Stop Blaming Teachers!

The article " Why We Must Fire Bad Teachers" in Newsweek failed to note the fact that inner city public schools are never provided the resources needed to succeed. It appears that the schools in the poorest neighborhoods are red lined. Nothing good comes into the schools. And anything that is good leaves .i.e. the best students, best teachers and the state of the art equipment, supplies, and educational resources, which are stolen. One might also note that the physical plant itself would be more of a barren wasteland if not for the intervention of teachers unions which advocate for students as well as teachers. The United Federation of Teachers School Safety and Health officials do a herculean job battling against the health and safety violations in NYC public schools. Certainly, teachers want what children need: an environment that is conducive to learning.

In 1991, it seemed difficult to comprehend how 8,800 prison cells were on the drawing board in New York State. Yet the prospect of building new schools to replace our crumbling schools had become a dream deferred. So the question is asked: Where were the political pundits who campaigned on a platform for education? How had their commitment to education manifested itself? Today we see the results of their actions.
It is really sad to note that the prison system and not the public school system has found a way to constantly expand. There are currently two million Americans in prison -- 25 percent of the world's prison population. In the US, it costs $56 billion dollars a year to maintain our nation's prisons, and an additional $2.6 billion dollars is poured into building new ones annually. Yet the plan to pauperize our inner city schools continues. And then, without fully investigating, reporters and political pundits blame teachers for these neglected and abandoned failing schools.

Surely, the systematic strangling of education in these high poverty and high crime neighborhoods is preparing another road other than the road to success for the students to follow. It is the "school-to-prison pipeline": an alarming trend wherein public elementary, middle and high schools are pushing youth out of classrooms and into the juvenile justice and criminal justice system.

In May 2007, Congressman Rangel addressed the United Federation of Teachers. Rangel reminded UFT'ers of the 2 million children who are "locked up" and the high cost of incarceration of these children; the incarceration which costs the taxpayer approximately $100,000.00 per annum for a youth-offender on Rikers Island. It was fifty years ago that Martin Luther King addressed the UFT. At that time he said the following:
"The richest nation on earth has never allocated enough of its abundant resources to build sufficient schools, to compensate adequately its teachers, and to surround them with the prestige their work justifies. We squander funds on highways and the frenetic pursuit of recreation, on the overabundance of overkill armaments, but we pauperize education."

As Americans, we have every right to challenge those who represent us in government. We have every right to hold legislators accountable for the pledges they have made regarding their commitment to education. We can see from the past mistakes of legislators exactly why it would have been more economically sound and beneficial to this nation, if the legislators had invested in education.

Reporters should stop blaming teachers for institutionalized failures the teachers did not create. Randi Weingarten's speech at the National Press Clubspoke of how to create a new path forward to great teachers and teaching. It included 4 components. First, Revamp evaluation systems to ensure they really are continuous models for development and evaluation of teachers. Next, come up with models of due process that are aligned and that are fair and fast. Then, give teachers the tools, time and trust they need to be successful. And finally, overhaul the labor management relationship-to ensure collaboration and partnership is what counts, not conflict and combativeness. And Randi Weingarten was correct! "We know that when we all work towards excellence, and take collective responsibility kids will succeed."