A better way to teach teachers
It’s actually not surprising in the least that the National Council of Teacher Quality rated Youngstown State University’s teacher training program “weak,” even though the programs accreditors gave it “glowing” reviews. (YSU program deemed weak, July 22)
Research has shown for years that teacher training programs and education degrees, on average, don’t help teachers graduating from them one bit better. What they really do is make school systems pay these more-credentialed applicants a premium (a silly idea given how inert the credential is).
Teachers benefit most from mentoring by experienced teachers and intense instruction in their subject matter, not teacher training programs. That’s why the reviews of YSU’s program will mirror those given to most similar programs: mixed.
Joy Pullmann, Chicago
The writer is an education research fellow at the Heartland Institute.
Taxes were cut and jobs moved
The stalemate over rais- ing the debt ceiling is coming down to the wire. The statement President Obama made regarding the deadlock seems reasonable to me. There needs to be equal sharing of the debt burden. The poor and middle class are not slaves to the wealthy, although it seems that we work so they can relax.
The cause for no movement seems to rest on the shoulders of the Republicans and their unwillingness to entertain the thought of a tax increase to bring in added, badly needed revenue. Their stance is that with an increase in taxes corporations will not be able to hire more employees. Come on. Since the roll back of taxes when George W. Bush was president, the economy declined. Instead of hiring with their added revenue, executives laid off employees, terminated employees, or moved their operations out of the country. This is the main reason for the unemployment rate. Could there be another reason for the strong opposition to a tax increase?
I wonder if staunch Christians in Congress ever read, reflect on and come to an understanding of how the words of scripture, especially regarding the poor, impact us today.
Jean DiMatteo, Youngstown
Comments
Regards "A Better Way to Train Teachers".....
Pullman reflects a bias towards the view that the best teachers know content material the best.
This is fine except the requirements of the real world of public education cannot support this because of its cost.
Consider the following:
1) The mass of students that must be educated by the public schools because the cost of a system of training teachers deeply rooted in content knowledge would be prohibitive.
2) Replacing departing teachers would be difficult because the supply generated by a content knowledge training emphasis would be difficult since supply could not meet demand.
3) Fiscally conservative politicians would object to the increased costs associated with the training of teachers.
I'd be interested to find out if Ms. Pullmann has ever actually been a teacher.
Most of these think-tank people are those with English or History degrees, and they've rarely had any firm employment outside of their biased propaganda machines.
The Heartland Institute's pretty much a fraud. It's filled with people who try to portray themselves as educated and research-oriented, but if you go read their bios, it's clear that these were the kids who couldn't hack it in academia, but weren't willing to go into business or private industry.
Jean,
You need to do a little more research. The National Council of Teacher Quality was organized and has gotten its agenda from the Business Roundtable's PIE Group. Essentially, this is one more initiative but into place by billionaires, like the Fordham Group and Bill Gates. Like SB5 and other anti-teacher legislation and agencies, the purpose of this group is simple... to privatize education.
Everyone needs to wake up in this country. Look what the "business" leaders did to our car companies and wall street. If schools need funding, why not give them a federal bailout... oh.. wait.. that only applies to corporations and yet we are going to listen to what the agencies that these fat cat crooks have created and advise.
It is amazing that the uber rich in this country have managed to turn the middle class against eachother. Small business owners think they are protected by the corporate agenda but they are the next targets. Once the blood is squeezed from public employees and the unemployment rate hits 20%... guess what the filthy rich will do next... buy out and take over all small businesses.
The bottom line is... if you make less than $300,000 a year you are middle class in this county... better start standing together before its too late.
As far as what this organization thinks about YSU... who cares!!!
My question is how many teachers got taxpayer funded pay raises based on this bogus education.
The taxpayer gets hosed again. We need to keep track of all this kind of taxpayer abuse so we can remember when the Administration comes asking us for more money.