For my post today, I’m sharing an excellent op-ed by former New York chancellor, Joel Klein. While I don’t always agree with Klein, in this case, I believe that he’s hitting the crux of the issue regarding teachers, and that we need to stop choosing sides and ensure that our children get great teachers and that great teachers are properly compensated for their crucial work. Here’s a short excerpt:

“The problem is that our discussion too often fails to distinguish between these very different types of teachers, treating them all the same. This ‘group-think’ not only pollutes the current public debate – either you’re for or against teachers – it is also killing our opportunity to fix our schools. Any reform worth its name must start by recognizing that teachers are our most important educational asset. That’s why we need to treat teaching as a profession, by supporting excellence, striving for constant improvement and ridding the system of poor performers.”

Read the complete op-ed.

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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Filed under: education, learning, politics, systemic change Tagged: | education, education reform, evaluations, op-eds, professions, respect, students, systemic change, teacher performance, teachers