Comments on: Teachers’ unions can help http://TeachEffectively.com/2009/08/02/teachers-unions-can-help/ Evidence-based teaching methods for helping students who are at risk for school failure or who have disabilities. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:30:13 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: JohnL http://TeachEffectively.com/2009/08/02/teachers-unions-can-help/comment-page-1/#comment-69021 JohnL Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:31:24 +0000 http://TeachEffectively.com/?p=995#comment-69021 Mary, you're right that we don't need competition between teachers. Collaboration is critical. In fact, educators (i.e., "we") need to collaborate and help each other to employ the practices, procedures, methods, and approaches that produce better outcomes for our students. That requires, to be sure, fair outcome measures, tests that accurately assess the competencies "we" and our clients (parents and businesses) agree are important. If we educators would help ineffective teachers to employ effective methods, that'd be wonderful. If some teachers can't or won't employ effective methods, then we educators should, indeed, "show them the door." I support teacher' unions when they take this sort of stance. I think AFT and A. Shanker showed "we" educators the path when they argued for, for example, evidence-based early reading instruction. The AFT may have done some other things that are less helpful (and some good things, such as hiring Dan Willingham to write a column), but the leadership on early reading was an example of doing it the right way. Mary, you’re right that we don’t need competition between teachers. Collaboration is critical. In fact, educators (i.e., “we”) need to collaborate and help each other to employ the practices, procedures, methods, and approaches that produce better outcomes for our students. That requires, to be sure, fair outcome measures, tests that accurately assess the competencies “we” and our clients (parents and businesses) agree are important.

If we educators would help ineffective teachers to employ effective methods, that’d be wonderful. If some teachers can’t or won’t employ effective methods, then we educators should, indeed, “show them the door.” I support teacher’ unions when they take this sort of stance. I think AFT and A. Shanker showed “we” educators the path when they argued for, for example, evidence-based early reading instruction. The AFT may have done some other things that are less helpful (and some good things, such as hiring Dan Willingham to write a column), but the leadership on early reading was an example of doing it the right way.

]]> By: Mary Wurl http://TeachEffectively.com/2009/08/02/teachers-unions-can-help/comment-page-1/#comment-69020 Mary Wurl Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:33:21 +0000 http://TeachEffectively.com/?p=995#comment-69020 Any merit pay plan has to take into account the reality that teachers cooperating with each other is better for students than teachers competing with each other. When we start to look at the importance of collaboration, among general ed teachers and with specialists such as Special Ed. and ESL, the whole merit pay thing gets murky rather quickly. I'd much rather see strong enforcement of provisions already present in teacher contracts which help poor teachers improve or show them the door. Teachers unions are there to protect teachers' due process rights, not to protect poor teachers. Any merit pay plan has to take into account the reality that teachers cooperating with each other is better for students than teachers competing with each other. When we start to look at the importance of collaboration, among general ed teachers and with specialists such as Special Ed. and ESL, the whole merit pay thing gets murky rather quickly. I’d much rather see strong enforcement of provisions already present in teacher contracts which help poor teachers improve or show them the door. Teachers unions are there to protect teachers’ due process rights, not to protect poor teachers.

]]> By: Natalie Schwartz http://TeachEffectively.com/2009/08/02/teachers-unions-can-help/comment-page-1/#comment-69012 Natalie Schwartz Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:08:55 +0000 http://TeachEffectively.com/?p=995#comment-69012 I read your article with great interest. In my last two blog entries, I expressed my doubts that a fair and practical merit-pay system could be developed. But the suggestions you offered are intriguing and logical. I hope the politicians and teachers unions consider such valid and valuable input when discussing the issue of merit pay. I read your article with great interest. In my last two blog entries, I expressed my doubts that a fair and practical merit-pay system could be developed. But the suggestions you offered are intriguing and logical. I hope the politicians and teachers unions consider such valid and valuable input when discussing the issue of merit pay.

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