Steve Jobs rails on teachers unions

[dude1394]

I couldn't agree more.
http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/e...s.asp?id=42307

Might say the same thing about GM/Ford/Chrysler as well.

Daring Fireball.net
John Gruber uncovers a recent meeting of the minds between Apple's Steve Jobs and Dell's founder Michael Dell at the Texas Education Forum. However, the most notable thing out of that meeting was Jobs comments about the way vendors sell to schools.


Kind of surprising that the CEO of a company that sells so many computers to schools would be so blunt, but I agree with Jobs completely regarding teacher unions: Comparing schools to small companies and principals to CEOs, [Jobs] asked rhetorically what kind of CEO can't hire the people he wants, get rid of workers who aren't performing or pay better workers more. American schools “have become unionized in the worst possible way,” Jobs said. Until that is remedied, he said, schools won't be able to attract the best teachers and administrators.”

[MavKikiNYC]

Quote:
Daring Fireball.net
John Gruber uncovers a recent meeting of the minds between Apple's Steve Jobs and Dell's founder Michael Dell at the Texas Education Forum. However, the most notable thing out of that meeting was Jobs comments about the way vendors sell to schools.


Kind of surprising that the CEO of a company that sells so many computers to schools would be so blunt, but I agree with Jobs completely regarding teacher unions: Comparing schools to small companies and principals to CEOs, [Jobs] asked rhetorically what kind of CEO can't hire the people he wants, get rid of workers who aren't performing or pay better workers more. American schools “have become unionized in the worst possible way,” Jobs said. Until that is remedied, he said, schools won't be able to attract the best teachers and administrators.”

I saw this, but.......teacher unions in Texas are weak to the point of irrelevancy. Which makes Jobs' speech kind of.....irrelevant.

Public education in Texas has some problems like anywhere else, but....teachers' unions are well down the list.

[FishForLunch]

Its simple if the parents have no interest or little interest in their kids education, then no matter how much money you spend on the kids and teachers, only a interested few will excel in education and move on.

[mcsluggo]

its ANYTHING but simple... but that is an undeniable and important factor. BUt even that component isn't simple. My mom volunteered 15 - 20 hours a week at my (public) elementary school, as did about half the moms of my friends. My eldest daughter is going to be starting school in the fall, I'd venture to guess that well less than 50% of the moms of the kids at her school will be "stay-at-home" moms. There is NO way a household without a stay-at-home partner can give the level of attention many of us grew up thinking was "normal".

THere are lots of good reasons, and lots of bad reasons, why there are fewer stay-at-home parents these days, but whatever the cause... there simply ARE fewer of them. This doesn't abdicate parents' responsibility of being involved in their kids schooling, but it certainly changes the dynamics around a bit.

[MavKikiNYC]

The more I think about this, the more it seems like Jobs was making a speech in Texas that might've been written for a New York or California audience. New York has a relatively stronger union and a system of tenure for public school teachers which does seem to make it more difficult to address extreme incompetence. But even in New York where teachers' unions have more influence, the politicians usually seem to be able to outmaneuver them.

The teachers' uniions in Texas serve as an impediment to just about nothing that administrators want to do.

What the hell was Jobs thinking?

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by MavKikiNYC

What the hell was Jobs thinking?

DRMs

[mcsluggo]

Originally Posted by MavKikiNYC

The more I think about this, the more it seems like Jobs was making a speech in Texas that might've been written for a New York or California audience. New York has a relatively stronger union and a system of tenure for public school teachers which does seem to make it more difficult to address extreme incompetence. But even in New York where teachers' unions have more influence, the politicians usually seem to be able to outmaneuver them.

The teachers' uniions in Texas serve as an impediment to just about nothing that administrators want to do.

What the hell was Jobs thinking?

I'm sure he was thinking "American", not texan, ny-er, or californian. He probably isn't particualrly cognizant of the relative strengths or weaknesses of the texas system, why should he be? It is just an American issue.

[MavKikiNYC]

True, but it seemed like an odd topic for a Texas Education Forum.

Only tangentially related, but the article below is an interesting item--gross professional misconduct by an educator, and yet the impediment to dismissal isn't a teachers' union, but the inertia of a school board, most likely because of their sympathetic views to the teacher. For a Texas audience, that seems like a more relevant threat to education.

Kearny to underline: Teachers can't preach

JERSEY JOURNAL
Thursday, January 25, 2007 BY ROSE DUGER

In response to in-class proselytizing by a Kearny High School history teacher, the district will start a new training program to ensure that its educators understand legal boundaries restricting them from voicing personal religious beliefs in the classroom.

Board of education attorney Kenneth J. Lindenfelser said the training, which will include all teachers employed by Kearny pub lic schools, could begin as early as next month.

"The new board policy reiterates the law between church and state, and that any violation will be dealt with strictly," Lindenfelser said.

The new policy arose in response to charges by Kearny High School junior Matthew LaClair that his history teacher, David Paszkiewicz, spent the first few days of the school year preaching instead of teaching. LaClair met with Paszkiewicz and Kearny High School Principal Al Somma to complain about the teacher's actions.

The student submitted audio tapes he secretly made in class on which Paszkiewicz told his stu dents they belonged in hell if they rejected Jesus, dinosaurs were on Noah's ark and theories of evolution and the Big Bang weren't scientific.

The district, citing confidentiality of personnel issues, has refused to discuss specifics of the corrective action it has taken against Paszkiewicz.

But board president Bernadette McDonald said in a written statement that the school typically follows a course of action that could include "discussion, instruction, monitoring, individual improvement plans, evaluations and, if deemed appropriate, disciplinary measures."