There's a lot of evidence that indicates that teacher morale has been declining nationwide and is at, by some measures, the lowest point in recent memory. California teachers scored 16 on the Teacher Morale Index, which is based on three questions from the Education Week survey. The morale score for U.S. teachers overall was 13.
Members of the Dáil's Education Committee stated that Irish curriculums are 'overloaded' and must be reduced, advocating for a focus on nature and outdoor activities.
Over the past few weeks leading up to the teachers strike, Superintendent Maria Su repeatedly told the press and labor negotiators that dipping into the district's over $400 million reserves was, simply, "not an option." But projected spending shows that the district will significantly spend its reserves to pay for its labor agreements, potentially depleting its "restricted funding" by 2028.
I have an 8-year-old son who is autistic and non-speaking. He is in a special education class in our city's public school system. Our system is notoriously underfunded, but I've always felt that the teachers and therapists really care about the kids. I think he is getting what he needs out of school, and he is always happy to go (and happy to come home). But I'm not getting what I need.
Cuts that hurt are obvious: layoffs, program closures, college closures, furloughs, deferred maintenance, pay freezes, travel freezes, etc. It's a well-worn playbook at this point. Most of the moves in this category involve either attacking employee compensation, which causes obvious pain, or putting off necessary investments and living with gradual declines in quality.
Employees have heavy workloads, time-sensitive tasks, and a variety of responsibilities to attend to in their day-to-day. As a result, they might struggle to find the time necessary to dedicate to training and development activities. This problem becomes especially pronounced when they are asked to completely step away from their work to complete a full-length training module or watch a long how-to video.
Of course, anything can become controversial simply by virtue of somebody objecting. I wouldn't encourage anyone to do this-heaven forbid-but hypothetically, someone could loudly object to discussions of capitalism, traditional gender roles, law enforcement or even the Trump administration, thereby making them "controversial" and out of bounds. After all, objections can come from the left as well as the right. A few well-orchestrated rounds of public objection could highlight the absurdity of the law pretty quickly.
"On Friday, we ended a two-week process where members voted to give our executive board and our president authorization to call a strike," says Olivia Udovic, who is one of 60 teachers on the Oakland Education Association's (OEA) bargaining team. "We have not decided on a strike date. We will be providing the community with 48-72 hour notice of an impending strike. It is not what we what to do."
We are proud to begin implementing this historic partnership that will not only create a better coordinated federal approach to postsecondary education and workforce development, but will also ensure that students pursuing higher education pursue programs aligned with their career goals and workforce needs," Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education David Barker said in a statement.
What many reception teachers say they did not sign up for was spending large chunks of the school day managing toileting, feeding and basic self-care because growing numbers of children are arriving without those skills in place. New data points to a widening gap in England and Wales between what parents believe school ready means and what classrooms are actually experiencing
are about reducing or eliminating positions, not necessarily people. We're not sure if [layoffs] can be avoided in full, but I'm here to tell you that staff is working around the clock to minimize any and all impact.
Teachers have almost no authority over student behaviors or academic grading, and are given little, if any, respect from administrators, parents or even students. Instead, students have all the authority but no responsibility for their success. Students do (or don't do) whatever they wish, while empty-handed teachers are left to take the blame. Teachers no longer have the ultimate tool of flunking students.
A group of students who are eager to learn about advanced math are asking for multivariable calculus, and teacher Daniel Nguyen has obtained a master's degree in order to teach it. The school board told Paly to add the class on Dec. 16, but the teachers council said no. Apparently the school is run by a committee of teachers, called the council of administrators and instructors, who oppose adding the class.
Like most Americans, my view of homeschooling was framed through the lens of abnormality. My own public-school education was my only frame of reference. Although my own experience wasn't great, it was familiar. It was the system I knew. As a college professor, I regularly saw the academic gaps my students carried with them from their public-school education. Yet even then, I struggled to imagine an alternative. My instinct was always to fix the existing system, not step outside of it.