance, and is not making a lot of unions happy. This means that some states would have to change legislation in order to compete for federal funds. Indeed, efficiency within schools translates into student success. The dimensions of efficiency provide balanced competition to ensure that school districts are successful.
Reports show that U.S. students rank 32nd in math scores, 10th in science, and 12th in reading among their international counterparts. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Reverend Al Sharpton – two public figures with polar opposite political views – have joined forces to combat the problems that plague the nations’ educational system. Both men want to see real reform in the nation’s schools that will lead to an improvement in student achievement. This sets a positive example of what is required in order to experience real reform in education. Differences should not outweigh the common goal of success for students. If the United States wants to compete and lead the world in the 21st century economy, teachers’ unions and administrators must follow Mr. Gingrich and Rev. Sharpton’s lead, and demonstrate a willingness to work together.
So, what are we to do? Why are schools closing, and are real solutions being overlooked in the interest of saving money? What do budget shortfalls in school districts say about our priorities? Every child deserves a quality education, and we should not loose sight of what truly matters.
"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." William Arthur Ward
No comments:
Post a Comment