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November 5, 2012
Yet Another Symptom of One Party Domination: RI Last for Teacher "Attendance"
Kudos to WPRI's Tim White for catching this.
Rhode Island teachers were absent from school more than their colleagues anywhere else in the country, according to a report by a national think tank.The findings – released Monday by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a liberal think tank in Washington, D.C. – examined data from the 2009-10 school year originally compiled by the U.S. Department of Education.
The study shows 50.2% of Rhode Island teachers were absent 10 days or more in 2009-10, compared with the national average of 36%. Educators in Utah had the fewest absences, with 20.9% of teachers out 10 days or more.
Fourteen percentage points above the national average. And we would be remiss if we did not juxtapose this with the state's ranking - top 20% - for teacher pay.
One party has dominated the state for decades. That party has been notably deferential to certain special interests public labor unions, presumably in part on the theory that, what the hell, it's not my money I'm negotiating with. Accordingly, they can now add poor teacher attendance to the listing of all of the other bad rankings that they have inflicted on the state.
You may want to keep this in mind when you're voting tomorrow. I'm not suggesting that you pull the master lever for the Republican Party. I'm saying that if you pick mostly Republicans, you'll be accomplishing the same thing, except in a thoughtful way. And you'll simultaneously be giving yourself the flexibility to also vote for those good independent candidates who, if elected, will, along with Republicans, bring some badly needed political balance to the state.
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I've used 0 zero sick days in the past three years. If you're so chronically ill that you physically can't work 10+ days every year then you are either a fraud or you have some kind of extremely serious medical condition and need to be evaluated by a medical specialist.
Posted by: Dan at November 6, 2012 7:25 AMThese findings from the Center for American Progress will probably become a basis for civil rights lawsuits against school systems, since higher rates of absenteeism are correlated with higher proportions of minority students (or "students of color" as the CAP report puts it). What would seem to be a professional failing among teachers will become a failing among school systems, who will then need to spend more money on absence-prevention programs to get teachers to do what they are supposed to do anyway.
Posted by: Edward Brynes at November 6, 2012 8:08 AMUtah again! Is there anything they don't do right?
Posted by: Max D. at November 6, 2012 9:47 AMIndependents tend to caucus with the Democrats--see Congress, etc.. I have found they often lack the moral courage to go against what is perceived as the majority view. Perhaps not in all cases, but most. Which, I feel, is also why we have as many RINOs in this state...
Posted by: Mike678 at November 6, 2012 10:14 AM