By Stephanie Lulay slulay@stmedianetwork.com Dec 17, 2010 8:08PM
Illinois State Representatives Keith Farnham and Linda Chapa LaVia converse during the House Committee on Education Reform panel discussion at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, Ill., on Friday, Dec. 17, 2010. | Corey R. Minkanic~For Sun-Times Media
AURORA — If some school reform advocates have their way, it could be more difficult for public school teachers to obtain tenure and for teachers unions to strike in Illinois.
On Thursday and Friday, a panel of eight state legislators gathered at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora to hear testimony about controversial measures that would affect Illinois public schools and teachers unions.
The possible reforms being considered by Illinois House members include making teacher tenure tougher to acquire, making it more difficult for teacher unions to strike and considering performance evaluations when a school decides to hire or fire.
State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, said these are issues some community leaders have been trying to fix for more than 20 years.
“I don’t know how rapidly we’ll be moving on possible legislation, but it’s been an extremely thoughtful discussion on all sides,” she said.
On Wednesday, December 16, the Washington Teachers’ Union received complaints from members that due to an administrative error teachers and school personnel at Mann Elementary school located at 4430 Newark Street NW would not receive a full paycheck due them on December 17, 2010. One Mann Elementary school staffer led a valiant effort to try to get teachers their checks on time. Unfortunately many reasonable suggetsions to this problem were rejected.
The WTU diligently worked on behalf of our members starting Wednesday and insisted that teachers and school staff should receive a supplemental check prior to going on leave for the holidays. Unfortunately, due to new
As the football season for my Redskins falls apart, I have become addicted to the shouting of sports talk radio. Great failures inspire irresistible passion and confrontation. The national debate over how to fix our failing schools attracts me for the same reason. But in my saner moments, I wish we were more considerate of those with whom we disagree.
I thought about this as I read a long and erudite assault on the views of historian and author Diane Ravitch by investor and charter school advocate Whitney Tilson. I know both Ravitch and Tilson. They are among my favorite commentators. For the sake of the schoolchildren we all care about, I wish they were more willing to give credit to ideological adversaries for the good sense and good works on all sides of the debate.
Tilson attacks Ravitch's latest book, “The Death and Life of the Great American School System,” as well as some of her recent magazine articles and speeches. Like many who read the book, Tilson believes it is a refutation of Ravitch's long support for more testing, higher standards, more charter schools and more parent choice. Tilson
Logo of the Alliance of the Libertarian Left
Ken Mac Pherson, a teacher at Inderkum High School, expresses his frustrations while asking a question during an informational meeting Tuesday on the Natomas Unified School District's financial situation. A state takeover of the district is looming.
An education advocacy group launched by Chancellor Joel Klein and the Reverend Al Sharpton over two years ago has lost its director and faces an uncertain future.
Unveiled in 2008 in Washington D.C., the Education Equality Project was intended to influence discussion of education policy in the presidential election. (Remember those wars — manufactured or not — within the Democratic party?) It was also a way for Klein to broadcast his views on a national scale, much like former D.C. schools superintendent Michelle Rhee is doing with her new advocacy group, StudentsFirst.
After Arne Duncan was named Secretary of Education, EEP seemed to lose steam. Now comes news (viaedReformer) that EEP director Ellen Winn is leaving for a job at 50CAN, where she’ll be in charge of expanding
Three superintendents and two education lobbyists had some clear words of caution Friday for the State Council for Educator Effectiveness, which is working to develop frameworks for new teacher and principal evaluation systems.
“Give us general guidelines” on evaluation said Aurora Superintendent John Barry, commenting on the recurring but unfinished council discussion about how detailed and prescriptive on school districts the state should be in setting up evaluation systems under the new educator
