Katrina’s Silver Lining?
This morning’s Times Picayune contains an excellent article that explains the current state of teachers’ unions in New Orleans. Basically, Katrina has busted the unions, for better or worse. Either way, the article serves as a great summary of the arguments for and against these unions in public education systems.
Here’s a synopsis:
Critics accused the union of coddling incompetent teachers and stifling moves toward a more innovative curriculum. Supporters saw the union as a necessary resource for employees of a highly dysfunctional system that routinely lost paychecks and was so cash-strapped it almost failed to make payroll before a private management team was brought in last year.
What usually bothers people about this issue is that the unions always seem to fight against hiring/promoting teachers based on merit. Instead, the unions almost always favor using seniority as a criterion. Charter schools, on the other hand, are exempt from collective bargaining rules and, theoretically, free to hire teachers based on merit.
What I find most tragic is that the unions never seem to be fighting for the kids in their schools. There is a well documented failure of most of New Orleans’ public schools to deliver a decent education, and the unions don’t want the teachers to be held accountable – literally.
Mitchell [the president of the local union in New Orleans] said it’s unreasonable and unfair for charter schools to lay years of poor student performance at the feet of the union. “The whole notion of eliminating unions so the school can work well is a crock,” Mitchell said. Even in pre-Katrina days, “Ben Franklin High and Lusher School had union teachers, and they were performing well.”
Interestingly, the principal at Ben Franklin (the highest performing public school in the state), Carol Christen, admits that she has circumvented union hiring rules. Christen says:
Whenever I would have a vacancy I would write a job description with expected performance outcomes, and plenty of people shied away from that.
The debate over whether unionized public schools or charter schools are better for delivering education is being waged across the country. Another recent example, one that has nothing to do with Katrina, can be found in Minneapolis, MN. In this traditionally Democratic city, poor African-American families are getting fed up with the public schools and leaving them – in droves – for charter schools. See this recent article at the Wall Street Journal’s (free) OpinionJournal website.
Should teachers be fired if they don’t do their job well? What about tenured college professors who perform poorly? Would parents care more about the education their kids receive if they paid (directly) for the tuition?
In the interest of full disclosure: I’m not tenured.
NM
March 7th, 2006 at 10:12 am
Yes teachers should be fired if they dont do their job. It is their job. For example, if Kobe Bryant starts averaging 3 points per game (currently averaging over 30 points per game) for two seasons straight, he will be fired. There are many teachers that are certified but cant teach. This problem resides in this institution also. When so many students are dropping courses, that is not because they are dumb, it is becuase their instructor is doing a poor job. Just because the teacher gets the work very easy does not mean the student will understand also. Yes, there are many students, but it is a job, not voluntary work. Teachers are suppose to educate and make sense of the work. If explaining one way isnt good enough, teachers should have a different technique and that is very rare. Everyone has understanding but how it is explained is the key. There should not be one person without an education unless they choose not to get one. Most students are drawn to the streets (drugs, crimes, etc) because of teachers not performing their jobs. I dont put all the blame on them but they could make a difference. Instead of failing a student, they should make sure the student passes when that student is putting forward the effort and trying to succeed.
March 8th, 2006 at 1:44 pm
This article hits home with me because i went to a public school on the westbank of New Orleans. I attended John Ehret High School which is the biggest school in the state of Louisiana. My classes used to be filled with about forty students in every class, so it was hard for the teachers to teach when it takes twenty minutes to call role. I think that it’s not the teachers fault in my opinion on a public high school level if they don’t not have the time to teach a full lesson. In my opinion the teachers shouldn’t be fired because in public school there is a teacher shortage so that is the reason class room be so filled with students. On the college level at Nicholls the professors expect every student to be on the same level entering college when every student was not giving the same high school education. Some professor teach at a fast pace with out seeing where every student education level is once they enter college. So i beleive that the teacher union should hired more teachers that meet the requirement to work in public schools.
March 8th, 2006 at 4:02 pm
“Performance”, “Grading Scale”, “Pass/Fail”. These are the comments students face as they continue education throughout high school and college. Teachers seem to be exempt from honest grading. If teachers feel that they need to be “unionized”, go for it. I believe teachers do deserve better pay, wonderful benefits, etc, but I also feel that our education system lacks a system of checks and balances. Another aspect of our faulty education system is simply lack of desire. Teachers don’t necessarily want to teach, they may be in it for the benefits. On the other side of this story is the obvious lack of desire by the students. I’m so tired of hearing, “Gah, homework!” or “you should study this material for next week.”. Honestly students should not be talked down to. At every point in time a student should be talked to like an adult, and should be expected to respond like one. The education system needs help from both sides to work, which will sadly never be accomplished if teachers and students aren’t appreciated for what the do.
March 11th, 2006 at 3:11 pm
In the interest of full disclosure: I attended private school from Pre-K through high school. My parents sacrificed luxury cars and tropical vacations in order to cover two tuitions. (I have a brother.) Our faculties and staffs throughout elementary and high school years were, overall, excellent. Most importantly, they cared about our success. Our curriculums were not easy, and I felt fortunate to be part of something that challenged me to the max. Carol Christen at Ben Franklin High is living proof that union members, for the most part, are not qualified to hire or fire teachers. The educational profession, just as any other profession, should have certain criteria for its employees along with the hiring/firing process. Teachers mold the future of our country; they should be held accountable. If they don’t do their jobs well, they should be fired. If a tenured professor is old and performing poorly but was once a good educator, he should be considered for an administrative position, especially if he has contributed the major part of his career in good standing. However, he should not be allowed to remain in the classroom. Our parents – and in many instances we students – are paying a great deal of our hard-earned money to secure and fine-tune in college the skills and knowledge to succeed in life. Since my parents have paid school tuition since 1988, they have taken a keen interest in their investment. Education in our household is not something to be taken lightly. My brother and I are both expected to do our best in school. I strongly feel that the same should be expected of our educators.
December 7th, 2006 at 6:17 pm
The Louisiana school system needs improvement. The way to get improvement is by hiring better-qualified teachers. So many teachers in the state are not working in their field. I feel this is the reason public schools want the best, so they hired the best. Private schools want to keep their schools open and have out-standing graduates. I do not why public schools lack private schools. I think it should be the other way around. Free education better education than private schools. Free education is funded by government; they should give the students excellent education. Productivity students become productivity workers will bring more money into LA. I think it should be the other way around. Public schools need to invest more when hiring teachers because Louisiana has been behind for too long.