[Peace-discuss] Re: [ucprogressives] Fw: RELEASE: $1 million Anti-Teachers Union Campaign Begins Today

Wed Mar 12 09:52:20 CDT 2008

Thanks for the info, John. Of course the allegations are a total crock. CUF's efforts are a not-even-thinly veiled attempt at union-busting cloaked in presentation of so-called "facts" and using words of concern for students and their schools, while CUF and others would love nothing more than to get rid of teachers' unions altogether and to privatize public education. And the contest allowing students to publicly criticize their teachers is encouraging and legalizing slander!! If teachers are "incompetent" the place to point the finger is at management -- school districts have legal and contractual ways of getting rid of incompetent teachers. It's harder to get rid of incompetent principals, superintendents, and other administrators if an entrenched school board wants to keep them on. The billboard is obscene -- an unfair and underhanded way to attack members of the strong and necessary union(s) that protect teachers' rights (NOT their incompetencies) against allegations of
 incompetency or wrong-doing by dissatisfied parents and students who may or may not have reason on their side: incompetent teachers can and should be fired (and, in my experience, there are legal channels for doing so).

  And re merit pay for teachers (which btw Obama supports, another thing I have against him): that's just another barely disguised attempt to divide and conquer, inho. There are already ways to give teachers "merit pay" -- they can get more coursework and move up on the salary schedule, or add to their skills and credentials (also thru education/testing and proof of mastery)  and become  "master teachers."
   --Jenifer

"John W." <jbw292002 at gmail.com> wrote:

There was an interesting article in Time Magazine a couple of weeks ago about merit pay for teachers.  Some teachers' unions are beginning to be a bit open to the concept of merit pay, provided that there's some empirical way of measuring teacher effectiveness, and it's not just a case of butt-kissing the principal.

John Wason

At 11:55 AM 3/11/2008, unionyes wrote:

  From: "Tim Miller" <miller at unionfacts.com>
To: "Bill Gorrell " <laborhour at yahoo.com>
Subject: RELEASE: $1 million Anti-Teachers Union Campaign Begins Today
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:32:41 -0400

For Immediate Release
Center for Union Facts
March 11th, 2008
For More Information Contact:
Tim Miller or Sarah Longwell- 202-463-7106

New Campaign Exposes Teachers Unions for Protecting Bad Teachers
Center for Union Facts Announces “Ten Worst 
(Union-Protected) Teachers” Contest  

Washington – Today the Center for Union Facts (CUF) launched an aggressive national campaign to educate Americans about how teachers unions protect incompetent teachers, demoralize good teachers, block reform, and ultimately hurt our public education system.  

The million dollar advertising blitz features full-page ads this morning in USA TODAY as well as the New York Times, and a television commercial airing on CNN and Fox News. 

The ad in USA TODAY announces CUF’s “Ten Worst (union-protected) Teachers” contest, which will be further publicized by a seven-story billboard going up in Times Square later this week. The contest will allow anyone 13 and up to nominate the worst union-protected teachers in America. Once CUF has identified the ten worst, we will offer each of them $10,000 to quit the profession forever. The purpose of the contest is to encourage teachers known to be incompetent to quit the profession because it is too difficult to have them terminated. 

The ads also announce a new website called TeachersUnionExposed.com, which features original, previously unreported research about the union’s stranglehold on America’s schools. The site also highlights 20 cities for which we have obtained detailed information about how protections insulate against turnover despite poor student achievement.

“Teachers unions are failing children all over the country by protecting incompetent teachers and fighting to maintain the status quo,” said CUF Executive Director Richard Berman. “Worst of all, teachers unions hurt all of the amazing teachers in America by treating them exactly the same as incompetent teachers who shouldn’t be in the profession.” 

Berman continued, “This campaign is an effort to shine a bright light on the damage inflicted on our education system by self-interested teachers unions. Furthermore, we are advocating on behalf of all the great teachers who deserve better than to be subject to old-fashioned union rules that deny them merit pay and other incentives to continue their excellent work.”  

  To learn more visit: www.TeachersUnionExposed.com. For further information or to arrange an interview please call Sarah Longwell at (202) 463-7106. 

TeachersUnionExposed.com is a project of the Center for Union Facts (www.UnionFacts.com). CUF is a non-profit organization supported by foundations, businesses, union members, and the general public. We are dedicated to showing Americans the facts about today's union leadership._______________________________________________
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