Civic leaders in Cincinnati get it: Teachers union contracts can stifle educational improvement
The Sunday print edition of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Enquirer has a rather remarkable letter to the community from a host of the area’s civic leaders.
This “Letter to the Community from Strive Partnership” pulls no punches about how the current contract between the teachers union and the Cincinnati Public School System (CPS) “continues many of the failed policies of the past.”
The letter lists some of those failed policies. These include:
• Rewarding “…teachers for seniority while ignoring the success or failure of their students,”
• Restricting “…the superintendent's ability to create innovative alternative schools,” and
• The fact that “…teacher transfer and placement processes prevent schools from assembling the best possible instructional teams.”
It's good to see that so many civic leaders understand these issues and are willing to speak out publicly, with their names included, in such a frank letter.
It really is time for teachers' unions everywhere, and that definitely includes Kentucky, to step up to their responsibilities. Teachers unions represent professionals, not factory workers. That requires some changes in union leaders’ thinking if we are ever to see new standards that will grow the performance and prestige of this absolutely critical profession while insuring that the members of the profession are treated fairly.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Civic leaders in Cincinnati get it: Teachers union contracts can stifle educational improvement
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
What will it take for others to get it?
RE: Anonymous Jul 20 at 9:16 AM
It will take people like you and us constantly pointing out the obvious adverse impacts on our children. The union spends a lot of money trying to obscure the issue, so we need you and a lot of others as well in this fight.
It takes the pain of the performance consequences to exceed the pain of union wrath. Only one of the above is personal. There in lies your problem.
RE: Anonymous Jul 21 at 6:12 AM
Actually, I think therein lies the union's problem. Sooner or later, they are going to have to wake up and make some real changes.
We are not going to get the dramatic improvement we need in public education with the plodding approaches currently being forced on school leaders by the union. The inefficiency forced on the education system by current union restrictions hobbles real reform efforts.
It has taken too long, but a lot of people are waking up to the fact that, after 20 years of KERA, we still have far too many low-achieiving schools in Kentucky. There is now frustration on both sides of the legislative aisle.
The seeming past commandment to "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" about KERA has now expired.
Is it taking to long? Absolutely! But, will we see some real changes? I think so.
And, I won't rule out the union finally stepping up to the plate to help foster real change as a potential part of this process.
Post a Comment