Guest MINDSETTER™ Dan Wall: Stop Trying to Silence Teachers
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Coventry Senator Nick Kettle has proposed a “right to work” bill. The bill would make membership in teacher unions optional. The Senator believes that unions are detrimental to education. Anti-union sentiment has been promoted by many politicians and so-called reformers over the past few years.
They criticize the role that unions play in education, and claim that union leaders are in opposition to quality education initiatives. Kettle claims the “teachers in Rhode Island deserve a choice.” He assumes that if educators were afforded a choice, they would opt out of union membership. Kettle believes that teachers would be better off without the support of their unions and the ability to collectively bargain.
What the Senator is attempting to do is to use the public anger created by the current depressed economy to push through “union breaking” legislation.
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Political participation of unions also seems to be a concern for Mr. Kettle. Perhaps he is also concerned about the millions of dollars corporations spend supporting political campaigns. In any event, the Senator feels that union dues are used to influence elections. However, federal law prohibits union dues from being used for political contributions. However, that does not mean that unions aren’t involved with politics.
Unions organize political action committees and encourage members to contribute on a voluntary basis. In addition, unions work to activate their members and encourage them to be informed participants in the democratic process. In these dire economic times, Americans should be more politically active. Nationally, teachers’ unions represent some 3.5 million educators who are very active in the political process. Teachers shouldn’t need to apologize for supporting the candidates and causes that they believe in.
Teachers Unions and Reform
The Senator has stated that “unions do not support excellence in education.” This portrays unions as the “defenders of the status quo” and implies that they are in constant conflict with reform measures. However, the Senator has ignored the contributions that organized educators have made to improvements in education on both the national and state levels.
Research into the history of teachers’ unions clearly demonstrates that both the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have a history of education reform. Many current reformers would have you believe that data-driven decision-making is a new and innovative idea. However, the NEA established a research division in 1921, to collect and analyze educational data in an effort to improve the teaching profession. In 1986, AFT President Albert Shanker led a movement to professionalize education and improve teacher training standards. The AFT and the NEA both embraced the movement.
Teachers unions would create certification boards, which would allow educators to regulate their profession and increase teacher quality. The national education boards would function in a manner similar American Medical Association and the American Bar Association. The standards for licensing of doctors and lawyers are set and upheld by members of that profession. Teacher- led committees would have jurisdiction over the accreditation of teacher training programs and the licensing and certification of teachers. Furthermore, Shanker was instrumental in the creation of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. He proposed that all teachers would be required to go through a standardized program before gaining licensure.
It has become commonplace to cite unions as obstacles to educational improvements. In reality, many significant reform initiatives have been developed and supported by unions. Rhode Island was recently acknowledged as ranking fifth in the country by the National Council on Teacher Quality. Union teachers deserve to be acknowledged for this accomplishment. In Cranston, Central Falls, Providence, Pawtucket, West Warwick and Woonsocket, educators and administrators have developed a new teacher evaluation system. It was recently approved by the Rhode Island Department of Education.
A Heavy Price
The funding for the development of this evaluation system came from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Innovation Grant. The AFT awards grant money to districts that are developing collaborative educational reforms. More recently, the Providence School Department and the Providence Teachers Union began formalizing a “labor management partnership.” The partnership would use a collaborative process to improve some of the district’s lowest performing schools.
Teacher unions, like all unions, are interested in “bread and butter” issues like job security, wages, working conditions and benefits. However, that is just the beginning. Teachers and their unions are also concerned with improving their profession. Teachers want to be active partners in educational reform.
Weakening teacher unions may save a few dollars in salary, but the “savings” would come with a heavy price. Silencing the teacher voice in public education would be detrimental, as teachers are the foot soldiers of educational reform. Their input and participation are critical for public education to be successful.
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