reply to post by SkepticOverlord
SkepticO, point of order:
I presume that we are encouraged to discuss the entire Technology thesis and not just to discuss the snippet quoted in the OP. That's quite a lot of
information to discuss in a single thread.
You're link to the differences in the pre-Biden/post-Biden texts is facinating and I saw quite a few things that could spark some interesting debate.
That being said, I'll stick what I see as the most interesting portion of the OP's selection.
Let's recruit a new army of teachers, and give them better pay and more support in exchange for more accountability.
That's quite a departure from the standard Democrat canon. "More accountability" can only mean rolling back the job security of
tenure that
the tecahers' unions have successfully established while, at the same time, establishing higher pay and comprehensive benefits packages.
I'm not a teacher, nor do I have any expertise in the field. But this thread has no member replies yet, so I think I'll chime in anyway and, maybe,
get a discussion going.
"[A] new army of teachers"? That wont sit well with one of the Democrats' staunchest constituencies.
"[B]etter pay"? Well,
that's what they (the unions) are all about.
"[M]ore accountablity"? The Republicans have been trying for decades to bring that about.
No Child Left Behind was supposed to bring
about accountability for performance, and the unions complain that they're expected to perform better without increased funds.
"The unfunded
mandate", they called it.
This being on the Technology page suggests that Obama (and, presumably, the critics of
No Child Left Behind) believe that our public schools
are failing our kids because there isn't enough broadband available. The United States had the highest level of student performance in the
industrial world back when we sat at wooden desks with books and ink wells.
While it seems that Obama is ready to challenge tenure with "a new army of teachers" (and, like I said, good luck with that), he is still fashioning
his policy on the idea that more money/technology is needed to turn tired teacheing into gifted teaching.
I admit that this post isn't very scholarly, but there it is. Flame on.
