Comments on Thoughts on Education Policy: Book Review: Sweating the Small Stuff

Is it possible, for instance, to replicate these s...

2009-06-24T11:47:17.877-05:00

Is it possible, for instance, to replicate these systems in schools that cannot expel students and where every student is admitted regardless without having to apply?

In the book, American Indian claims to have never expelled a student and they do not screen applicants (it's a lottery). I realize there is probably some self-selecting associated with the lottery process but still it is quite impressive.

Is it possible, for instance, to replicate thes...

2008-08-21T08:41:00.000-05:00
Is it possible, for instance, to replicate these systems in schools that cannot expel students and where every student is admitted regardless without having to apply?

No.
No.
(Repeat several thousand times)

Nice post. Those interested in the development of...

2008-08-19T06:35:00.000-05:00
Nice post. Those interested in the development of the Cristo Rey model may also be interested in More than a Dream, a new book about the improbable development of the first school in the country that requires every student go to school to earn their tuition. More information is available at www.morethanadreambook.com

I haven't had a chance to read Whitman's book yet,...

2008-08-18T07:37:00.000-05:00
I haven't had a chance to read Whitman's book yet, but I wanted to comment on the union issue. I taught in both private and public, union and non-union schools before I left the teaching profession and became an attorney.

In my experience, I did not notice any difference in teacher morale, school environment, level of pay, job responsibilities, or other variables between the union and non-union school districts. I noticed differences (postive and negative) between teaching in private vs. public schools - but not between public schools in union states and public schools in non-union states.

I'd be hard pressed to see how state employees with unions (e.g., teachers in California) are treated better than state employees without unions (e.g., teachers in Virginia or the Carolinas). Public school teachers appear to be treated similarly to government employees in many federal and state government jobs, in terms of hiring, salaries computed by years of service, etc.

Is there any data that shows that public school teachers in union states are treated differently than public school teachers in non-union states?

It's important to make a distinction between private or charter schools that by definition do not have unions and public schools which may or may not have active teacher unions. I warn against attributing differences between private schools and public schools to the existence or lack thereof of a teacher union, without some data to back up that assertion.