Post by admin on Jul 21, 2008 6:53:45 GMT -5
www.nypost.com/seven/07202008/postopinion/editorials/randi_steps_up_120699.htm
Randi Weingarten has gone to Washington.
The long-serving president of New York City's powerful teachers' union was tapped last week to lead the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers - a post from which she'll have ample opportunity to push her education agenda on the national level.
As problematic as that may be.
Indeed, in her acceptance speech last Monday at the annual AFT convention in Chicago, Weingarten laid out her vision for "community schools" that do everything but, well, teach.
"Imagine schools that are open all day and offer after-school and evening recreational activities and homework assistance," she said. "And suppose the schools included child care and dental, medical and counseling clinics."
A one-stop nanny state, in other words - owned and operated by Randi Weingarten & Co.
Weingarten's push for all-purpose schools is hardly surprising, of course. What better way to dodge teacher accountability in the one area schools are built for - teaching kids how to read, write and do numbers?
No question, Randi's been Schools Chancellor Joel Klein's No. 1 obstacle on that front for years.
That said, if she expects her elevation to free her from pesky reformers like Klein, she might want to think again.
One of the folks Weingarten will encounter in our nation's capital is none other than DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee - who's pushing a plan to completely eliminate teacher tenure.
Under Rhee's proposal, now in negotiation with the DC teachers' union, current teachers who opt out of tenure and submit to merit-based evaluations would be eligible for bonuses that could nearly double their salaries - with some earning north of $130,000 a year.
That kind of paycheck is sure to attract the best and brightest - while the lack of seniority-based protections (new teachers would automatically enter the new system) would weed out the ones who just can't cut it.
Gee, we wonder why the DC union - an affiliate of Weingarten's AFT, incidentally - hasn't jumped at the plan.
Truth be told, Rhee's data-driven approach seems to be producing results already: The percentage of DC elementary-school students achieving proficiency on standardized tests this year jumped by 8 points in math and 11 points in reading - with high-school students notching equally impressive gains.
The potential's there, in other words, for DC schools to start producing the kind of students who can stand on their own in the global economy.
And without even operating a free dental clinic - imagine that!
Make no mistake: Randi Weingarten has been a fixture of New York politics for 10 years, and we wish her the best.
Just not when it involves standing in the way of leaders like Michelle Rhee.
Randi Weingarten has gone to Washington.
The long-serving president of New York City's powerful teachers' union was tapped last week to lead the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers - a post from which she'll have ample opportunity to push her education agenda on the national level.
As problematic as that may be.
Indeed, in her acceptance speech last Monday at the annual AFT convention in Chicago, Weingarten laid out her vision for "community schools" that do everything but, well, teach.
"Imagine schools that are open all day and offer after-school and evening recreational activities and homework assistance," she said. "And suppose the schools included child care and dental, medical and counseling clinics."
A one-stop nanny state, in other words - owned and operated by Randi Weingarten & Co.
Weingarten's push for all-purpose schools is hardly surprising, of course. What better way to dodge teacher accountability in the one area schools are built for - teaching kids how to read, write and do numbers?
No question, Randi's been Schools Chancellor Joel Klein's No. 1 obstacle on that front for years.
That said, if she expects her elevation to free her from pesky reformers like Klein, she might want to think again.
One of the folks Weingarten will encounter in our nation's capital is none other than DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee - who's pushing a plan to completely eliminate teacher tenure.
Under Rhee's proposal, now in negotiation with the DC teachers' union, current teachers who opt out of tenure and submit to merit-based evaluations would be eligible for bonuses that could nearly double their salaries - with some earning north of $130,000 a year.
That kind of paycheck is sure to attract the best and brightest - while the lack of seniority-based protections (new teachers would automatically enter the new system) would weed out the ones who just can't cut it.
Gee, we wonder why the DC union - an affiliate of Weingarten's AFT, incidentally - hasn't jumped at the plan.
Truth be told, Rhee's data-driven approach seems to be producing results already: The percentage of DC elementary-school students achieving proficiency on standardized tests this year jumped by 8 points in math and 11 points in reading - with high-school students notching equally impressive gains.
The potential's there, in other words, for DC schools to start producing the kind of students who can stand on their own in the global economy.
And without even operating a free dental clinic - imagine that!
Make no mistake: Randi Weingarten has been a fixture of New York politics for 10 years, and we wish her the best.
Just not when it involves standing in the way of leaders like Michelle Rhee.