California students file suit to nix tenure law

[Igel]

14. Or Lau.

Or any other lawsuit that alleges that a Constitutional right to a free and appropriate public education is being denied.

In this case it's all self-defense. This Welch guy may be an entrepreneur, but few die-hard (R) are on the board of the NRDC. Most groups take funding from where they can get it.

What makes him right-wing is his assertion that you should fire underperforming teachers instead of investing in them. Period.

Both sides share the opinion that it's all the teachers' responsibility. Unions insult teachers fairly often, but how varies from day to day: "Give us better conditions, pay, benefits, and we'll do a better job and attract better teachers to the field." Meaning that either teachers are holding back until they get better pay or benefits or that really, the teachers we have are inferior.

"'Conditions" is a separate matter.


Significantly, both groups, for various reasons, miss that non-school factors account for over half of a student's learning and academic success. And that in schools, the teacher himself/herself accounts for about half of the schools' contribution. In other words, teacher = 25%, give or take a couple of %.

Those crappy teachers in one school become good teachers in another school.