Posted by
Edward Rourke on Wednesday, December 24, 2008 7:33:43 PM
Teachers Unions criticize standardized tests all the time. They say things like "teachers end up just teaching to the test". I say so what as long as the test fairly demonstates the students knowledge of the subject. Teaching to the test is simply teaching in my book.
I just read a good article in the Dec. 8 edition of Time Magazine ( I know, I know, but trust me it was good ) on how to fix American schools. The article focuses on Michelle Rhee, Superintendant of the Wash. DC School System. Her mission has been to use standardized testing to measure students progress and to hold teachers and administrators responsible when students don't meet the standards. Obviously she has met plenty of resistance from teachers unions and administrators alike. Rhee wants to purge the DC School System of all incompetent teachers and administrators and replace them with educators who are competent and who's salaries are merit based. I wish her luck, but her task is going to be even more difficult than it seems on the surface.
Rhee is a Democrat but doesen't like the Democrats status quo approach to education. Despite her reservations, Rhee voted for Obama because she hoped that he was serious about education reform. Sadly on this front she will be disappointed. Obama's idea of education reform is getting more of the Liberal agenda cramed into the curriculum. Remember Obama had previously worked on education reform hand and hand with self proclaimed Marxist Bill Ayers. Also most if not all of the worst schools are in the big cities which are predominatly run by Democrats. Obama is the most Liberal Democrat ever to be elected President. It is highly unlikly that he will go up against fellow Dems on education. Add to this that the biggest teachers union the NEA contributed $50 million to Obama's campaign it would seem the status quo is well protected.
One thing missing from this article is the problem of how teachers become teachers in the first place. My suggestion would be to eliminate the requirement of a "teaching degree". If a person graduates college with a degree in English, Science, History, Math, etc. and it turns out they are excellent at teaching their respective field of expertise, why would we not let them teach our kids? It would seem that people who are truly passionate about particular fields of study would make better teachers anyway.