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President Obama and Teachers' Union spar

by smkovalinsky | October 18, 2009 at 10:22 am

137 views | 16 Recommendations | 5 comments

Politico news blog says Obama "heavily mirrors" W Bush

A debate is brewing between the President and the powerful Teachers' Union

A skirmish between powerful teachers’ unions and President Barack Obama over nearly $5 billion in education spending is shaping up as a preview of the battle to come over No Child Left Behind in Congress early next year.
But the tables are turned: now the unions are worried that Obama, a Democratic ally, is going to be just as tough on them as President George W. Bush, a longtime foe.

The dispute adds teachers’ unions to a growing list of key Democratic constituencies that have been frustrated by Obama’s lunges toward the political middle, along with gay-rights activists upset Obama won’t lift the ban on gays in the military, and Latino officials who say Obama is slow-walking immigration reform.

So far, both the unions and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have tried to avoid a full-on collision, and the unions are showing new flexibility in accepting previously unheard-of moves like stricter teacher evaluations.

But they’re also making it clear they'll only go so far with Obama, who was booed at two teachers' union conventions when he was a candidate.

One of the little-noticed aspects of Obama’s presidency is how much his approach to education mirrors Bush’s – heavy on testing and data-collection, with support for charter schools, teacher evaluations and merit pay.

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a211423

at 13:50 on October 18th, 2009

Thank you smk

This is a point of view I have not read and bears some more reading as to the direction the administration is going and the possible repercussions.

a211423

at 14:01 on October 18th, 2009

The emphasis on standardized testing in No Child Left Behind does not work. Obama recognizes testing as a tool, not as a method used for grade advancement to the detriment of incorporating a broader range of measures of achievement.

Standardized Testing

Standardized testing is stuck in the crossfire in the debate over accountability, and Obama has stepped up to take aim. He says that too often standardized tests fail to provide valuable or timely feedback. Meanwhile, “creativity has been drained from classrooms, as too many teachers are forced to teach to fill-in-the-bubble tests,” Obama says. He doesn’t go so far as to say he’ll drop testing completely; it should be one of the “tools that we use to make sure our children are learning. It just can’t dominate the curriculum to an extent where we are pushing aside those things that will actually allow children to improve and accurately assess the quality of the teaching that is taking place in the classroom.” How does he plan to revamp testing? “I will provide funds for states to implement a broader range of assessments that can evaluate higher-order skills, including students’ abilities to use technology, conduct research, engage in scientific investigation, solve problems, present and defend their ideas,” says Obama.

jefhow22

at 15:04 on October 18th, 2009

...and again the teachers will hold the children hostage until they get their way. This will end up more about teacher's pay than the root of the problem which is standardised testing. In Massachusetts we have MCAS. (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) which is nothing more than what was stated a211423..." fill-in-the-bubble tests"...our children are not taught about U.S. history anymore...known as Civics in my school days. No child will be left behind if they are given the answers to the test questions.

Roy C

at 17:34 on October 18th, 2009

The kids often don't know squat.

The nuns I had were better teachers with a more interesting curriculum, and they had classes twice as large.

Standardized testing is essential to know what has been learned. Mathematics' creative side comes after learning the basics. Same with reading and writing.

You can't memorize all the answers to the test questions. It is that simple.

a211423

at 21:52 on October 18th, 2009

You can't memorize all the answers to the test questions. It is that simple

One of the problems with No Child Left Behind from what teachers say is that they spend most of their time teaching to the test, rather than expanding knowledge creatively. They feel they are being constricted by the test results, rather than if the children are actually learning anything. Remembering by rote does not emphasize critical thinking, estimating, and problem solving.

Making education relavent to the student engages them critically and encourages self agency to investigate and form opinions grounded in solid information.

I agree testing is necessary, but it should not be the only tool for teaching or evaluating a student.