A recent article in The New York Times by Motoko Rich examines the effect the recession had on teacher salaries. Rich writes: During the recession and its aftermath, public schools took a hit as both state coffers and local property taxes shriveled. That showed up in shrinking employment, but also in teacher salaries. According to … Continue reading »
MPSA Board Members recall their favorite teachers
Carole Kennedy I grew up in a family of teachers but did not wish to become one. When I was a 10th grader Northwestern of Mendon High School got a new principal, Holly Mitchell. He was young, energetic, loved working with kids. He also loved to work as he was our principal, student council sponsor, … Continue reading »
Why proposed education reform does more harm than good
There is currently a bill (HSC SB 125) making its way through the General Assembly that would drastically change the way teachers are evaluated in Missouri. The bill would severely limit local school districts control over teacher evaluations. The bill is very similar to HB 631, which was recently defeated in the Missouri House 55-102. … Continue reading »
And the winner is…
Congratulations to Christopher Wright, the winner of the “I Am Missouri Public Schools” Video Contest! Christopher will receive an iPad mini for his win and Wyman Elementary School in Rolla will receive $1,000. Christopher did a fantastic job of including the students of Wyman in his video. Be sure to check out his winning video … Continue reading »
Welcome New Board Members
The Missouri Public School Advocates are excited to officially announce the addition of three new members to our Board of Directors: Mary Thomasson, David Bethel and Carl Peterson. We look forward to working with them in striving to ensure the stability and strength of Missouri public schools, colleges and universities. Here is a little more information … Continue reading »
Note from Warren Solomon
Below is an email we received from MPSA member that we wanted to share. He makes some great points! Once again, I have something from Jim Kreider, our Missouri Retired Teachers Association, for you to forward to our Cole County Retired Teachers Association membership. This item does not deal with the pension-related issues we so … Continue reading »
New Public School Advocacy Organization Launched by Diane Ravitch
Diane Ravitch started a new advocacy organization this month called, The Network for Public Education. What does this organization intend on doing? Well, here’s what their website says: The Network for Public Education is an advocacy group whose goal is to fight to protect, preserve and strengthen our public school system, an essential institution in … Continue reading »
Teacher job satisfaction reaches 25-year low
According to an article published in NEA (National Education Association) Today, teacher job satisfaction has plummeted from 62 percent in 2008 to 39 percent in 2012, its lowest level in 25 years. This is according to the annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher. The article states that teachers with lower satisfaction rates were “more … Continue reading »
MPSA Launch Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELASE: Distinguished Missouri Educators Form Advocacy Organization to Support Missouri Public Schools (Jefferson City, Mo.) March 6, 2013 — Based on recent census data, 85 to 90 percent of children enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade in Missouri attend public schools. And yet, the public schools are in constant danger of being underfunded. … Continue reading »
How to keep talented teachers from leaving
The Christian Science Monitor recently published an opinion piece by Eric Linenberg and Caitlin Zaloom that we think is worth a read. It’s starts out: Imagine a profession whose influence on individual lives is more significant than that of nearly any other occupation, whose role in society is universally acknowledged to be among the most … Continue reading »
