Standing up for teachers--Eugene Robinson

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-standing-up-for-teachers/2012/09/17/ad3ee650-00fd-11e2-b257-e1c2b3548a4a_story.html

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It has become fashionable to blame all of society’s manifold sins and wickedness on “teachers unions,” as if it were possible to separate these supposedly evil organizations from the dedicated public servants who belong to them. News flash: Collective bargaining is not the problem, and taking that right away from teachers will not fix the schools.

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The fact is that teachers are being saddled with absurdly high expectations. Some studies have shown a correlation between student performance and teacher “effectiveness,” depending how this elusive quality is measured. But there is a whole body of academic literature proving the stronger correlation between student performance and a much more important variable: family income.

Yes, I’m talking about poverty. Sorry to be so gauche, but when teachers point out the relationship between income and achievement, they’re not shirking responsibility. They’re just stating an inconvenient truth.

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The brie-and-chablis “reform” movement would have us believe that most of the teachers in low-income, low-performing schools are incompetent — and, by extension, that most of the teachers in upper-crust schools, where students perform well, are paragons of pedagogical virtue.

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[YvonneCa]

1. At long last. Thank you Mr. Robinson...

...for supporting teachers.

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2. I'm really really glad to see him do this.

He's a great voice, and this piece is terrific.

[YvonneCa]

3. It is.And we need his voice...

...in the education debate.

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4. I tweeted a thank you to him!

https://twitter.com/Eugene_Robinson

[LWolf]

5. I hope the nation is listening.

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6. I hope so too.

I don't watch the news chat shows, but maybe he'll get interviewed and say this too. I'm so tired of the same old drum getting beaten over and over in the press.

[YvonneCa]

7. So do I. Gene Robinson does comment often...

...on cable news shows. I don't know that others...besides Matt Damon...have done so. So maybe this will start the ball rolling.