Monday, July 13, 2009

National Teacher Unions and the Struggle Over Reform 7.12.09

http://cccr.org/doc/Natl%20Teachers%20Unions%20and%20the%20Struggle%20Over%20School%20Reform.pdf

The Citizen's Commission on Civil Rights just released a report documenting the role of teacher unions' role in school reform movements.

If you look at the people who were involved in this writing (Bill Bradley and others) you see names that are generally supportive of teachers. But being supportive of teachers and being supportive of teachers unions are two different things.

The report challenges unions to get out of the way and allow some reform to happen. Accountability needs to become a part of all teacher's jobs. Surely not everyone is as good a teacher as the next teacher. The report also advocates a sharing of resources in terms of staffing. Talented teachers should move (or at least some of them) to school where they are most needed. Just one more initiative the unions are fighting hard to block.

Once again....whose rights are the unions fighting for....the teachers or the students? Whose rights should the union be fighting for? The students or the teachers?

No comments: