Missouri State Teachers Association

Merit Pay: Eagle County, Colorado

     The age-old debate over merit pay for teachers continues through the 2008 presidential election.  Because it is a hot topic for the education community, comments made by the candidates spark new articles.  Take a look at this one posted on the NPR website.  The commentary by teachers (one who appreciates the concept, and one who doesn't) is especially poignant.  It demonstrates why there is such controversy over merit pay.

     What concerned me from the article was the idea that master teachers in this Colorado school district spend less time with students than novices.  What seemed more promising, though, was the idea that the entire faculty of a building could be rewarded for exemplary performance - rather than pitting teacher against teacher for the extra dough.  Thoughts?

Polling places and school elections (from a cool podcast)

This one is for all of you nerds out there.  Scientific American has a great daily podcast called "60 Second Science."  This post from June 24th talks about research that was done on voters habits.  The study found that people who vote at schools vote more positively for school issues.  So how do we get all levy and bond issue elections to be held in schools?

Interview with the CEO of KidZui

I don't always like to toot my own horn . . . ok well, that's a lie. I'm in marketing and PR that's kind of my job. Put another way, I don't usually promote the MSTA podcast, The Pulse on our blog. However, I thought others who may not listen to The Pulse might be interested in our most recent show. I had the opportunity to speak to Cliff Boro, CEO of KidZui, a web browser made specifically with kids in mind. Kidzui was recently featured on Today on NBC. Not only do we discuss the browser, but we also focus on the topic of education and the relevance of something like KidZui in schools. It's not a long show and if you have never listened before it's a good way to check out The Pulse for the first time.

You can find the most recent episode here

HSM: Too Much for Tots?

     I just read this article from Teacher Magazine online.  Parents are concerned their very young children are being negatively influenced by Disney's "High School Musical."  What?!

     Since when is a toddler in control of the television or purchasing decisions?  If he or she has an older sibling who is a fan, I understand the introduction to this film and its music.  However, parenting has to come into play if adults are concerned the subject matter is too advanced for a three-year-old. . .

Supreme Court Justices Interviewed

     MSTA Legal Counsel Gail McCray put me on to a website where videotaped interviews of U.S. Supreme Court Justices can be found.  Chatting with Gail, I learned the justices very rarely make public comments, so this is quite a unique scenario.  Specifically, eight of nine justices speak to the issues of legal writing and advocacy.  Teaching a law and justice class?  This may be good material for you.  The videos may be used freely for educational purposes.

     I loved my law and justice class in twelfth grade.  Do they teach that class anywhere anymore?  We even got to tour a prison.  Talk about "scared straight"!  It was one of the most frightening and enlightening experiences of my life. . .

Student Blogging Precedent?

     A Connecticut student's blog entry was deemed to have potential repercussions at school, therefore a court upheld an administrator's disciplinary measures against her.  This brings up the age-old debate over whether or not students' off-campus behaviors can be controlled by school officials.  Does anyone want to weigh in?  Read more here.

$740,000 Severance Package for Superintendent

     Spring is always a gloomy time for me when I hear of inequitable pay increases for administrators.  I learned that in one school district in my field area, teachers got a 2 or 3 percent increase this year while administrators averaged a 10% boost.  Let's tie administrator and teacher salaries!

     But this article about a superintendent in New Jersey brightened my mood.  At least I haven't heard about anything this atrocious in Missouri!  Upon leaving her post as superintendent, Barbara Trzeskowski will be given nearly three quarters of a million dollars. . .  and this ain't corporate America, baby!  I wouldn't want to be the one to ask New Jersey taxpayers for more education funding. . .