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2013.jpg
The Class of 2013 was in third grade when the federal No Child Left Behind law went into effect. A former high school teacher apologizes to college professors for sending them students who are very bright, but not prepared for intellectual challenges. (Facebook photo of a senior class from Maryland)

A high school teacher warns colleges about the Class of 2013

March 14, 2013 @ 5:07 pm (Updated: 8:20 pm - 3/16/13 )

As the University of Washington sends out its college acceptance letters today, a high school teacher writes an open letter to professors everywhere apologizing for the class of 2013.

"I have just retired as a high school teacher. I have some bad news for you," says Kenneth Bernstein. "In case you do not already see what is happening, I want to warn you of what to expect from the students who will be arriving in your classroom, even if you teach in a highly selective institution."

Bernstein was a teacher in the Washington, D.C. area who spent 13 of his 17 years in the same high school. He notes something special about the class of 2013 - my daughter's class - the No Child Left Behind law went into effect when these seniors were in third grade. Their class has felt the full extent of the law's testing requirements.

"As kids started arriving after a couple years of No Child Left Behind, they were starting to arrive in our high school in 9th grade without having meaningful social studies," he says. "Social studies was not tested, so increasingly in districts and schools that were worried about their test scores they started sliding away from stuff that was specific to a content area to preparation for the testing."

He saw students, even in advanced classes, who didn't have a grasp of American history, world history, geography, and civics or government because those subject areas weren't included under the "adequate yearly progress" for schools.

With test scores serving as the primary measure of student and teacher performance, anything not being tested has been given "short shrift" for the Class of 2013. State tests are a problem too.

"I look particularly at the very, very bright kids I had in AP (advanced placement classes) and I found myself between a rock and a hard place. They're going to have to take the AP exam, therefore, I have to teach them how to write badly," he says.

Careful, quality writers put a lot of work into their topic sentence of an essay. But, as someone who has graded the AP exams, he says students don't get any credit for that. Once again he found himself having to "teach to the test."

Bernstein says he wanted his students to be critical thinkers, and many of them are, but he wishes he could have done more. He couldn't simultaneously prepare them to do well on tests and teach them to write in a fashion that would properly serve them at higher levels of education.

Many teachers, who entered the profession to make a difference in students' lives, are leaving sooner than planned because testing policies are increasingly restricting how and what they teach.

He also asks of college professors, "Please do not blame those of us in public schools for how unprepared for higher education the students arriving at your institutions are. We have very little say in what is happening in public education."

Our schools are structured for the convenience of adults, he says, not for what makes the most sense for students.

"If we really want our schools to be effective we'd step back and rethink the entire system, Bernstein says.

The way the school system is set up is based on tradition, and does not take into account the fact that children don't all learn at the same ages, in the same ways.

While schools in the U.S. are considering extending the class day and class year, the trend in South Korea and Japan is to cut back on the number of hours of school.

Members of the class of 2013, arriving on college campuses this fall, "may be very bright," but they're not prepared for the kind of intellectual work and critical thinking the professors expect of them.

"It is for this that I apologize, even as I know in my heart that there was little more I could have done," says Bernstein, "which is one reason I am no longer in the classroom."

By LINDA THOMAS

More from Linda Thomas

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Comments (97)


  • Add A Comment

  • murr wrote...
    trainer jon wrote...
    January 1, 2002 6:52 am
    Then tell us the public. How teachers can be measured for your performance ???? Enlighten me. Tell me how students and or teachers can be measured. ???????
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    once upon a time...
    March 15, 2013 9:17 am
    kids were measured by their GRADES.

    teachers are reviewed. sometimes yearly. sometimes every other year. depending on the place.

    and hey, what if a kid got bad grades all the way through school? well, the probably did poorly on the SAT and didn't make it to college. THAT used to be the measure. NOW everyone is expected to go to college AND all the kids are supposed to be graded in class while the teachers teach the kids how to best take a standardized test.

    no child left behind TOTALLY destroyed anything good left that we had in our education system.

    but, no matter how much you show people the facts, they're still gonna blame the teachers. somehow. it's their fault that the system is kinda stacked against them.

    no! wait! how can we blame the "big, bad unions" for this!? it's GOTTA be their fault.

    wake up, people.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Clearwater3 wrote...
    It's amusing...
    January 1, 2002 8:56 am
    ...to read the comments about education from folks that haven't been near a school in the last ten years and probably don't even know any students. When was the last time anyone here attended a school board meeting (to do anything but gripe) or offered to volunteer helping out a their local school? Stop blaming unions and quit thinking that vouchers or charter schools do anything except kick the can. Want to change the way education works? Get involved.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    More needs to be expected of administrators...
    March 15, 2013 9:51 am
    ...who in turn need to expect more of teachers who in turn need to expect more of students.

    Look up "Effective Schools Movement" and the groundbreaking research done by Ron Edmonds.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • mobeta wrote...
    3 sons in schools and it's a total rip off!
    January 1, 2002 9:48 am
    Thankfully I have only one more son in school and will be out next year, then I will have to educate him on real life situations. Can't wait until we are out of a system that has only one goal and that is how much the teachers can take from the tax payers. They need competition to teach what is needed in this day and age not from what the WEA thinks needs to be taught because 95% have never been outside in the real world and have no clue to what needs to be taught and that includes the administration that is rigged big time too for their own personal gain. I send my sons to private teachings and they learn 10 times what they learn in school. It's a joke. They don't even teach during school and then send the kids home with homework that should be done in class but that would require work on their part. But there is no where else to go just like obummercare coming up. Too flippin bad!. Our funds go to fund the teachers pensions that are funded 100% by us, they put nothing in them, then they retire then come back at get double, total rip off. There are people out there that need that job but who gives a crap, right?. That ponzi scheme will break soon and I can't wait for it to happen. We need to break the unions and start schools that compete for our tax $$$$, then you will see true education but what I just said will get demonized by the union and any teacher or administrator. Our schools are failing us. We are way down the rankings in just about every category in the world. As I said, 1 more year and I will never have to be in this system again! Good reddens! I want my money back! Feel sorry for my sons and their families in the future. This country is in real trouble!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    "Can't wait until we are out of a system that has only one goal and that is how much the teachers can take from the tax payers."
    March 15, 2013 9:24 am
    totally. those rich teachers in their mansions. LAUGHING at the public as they cash their HUGE paychecks.

    your comment means you know NOTHING about public education, or teachers.

    wow. just...wow.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    mobeta
    March 15, 2013 11:12 am
    If the taechers do not pay into their own pension program it is because many school district negotiated better benefits instead of higher pay raises.This was good in the short term for the school administrators but a poor long term deal for the taxpayer.Elect school board members who will do the responsible thing instead of harping about the Union who job is to get the BEST deal for its members.You seem to have Failed in the parenting department because you feel that the public education they receive is sub par yet failed to send your kids to a place where they could receive a better education.I'm curious how many school board meetings did you attend and how many other parents did you contact about getting a better education for their children?You seem to be a whiner with no solutions who expect others to solve your problems for you
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • mobeta wrote...
    Messiah,It's all rigged dude!
    March 15, 2013 2:49 pm
    Why do you think all school levi's pass? Because anyone that is in the education system votes for it and they do not promote the levi. So the cycle continues of mediocrity! So sad the direction of this country. We are screwed so bad and until something big happens and it will soon, we will continue on this destructive path for the foreseeable future. Liberal's have infected every aspect of the educating system and that is the first thing we need to change. I want the pension system to fail and it will sooner rather than later then they will understand that you need a healthy private sector or there is no one left to pay their crap. We are really close to total failure of the system. We are already broke. How about Detroit, 14 billion in debt and they can't pay the bills and the pension system is in jeopardy. Good, I hope it goes under but we the tax payers will bail them out! So sad again.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    mobeta
    March 15, 2013 4:15 pm
    And you DODGED EVERY QUESTION I aimed at you.You complained about the schools your kids attended yet they must have been OK or you would have pulled them out and enrolled them in a BETTER school RIGHT?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • wsualumn wrote...
    Teacher Pensions
    March 15, 2013 6:06 pm
    Have been changed with the times. Teachers pay into it and the district(state money) contributes as well. It isn't as much as you think either. My wife gets 1% per service year. After 30 years she gets 30% of her income at the age of 62. You max out at 30 years. My dad was under the old plan of 2% per service year. After 30 years he has been collecting $12,000 per year from the state. Teachers make a decent wage. Start taking away pensions and then what else? Health care? You get what you pay for. Many teachers that don't make it into the public school system end up getting hired by private schools. I know of a few retired public school teachers that went into the private schools. They tell me less stress, but less pay. It's a trade off. I am also not saying that private school teachers are inferior. They have some great teachers.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • seahawksblue wrote...
    How many grammar/spelling errors in your post, and you're pitching on teachers?
    March 15, 2013 3:35 pm
    Tell me, Mobeta: When was the last time you made $33,000 a year or less (with staggering student loan debt to be repaid, most likely,) to spend your days being teacher/counselor/mental health and child abuse or neglect mandatory reporter/doctor/coach/LIFEGUARD and the myriad other hats a public school teacher wears? You've proven with your post that any education you might have received was lost on you. Those who supported the asinine No Child Left Behind (to "measure progress", of course,) are now reaping the whirlwind. To say it's the fault of those who continue to teach, despite the fact that those like Bill Gates (who's never spent a day as a student in a public school, and his kids never will, either) believe they can tell everyone else how it's done. Just a few questions in closing. 1. Please define how the term "Ponzi scheme" describes public school education. 2. How does one go to college in this day and age anywhere but "the real world"? Please explain. 3. What does Obamacare have to do with the current state of public education? 4. The reason why students have homework is because the teachers in question are discussing subject topics in class. The homework is additional reinforcement of those lessons. Did teachers assign homework in your day? 5. Please define the term "private teachings". It sounds like something I'd watch on HBO. 5. What does the word "reddens" mean? Doesn't skin "redden" when a sunburn is afoot, perhaps?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Spanish Teacher wrote...
    Seahawksblue's comment
    March 24, 2013 11:16 am
    Ha! I was going to reply to that moron's post until I read yours. I could not have worded my reply better than yours! AMEN to everything you wrote!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gaymarriedchristianfromhollywood wrote...
    Why wait? Take him out now.
    March 16, 2013 6:47 am
    Educate him yourself and quit sucking off the government teat like the rest of the moochers. My mother is a special education teacher and she would like to stockpile some more caviar for the end of days...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • MomofKinderKid wrote...
    3 sons in schools and it's a total rip off!
    March 24, 2013 9:07 am
    Yeah, your education served you well. Can't wait to see what you "teach" your kids about real life situations. Apparently your job doesn't require well written comments, punctuation, spelling, or critical reasoning. The way you spout off with no real facts makes me wonder what job you are actually suited for... oh wait... Rush Limbaugh, is that you? Oh, and "good reddens," LOL!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • trainer jon wrote...
    Too much focus on Tests
    March 15, 2013 5:21 am
    This has been a pet peeve of mine for some time. I do not believe that students now are dumber, just less prepared. Critical thinking skills are not taught or valued anymore. IT is all memorization for tests. The more school budgets are cut, the more this problem will happen. Its fixable, but it has to start from 1st grade.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Country_Dog wrote...
    Yeah,
    March 15, 2013 5:55 am
    because without tests 16, 17, and 18-year olds just jump to the challenge of wanting to learning on their own.

    The problem is with poorly-trained teachers, and idiotic curriculum forcing students to mouth plattitudes like "diversity" and "global warming," and a teachers' pension system that is bankrupting the state.

    College students going into education typically have the lowest SAT scores compared to any other major.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    you don't address the problem...
    March 15, 2013 11:11 am
    "The problem is with poorly-trained teachers, and idiotic curriculum forcing students to mouth plattitudes like "diversity" and "global warming," and a teachers' pension system that is bankrupting the state."

    you list a bunch of issues you have, but not the actual problem. teachers are trained much better than they ever were in the past. they go through MORE schooling than MOST college grads other than DOCTORS and LAWYERS and get paid a FRACTION of what the former make.

    "diversity" was a stupid endeavour, yeah the 80's and 90's got that one wrong. it's been proven.

    "global warming," yeah. that one's been proven. to deny that now just makes you look ignorant.

    OH, and this gem: "College students going into education typically have the lowest SAT scores compared to any other major."

    i'd LOVE to see your proof of this. (along with a picture of your diploma from whatever institution you got your doctorate, professor.)

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    Actually...
    March 15, 2013 11:34 am
    ...a degree in education is pretty much the easiest four-year degree to earn these days. That's why my kid switched majors. The coursework wasn't challenging enough, and the classmates were, shall we say, "sub par".
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    again...
    March 18, 2013 11:28 am
    please prove your statement.

    i didn't find that to be true in my university. perhaps your scholar traded majors for other reasons. i.e.: too hard, not fun enough, too many hoops to jump through, not enough ability to make acutal money...etc.

    do tell what they switched to though...

    i'm sure it law, or med school.

    right.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • concerned_parent wrote...
    salary comparison
    March 15, 2013 12:18 pm
    Just because I am really sick of hearing the claim that teachers are underpaid. I have a PhD, work full time in my profession and send 3 children to school. I work 12 months out of the year, teachers work 9-10 months. I often receive requests to volunteer at the school to help the teacher do paperwork, copying, etc. No one ever comes to my office to help me do my job. I looked up salaries on the Bureau of Labor Statistics site. The median salary for a high school teacher with an entry level of a bachelors degree is $53,230 per year. For a college professor, who typically has a PhD it is $62,050 per year. For a psychologist with an entry level of PhD plus internship and postdoctoral residency is $68,640 per year. For a lawyer, which requires a Jurisdoctorate it is $112,000 per year. Medical doctors like lawyers often make a bit more but they go to school far longer than school teachers, as well. So by my calculations, most school teachers are actually doing quite well. Obviously not living in mansions, but then neither are the rest of us.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    concerned
    March 15, 2013 12:53 pm
    How did you get a PHD when you don't show an ability to properly research a subject.A teacher in Washington State starts at about $33401 and it takes 12 yrs of service plus additional education courses to achieve a $50K salary. A teacher with a PHD reaches a salary peak of$62955 at 16 years.Thank heavens teachers have unions because they were truly paid peanuts years ago before Unions.Most teachers when I was a kid were women because a man could not earn enough to support a family
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Country_Dog wrote...
    Messiah can't add
    March 16, 2013 7:27 am
    The salaries that you quote are based on a 9 month earning base. Add in some of the summer money the get for different activities. On top of that, look at total compensation that includes health benefits. And finally, calculate in the pensions they receive. Their salaries are backloaded allowing many to retire in their early-mid 50s on full salary. The essentially get a lot of taxpayer money for not doing anything.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • wsualumn wrote...
    FUNNY DOG
    March 16, 2013 5:24 pm
    Speaking on behalf of my wife, she is required to take courses in the summer to keep her certificate updated. She pays for them out of pocket and does not get a wage increase for doing the courses. Any of the teachers in the current retirement system can't collect from the state until age 62. Your 9 month theory is false and your comment about being able to retire on full salary in their 50's is GARBAGE. They are never able to collect full salary. YOU DON'T KNOW SQUAT ABOUT THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    wsualumn...
    March 18, 2013 1:57 pm
    thanks for pointing all that out...

    i didn't have the energy.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    FINE.
    March 18, 2013 11:35 am
    then YOU should do it too!

    if it's such an awesome job.

    ugh. please with this hating teaching nonsense.

    we get it, you hated school. get over it.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    again, you clearly are just ignorant of reality...
    March 18, 2013 11:33 am
    i don't know a teacher that can REALLY afford a nice place of their own.

    not as a single person, anyway.

    try it. TRY and find me a teacher that is "well off" enough, like "the rest of us" that can afford even a MID-level home without having some money coming in from somewhere else.

    and, the fact that you're going off about teachers "only working 9-10 months" proves you don't know much about what you're talking about again.

    teacher have to pay to go back to school. teachers work longer hours than MANY 40-hr-a-week-joes. they just don't complain about it when they don't get overtime.

    again, if it is such a dream job...YOU take it. go be a teacher. OH, that's right. the money isn't good enough.

    see part of the problem yet?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Country_Dog wrote...
    MORE does not equal BETTER
    March 16, 2013 7:25 am
    Oly80 must be an ed major. The reason for more education and licensing is not to create better teachers, but to provide more revenue (or justification for state funding) for ed schools, to provide another justification for getting stepwise raises in a system that doesn't reward on merit, and to preven non-licensed individuals from becoming teachers. Retired Boeing engineers would be great at teaching math and know infinitely more than your typical math/soccer coach, but they are not "qualified" to teach since they didn't go through all the "training."

    And SeattleNative is correct, ed school majors are dramatically sub par.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    wrong.
    March 18, 2013 12:47 pm
    history major. minor in music. M.i.T.

    your response is really bitter sounding towards education.

    your comment proves you have NO CLUE what you're talking about:

    "Retired Boeing engineers would be great at teaching math and know infinitely more than your typical math/soccer coach, but they are not "qualified" to teach since they didn't go through all the "training.""

    you clearly don't know much about teachers. i had a science teacher in high school who worked for NASA first. he just loved teaching. and that part about a Boeing engineer knowing more math...uh, ok. Probably not super accurate, but whatever. doesn't mean they know SQUAT about teaching basic math to a child. or, that they teach anyone anything, for that matter.

    why? because, like you so stupidly put it, they don't have the training.

    teachers go through the training because it's NESCESSARY. they go through more schooling than your average Boeing engineer. they know more about English, history, different kinds of science, physical education, etc.

    i know a dude who works for Boeing engineers who barely made it out of school.

    i'd LOVE to see proof from ANY of you that the ed students are the lowest, most sub par.

    put up, or shut up. you guys are boring me with your lame "all teachers are worthless" garbage.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SickofSeattleite wrote...
    It's scary! My middle schooler never has homework!!!
    March 15, 2013 5:32 am
    In middle school! No projects, no book reports no homework. Since the schools are not allowed to give out letter grades I guess she is doing well....She is MP....meeting progress? It has been up to me and her father to teach since the schools do not teach much. We teach our child about cooking and creating things, we teach her about American history and we do NOT allow her to watch TV. As soon as we can afford it our #1 priority is private school. How is it possible to have 7 classes a day and NO homework?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    Then you've got your kid in the wrong school and wrong school district
    January 1, 2002 9:01 am
    All of my kids had homework in middle school. More than I ever did. But then again, I went to Seattle Public Schools. We made sure to move to a much better school district before having kids.

    It sounds to me that this teacher is just trying to make an excuse for his inability to get through to kids on politics.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    right.
    March 15, 2013 11:14 am
    exactly. it's the teacher's fault that he feels this way.

    couldn't be an ACUTAL problem with NCLB. nope. that program seems to be working PERFECTLY.

    right?

    please.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    There are teachers who can...
    March 15, 2013 11:36 am
    ...and there are teachers who blame the system for their own failings.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    And don't forget...
    March 15, 2013 11:40 am
    ...this guy was in D.C.

    I'd say NCLB had very little if anything to do with the problems in his high school...

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    actually...
    March 18, 2013 2:01 pm
    on that last part...

    i completely agree. D.C. schools have a hard enough time.

    i'm sure NCLB doesn't help much, though.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • wsualumn wrote...
    Sick
    March 15, 2013 6:08 am
    Schools don't teach much? Really? Is that a blanket statement? Schools aren't allowed to give letter grades? Not at the middle school where my wife works. My daughter brings home plenty of homework and we go over it with her. Maybe your daughter is one of those kids that does really well in class and gets everything done in a very efficient manner.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gabewalker wrote...
    Kids have become test takers....
    March 15, 2013 8:30 am
    Classrooms are focused on preparation for the tests... From the WASL my 21 y/o had to take to the MSP my younger children take now.. And no they don't have letter grades anymore to reflect progress... just exceeding, in-progress, and meeting standards... take a look at what your child is really being taught now and compare it to what your education was... And this is all local school district implantation not federal policy BTW... And now we in Washington State are now going to Common Core State Standards http://www.corestandards.org/ for Math and English Language Arts... One thing I will say they are doing right and that is communication with parents. Access to your child's teachers at least where my kids go to school is unbelievable, email, text, phone, in person...That I feel is the biggest step they can make in educating are kids increasing the access for parental involvement.. Unfortunately way to many don't even take the time to get to know their child's teachers let alone know what they are being taught and HOW it's being taught...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    good point, gabe...
    March 15, 2013 11:17 am
    parents are the key. too many don't even bother to know what's going on with their kid.

    the kids who are, and have been successful throughout history, have almost always had parents who are there to kick them in the backside if they start slipping.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    Sicko
    March 15, 2013 11:17 am
    When I was in school lots of homework was done at school at a open class called study hall.If you feel your child is not getting a decent education why is it your kid isn't in a different school?Also when you met with your kids school teachers and asked them about the fact that the students have no home work what was their answer?Get another job if required but get them in another school and quit your whining.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • daveismenotyou wrote...
    Too much focus
    March 15, 2013 5:50 am
    on federal funding instead of keeping it more local. Get rid of the Department of Education. Everything will take care of itself.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Country_Dog wrote...
    Amen
    January 1, 2002 6:54 am
    and get rid of the teacher pension system.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    totally.
    March 15, 2013 11:20 am
    and, if you do, make sure you pay the teachers more.

    or NOBODY will ever want to be a teacher.

    teachers aren't rich. unless they married money, or came from money, it's pretty much impossible for a teacher to be rich. there's no possibility for it. so, if you get rid of one of the few benefits of being a teacher without paying them competitively, you will fewer and fewer people going for the educational certification.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    Make it performance-based pay then
    March 15, 2013 11:43 am
    Good teachers deserve better pay than lousy teachers, don't you agree?

    Yet the teacher's unions won't let this happen.

    Do you want more of your tax dollars going to ineffective teachers?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    performance based is a slippery slope...
    March 18, 2013 1:12 pm
    teacher have been proven to cheat in that situation.

    they cheat NOW in light of reviews based on scores.

    performance based sounds nice, but there's no reliable way to measure it...

    yet.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    Now this you can point a finger at Bush.
    March 15, 2013 5:59 am
    Because he allowed that drunken Liberal Ted Kennedy and other Liberals write the laws and Bush signed off on it.

    Heard of the phrase, "Never trust a Tweaker"? Well never trust a LIBERAL!!!!

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • wsualumn wrote...
    NO HA HA
    March 15, 2013 5:06 pm
    Bush not only Proposed "No Child Left Behind," but he talked about how great it worked in Texas. To make it a federal program, he got bipartisan support.
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  • Country_Dog wrote...
    Yeah, testing is a bad idea
    March 15, 2013 6:01 am
    It gets teachers to teach to the test, having students learn things like math and reading comprehension instead of focussing on "social criticism" and "activism."

    Tests never seem to work anywhere else. All this testing at the NFL Combine is just making the league less athletic and competitive. I never understood why police test on their knowledge of the law and shooting skills. Just seems superfluous to their duties.

    It just seems reasonable to eliminate all tests, ask students if they are learning and to evaluate themselves, then trust they won't spend too much time playing video games since with the absence of tests they will have such a strong urge to learn.

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  • wsualumn wrote...
    NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
    March 15, 2013 6:17 am
    Sounded like a good idea, but it has so many flaws. Tests are important, but they have been over emphasized. Math, science, reading, and writing were the focus. Those are very important subjects. However, subjects that were covered outside of that were tossed aside. History, art, and community projects no longer have much of an emphasis. The way schools were scored on test results was also very flawed. Special education and those that are English Language Learners(ELL) factor in as well. Have a school that is loaded with special education classes always have low scores. The school scores are then published in the paper and parents can't understand how their child's school could be performing so low.
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  • SeattleNative wrote...
    Not necessarily true, wsu
    March 15, 2013 9:40 am
    There are parochial schools that are centers for special needs kids that score higher than neighboring public schools. And on balance those parochial school teachers get paid less than public school teachers.

    So much of student success and failure comes down to parental involvement. Parochial schools tend to have more parental involvement. They also teach morals, consequences, and expect nothing less than good behavior and effort.

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  • messiah101 wrote...
    SEATTLEnative
    March 15, 2013 11:31 am
    Parochial schools who accept special needs kids are few and far between and those that do require higher tuition from Every student in its system as well as fund raising to make up for the extra cost involved,they also take only high functioning kids.There are interesting threads on this topic on other forums.Yes parochial schools pay less (my wife is a former teacher ) many also require no teacher certification.My did not pass the C-Best test in California but was accepted (and paid slave wages she was single at the time and needed a part time job to get by) at a Catholic school.
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  • SeattleNative wrote...
    Baloney
    March 15, 2013 11:48 am
    Parochial schools throughout the Archdiocese of Seattle ALL accept special needs kids. And at the same rates as both parishioner and non-parishioner rates. And these kids are mainstreamed. For some reason, parochial schools make it work. Public schools...not so much.
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    Look it up
    March 15, 2013 12:59 pm
    Most Catholic schools don't have special needs classes,the world is bigger then the local Archdiocese and face it costs more to accept special needs kids and EVERYONE attending pays more tuition to meet these added costs unless fundraising can make up the difference.The church isn't simply absorbing those costs
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  • wsualumn wrote...
    Seattlenative
    March 15, 2013 5:26 pm
    Do parochial schools deal with "life skills" children? The ones that are in wheel chairs, don't talk and need to be diapered? NO! Are these kids required to show that they are learning with "No Child Left Behind?" Yes. Do parochial schools have the luxury of kicking out kids that are disruptive to the educational process for good? Yes. Where do those kids end up? Public schools. Do parochial schools REQUIRE that parents volunteer within the school system? Most of them do. Are those parents more likely to be more involved in their children's schooling? Yes. Can public schools require that parents come into the schools and volunteer? NO. However, they can if they want and some do. Do parochial schools have smaller class sizes to maximize student learning? Yes! What do the critics of public schools and teachers unions say when unions push for smaller class sizes? That the teachers just want smaller classes so they don't have to work as hard. The fact of the matter is, teachers want smaller class sizes because they can give more individualized attention to those that need more help. When you try to equate private schools to public schools you are comparing "apples to oranges." You are correct about parental involvement being critical to student success. Many parents don't even show up for teacher conferences in public schools. They then wonder why their child has trouble in school. Hint to those parents: when you show your child you don't care about their schooling, the child ends up doing the same thing. Wow about your comment regarding parochial schools being exclusive to teaching about morals and consequences and expecting nothing less than good behavior and effort. I guess I am curious about what you regard as morals? Would that be religion? You realize public schools have their hands tied in that department and for good reason. Morals about treating others with respect, not stealing, being thankful, and helping others in need is taught within the public school system. Un fortunately, sometimes their isn't a lot of follow up at home about it.
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  • wsualumn wrote...
    spelling errors.
    March 15, 2013 5:34 pm
    Ouch! "there" instead of "their" in last sentence and meant connect Unfortunately. I don't want to look like HA HA.
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  • doubleogordo wrote...
    Teaching to the test is very important
    March 15, 2013 6:33 am
    Teaching to the test is like teaching to life. You teach you kids how to balance a checkbook, how to manage a budget, how to apply for a job, how to get over a fight with your spouse, and yes how to take a particular test.
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