The agenda behind teacher union-bashing

[no_hypocrisy]

The attacks on teachers and unions are not about educational reform, but turning the teaching profession into a service industry


Ironically, the new push against teachers' unions, cloaked in discourse about the damage done by "bad" teachers, comes from Democrats. For example, Arne Duncan, speaking on behalf of the Obama administration in Little Rock, Arkansas on 25 August 2010, focused on teacher quality:

"The big game-changer for us, however, in terms of both formula and competitive programmes, revolves around the issue of teacher quality … Nothing is more important and nothing has a greater impact on the quality of education than the quality and skill of the person standing in the front of the class – and there is so much that needs to change in the way that America recruits, trains, supports and manages our teachers."

But the political attacks on teachers and unions, which come from both the left and the right, would likely not resonate as much as they have done, if it were not for the celebrity tour on the back of the documentary Waiting for "Superman", whose message has been perpetuated by celebrity reformers. Two of those, Bill Gates and Geoffrey Canada, share an entrepreneur status that suggests expertise on everything simply because they are wealthy. (Possibly, also, this is what protects NFL owners and players from social ridicule in their fight.)

Both Gates and Canada also use compliant media adroitly to promote their unsupported claims. Canada appeared on the Colbert Report as part of his tour, specifically reinforcing the idea that teacher accountability is central to school reform. "We've got to hold the adults responsible … We've allowed our schools to fail these kids with no consequences," Canada told Colbert's audience.

-more-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/feb/04/usdomesticpolicy-schools

[snot]

1. K&R'd

[FBaggins]

2. This goes far beyond turning education into a service profession.

That's an entirely understandable narrow focus... because I'm sure it looks that way from a teacher's perspective.

But teachers are not the target. They're just collateral damage. The goal is to control what students learn... and (at least indirectly) what they care about when they are adults.

[Pacifist Patriot]

3. +1

[glinda]

4. Agree. The main target is "knowledge and people control" in hopes of

maintaining conservative control on just about every issue from the climate, science, areas of social concerns to hoisting the very wealthiest up higher.

[RufusTFirefly]

5. A lot of handwringing could be avoided if one fundamental mistake could be corrected

Just because some "Democrats" are targeting teachers' unions does not mean that the political attacks are coming from both the right and the left. They are coming from the right. The fundamental mistake is in believing that all Democrats are on the left.

These days quite a few aren't.

Once you acknowledge this sad state of affairs, the situation becomes a lot easier to understand.

...there's a reason education sucks, and it's the same reason it will never ever ever be fixed...

You have owners. They own you. They own everything.... They got you by the balls.

...

They want more for themselves and less for everybody else, but I’ll tell you what they don’t want. They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That’s against their interests. That’s right. They don’t want people who are smart enough to sit around a kitchen table and think about how badly they’re getting fucked by a system that threw them overboard 30 fuckin’ years ago. They don’t want that.

You know what they want? They want obedient workers. Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork.

-- George Carlin

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Yes they are coming from both the left and the right

Your post pretty much proves that.

I'd also like to know why it matters. It's happening. I don't care what party you belong to. If you slam me or public education I'm going to be offended.

[RufusTFirefly]

10. But I'm not attacking either teachers or teachers unions

I'm attacking those interests that starve our educational system, seek to undermine it through charter schools, and who hijack the curricula of good, dedicated people who are all too often forced to "teach to the test."

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Sorry. That's not what I meant.

I was using 'you' as a general term.

My point was that yes, attacks are coming from the left and the right.

I agree with what you say about interests that starve our system.

[MichiganVote]

14. Read the news. That's Flunkin' Duncan in a nut shell.

[RufusTFirefly]

15. Absolutely. But that's kind of my point.

Anyone with those sorts of policies can't possibly claim to be "on the left." At least not with a straight face.

[MichiganVote]

18. I don't thinkthey ever claimed to be "left". They just didn't claim to be "right"

[Enthusiast]

12. Great post!

"The fundamental mistake is in believing that all Democrats are on the left."

It is easy to tell if someone is left leaning in their agenda, or right leaning, but is actually a fox hiding among the chickens. Do they support organized labor? No one engaged in union bashing or creating legislation that would compromise the strength of collective bargaining is 'left'.

[Dawson Leery]

6. k/r

[Reader Rabbit]

8. This should be cross-posted in GD.

Educators here at DU are pretty aware of this stuff. We need to get the information out to a larger audience.

[MichiganVote]

9. Obama and his lackey Flunkin' Duncan and I have parted company.

"O" can buy more money for his next campaign from the rich a hell of a lot faster than he can from me. So he no need me and people like me, I no need him.

Ya' just can't spend 4 years bashing the hell out of people with blatant disrespect and expect them to turn around and deliver the kind of work this guy got 1st time round.

[Enthusiast]

13. I agree.

Obama has been anti-labor. Maybe not as blatantly anti-labor as a 'real' Republican but he is plenty anti-labor for my tastes.

[Hannah Bell]

16. in his actions he's been pretty blatant.

[Enthusiast]

17. I was trying to be nice.

:rofl: :fistbump: