Ex-ass. Sec. of Edu. says teachers' union not the problem & merit pay is bad.

There was a time when Former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch thought No Child Left Behind, school vouchers and charter schools were good for the American education system.

Not any more. Ravitch states during an interview on NPR's Fresh Air:

I came to the conclusion ... that No Child Left Behind has turned into a timetable for the destruction of American public education...I had never imagined that the test would someday be turned into a blunt instrument to close schools — or to say whether teachers are good teachers or not — because I always knew children's test scores are far more complicated than the way they're being received today.

I don't know enough about No Child Left Behind to comment on whether it's good or bad. But two points Ravitch made I clearly find puzzling.

1) Teachers' unions are "not the problem". Tell that to the New York State teachers' union. Millions wasted on "rubber room" teachers getting full pay and benefits for sitting in a room doing nothing. I'm not saying teachers' unions don't have their place - just that they're not perfect. Oh - and tell that to one of Wisconsin's "best new teachers"...who was laid off because of union collective bargaining rules.

2) "Merit pay is bad". Why? Because it's gives teachers' added incentives to "teach"? I'm not advocating that a teacher's entire salary be based on merit; however, even President Obama was an advocate for merit-based pay back in 2007 and in 2009, when he gave a speech to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce:

Good teachers will be rewarded with more money for improved student achievement, and asked to accept more responsibili-ties for lifting up their schools.

I'm unaware if Obama's stance has changed. Regardless, you can find just as many articles and studies that laud merit-based pay as those that decry it, so don't quote me facts either way. Use common sense. How many times have you heard sports' fans bitch about overpaid athletes and how athletes should get paid based on their performance? Why can't teachers have a similar pay incentive?

It might just help weed out those who are consciously trying to make a difference in a child's education from those who are just biding their time until they retire. And which teacher do you want instructing your child?