Allen's Weblog

The Voice of San Diego had an article on the Principal of Lincoln High, who has apparently been removed because in raising the schools performance significantly, she used a bit of tough love and ruffled a few feathers.

There were some interesting perspectives from teachers who are in the trenches, and to whom I would remind that the single most powerful political entity in this state is the teacher unions — who lobby at a monetary rate several times the next most powerful lobby groups.

If teachers want more academic rigor, they could demand it — and get it.

If teachers wanted greater classroom discipline, they could demand it — and get it.

If teachers wanted an end to social promotion, they could demand it — and get it.

If teachers ever walked picket lines for anything other than higher pay and more time off, I am unfamiliar with that picket line even after more than 30 years of writing about California schooling — it has regressed to the point where it can no longer be called “education.”

California teachers get whatever California teachers want, and that has caused a Top Five salary and a Bottom Five student academic rating.

It must be what teachers want because Sacramento bows and scrapes to the tunes of teacher unions.