Missouri Republicans propose ending teacher tenure, social promotion

[proud2BlibKansan]

JEFFERSON CITY | Some Missouri lawmakers want to expand school choice and change how teachers are evaluated in the classroom.

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder joined several legislative leaders Monday in calling for classroom changes. State Rep. Scott Dieckhaus, a Republican from Washington, said he wants to change how teachers are evaluated. He wants 50 percent of their evaluation scores to come from students’ test results. He also wants school district administrators to be evaluated based on the scores teachers get.

Lawmakers said they want schools to stop moving students on to higher grades if they haven’t met the academic requirements, a practice called “social promotion.” They also are seeking tax credits that would allow autistic children to attend different schools.



Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/24/2606759/missouri-republicans-propose-ending.html#ixzz1C00kzzvv

[jody]

1. Agree iff politicians agree to one term limits and NO BENEFITS for ALL elected officials. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. And drug tests too

[liberal N proud]

2. The dismantling of the middle class just keeps accelerating

It may even be unstoppable at this point

[jody]

3. IMO the middle class in modern industrial societies suppress revolutions. As Lincoln said,

"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember it or overthrow it."

Eventually the middle class may dwindle to a point where such change becomes inevitable.

[FBaggins]

5. Defending tenure I get... But...

... Is there a strong defense to be made for social promotion?

Obviously, the student doesn't want to be left behind his peers, but I'd bet that the school doesn't want to spend the extra thousands on the additional year of school (and the teacher may not want to deal with the same kid again).

The benefits of staying with a peer group through graduation are surely real... But aren't more students willing to "slide" when they know that this social desire is not endangered?

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. AFT has been against social promotion as long as I've been a member

I can remember signing petitions asking for it to be abolished back in the 80s.

[FBaggins]

8. If the AFT *and* republicans agree on something

I can't imagine why it wasn't handled many years ago.

Who then defends social promotion? Administrative nuts trying to boost graduation rates?

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. I don't think anyone defends it anymore

Maybe parents who don't want their kids retained?

[Reader Rabbit]

6. Of course they do.

I wouldn't mind seeming some kind of modified change to social promotion, however, if there were some way they could prevent it from being the social stigma that it was in the past. I can't tell you how many students I've had who have told me that middle school didn't matter; they'd start doing all their work and trying harder in high school, when everything "counted." Gah.