Matt David, a political consultant to Michelle Rhee’s
StudentsFirst has submitted an initiative for the California ballot to remove
teacher seniority as a factor in lay-off decisions. StudentsFirst has long advocated this position and worked
with EDVoice to propose state
legislation to achieve this goal.
Matt David is a former communications director for Republican Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The claim that teacher seniority protection is a major
factor in school achievement has no basis in research. It has long been a favored campaign of
the Right in part because it can be used to assault teachers’ unions and
because it divides teachers against each other.
Younger teachers frequently assume that their youth and
energy makes them a better teacher.
These factors do indeed contribute to teaching, but there is no evidence
to indicate that they balance or compensate for the skill of more experienced
teachers. This is an ideological
campaign assault, not a provision based upon evidence.
See the prior posts on Michelle Rhee, StudentsFirst, and
their connection to corporate assaults on public education. http://choosingdemocracy.blogspot.com/2013/12/how-wall-street-power-brokers-are.html
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