Democrats debate
The Democratic candidates debated today. Obama's experience, or lack, seems to lead the coverage. ABC's coverage in this link gives Hillary Clinton just a few sentences of coverage. Strange.
The National Education Association was happy to hear the candidates say they opposed mandatory linkage of teacher pay to standardized test performance as part of a renewal of No Child Left Behind. (Obama is open to merit pay, but not a mandatory version.) NEA news release on the jump.
NEA NEWS RELEASE
WASHINGTON —Democrats running for President reject any mandatory pay-for-performance schemes as part of the reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The candidates also reject any plan to tie teacher pay to student test scores. The candidates stated their opposition to merit pay during a nationally televised debate in
Des Moines, Iowa , where they also called for universal pre-school and an overhaul of the No Child Left Behind Act.
NEA President Reg Weaver believes the Democratic candidates for president show they understand what it takes to create great public schools for every child. The following statement can be attributed to Weaver:
“The Democratic Presidential candidates have the right instincts on merit pay. Pay for performance – so-called merit pay - undermines the collegial relationship among teachers, and there is no scientific evidence to show that merit pay plans improve student academic achievement.
“The 3.2 million members of the National Education Association hope the positions of the candidates are heard loud and clear by their party’s Congressional leadership.
“Democratic leaders in the US House of Representatives have said publicly that they intend to include pay for performance as an element of a reauthorized No Child Left Behind Act. NEA will oppose any legislative proposal that mandates implementation of a pay for performance plan.
“Teachers are underpaid, and NEA believes America should establish a minimum pay for public school teachers of $40,000, reward teachers who become nationally board certified, and provide additional pay to educators who teach in high poverty schools.”
Comments
I liked Kucinich answer best of all. Take 15 percent of the 600 billion defense budget and transfer 75 billion over to thorough education K through collage while paying teachers well, or at least much better.
HC wants to fix/alter no child left behind... give me a *!*##!! break.
Posted by: Eureka Springs, AR![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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August 19, 2007 02:39 PM
It is interesting to compare how the Dem-Gaz and the N.E.A. speak about merit pay. N.E.A. simply says the plan has not been proven to work and offers an alternative answer. They engage in no name-calling or denigration of those for merit pay.
On the other hand, one must stoop a bit when seeing how the Dem-Gaz editorial writers handle the matter from their end. For them, merit pay is the way despite lack of consistent, proven results and it is the only way. Any of you who have read their editorials know how readily they resort to name-calling and taunting on the matter.
The former agency is comprised of professional educators. The latter forum is the outlet for a few educantists (yes, they do point at others and squeal this label angrily, but it is they who best fit the tag they so unjustly try to hang on others).
Merit pay backers are like people who show up at a fire with a truckload of pails. They swear it's the best way to fight the fire; so just line up, buy the damn buckets, go fill them up, hurry back and toss their contents into the blazing inferno. It never dawns on them that enough fire trucks, firemen, and sufficient water outlets will do a much better job and be far, far more likely to succeed.
You might say that the Pay for Performance plan should be renamed the Merit Pail Plan.
Posted by: Jake da Snake![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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August 20, 2007 08:05 AM
Finally watched this on Tivo in the middle of the night. Of course I'd take any over them including Mike Gravel over what we got. I enjoy Gravel playing the role of the sirens pointing out the lies being told by the others on the stage. I'd take Kucinich over all the rest in a fair fight, but I know not even his tall red-headed hottie wife can make that dream come true.
So that means there will be no real change and we'll get the same bad tasting dysfunctional Jell-o from whichever Democrat is elected next year, if we have elections at all. Still...it will be much easier to swallow than the poison Bush stew.
America needs a giant yank in a different direction. That will never come from the front runners in either party. They get their power from the status quo and will make very few ripples in the pond when elected.
Wouldst that there be wholesale impeachment proceedings when Congress and Bush returns from their long vacation. Of course there is never a vacation for Satan Cheney. He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake....all our bases are belong to him.
Posted by: Deathbyinches![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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August 20, 2007 09:37 AM