Wurtz 1
John Wurtz
English 701
Professor Gayle
28 October 2013
Teachers Unions in the United States Education System
Education is one of the most important social and Federal programs in America. Education not only provides knowledge for our children but it provides a future as well. In recent years gaining a college degree has replaced the high school diploma that employers previously looked for. Without a solid education base to build upon, many children will not graduate college. The United States’ education system was one of the best in the entire world, a forerunner in the education world until a few decades ago when demand increased, reforms were necessary, there was a total lack of money, and the United States fell far behind its overseas counterparts. Teachers Unions and the politics involved are the reason why the United States is having an education crisis.
The city of Philadelphia needed 50 million dollars to open on time for the school year of 2013 to provide the bare minimum amount of teachers, administrators and staff. Meanwhile, the American Federation of Teachers spent 55 million dollars in 2013 lobbying for politicians. The American Federation of Teachers is a labor union created in 1900 and ever since has been attempting or succeeding to place politicians in places where they would be able to make education reforms favorable to the goals of the ATF. The popular idiom “Money Talks” came from the business world, but it seems much more suited in Washington D.C. In 2008 the Federation gave over a combined 3 billion dollars to Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton in the hopes that, when elected, as President they would pass bills and educational reforms heavily
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influenced by the American Federation of Teachers. That money is desperately needed in thousands of school districts across the country, in districts where kids never make it past high school because there is no money for it. The schools in poor urban districts cannot afford the teachers, materials, or technologies necessary to provide kids with the tools needed to make it to higher education. Yes there are exceptions who beat the system and with their own willpower and determination graduate college. But for how many kids that make it, how many don’t? These kids are the future of the United States and an organization that claims to be for the children is making multi-billion dollar donations to politicians instead of throwing that money where it is needed most. Imagine the potential that is being wasted. The largest labor union in the United States is the National Education Association. Like the ATF the NEA is a thoroughly liberal organization, which has thrown money behind both Democratic politicians and policies. There have been large amounts of criticism directed at the NEA and the ATF for allegedly putting the interests of teachers ahead of students and for opposing changes that would help students but harm union interests. Many bills put forth to limit the powers of Unions, especially by conservatives; have been fought against by the NEA and ATF. They usually oppose measures such as merit pay, school vouchers, weakening of teacher tenure, certain curricular changes, the No Child Left Behind Act, and many accountability reform. In 1999, conservative commentator Pat Buchanan said that "ever since the judges have gotten heavily into education, and the National Education Association has gotten into control of that Department of Education, test scores go down, there’s violence in classroom, things are going wrong". (“ATF Summary”) David Frum has correlated the drop in student achievement since the 1960s with a simultaneous increase in teacher pay and recruitment of less-qualified teachers, beginning in the 1970s. Frum writes: "The inept and lazy gained a huge new increment of job security. Assignments would be distributed by seniority, rather than skill." We do not even have to look past our own city of
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Philadelphia to see the effects of this political mongering by the teachers unions. Due to a myriad of reasons, from being unable to fire bad teachers or a complete lack of funding the on time high school graduation rate in the School District of Philadelphia is 60%. That means 40% of 166,233 never graduate high school. That’s 66,493 kids who never make it past high school. Of the remaining 100,010. Of those 166,233 students, 24% make it to college, and only 10% graduate with a 2 or 4 year degree. That leaves 90% of students from the school district of Philadelphia without a college degree. (“The Notebook”) It’s no surprise major technology corporations are outsourcing employment to countries like China and South Korea. (“NEA”) (“ÄTF Summary”) (“Waiting for Superman”)
Teacher Tenure is a program that was designed to keep college professors from being fired without a solid reasoning. In most Universities a professor would need to work for a period up to or beyond 10 years to obtain tenure. Due to the influence of teachers unions, many high schools offer tenure after just two years. By having teacher tenure, the education system in the United States is flooded with terrible teachers who cannot be fired. New York City school districts have rooms, called “rubber rooms” where bad teachers sit in for 7 hours a day and read or play cards while receiving full pay and benefits. In a Milwaukee high school a student filmed a teacher saying that “he still gets paid whether or not they learn.” (“Waiting for Superman”) Imagine hearing that as a freshman in high school, if the teachers do not care about the education of the students, then why should the students? The former CEO of Apple Inc, Steve Jobs, has spoken out against the NEA and other teacher unions for its lack of support for voucher programs, merit pay, and the removal of bad teachers. On February 17, 2007 at an education reform conference in Texas, Jobs said, "What kind of person could you get to run a small business if you told them that when they came in they couldn’t get rid of people that they thought
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weren’t any good?” (“Steve Jobs has guts”) One of the most hardcharging reformers of Teacher Tenure is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who wants teachers to prove themselves for three
years after which they are granted tenure. However after just one year of being ineffective they are immediately fired. (Woodard, Dean) (Kuczynski-Brown, Alex) (“Waiting for Superman”)
In recent years charter schools have come to light as the new way to educate a struggling or failing school district. A charter school operates independently of a school district or school board and the rules enforced but still receive federal funding. Naturally teachers unions will oppose charter schools because they cannot inflict their rules upon charter schools by using political influence through state school boards. Over 95% of charter schools in the US are non-union are charter schools were praised in the No Child Left Behind Act by former President George W. Bush. Is this why liberal unions so vehemently oppose charters, because a conservative President endorsed charters? The needs of the children in our cities and towns need to come far ahead of all politicians. The bitter rivalry on Capitol Hill should not have expanded into our education system. (“Waiting for Superman”) (Singer, Alan)
If the United States government was to privatize education, focus on charter schools operating free from political influence and on the children’s education first and foremost, there is a chance this can be fixed. Our education system is a flawed and broken machine that has run out of gas and oil. It needs new life. These controversial charter schools have proven that there is a solution available, the only thing standing it the way is the political behemoths that are teachers unions. Isn’t it time that political squabbles are set aside in favor of the future of our children and our nation?
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Works Cited
Waiting for Superman. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Prod. Leslie Chilcott. Paramount Vantage, 2010.
Woodard, Diann. "The Corporate Takeover of Public Education." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 06 June 2013. Web.
Singer, Alan. "What Happens If Public Education Is Privatized? Clues From the Health Care
Fiasco." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Feb. 2013. Web. 31 Oct.
2013
"NEA - NEA Home." Rss. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
"About ED - Educational Associations and Organizations." About ED - Educational Associations
and Organizations. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
Zhao, Emmeline. "Teachers Unions' Rise: A Look At Union Impact Over The Years." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 20 Sept. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
Kuczynski-Brown, Alex. "Teachers Unions Strength Measured: Fordham Institute Report Ranks
States By Power And Influence Of Teacher Unions." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 Oct. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
"American Federation of Teachers: Summary | OpenSecrets." American Federation of Teachers:
Summary | OpenSecrets. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
"The Notebook." Philadelphia Public School Notebook. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Steve Jobs Has Guts." - The New York Sun. N.p., n.d. Web.
John Wurtz
English 701
Professor Gayle
28 October 2013
Teachers Unions in the United States Education System
Education is one of the most important social and Federal programs in America. Education not only provides knowledge for our children but it provides a future as well. In recent years gaining a college degree has replaced the high school diploma that employers previously looked for. Without a solid education base to build upon, many children will not graduate college. The United States’ education system was one of the best in the entire world, a forerunner in the education world until a few decades ago when demand increased, reforms were necessary, there was a total lack of money, and the United States fell far behind its overseas counterparts. Teachers Unions and the politics involved are the reason why the United States is having an education crisis.
The city of Philadelphia needed 50 million dollars to open on time for the school year of 2013 to provide the bare minimum amount of teachers, administrators and staff. Meanwhile, the American Federation of Teachers spent 55 million dollars in 2013 lobbying for politicians. The American Federation of Teachers is a labor union created in 1900 and ever since has been attempting or succeeding to place politicians in places where they would be able to make education reforms favorable to the goals of the ATF. The popular idiom “Money Talks” came from the business world, but it seems much more suited in Washington D.C. In 2008 the Federation gave over a combined 3 billion dollars to Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton in the hopes that, when elected, as President they would pass bills and educational reforms heavily
Wurtz 2
influenced by the American Federation of Teachers. That money is desperately needed in thousands of school districts across the country, in districts where kids never make it past high school because there is no money for it. The schools in poor urban districts cannot afford the teachers, materials, or technologies necessary to provide kids with the tools needed to make it to higher education. Yes there are exceptions who beat the system and with their own willpower and determination graduate college. But for how many kids that make it, how many don’t? These kids are the future of the United States and an organization that claims to be for the children is making multi-billion dollar donations to politicians instead of throwing that money where it is needed most. Imagine the potential that is being wasted. The largest labor union in the United States is the National Education Association. Like the ATF the NEA is a thoroughly liberal organization, which has thrown money behind both Democratic politicians and policies. There have been large amounts of criticism directed at the NEA and the ATF for allegedly putting the interests of teachers ahead of students and for opposing changes that would help students but harm union interests. Many bills put forth to limit the powers of Unions, especially by conservatives; have been fought against by the NEA and ATF. They usually oppose measures such as merit pay, school vouchers, weakening of teacher tenure, certain curricular changes, the No Child Left Behind Act, and many accountability reform. In 1999, conservative commentator Pat Buchanan said that "ever since the judges have gotten heavily into education, and the National Education Association has gotten into control of that Department of Education, test scores go down, there’s violence in classroom, things are going wrong". (“ATF Summary”) David Frum has correlated the drop in student achievement since the 1960s with a simultaneous increase in teacher pay and recruitment of less-qualified teachers, beginning in the 1970s. Frum writes: "The inept and lazy gained a huge new increment of job security. Assignments would be distributed by seniority, rather than skill." We do not even have to look past our own city of
Wurtz 3
Philadelphia to see the effects of this political mongering by the teachers unions. Due to a myriad of reasons, from being unable to fire bad teachers or a complete lack of funding the on time high school graduation rate in the School District of Philadelphia is 60%. That means 40% of 166,233 never graduate high school. That’s 66,493 kids who never make it past high school. Of the remaining 100,010. Of those 166,233 students, 24% make it to college, and only 10% graduate with a 2 or 4 year degree. That leaves 90% of students from the school district of Philadelphia without a college degree. (“The Notebook”) It’s no surprise major technology corporations are outsourcing employment to countries like China and South Korea. (“NEA”) (“ÄTF Summary”) (“Waiting for Superman”)
Teacher Tenure is a program that was designed to keep college professors from being fired without a solid reasoning. In most Universities a professor would need to work for a period up to or beyond 10 years to obtain tenure. Due to the influence of teachers unions, many high schools offer tenure after just two years. By having teacher tenure, the education system in the United States is flooded with terrible teachers who cannot be fired. New York City school districts have rooms, called “rubber rooms” where bad teachers sit in for 7 hours a day and read or play cards while receiving full pay and benefits. In a Milwaukee high school a student filmed a teacher saying that “he still gets paid whether or not they learn.” (“Waiting for Superman”) Imagine hearing that as a freshman in high school, if the teachers do not care about the education of the students, then why should the students? The former CEO of Apple Inc, Steve Jobs, has spoken out against the NEA and other teacher unions for its lack of support for voucher programs, merit pay, and the removal of bad teachers. On February 17, 2007 at an education reform conference in Texas, Jobs said, "What kind of person could you get to run a small business if you told them that when they came in they couldn’t get rid of people that they thought
Wurtz 4
weren’t any good?” (“Steve Jobs has guts”) One of the most hardcharging reformers of Teacher Tenure is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who wants teachers to prove themselves for three
years after which they are granted tenure. However after just one year of being ineffective they are immediately fired. (Woodard, Dean) (Kuczynski-Brown, Alex) (“Waiting for Superman”)
In recent years charter schools have come to light as the new way to educate a struggling or failing school district. A charter school operates independently of a school district or school board and the rules enforced but still receive federal funding. Naturally teachers unions will oppose charter schools because they cannot inflict their rules upon charter schools by using political influence through state school boards. Over 95% of charter schools in the US are non-union are charter schools were praised in the No Child Left Behind Act by former President George W. Bush. Is this why liberal unions so vehemently oppose charters, because a conservative President endorsed charters? The needs of the children in our cities and towns need to come far ahead of all politicians. The bitter rivalry on Capitol Hill should not have expanded into our education system. (“Waiting for Superman”) (Singer, Alan)
If the United States government was to privatize education, focus on charter schools operating free from political influence and on the children’s education first and foremost, there is a chance this can be fixed. Our education system is a flawed and broken machine that has run out of gas and oil. It needs new life. These controversial charter schools have proven that there is a solution available, the only thing standing it the way is the political behemoths that are teachers unions. Isn’t it time that political squabbles are set aside in favor of the future of our children and our nation?
Wurtz 5
Works Cited
Waiting for Superman. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Prod. Leslie Chilcott. Paramount Vantage, 2010.
Woodard, Diann. "The Corporate Takeover of Public Education." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 06 June 2013. Web.
Singer, Alan. "What Happens If Public Education Is Privatized? Clues From the Health Care
Fiasco." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Feb. 2013. Web. 31 Oct.
2013
"NEA - NEA Home." Rss. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
"About ED - Educational Associations and Organizations." About ED - Educational Associations
and Organizations. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
Zhao, Emmeline. "Teachers Unions' Rise: A Look At Union Impact Over The Years." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 20 Sept. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
Kuczynski-Brown, Alex. "Teachers Unions Strength Measured: Fordham Institute Report Ranks
States By Power And Influence Of Teacher Unions." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 Oct. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
"American Federation of Teachers: Summary | OpenSecrets." American Federation of Teachers:
Summary | OpenSecrets. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
"The Notebook." Philadelphia Public School Notebook. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Steve Jobs Has Guts." - The New York Sun. N.p., n.d. Web.