Make It Easier to Improve Teacher Quality

On this week’s Dropout Nation Podcast, I discuss the reasons why improving the quality of America’s teaching corps is tantamount to improving student achievement and closing the achievement gap between blacks, Latinos and whites. Outliers such as the firing of 93 high school  teachers by the Central Falls, R.I., school district cover up the reality that teacher dismissals are rare and — thanks to state laws — often too costly to do.

You can listen to the Podcast at RiShawn Biddle’s radio page, check it out at Dropout Nation or download directly to your iPod, MP3 player or smartphone. Also, subscribe to the podcast series. It is also available on iTunes, Blubrry, Podcast Alley, the Education Podcast Network and Zune Marketplace.

Also, read RiShawn Biddle’s latest Labor Watch report on efforts by the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers to organize teaching staffs at charter schools. Check it out at http://capitalresearch.org/pubs/pdf/v1267743511.pdf.