Makers across the United States have found themselves allies in Congress today as Congressmen Tim Ryan [D-OH13], Steve Stivers [R-OH15], Mark Takano [D-CA41], and Mick Mulvaney [R-SC5] announce the formation of a Congressional Maker Caucus.
By MARK TAKANO / Contributing Writer
Published by the OC Register
In his recent column about education in America, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was right about one thing – our kids deserve effective teachers, and they aren’t always getting them [“Students assert right to effective teachers,” Opinion, Feb. 22].
However, rather than contemplate recruitment and retention strategies he joins a new group of conservative education partisans looking to undermine workers unions by pitting teachers against students in the public debate.
Bush is also right that there are “relatively few ineffective [teachers]” that should be removed from the classroom. But it is naïve to believe that stripping away teachers’ workforce protections is a panacea. The stories used by advocates for Bush’s position are largely anecdotal and are supported by neither the academic data nor those who work in the classroom.
Prior to being elected to Congress, I worked for 23 years as a teacher in the Rialto Unified School District where I taught predominantly low-income Latino and African American students. Even now, I am maintaining my teaching credentials and will always make teaching – in one way or another – part of what I do. Teachers are overworked and underpaid; the line is a bit cliché, but it is still true. For those of us who teach, it is more than a job; it’s a calling, a career and a life-long commitment. It is the classroom teacher who is on the front-line, working to address the deep and complex issues our schools and student are facing. We do it because we want to give back to our communities and see future generations succeed.
But even our best teachers sometimes come up short, often because we aren’t providing the tools and training they need to get better. However, instead of moving to support educators, Gov. Bush and his allies advocate for a punitive response.
It’s just not true that teachers and their workforce protections are to blame for increased turnover and lower educational quality in our poorest schools.
Rather, this is a systemwide teacher placement issue. Our schools, regardless of location, socioeconomic makeup, or other demographic, should strive for a balance of new teachers and veteran teachers, and it is up to administrators to make sure that is achieved.
As a former community college trustee, I have also viewed teacher protections from an administrative perspective. While my experience was in higher education, California’s K-12 disciplinary and tenure regulations are not all that different from those governing community colleges.
I was involved in decisions to discipline tenured professors and to uphold recommendations to not grant tenure. I know that there are mechanisms we can incorporate into the system without abandoning workforce protections.
Certainly, the issues brought forth by the Vergara v. the State of California trial regarding teacher tenure, the dismissal process, and the so-called “last-in, first-out” policy are worthy of examination.
In fact, I believe it is critical to ensure that tenure is meaningful, not just a formality. If the current 18-month decision period to either grant or deny teacher tenure is ineffective, then we should change it. That does not mean throwing out tenure altogether. It is just one of many powerful tools used to recruit and retain teachers who may otherwise take their talents elsewhere. And it isn’t just about job security. It’s also about working conditions like class size, wraparound services, and general workplace morale that drive teacher recruitment and retention.
Critics of teacher protections such as tenure need to realize what I discovered when I first entered the teaching profession – that great teachers develop over time with practice, hard work and support from administrators.
That is why we need to invest in more complete teacher development and support systems that allow educators to grow and succeed. Research shows that the more experience teachers have, the more effective they are in the classroom.
A system that does not allow for development and growth, but attempts to motivate with threatening ones job is setting itself up for failure.
In a profession where the stakes are so high, these benefits are critical to ensuring a robust and effective teacher base. We must not do away with them.
Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, represents California’s 41st Congressional District.
Last week the association that represents the For-Profit College industry was in Washington DC meeting with legislators and their staff.
In preparation I sent this “Dear Colleague” to other Members of Congress suggesting a few questions they could ask.
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9 Questions to Ask in your APSCU/For-Profit College Meeting
Are you meeting with the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities or a for-profit college this week? Here are 9 important questions you should ask to make sure you are getting you the whole story:
1. 32 state attorney generals, the CFPB, SEC, FDIC, and DOJ are all investigating the practices of for-profit colleges. Is your company one of them? How should “bad actors” be dealt with?
2. What percentage of your income comes from all types of Federal aid (including military and veterans education benefits)? Don’t you think that warrants some regulation?
3. What percentage of your budget do you spend on marketing and recruiting vs. academic instruction? What percentage goes to profit?
4. What percentage of your students default on their federal loans?
5. How many of your professional programs lack programmatic accreditation? May I have a list of all your professional programs and their accreditations?
6. What is your job placement rate and how do you define placement? Do you count short-term placements?
7. Do you have formal rules against recruiters contacting a prospect more than 3 times or engaging in “pain-based” recruiting and emotional manipulation?
8. Is there any threshold you think appropriate to cut off federal funding for the worst performing career education programs?
9. Do you expect any of your school’s programs to fail the metrics in the Department’s last public gainful employment proposal? Which programs and why?
Sincerely,
Mark Takano
Member of Congress
The VICE President ladies and gentlemen!
(user submission from Takano himself!)
(via shayera-librarian)
Announcing the Congressional Maker Caucus - rebuilding our economy with imagination, engineering & education.
I like that you share stuff from congressmen. Who all is on tumblr?
I can’t remember all of them, but here are the ones I follow:
Democrats:
Rep. Mark Takano (really immature posts, but I follow for the lulz)
Republicans:
Rep. Trey Radel (not active anymore for obvious reasons)
If I remember more, I will share the links
Just playing to the audience.
Tumblr loves the lulz, and gifs, TWBC has both!
We can agree that there should be more members on Tumblr though, here’s my list Links here.
Rep. Mark Takano’s not just a lawmaker looking at housing schemes exploiting his constituents. He’s a renter, too
Happy Valentine’s Day, from Mark.
This Valentine’s Day, get women what they really need – more representation in government.
Once again, Speaker Boehner has relied on Democrats and a few sensible Republicans to do the right thing and prevent a self-inflicted wound. The full faith and credit of the United States and keeping the global economy in good standing should not be used as a bargaining chip.
I hope Speaker Boehner will continue to do the right thing and schedule votes on bills that would extend unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed, overhaul our broken immigration system, and increase the minimum wage.
The Congressional Equality Caucus is proud to show our support to LGBT athletes and LGBT Russians who are being affected by the Kremlin’s anti-gay laws.
This is worlds grandest stage and there is no better time to make our values known to the entire world.
That’s fine. Leslie would love me.
How Much Would Ron Swanson Hate You? Quiz:http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/how-much-would-ron-swanson-hate-you
Bumping this back up, because eleven months ago, I took this Vine video of me submitting my first bill. It just passed the House.
So the first bill I introduced also became the first bill I was able to pass in the House, on to the Senate.
These are the House Republican Immigration Principles released today.
I’m happy that House Republicans are talking about Immigration again, but creating a permanent second class of citizens is unacceptable.
What’s your opinion?
PREAMBLE
Our nation’s immigration system is broken and our laws are not being enforced. Washington’s failure to fix them is hurting our economy and jeopardizing our national security. The overriding purpose of our immigration system is to promote and further America’s national interests and that is not the case today. The serious problems in our immigration system must be solved, and we are committed to working in a bipartisan manner to solve them. But they cannot be solved with a single, massive piece of legislation that few have read and even fewer understand, and therefore, we will not go to a conference with the Senate’s immigration bill. The problems in our immigration system must be solved through a step-by-step, common-sense approach that starts with securing our country’s borders, enforcing our laws, and implementing robust enforcement measures. These are the principals guiding us in that effort.
Border Security and Interior Enforcement Must Come First
It is the fundamental duty of any government to secure its borders, and the United States is failing in this mission. We must secure our borders now and verify that they are secure. In addition, we must ensure now that when immigration reform is enacted, there will be a zero tolerance policy for those who cross the border illegally or overstay their visas in the future. Faced with a consistent pattern of administrations of both parties only selectively enforcing our nation’s immigration laws, we must enact reform that ensures that a President cannot unilaterally stop immigration enforcement.
Implement Entry-Exit Visa Tracking System
A fully functioning Entry-Exit system has been mandated by eight separate statutes over the last 17 years. At least three of these laws call for this system to be biometric, using technology to verify identity and prevent fraud. We must implement this system so we can identify and track down visitors who abuse our laws.
Employment Verification and Workplace Enforcement
In the 21st century it is unacceptable that the majority of employees have their work eligibility verified through a paper based system wrought with fraud. It is past time for this country to fully implement a workable electronic employment verification system.
Reforms to the Legal Immigration System
For far too long, the United States has emphasized extended family members and pure luck over employment-based immigration. This is inconsistent with nearly every other developed country. Every year thousands of foreign nationals pursue degrees at America’s colleges and universities, particularly in high skilled fields. Many of them want to use their expertise in U.S. industries that will spur economic growth and create jobs for Americans. When visas aren’t available, we end up exporting this labor and ingenuity to other countries. Visa and green card allocations need to reflect the needs of employers and the desire for these exceptional individuals to help grow our economy.
The goal of any temporary worker program should be to address the economic needs of the country and to strengthen our national security by allowing for realistic, enforceable, usable, legal paths for entry into the United States. Of particular concern are the needs of the agricultural industry, among others. It is imperative that these temporary workers are able to meet the economic needs of the country and do not displace or disadvantage American workers.
Youth
One of the great founding principles of our country was that children would not be punished for the mistakes of their parents. It is time to provide an opportunity for legal residence and citizenship for those who were brought to this country as children through no fault of their own, those who know no other place as home. For those who meet certain eligibility standards, and serve honorably in our military or attain a college degree, we will do just that.
Individuals Living Outside the Rule of Law
Our national and economic security depend on requiring people who are living and working here illegally to come forward and get right with the law. There will be no special path to citizenship for individuals who broke our nation’s immigration laws – that would be unfair to those immigrants who have played by the rules and harmful to promoting the rule of law. Rather, these persons could live legally and without fear in the U.S., but only if they were willing to admit their culpability, pass rigorous background checks, pay significant fines and back taxes, develop proficiency in English and American civics, and be able to support themselves and their families (without access to public benefits). Criminal aliens, gang members, and sex offenders and those who do not meet the above requirements will not be eligible for this program. Finally, none of this can happen before specific enforcement triggers have been implemented to fulfill our promise to the American people that from here on, our immigration laws will indeed be enforced.
What’s your opinion?