Arne Duncan issues new statement with the ‘right lessons’ from Vergara trial
In case you weren’t sure what to think about last week’s verdict in the “Vergara trial” — in which a Los Angeles court judge tossed out state statutes giving job protections to teachers — Education Secretary Arne Duncan issued a new statement on Sunday offering what he thinks are the “right lessons” from the case.
Vergara v. California was brought by nine students who said they had received an awful education in Los Angeles public schools because of bad teachers and who were backed by an organization called Students Matter that itself was funded largely by Silicon Valley multi-millionaire David Welch, who assembled an elite team of lawyers to make the case that job protections — and not inadequate funding, poverty, absent parents, etc. — are to blame for low student achievement.
When the decision was issued last Tuesday by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu — who stayed his own decision pending appeal — school “reformers” who have long been trying to weaken teachers unions were thrilled. Duncan himself praised the decision, saying in a statement:
“For students in California and every other state, equal opportunities for learning must include the equal opportunity to be taught by a great teacher. The students who brought this lawsuit are, unfortunately, just nine out of millions of young people in America who are disadvantaged by laws, practices and systems that fail to identify and support our best teachers and match them with our neediest students. Today’s court decision is a mandate to fix these problems. Together, we must work to increase public confidence in public education. This decision presents an opportunity for a progressive state with a tradition of innovation toArne Duncan issues new statement with the ‘right lessons’ from Vergara trial - The Washington Post:
Strauss: Starbucks to offer employees free tuition to complete online bachelor’s degree
Starbucks is planning to announce on Monday a new plan to offer full tuition reimbursement to thousands of its employees to complete a bachelor’s degree online — with no mandate to stay with the company after graduation. Read full article >>
All Week @ The Answer Sheet 6-14-14
The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer Sheet‘ I have very real concerns about the sustainability of public education’ — Virginia teacher’s ‘painful’ decision to quitJosh Waldron is an award-winning teacher in Waynesboro, Virginia — or rather, was an award-winning teacher in Waynesboro, Virginia. In the following sobering post, Waldron explains why he made the “tough decision” to leave the classroo