Random Education Issues

I came across two articles this week that I wanted to talk about.

I subscribe to a magazine called “The Week” which is a weekly magazine that takes all the major issues of the U.S. and the World and throws them into one publication with the thoughts and editorials of all the major news publications that wrote on these subjects.  It is neither left nor right, as it gives both sides of the story, but it is an easy read and allows me to stay on top of the world’s events at my leisure.

The magazine also writes snippets of information and two imparticular, caught my eye as they realted to education.  Allow me to give you the synopsis on both.

In Iowa, there is a school district that is so desparate to collect owed lunch money from parents that they are hiring a collection agency to get the missing funds. Apparently, the district is owed around $25,900 in lunch money from the local community.

Now, this is not Dallas or Fort Worth or any other random large district in the U.S.  This is Marshalltown Commuity School, Iowa. They are probably cash strapped like most other school districts in the U.S. and they are desparate to collect these missing funds. Sure, on the surface, we can assume that $25K can be spent in much better places to enhance the educational experience.  But, what is the cost to the parent relationship that is lost by sending people into collections, which is potentially harm their credit, over what is probably, on average, no more than $20 per person?

I think there is probably a better way to go about this.  Sure, collect the missing money, but investigate the numbers of students in your district that qualify for free and reduced lunches, make the process for putting money into a lunch account easier for parents (there are online systems now for such a thing), or investigate the cost effectiveness of providing lunches for free for students on a substidized level.

Now, the one paragraph snippet does not say of the district has done any of the above suggestions or not, but, if they haven’t, they should.  The damage to the the parents/school realtionship is far more costly in the long run.

Issue #2 comes out of New York City and from the same magazine.  Apparently, tax payers are up in arms over the fact there are about 700 teachers across the very large New York City school system that are collecting their full salaries (approx. $70,000 per year) for basically sitting in a classroom and doing absolutely nothing.  And, many of these teachers are accused of a variety of offenses “from sexual misconduct to insubordination”.

How is this possible, you say? A NYC school official explains, “It is extremely difficult to fire a tenured teacher.”

Now, I live in a state where there is NO tenure.  Teachers work under contract.  They can be renewed or non-renewed for a variety of documentable offenses or for just simply what is in the best interest of the district.  This is a great system!  It allows the teacher and the district the ability to make decisions that is in the best intrest of the students, the teacher’s career, and the school district.

I do not believe in tenure. Tenured teachers (not all of them) will get very comfortable behind the tenured lable and have NO motivation to improve as a professional.  If you knew that you could never be fired, why would you care enough to do a better job next time.  Case in point…the DMV.  What is their motivation to move the line along faster?  And what is the motivation of a tenured teacher to improve student learning?

Also in the news was the Supreme Court’s decision to stay out of school business as it related to policy.  Good moved on the Court’s part.  That school district in Arizona operated with poor judgement when they strip searched that girl which prompted the ruling to begin with. 

What is on your mind?  I love to read your comments.

Happy 4th of July!