Standards

AFT 18th Annual Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel Conference Address

jruss — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:55:31 -0400

AFT Detroit Regional Conference Albert Shanker Address and Press Conference, 1985

jruss — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:31:03 -0400

During this lengthy press conference, Al Shanker focuses on professionalization of teaching. He states that the push for tuition tax credits and vouchers threatens the public education system, and he urges the field to look at itself critically and, much like the automobile industry, figure out how to restructure in order to survive. The teachers' unions need offer more than good contracts and higher salaries. Teachers want dignity and respect, and unions must be involved in bringing professional recognition to the field. Shanker notes the coming teacher shortage and comments that if teachers were treated with more professional respect, the retention rate would be higher, and better applicants could be recruited. He acknowledges that the public is right to mistrust the education system right now. In order to earn public trust and professional respect, teachers should submit to higher standards and pass a rigorous entry exam. He also sees a need for teachers to interact more with colleagues. He cites a program in Toledo where a group of outstanding teachers has been removed from the classroom for three years to work with new hires and to recommend tenure decisions. He further suggests that teachers should be involved in textbook selection. Shanker argues that teachers should be intimately involved in restructuring school and implementing education reform. Finally, Shanker urges teachers to do more than criticize the current state of affairs. He argues that developing a positive vision will help gain public support. A question and answer session followed Shanker's speech. Many questions asked for more details on the proposed teacher examination. Shanker expounded and described a three part exam that would test subject specialty, child psychology, and pedagogy and would include an internship. He does not believe that current teachers should be tested. Another audience member questioned how legislators can help professionalize teaching? Shanker responded that the whole point would be for legislators to be less involved. Other professions, he notes, do not have long laws mandating every last detail. If anything, he asserts, legislators should loosen restrictions and give teachers more responsibility. Shanker then responds to why the NEA does not support his call for a teacher examination, and in doing so, gives more details about his proposal. He argues for more resources to be given to early grades, and he argues for restructuring the typical school model.

Compass: “Thoughts on Education: An Interview with William Bennett and Albert Shanker”

jruss — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:21:18 -0500

This Compass interview asks Al Shanker and William Bennett, former Secretary of Education, ten questions and lists their answers side by side. Topics include problems in the school system, how to improve higher education, corporate roles in education, standards, President George H.W. Bush's performance, and school choice. While Shanker and Bennett disagree on the role of teachers' unions and on some policies like school choice, their thoughts on standards and higher education are similar.

Education Leadership: “On Restructuring Schools: A Conversation with Al Shanker”

jruss — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:21:18 -0500

Al Shanker answers questions about his vision of how schools need to change. He thinks that a new system of incentives must be developed to encourage educators to take charge of their own school reform efforts. Shanker believes that one aspect of restructuring involves different roles for teachers. He also sees a role for technology and speaks of creating a national lesson plan database. Shanker also discusses the role legislators have played in school reform.

Hebrew Union College-University of Cincinnati (HUC-UC): “Preparing Teachers for the Twenty-First Century Schools”

jruss — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:21:18 -0500

In this speech, toward the end of Al Shanker's life, he retreats somewhat from his earlier rousing calls to innovation and reform. He believes educational experimentation should continue, but since a new model has not been determined, he argues that we should revisit the old model and examine how we can improve it. He suggests looking at educational systems in other countries which operate basically in the same way in terms of having classrooms with teachers largely lecturing students. read more »

Instructor: “Futrell & Shanker Face Off”

jruss — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:22:13 -0500

NEA president Mary Futrell and Al Shanker discuss a wide variety of education topics including the need to focus on elementary schools to ensure that students learn basic skills and are not promoted without gaining literacy; the potential for a merger between NEA and AFT; teacher salaries and teacher recruitment; teacher evaluation and teacher standards; professionalization of teaching; and restructuring the educational system.

Little Rock Economic Conference

jruss — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:49:41 -0500

In this brief speech, Al Shanker discusses with then President-Elect Bill Clinton and Vice President-Elect Al Gore some of the challenges facing American education. He states that standards have been lowered to the point that high school diplomas are virtually meaningless. He compares the U.S. to other countries that have higher standards and also treat other problems differently. He notes that many European countries have early childhood education programs, and he advocates for a national day care program in the U.S. read more »

Massachusetts Association of School Committees and School Superintendents

jruss — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:07:00 -0500

Al Shanker notes that public schools are losing political power because the electorate is aging and a smaller percentage of it has children in schools. Additionally, the economy is slowing. Finally, public confidence in public schools is low. Shanker acknowledges there is little they can do about the economy, and only a little more they can do to increase political power. The true place for improvement, he argues, is in restoring the public''s confidence in the school system. read more »

National Press Club Speech – Proposes the Creation of a National Examination for Beginning Teachers

jruss — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:49:40 -0500

Al Shanker advocates that a national teachers' examination be developed and implemented. He insists that current examinations are not rigorous enough, nor are they nationally administered. He acknowledges that the teacher shortage presents an obstacle to this plan, but insists it is necessary anyway. He believes that an independent group of educational experts, possibly appointed by some government officials, but not overseen by the government, would develop the test. read more »

New York State United Teachers (NYSUT): "Making of a Profession"

jruss — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:22:24 -0500

In this speech, Al Shanker discusses the need for teachers to make their profession into one seen as just that: a profession. He says that in order for teachers to assert themselves as experts who should be consulted on education policy decisions, teachers' unions need to move beyond collective bargaining to focus on professionalization. Shanker argues that should be trusted to make decisions without supervision and legislation. This trust, he argues, would foster enthusiasm and pride in teachers, and new teachers could be more easily recruited. read more »

Point of View: “Incentives and Reforms: The Views and Insights of Albert Shanker”

jruss — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:21:18 -0500

Al Shanker comments briefly on a number of topics including teacher unions, standards, incentives, why school choice is the wrong solution, prayer in schools, President George H.W. Bush's America 2000 plan, and national testing. Shanker encourages more rigorous standards to improve academic achievement.

Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education of the Committee on Education & Labor

jruss — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:46:26 -0500

Al Shanker urges that the House pass legislation to provide funding for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards so that it might develop a licensing test for teachers similar to licensing tests in other professions. He argues that such a test would improve the quality of teacher training programs as well as providing effective standards for the profession.

Testimony on Opportunity-to-learn Standards presented to NGA Task Force on Education

jruss — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:42:25 -0500

This forum discusses opportunity-to-learn (OTL) standards. Colorado Governor Roy Romer questions education experts on OTL standards in an effort to see if they might be useful to Colorado. In this excerpt where Al Shanker testifies and is questioned, both Shanker and Romer have a hard time arriving at an exact definition of OTL standards, though they agree that they treat, to some degree, the idea that all schools and all students should be given an equal opportunity to learn and that disparities that might have a negative effect on the opportunity to learn should be erased. read more »

Urban Review Interview

jruss — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:04:10 -0500

During this interview, Al Shanker answers questions about a wide variety of educational topics including teacher examination and qualification; decentralization of school boards; community involvement in public schools; minority presence in school administrative and supervisory positions; how to measure achievement; requirements for teacher certification; merit pay; tenure; the use of paraprofessionals in schools; and accountability.

“Lessons for Life” Press Conference

jruss — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:21:18 -0500

Al Shanker urges that behavioral and academic standards be implemented and enforced. He believes that experimentation can be useful and productive, and he thinks goals to educate all students are noble. The bottom line, he says, however, is that a few disruptive students can prevent entire classes from learning and that academic standards are not rigorous enough and carry too few consequences to encourage students to apply themselves. read more »