They're At It Again...
The Portland Association of Teachers is on strike. The past several weeks teachers have been protesting against large class sizes, deteriorating building conditions and rodents. These are all valid expectations that the state of Oregon and the local school districts should remedy, however, this educator thinks they have much bigger fish to fry. This city, along with many other cities in the northwest (in both Oregon and Washington) have opted to lower requirements that teachers must meet in order to become an educator in their schools. BIG Fish.
The teacher shortage problem has gotten so bad in the northwest, that these states have begun to lower the qualifications to becoming a teacher. According to the Washington Post, many newly hired educators will have little to no teacher training and, in some cases, no more than a high school diploma. States desperate to fill teaching jobs will no longer be requiring that teachers have a degree in education in order to teach at any level. Some states now permit people to teach without finishing college in certain cases. Shortages have caused administrators to rely on substitutes who have been offered full time positions without having to show competency in the content. |
In the past, teachers were not only expected to have a bachelor's in a content area, but they were also expected to meet the requirements of the educational program, as well as passing several tests, including basic skills and content assessments to prove mastery before getting their teacher's license. These prerequisites made the teaching profession highly specialized. Lately though, state and federal officials seem to be making a mockery out of the extensive training.
Oregon and Washington are not the only states who have changed their qualifications for teachers. Oklahoma has introduced a program that allows school boards to hire anyone who passes a background check as a teacher, as long as the state agrees. No requirement for a bachelor's degree, no need to show competency of content. New Jersey and California for instance, have no requirement for teacher candidates to pass their educational courses with a set GPA or pass the basic skills tests.
Oregon and Washington are not the only states who have changed their qualifications for teachers. Oklahoma has introduced a program that allows school boards to hire anyone who passes a background check as a teacher, as long as the state agrees. No requirement for a bachelor's degree, no need to show competency of content. New Jersey and California for instance, have no requirement for teacher candidates to pass their educational courses with a set GPA or pass the basic skills tests.
“I don’t understand why our response to concern about shortages is to have a major policy reaction that lowers the standard of entry,” said Heather Peske, the president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, a Washington-based think tank that calls for more-rigorous teacher preparation. “Endorsing an option that asks less of teachers in terms of their content knowledge [means] you shift the burden onto students.”
Students WILL be the ones losing out. They already were according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the average test scores for U.S. 13-year-olds have dipped in reading and dropped sharply in math since 2020. Student achievement continues to plummet and now we are going to allow unqualified adults to "teach" them? |
As if that wasn't bad enough, last month, Oregon’s State Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt an additional extension of not requiring students to take standardized tests. Adult leadership argued that requiring students to complete standardized tests both presented a “harmful hurdle for historically marginalized students” and represents a misuse of state tests.
What is wrong with these people?!? Standardized tests have been a part of the American educational system since the 1800's. These cries for eliminating these tests for cultural and social-emotional reasons have only surfaced with the influx of the "woke" rhetoric. Students who are not being held responsible for demonstrating essential skills as they age are not being held accountable for doing anything other than showing up to class and passing. Don't we want to know as a nation that the future of our country is going to be in the hands of students who are problem solvers, know how to think critically and can make change at the register if the computer shuts down?
What is wrong with these people?!? Standardized tests have been a part of the American educational system since the 1800's. These cries for eliminating these tests for cultural and social-emotional reasons have only surfaced with the influx of the "woke" rhetoric. Students who are not being held responsible for demonstrating essential skills as they age are not being held accountable for doing anything other than showing up to class and passing. Don't we want to know as a nation that the future of our country is going to be in the hands of students who are problem solvers, know how to think critically and can make change at the register if the computer shuts down?
This is just another example of how the influence of far left liberals in California, Oregon and Washington have been allowed to hold its citizens hostage, along with ridiculous cries about systemic racism and the "Defund the Police" campaigns. Washington is still trying to clean up from the aftermath of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone that destroyed a huge block of businesses and livelihoods. California's largest cities are being ravaged by crime and lawlessness, as well as an influx of illegal immigrants and aimless homeless....and now this. The educational system is being destroyed from within and no one seems to be concerned.
Students are being enabled to perform at an incredibly poor level and the adults seem to be absent. School boards and district leadership are supposed to be the ones who make decisions that will set students up for success. Instead, they are mostly hurting the children they say are the MOST at risk in achievement, skills and graduation. |
Even the Seattle Times gets it. According to this chart, both Oakland California and Seattle Washington rank in the top 5 school districts with the largest achievement gaps between white and black students. This tells me that these coastal states need to do the OPPOSITE of what they are proposing. They need to start setting higher standards, start hiring highly qualified educators, stop touting the lie that gender identity and safe spaces are more important than the basics, and stop making excuses for students for why they aren't performing. If not, things are only going to get worse. |
Getting involved locally:
There are many different ways that citizens can get involved in the educational process. Schools are asking for participation in many different ways. The schools along the corridor have made school board meetings readily available for the public to watch and participate in. Together, we can contribute time and attention to our young people. Below is a list of opportunities:
-Attend a board meeting (virtual): Bennett, Strasburg, Byers, Deer Trail
-Run for school board positions
-Write your local superintendent
-Attend a board meeting (virtual): Bennett, Strasburg, Byers, Deer Trail
-Run for school board positions
-Write your local superintendent
- Bennett * Mrs. Robin Purdy
- Strasburg * Mr. Dan Hoff
- Byers * Mr. Tom Turrell
- Deer Trail * Mr. BJ Buchmann