Obama Pushes Merit Pay, Removal of Bad Teachers

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Some breaks with UFT on policy.

President Obama laid out his vision for education reform in a major policy speech March 10, endorsing merit pay, the expansion of charter schools, and the removal of underperforming Teachers from the classroom in remarks on "a complete and competitive American education."

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten responded that her union "support[s] the President's call for shared responsibility and providing all our children with a comprehensive education," adding that in New York, the United Federation of Teachers "has actively been in the forefront of many of the initiatives proposed." The union, however has long opposed individual merit pay as divisive, instead negotiating a deal with the Bloomberg administration giving it to the entire staffs of successful schools.

'Invest in Education'

In his remarks to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the President urged that lawmakers press forward with major changes to the education system and get past old battles. "Too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching with extra pay …too many in the Republican Party have opposed new investments in education, despite compelling evidence of its importance," he said.

RANDI WEINGARTEN: 'Reform with us, not against us.'

"We need to make sure our students have the Teacher they need to be suc- cessful," the President said. "Let me be clear—the overwhelming number of Teachers are doing an outstanding job under difficult circumstances… [but] if a Teacher is given a chance or two chances or three chances but still does not improve, there's no excuse for that person to continue teaching. I reject a system that rewards failure and protects a person from its consequences."

Mr. Obama said that merit pay and student assessment also needed major revisions, but within the confines of the No Child Left Behind Act, calling for testing that measures "whether [children] possess 21st-century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking and entrepreneurship and creativity," and bonuses that will "[ensure] not only that Teachers and Principals get the funding that they need, but that the money is tied to results."

Calls for More Charter Schools

The President, who was joined by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis at the speech, also said that states across the country should lift caps on charter schools, calling for a "rigorous selection and review process" to make sure they maintain high standards and are closed if they are unsuccessful.

Ms. Weingarten was cautiously positive in her initial reaction statement. "We agree with the President that education reform should be done with Teachers, not to them," she said.

The city's merit pay system in 200 high-need schools, devised through negotiations with the UFT, rewards high-achieving schools through lump sums, which are distributed equally among Teachers unless a panel of the school's employees decides otherwise. Ms. Weingarten noted that the program "has collaboration, not competition, at its core."

She added that the UFT had "pioneered peer intervention and peer review, with educators taking responsibility for the quality of our own profession," and that it "supported the use of data to aid Teachers in figuring out each student's academic needs and tailoring instruction to meet those needs."

In terms of charter schools, she said that the charters that the union itself operates in New York "show what can be done when schools can focus on educating the whole child, not just on prepping for standardized tests on a narrow number of subjects."