WASHINGTON -Upset teachers rallied outside the Department of Education. Although the building doors were closed for the weekend, activists were confident their voices were heard on the hill.
Graduate student Kate Stenvig came with the civil rights group, By Any Means Necessary. As a student teacher in Michigan, Stenvig said she worried about the increase in Detroit Public Schools closures. In her opinion, the Race to the Top initiative established by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, will widen the education gap. “The schools should be given money based on need, not a competition” she said.
Miami Public School teacher Ceresta Smith could lose part of her salary because of merit-based pay. In Florida, teachers would be evaluated on student’s standardized test scores. Smith left a top school to improve the reading curriculum of an under-performing school.
The Department of Education said reform is in its first stage and changes still need to be made. The teachers responded it’s not soon enough.