The Teaching Profession as a Service Industry
Walt Gardner, writing in his EdWeek blog, concluded recently: “The latest reminder that freedom of speech for teachers in K-12 is an illusion came from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati on Oct. 21. In Evans-Marshall v. Board of Education of the Tipp City Exempted Village School District, the court ruled that teachers cannot make their own curricular decisions.”
This significant court case revolved around an English teacher asking her students to choose among often banned books, to read the chosen books, and then to examine why the books were banned. Many would consider this assignment a rich and engaging lesson ideal for high school students.
But this ruling comes amid an unmatched season for examining teachers and teaching.
In Little Rock, AK, on 25 August 2010, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan presented a speech laced with civil rights rhetoric, mentioning teachers over four dozen times (and poverty none). In this speech, which echoed similar talks by President Obama, Duncan placed public school teachers front and center:
“[T]he big game-changer for us, in terms of both formula and competitive programs, revolves around the issue of teacher quality,” adding:
“Nothing is more important and nothing has a greater impact on the quality of education than the quality and skill of the person standing in the front of the class–and there is so much that needs to change in the way that