The year 2014 was a significant one for American educators.
Many of the issues that came to the surface during the year are still
unresolved and will continue to make headlines throughout the United States
during the new year-2015. Here are some of the significant events of this year.
The Vergara V. California
case highlighted the issues of teacher tenure and accountability. Nine students
successfully sued the school system resulting in an historic decision
that reaffirmed the fundamental, Constitutional right of every student to learn
from an effective teacher.
(See http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/29/vergara-v-california-the-most-important-court-case-you-ve-never-heard-of.htmlfrom
effective teachers and have an equal opportunity to succeed in school. )
Common
Core State Standards Initiative is an educational mandate in the United States that
details what K-12
students should know in English /language arts and mathematics
at the end of each grade. The initiative is sponsored by the National Governors Association (NGA)
and the Council of Chief State School
Officers (CCSSO) and seeks to establish consistent educational standards
across the states as well as ensure that students graduating from high school
are prepared to enter credit-bearing courses at two- or four-year college
programs or to enter the workforce.
Detroit Bankruptcy. The financially ailing city of Detroit
declared bankruptcy and as a result forced several of the municipal unions,
including the teachers’ union, to make concessions to city. This has resulted
in the mandatory reduction in pension benefits to retired teachers. No matter
what state constitutions say about the sanctity of a negotiated public pension,
federal bankruptcy law authorizes a city to restructure its obligations to
restore financial equilibrium . Because
the U.S. Constitution says that the laws of the United States supersede other
state laws," a city can be forced to reduce its pension obligations. It
has done so in Detroit and other municipalities.
The November
elections. The results of the recent elections will have a significant
impact on education legislation going forward. Starting in January both the
House of Representatives and the Senate will be under Republican control, a
group that will try to reign in government spending. Additionally, a majority
of the state governorships are also under Republican control.
Let us hope that the new year of 2015 will bring peace and
security to our country and that the year will also be a positive one for our
nation’s teaching profession.
Happy Holidays.
No comments:
Post a Comment