Reality-BasedTM Political Numbers from Nicholas Beaudrot
Electoral Math
Reality-BasedTM Political Numbers from Nicholas Beaudrot
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During last night's Democratic Presidential Primary Debate, in response to a question on education, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) said "[t]here's two things everyone knows. The smaller the class size, the better the outcome; and the better the teacher, the better the outcome." That's more or less on track, though I would add that parental involvement can make a big difference too. But it's hard for school boards to have an influence on parents. So, how can we convince good teachers to stay in tough schools? The usual answer is to raise salaries. But because most teachers' union contracts require little or no pay differential, it's difficut to raise salaries in just the troubled schools [That's not a jab at the teachers union; it's just the way things are today]. So raising salaries becomes more expensive, and teachers won't have any incentive to work in tough schools.
Via Kevin Drum, a new study out of California suggests that the real reason teachers leave failing schools is that the pay is poor relative to what they feel they have to put up with, "Classroom interruptions, student discipline, increasing demands, insufficient supplies, overcrowding, unnecessary meetings, lack of support—all play a role in burning out teachers. So, unsurprisingly, establishing discipline and eliminating bureaucracy ought to be top priorities at low-performing schools. Getting rid of bad teachers or preventing them from getting in the door in the first place—something I think would help—is apparently less important.
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updated by Nicholas Beaudrot on 09:24 27 April 2007
