Bill Gates and Michael Dell, along with other technology gurus, founded the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). It's a program aimed at improving the performance of students in our schools in - surprisingly - math and science! This initiative focuses specifically on increasing the number of students taking advanced placement courses in these subjects, but not if you live in Washington State, ironically the home of Microsoft. In May, NMSI announced that a 13.2 million grant that was to be given to the public schools in Washington was being scrapped. Why? Well, it seems there was a conflict between how the grant money was to be used and the collective bargaining agreement of the teacher's union.You see, the grant money was to be used to compensate teachers directly and include extra pay based on how well students performed on AP exams. Gee, pay based on performance? We can't have that in the public schools now, can we?! Under the teacher contracts, the union is the exclusive agent for negotiating teacher pay, not public-private entities like NMSI. In other words, union officials were willing to turn away free money - a lot of it - for their teacher members rather than abide this kind of merit pay.
The odd thing is that ther heavily unionized states, Massachusetts and
Connecticut for example, did manage to reach agreements and will receive the math and science money even though they have similar bargaining agreements. Even more ironic? The Washington union has a pending lawsuit against the state for alleged inadequate funding of public schools. Sure, decline $13.2 million in free money, but spend millions suing the state for inadequate funding. Makes you wonder if union officials care more about protecting their union monopoly than they do about about actual student performance.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part 2 of Talisman/ChemGeek's "What the hell is that?" SEM image contest is in full swing. Even if you missed Part 1 of the contest, you still have a chance to win, and she's given hints this time making it a bit easier. Click HERE for all of the details and click HERE for the images!
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Part 2 of Talisman/ChemGeek's "What the hell is that?" SEM image contest is in full swing. Even if you missed Part 1 of the contest, you still have a chance to win, and she's given hints this time making it a bit easier. Click HERE for all of the details and click HERE for the images!
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15 comments:
Teachers are the only people I know that have to have a 4 year+ degree to get a job, and still belong to a union. A teacher who cares about what students learn is a beautiful thing. Seeing a teacher on a picket line definitely tarnishes that image..
"Makes you wonder if union officials care more about protecting their union monopoly than they do about about actual student performance."
Uh... duh? :P
When those virtual charter schools were trying to come to Indiana it was the union that shut them down because, G-d forbid it proved in Indiana what it has proved in all the other states -- children educated out of a classroom environment do, as a whole, better than those in a classroom.
It's all about control. Somebody was going to have to give up control on each side and neither were willing to do it. OH well, it's just math and science. Nothing important. ;-)
Oh sure...find a way to help pay these people who are truly underpaid and when you do have their "representatives" spit in your face.
No wonder the class of people teaching is falling further and further down the rabbit hole...
Well, at least I know 2 + 3 = 8....right? It does, right?
Here I was thinking teaching was all about the kids...
Turning down free money? How Un-American!
I read this somewhere, it said that when the leadership of the teachers union was asked about the effect their efforts had on the students,their reply was
"when the students are able to pay union dues then we will fight for what is best for them"
I have no idea how accurate that is, but I remember being in awe at the idiocy.
I don't have to wonder which they care about more. And I'm sure this happens far more than "ordinary people" realize.
Buff, and I'm not badmouthing teachers here - this is a union issue. I know that I certainly had teachers who made a positive difference in my life!
Tali, you know I agree with you - now if I could only find a way to make it work in my home!
Jay, thank goodness it wasn't funding for something like underwater basket weaving!
Bond, imagine that! Incentivise their pay so the really good ones are financially rewarded for their hard work ... nah ... on second thought ...
Anndi, teaching = kids? Maybe for some teachers, but certainly not for the union!
Leighann, no kidding, huh?! But they did want something for the funding - better educated kids!
Sage, let's hope that was just a rumor ...
Good Dr., I cannot begin to tell you how frustrated I am with the public school system - the unions are a big part of my angst!
Teachers are so under rated. Imagine if parents were the only teachers children had, ugh. Some would make out ok, other would sink.
What? A union that would get in the way of progress? Surely you jest?
I could go on and on about my frustration with not only the teachers union has affected our schools, but the whole corruption of unions everywhere.
Remember, I'm in construction. Yeah I have a few stories.
I worked as a Union Rep for four years, not for the teachers unions (AFT or NEA) but nonetheles...
I am not saying that there aren't bad teachers but many of them are teaching the worst of the worst, not because the kids are inately bad, but because they come from families that don't care.
If the families don't care, both the kids and the teachers, and ultimately, society suffers from it.
I understand, that it seems to be simple to say that they just gave away millions of dollars, but on what in fact, or more importantly HOW was the money going to be used?
If you are trying to increase the number of students taking AP courses who aren't ready for it, does it matter?
Wow. I was verbose tonight. Cheers Dana!!
Leave it to red tape and lawyers to ruin a perfectly good gift.
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