Letters: Disempowered teachers are a problem for state's schools

"Why isn't anyone talking about what actually happens inside of classrooms today? Teachers have almost no authority over student behaviors or academic grading, and are given little, if any, respect from administrators, parents or even students. Instead, students have all the authority but no responsibility for their success. Students do (or don't do) whatever they wish, while empty-handed teachers are left to take the blame."

"As someone who has spent years partnering with women leaders in African communities, I have seen firsthand how local people - not outside donors - build and sustain health systems that keep families alive and economies stable. This is why last week's House action matters. In a rare moment of bipartisan clarity, the House increased global health funding to more than double the administration's proposed level - proof that Congress can still choose partnership over abandonment."

Gubernatorial proposals reduce school underachievement to either more spending or charter expansion while ignoring classroom realities. Teachers have little authority over student behavior or grading and receive limited respect from administrators, parents, and students. Students often hold authority without responsibility, and the removal of flunking as a tool lets low-performing students depress class standards, leaving many high school graduates below grade level in math or English. U.S. funding cuts threaten locally built health systems in African communities, and increased House funding more than doubled the administration's proposal to sustain primary care, HIV treatment, and immunizations and prevent clinic closures and avoidable deaths.

Read at The Mercury News