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Townhall.com...
Feds and Unions: Foes
to Educational Reform
By Chuck Norris
“The fate of our country won’t be decided on a battlefield. It will be
determined in a classroom.” Do you believe that?
Last week, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker called on 14 state Senate
Democrats, who had fled the state instead of voting on a
deficit-cutting anti-teachers-union bill, to return and do their jobs.
Senate Republicans hold a 19-14 majority there but can’t vote on the
bill unless at least one Democrat is present.
Does that sound like democracy at work to you? Do you think it?s just a
coincidence that the two largest teachers unions, the National
Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, are the
largest campaign contributors in the nation -- $55 million in just the
past two years, more than the Teamsters, the National Rifle Association
or any other organization -- and that 90 percent of those contributions
fund only Democratic candidates?
As I began to point out last week, the U.S. public education system is
flailing now more than ever, and teachers unions are aiding and
abetting its demise. Some teachers unions may indeed be fighting for
some of our teachers, but they are failing our students by protecting
adults at the expense of the reformation of a crippled and dying system.
I became even further aware of that in a big way when I recently
watched the movie “Waiting for ?Superman,?” a deeply personal look into
the state of U.S. public education and how it is effecting our
children. It is a movie my wife, Gena, and I encourage every American
to watch. (It just came out on DVD and Blu-ray.)
“Waiting for ?Superman?” demonstrates how:
--Teachers unions are crippling the education of our children.
--Tenure and its guaranteed jobs are perpetuating educational
dysfunction.
--Existing bureaucracies in education, from the U.S. Department of
Education to state school boards, are doing more harm than good.
--Many public schools have become “dropout factories” (schools with
high dropout rates).
--Many public school districts are engaged in “lemon dances” (sending
their worst teachers to other schools and then in turn accepting
failing teachers themselves).
--Many public school districts have “rubber rooms,” places where
teachers placed on disciplinary leave are waiting for hearings that
could take three to four years to be heard. These teachers waste their
time playing cards and other games while getting paid full salaries and
benefits -- to the wasted sum of $100 million a year of taxpayer money.
Think about this: If a teacher knows he can?t be fired, why should he
work or care? What other profession, besides college professor, has
that kind of contractual agreement? None.
Don’t misunderstand me; I fully know and believe that the majority of
public-school teachers and principals are dedicated and highly
qualified. I know some. But I also know that more often than not, even
their hands are being tied by bureaucratic red tape, federal and state
regulations, and teachers unions? special interests, agendas and
contracts. By and large, teachers are good, but government regulation
and teachers unions are a menace and impediment to real public
education reform.
The fact is, as “Waiting for ?Superman?” also documents, the federal
government has gone from spending $4,300 per student in 1971 to more
than $9,000 today (and that?s adjusted for inflation and costs of
living). In our spending double, one would think we?re getting double
the results, but most of our public schools are worse off now than they
were in 1971.
From coast to coast, reading and math scores have flat-lined since
then. In Connecticut, only 35 percent of eighth-graders are proficient
in math. In Alabama, that number is only 18 percent, and in California,
it?s only 24 percent.
And when the nation?s eighth-graders were tested in reading
proficiency, most states scored between 20 and 35 percent of grade
level, with the absolute lowest scores in reading being in the nation?s
capital, Washington, D.C., where only 12 percent of eighth-graders are
proficient.
I discussed last week how we all can fight to improve U.S. public
education. But if our local schools aren?t imparting a quality
education or reforming fast enough to do so for our children, then we
must seek educational alternatives. The minds, hearts and future of our
children and nation are on the line.
But choice is something the feds and teachers unions are not exactly
thrilled about offering. In fact, President Barack Obama’s appointed
secretary of education, Arne Duncan, explained in an NPR interview,
“I’m a big believer in choice and competition, but I think we can do
that within the public-school framework.”
Our children deserve the best education we can give them. We can?t be
satisfied by failed government-run schools that don?t provide the level
of education we want. But there are alternatives, and I would encourage
you to look into them. Charter, parochial and private schools and
home-school co-ops are a few. Gena and I are very committed to
home-schooling our 9-year-old twins.
‘Superman’ is not going to rise up in the ranks of the federal
government or teachers unions. He or she is going to rise up from
within our homes.
In this respect, “Superman” Christopher Reeve had it right: “A hero is
an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure
in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
(In my next two articles, I will discuss some possible solutions to
this horrendous problem.)
Read it at Townhall.com
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