AFT’s Weingarten: “Time will tell whether these programs will provide ongoing systems of professional development and support for teachers, or simply incentivize top-down, ill-conceived and poorly implemented policies that do nothing to improve teaching or learning in our schools.”
WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–September 27, 2012. American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten comments on the U.S. Department of Education’s 35 Teacher Incentive Fund grants announced today.
“TIF was always supposed to be a way for school districts and their educators to explore new teacher compensation systems that would help improve teaching and learning. A key factor in the success of these new pay systems is having labor and management cooperation in their development and implementation. In many cases, this happened, but we are disappointed that some applicants that received grants did not seek meaningful input from their local teachers union.
“We are pleased that in these tough economic times, so many AFT affiliates will receive federal funds to support our educators, but what remains to be seen is whether these programs will put in place requirements for districts to provide the tools, conditions and resources for teachers to do their jobs successfully. This work is too important to do it fast at the expense of getting it right. Time will tell whether these programs will provide ongoing systems of professional development and support for teachers, or simply incentivize top-down, ill-conceived and poorly implemented policies that do nothing to improve teaching or learning in our schools.”
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
Source: http://www.aft.org
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