mactastic
May 6, 2004, 10:09 PM
Link (http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/2004/la-050604kerry_lat,1,3856351.story?coll=la-home-headlines)
The plan, which closely echoes proposals from Al Gore in 2000, would use the carrot of increased federal funding to encourage states to impose accountability measures that teacher unions have typically resisted.
It could mean higher pay for hundreds of thousands of teachers, but also a virtual end to the employment protections that prevent most districts from firing teachers except in the most serious cases of incompetence or misconduct.
"I believe that we need to offer teachers more pay, more training, more career choices and more options for education," Kerry said in a speech at Colton High School. "And we must ask more in return. That's the bargain."
Kerry's speech takes him full-circle on one of the most controversial issues in education policy today. In a celebrated 1998 speech at Northeastern University, Kerry urged tougher standards for educators and declared, "We must end teacher tenure as we know it."
I'm very impressed with this, it just about perfectly fits what I've been advocating for a while. Higher pay, and the end of tenure. It will be a tough sell to the Democratic base, but it could be the 'only Nixon could have gone to China' kind of thing. They'd never let the GOP do it, but from one of their own they might. And I'm sure the right would love to have teachers compete for money the way everyone else does.
A vote for Bush is a vote for more unfunded education mandates with the ultimate goal of dismantling the Dept. of Education.
A vote for Kerry is a vote for reform of the education system with the ultimate goal of improving learning.
The plan, which closely echoes proposals from Al Gore in 2000, would use the carrot of increased federal funding to encourage states to impose accountability measures that teacher unions have typically resisted.
It could mean higher pay for hundreds of thousands of teachers, but also a virtual end to the employment protections that prevent most districts from firing teachers except in the most serious cases of incompetence or misconduct.
"I believe that we need to offer teachers more pay, more training, more career choices and more options for education," Kerry said in a speech at Colton High School. "And we must ask more in return. That's the bargain."
Kerry's speech takes him full-circle on one of the most controversial issues in education policy today. In a celebrated 1998 speech at Northeastern University, Kerry urged tougher standards for educators and declared, "We must end teacher tenure as we know it."
I'm very impressed with this, it just about perfectly fits what I've been advocating for a while. Higher pay, and the end of tenure. It will be a tough sell to the Democratic base, but it could be the 'only Nixon could have gone to China' kind of thing. They'd never let the GOP do it, but from one of their own they might. And I'm sure the right would love to have teachers compete for money the way everyone else does.
A vote for Bush is a vote for more unfunded education mandates with the ultimate goal of dismantling the Dept. of Education.
A vote for Kerry is a vote for reform of the education system with the ultimate goal of improving learning.
