🚀 go-pugleaf

 
The Legacy of Unions..........

Anyone care to comment and defend THIS festering pile the Unions created?....

http://www.californiarepublic.org/archives/Columns/Yan/20051216YanMissed.html



Missed Opportunities of the Year
Declining student achievement...
[Xiaochin Claire Yan] 12/16/05 
In 2005 California increased the education budget by $3 billion and poured $50 
billion into schools at the rate of more than $10,000 per pupil. Yet there is 
little to show for these efforts. Student achievement remains low and the 
dropout rate is high. Teacher quality varies widely from school to school and 
the state lacks an accurate way to measure student progress. Throughout this 
past year, California missed crucial opportunities to enhance accountability 
and boost achievement. 

Not giving more choice to parents and students trapped at low-performing 
schools. Federal legislation gives parents whose children are in failing 
schools the option of private tutors and the right to transfer to a better 
public school. But few parents with children in under-performing schools know 
the status of their children�s schools or are aware of the right to transfer. 
Many districts do not inform parents of their choices or deny transfer 
requests outright. And although some public charter schools have shown 
tremendous success in improving achievement in urban and minority areas, 
charter schools still face stiff opposition from the education establishment. 
Many parents and students trapped in failing campuses still have no choice of 
getting into a better school. 


 
Failing to recognize that all teachers are not equal. California failed to 
link a teacher�s pay to performance, rigorous evaluations, and willingness to 
take on challenging environments. Under the current system the Teacher of the 
Year is paid the same as the teacher who put in the minimum effort. Seniority 
alone should not be the determinant of a teacher�s pay. 

Failing to reform tenure. In California, most primary and secondary teachers 
receive permanent status, or tenure, after completing a two-year probation. 
Once tenured, it is virtually impossible to fire teachers regardless of poor 
performance. A tenured teacher cannot be dismissed solely for failing to 
improve student achievement. Worse, if students consistently fail to advance 
under one teacher, there is no explicit provision that allows districts to 
commence the dismissal process. Proposition 74 on the November ballot would 
have been a small step in fixing the problem. The electorate missed the 
opportunity reform teacher tenure.

Failing to stop exorbitant union contracts from bankrupting our schools. 
Exorbitant union contracts are currently outstripping state revenue and 
limiting districts from contracting out for cheaper services in facilities and 
maintenance. These factors contribute to unnecessarily high costs in 
education, which means fewer dollars go to students in the classroom. 

Failing to implement a value-added model of assessment. California�s current 
method of assessment provides a partial and often inaccurate picture of how 
students are really doing and the results are often of little help to 
teachers. Test-score reports focus on average test scores and growth at the 
school level, overlooking the needs of the individual student. California 
failed to implement a measurement model that provides information on how well 
individual students are progressing toward subject-matter proficiency from 
year to year. 

Failing to improve teacher subject-matter competency. The National Council on 
Teacher Quality gave California an �F� grade on its system of ensuring the 
subject-matter competency of veteran teachers. The system allows too many 
teachers deficient in subject matter to be labeled as competent.

In California, state and local spending on education has grown by more than 
$11 billion since 1998. The state may increase education spending even more in 
2006 but until California gets serious about reform, the results in student 
achievement will not keep pace.CRO