Bob Walsh, Pat Crowley silent on teacher effectiveness
“Building a better profession for our educators in Rhode Island, and specifically in its urban districts, is the most important thing we can do to improve the level of education available to all students,” said Governor Donald L. Carcieri. “Participation in the NGA Academy will foster important learning and discussion on Rhode Island’s efforts to improve educator effectiveness statewide and serve as a complement to the foundation we have already set.”Bob Walsh is a member of the governor's team to improve teacher effectiveness, but that's probably by default. When's the last time you heard union brass talk about teacher effectiveness? It's usually, "our teachers are hard working, underpaid, and under appreciated." It's never about holding them to a high standard, having their pay based on such standards, and *gasp* removing teachers who don't live up to that standard. So while Obama is calling for young people to become teachers, which is an honorable profession I was a heartbeat from joining, we owe it to our children to not only exhort them to become teachers but to also become effective - placing more importance on their effectiveness than their ability to maintain their 'jobs'.
I can already hear some of you saying, "Don, are you saying that Rhode Island teachers would rather keep their jobs than have their pay measured by their effectiveness?" For some yes, but the majority no. I am saying that it's troubling when Mr. Crowley and Mr. Walsh talk little about effectiveness and instead clamor for more raises, less cuts in the face of a struggling economy, and say "it's all about the children."
Is it really?




DO YOU FEEL UNSAFE NOW THAT OBAMA HAS HANDLED THIS CRISIS IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER IN LETTING OUR TROOPS DO THEIR JOB? CLASS ACT BY OBAMA
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I'm thankful that the situation ended well. The rescue went perfectly, and Richard Phillips will be home with his family soon. With that said, I still have major concerns about our safety.
A better test will be how Barack Obama handles Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea, Iran, and the unrest on the Mexican border. I'm also concerned with his decisions to close Guantanamo and the CIA's foreign prisons.
We shouldn't be worried about treating terrorists better. It might satisfy the rest of the world, but our safety should be the most important priority. George W. Bush understood that.
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WHAT DID GEORGE BUSH DO TO END NORTH KOREA THREAT? NORTH KOREA AND IRAN HAVE BEEN TESTING NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR MANY YEARS NOW WITH NO RESOLUTION. I GUESS OBAMA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ALSO. ABAMA WILL ALWAYS GET CRITIZED BY THE REP. AS LONG AS HE IS IN OFFICE. THEY JUST CAN'T SEEM TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT THEY LOST.
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Joe,
I actually voted for Obama. The question here is not who's better, Bush or Obama, but was Obama's response to the situation something that would inspire confidence that he could handle future and more critical situations. North Korea & Iran have not fired any nuclear missles at anyone last I checked, which I'd consider a victory for our foreign policy. But, given that this situation was such a peon in comparison, I am wondering how the President who generally uses the bully pulpit will respond in another situation that calls for quick thinking.
And that has nothing to do with being a republican, democrat, or anything in between.
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George W. Bush did a lot of things I didn't agree with. Yet, there is one area in which he excelled: He kept the country safe. We were attacked on September 11th, and thankfully, there haven't been any more attacks on U.S. soil. Al-Qaeda probably tried their best, but thanks to the Bush Administration, they were not successful.
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THANKS TO OBAMA ADMINISTRATION THE PIRATE ATTACK WAS FOILED. THREE SHOTS THREE DEAD - ONE PRISONER. CREW AND SHIP SAFE. I FEEL AS SAFE NOW AS I DID UNDER BUSH, CLINTON, AND BUSH. GIVE THE PRES SOME CREDIT - NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AS AMERICANS - NOT DEMOS AND REPS. PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS INSTEAD OF CONDEMING THEM..
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Phttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/an-open-letter-to-preside_b_165359.htmlLEASE READ -
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