When you want chaos or conflict, your goal is to continue the creation of problems, not find solutions to real problems. And if problems do not exist, you make them up. That is why some organizations and institutions are increasingly losing members, support and influence.
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What happens when Saul Alinsky and his tactics do not go far enough for you? We are probably about to find out. There are seemingly no longer limits to acceptable behavior in society, no moral conscience for some people and Alinsky’s radical “methods” are now the new normal. Combined with the usual Orwellian double-speak from those trained in Alinsky tactics. They can attract the gullible.
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The United States is a diverse country, racially and ethnically, as well as in how people choose to organize themselves socially and politically. It can be argued that our public schools are integrally situated to communicate society’s values, such as individual responsibility, patriotism, integrity, objectivity, justice, respect for others, being on time, doing a good job, working well with others, being a good citizen, and exercising democracy in government and other interactions. Americans have thus far kept our republic, and created it to be resilient and strong. However, the United States will remain free only with relentless vigilance and public engagement, which must be transmitted in our culture.
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In the age we live in, it is critical to recognize the freedoms we have. Public schools should not be hostile to the religious rights of their students and their families. Policymakers should make certain that school board policy protects privately initiated religious expression and activities from government interference and discrimination.
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Health professionals and public health officials promote breastfeeding to improve infant health. Breastfeeding also provides long-term preventative effects for the mother, including an earlier return to pre-pregnancy weight and a reduced risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer and osteoporosis. It is important to note that 82% of public school teachers are female in Tennessee. Women are the predominate sex in our profession. More importantly, most of these women are of child bearing age. So this is an important topic for all stakeholders.
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In addition to excellent legal protection, professional learning, networking and career resources, along with opportunities for leadership, there is no doubt that joining a professional organization that benefits educators. Our advocacy efforts carry significant weight with legislators, and other policymakers. We choose to collaborate, not separate, which is a natural choice for a group that is member-owned and member-driven.
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Public Education is not failing. Our middle-class and wealthy public school children are thriving. Poor children are struggling, not because their schools are failing, but because they come to school with all the well-documented handicaps that poverty imposes – poor prenatal care, developmental delays, hunger, illness, homelessness, emotional and mental illnesses, and so on. The faith community could play a critical part in addressing critical social issues across our state and country.
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Learning Policy Institute identified inadequate preparation, lack of support, challenging working conditions, dissatisfaction with compensation, better career opportunities, and personal reasons for why teachers change careers. From our own internal surveys “high-stakes standardized testing” is the number one issue educators’ mention to us is why they are dissatisfied with the profession.
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The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Can you list an irrefutable positive consequence on the academic performance of school children in the United States as a direct result of the involvement of the federal government since the creation of the United States Department of Education?
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We must create a new era of school leaders needed to usurp a century-long, archaic education paradigm, using fearless innovation, radical ideas and, above all, an unbridled passion to lead change. The nation’s very first K-12 public school STEAM campus in Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee may be leading the way in our state.
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It is July 4th, Independence Day in America. Which makes us contemplate: What is liberty? What is freedom? Liberty is the right to choose. Freedom is the result of the right choice. As we celebrate liberty, we should also reflect on the repressive regimes around the globe, and be grateful for the freedom we enjoy in our country. We should thank God for our nation’s founders and their bravery in writing and signing the Declaration of Independence. Today, despite what people may think, the American flag is still a universally recognized symbol and beacon of hope that stands for liberty and freedom. Just as patriots long ago, we are bound together by a common destiny. Citizenship in this nation connects together all Americans. That is why citizenship matters. We are a nation bound not by race or religion, but by the shared values of liberty and freedom. Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned, understood what loss of freedom meant. He wrote: “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” Too many want freedom for themselves, and yet seek to withhold it from others.…
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Any misrepresentation of the population in the sample or weights can lead to skewed results. Factor in bias of analysts, and you can easily understand why there are so many flaws in data collection. This will lead to poor decision making by those who need the data.
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Common sense reminds us there is no “one size fits all” approach to public education, but we will hear ideas from politicians that will want to empower state and federal education agencies, rather than permitting those doing the work at the local level in districts to have more flexibility. It is time to for policymakers to deliver for communities the promise of locally-controlled public education for all children.
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For the first time in history, children have new and different ways of acquiring and accessing, deciphering and digesting information instantly. Children are now contributors, not just copiers, of existing knowledge.
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Father’s Day is hard for many reasons and for many people. In many circumstances, we have absentee fathers who are estranged from their children. There are too many men who simply were not good fathers. And in my own case, my father has long since passed away.
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Candice McQueen walked into the job under the most difficult situation. She has done the impossible, in some of the most exasperating circumstances.
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Opinions disguised with misinterpreted data create a bias that becomes bad public policy.
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All children in Tennessee deserve an exceptional education. School improvement is only possible when accompanied within a framework of collaboration and support.
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Our society survives by the service and martyrdom of these selfless souls. Tennessee, the Volunteer State, of all the states, should be the first to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. Happy Memorial Day 2017!
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Our economy goes hand in hand with quality education. A strong educational system is essential not only to the successful functioning of a democracy, but also to its very future.
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Local school boards reflect the needs and aspirations of the communities as well as the interests and concerns of professional and nonprofessional employees. We believe non-partisan control is what is best for our communities.
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In our opinion, an administrator’s number one objective outside the education of children is to provide support to our teachers.
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Mother’s Day is a day of celebration. This Mother’s Day appreciate the woman you call Mom, Mama or Mother. If you are celebrating a motherless Mother’s Day, regardless of the pain, try to reflect on those lessons she taught you.
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Most of us have at least one teacher that we cannot forget, a teacher who inspired us to be a better student and person. So this week, Teacher Appreciation Week, let us know about the teacher who made a lasting contribution to your life.
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I have often believed there is too much politics in public education, and that has hurt public education. Honestly I would resent having to support a political candidate because of a political label or designation, or an endorsement by an organization in which I was a member.
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Accomplishments are always a reason to celebrate, and few occasions are quite as significant as high school graduation. The most important thing you hear when you graduate will be: your name. The least important message you hear will be delivered by the graduation speaker.
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Our members define our legislative priorities and advocacy efforts, and we make sure our professional learning activities align with our member needs. We invite you to attend Leader U on June 30, 2017, at MTSU.
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Thomas Jefferson was not silent on the most effective manner to pass freedom to future generations depended on providing a quality education to our children. An educated citizenry is the roots that our republic is planted on.
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It is our belief that the state and most school districts in the state are violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by denying non-union teachers a benefit extended to the “similarly situated” union teacher.
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Sirius/XM On the Highway host, Storme Warren, interviewed Brad Paisley and revealed that country music’s first “visual album” arrives April 28 and will be a companion to the regular album which was released April 21st.
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In America, our students are grouped by chronological age and progress together through the K-12 system. While this might make sense socially, it ignores a student’s readiness. Students who start off struggling from the very beginning often can get a better start on their formal education if retained. Being promoted with their peer group only makes sense if they can make adequate academic progress.
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The idea of a citizen-legislator has gone by the wayside and been replaced by the career politician. Unless there is more transparency and inclusion, there may well be a demand for change in leadership. For certain in 2019 there will be great change, and quite possibly the “drain the swamp” echo from 2016 will filter down to state politics in 2018. It may be time for the state to consider term limits.
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People of great accomplishment do not sit back and let things happen to them. They go out and make things happen. They pursue new or improve existing skills, insights, and ideas. If they are not learning, they understand they are not growing.
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Depending on the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court, passage of this legislation protects teacher rights in Tennessee. House Bill 356 and Senate Bill 404 will ensure all 80,000+ educators have the same right across the state to gain access to payroll deduction for the organization of their choice.
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We often make mistakes when we hurry. It is inevitable. The same is true in public policy. And I have seen it first hand in public education. Cheryl Williams, the Executive Director of the Learning First Alliance, wrote: We all feel the urgency of educating our young people; it just takes time to do it right in the democratic, locally governed system we call public schools. And it takes the commitment, empathy, and collaborative support of all of us to put what is urgent into practice in a way that benefits our students and ourselves. The federal government can wave billions of dollars in front of a state and it is often incentive enough to chase the money. Meanwhile, as local school districts are having unproven ideas and theories thrust on them, we are witnessing a backlash. Educators are often angrier than taxpayers. That same federal government that can use its power to impose its authority also provides little of the monetary resources – less than 10% in most cases. In comparison to the state and local which provides the bulk of dollars used in public education. We must embrace local control, even when it means the wheels move slowly.…
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Eighty-thousand Tennessee teachers can do everything right at their school and in their classes, and one teacher can do something horrendous and give the other 79, 999 a bad name. It takes just one teacher to cause irreparable damage.
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Autism is treatable. However, children do not “outgrow” autism. Studies show that early diagnosis and intervention lead to significantly improved outcomes. The CDC believes we must promote early identification of children with ASD
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An essential objective in public education is, and must be, an educated citizenry that creates an informed electorate.
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Three education issues we could use your immediate support with 1.House Bill 111/Senate Bill 661 (Certification). 2.House Bill 174/Senate Bill 14 (The Teacher Bill of Rights). 3.House Bill 356/Senate Bill 404 (Equal Rights for Teachers Bill).
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There are at least 6 organizations serving educators in our state. The union has a near monopoly. All teachers deserve the same right in regard to payroll deductions. House Bill 356 & Senate Bill 404 is fairly simple, do we believe all teachers deserve equal treatment or not?
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Today, with inclusion being the norm, a teacher is given the unenviable task of teaching all students with individualized lessons appropriate for them. In some schools, there may be support from teacher aides or education specialists, but society demands (and rightly so) that each student be given the same opportunities.
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Any state law or district policy should be designed to require equal treatment of all teacher associations. If followed correctly, the state would simply be facilitating an open playing field for all associations, and teachers themselves would make the ultimate decisions of which organization to join – if any.
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It was that desire for freedom, education and the wish to control their own destiny that so many Irish left Ireland. As a son of St. Patrick, it is important to remember we are still a country of dreamers. We may have different religious and political persuasions, but we are linked by shared necessities and joint aspirations. Education is the key equalizer.
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In a field as diverse as public education, we must all collaborate together to foster a more constructive dialogue among education stakeholders and policymakers. We share a common destiny. We have the power to create amazing change in this world and be champions for the vulnerable who cannot speak for themselves when they need us the most.
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In today’s climate of high stakes testing, business leaders and politicians continue to demand better results with data driven assessments and test scores. It is important to realize that the classroom is not a factory floor where uniformity and precise precision can be molded into just one final finished product.
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Understanding our government and founding documents, such as the Constitution, creates a more reflective, clear-thinking, and invested citizen.
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An engaging and challenging education is the proven path to prosperity and a life-long love of learning. Teachers consistently tell us that “testing” and “preparing students for a test” are among their top concerns in our internal surveys.
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Education reform is no longer focused on students or teachers. It is focused on ancillary issues.
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More than 16 million children are growing up in poverty, meaning that 22% of all children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level of $23,550 a year. Research has shown that children living in poverty have a higher number of absenteeism and dropout rates than those coming from middle class or higher.
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Sometimes government action creates unintended consequences. It is estimated that nearly 10 highly committed educators lose their license each year due to no fault of their own. Then have no recourse to resolve this issue. That is why we worked with Rep. Pitts and Senator Tracy to address this issue with House Bill 111 and Senate Bill 661.
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