Last week professors Pedro Noguera and Michelle Fine published a piece in The Nation entitled Teachers Aren’t the Enemy.
In it, they describe the “sustained assault” on public school teachers and single out reform leader Michelle Rhee for being at least partly responsible. In the article, they acknowledge that “Raging debates over LIFO, seniority, teacher evaluation and test-based school closings do little to improve schools and much to distract from the real challenges,” yet beyond blasting charter schools and praising teachers’ unions for “fighting back,” the authors make few specific recommendations for how schools might be improved.
Newly appointed STC Regional Council Chicago Co-Chair Jennifer Husbands found this argument to be missing a larger point, so she sent The Nation her response. Unlike much of the editorials dominating the education conversation which focus on disagreement between the adults, Jennifer tackles the current issues with clear suggestions. She urges reformers to “keep their eyes on the prize—meeting the needs of students, particularly the most vulnerable among us, by whatever means necessary—not allowing themselves to be swept up in the politics of the adults.” Click here to read all of her concrete and attainable suggestions.