Temple is creating the vice provost for online and digital learning to lead a universitywide transformation in how we design, deliver and scale high-quality, flexible academic programs. This role is central to advancing our strategic plan, Forward with Purpose, particularly around expanding access, improving student success and increasing Temple's impact in Philadelphia and beyond.
The protracted talks means that families of 390,000 students still must scramble to make contingency plans for their children Tuesday - and some 70,000 workers, including teachers and school principals, don't know if they will be at work or on a picket line.
There's a lot of evidence that indicates that teacher morale has been declining nationwide and is at, by some measures, the lowest point in recent memory. California teachers scored 16 on the Teacher Morale Index, which is based on three questions from the Education Week survey. The morale score for U.S. teachers overall was 13.
The new contract covers July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028, and was ratified by 99% of voting union members on March 23. The agreement includes a 3% retroactive raise for this school year, a 4% increase for next school year, and a one-time bonus of $600 to $1,000.
58% of teachers have experienced physical aggression such as scratching, biting, and thrown objects in classrooms, indicating a serious issue regarding teacher safety.
Michelle Medintz spent at least $5,000 in 2022 alone, largely on books. She created a 'cozy corner' in her classroom with shelves filled with books, cushions on the floor, and stuffed animals. 'That doesn't make me a better teacher than my colleagues,' Medintz said.
Cuts that hurt are obvious: layoffs, program closures, college closures, furloughs, deferred maintenance, pay freezes, travel freezes, etc. It's a well-worn playbook at this point. Most of the moves in this category involve either attacking employee compensation, which causes obvious pain, or putting off necessary investments and living with gradual declines in quality.
A group of students who are eager to learn about advanced math are asking for multivariable calculus, and teacher Daniel Nguyen has obtained a master's degree in order to teach it. The school board told Paly to add the class on Dec. 16, but the teachers council said no. Apparently the school is run by a committee of teachers, called the council of administrators and instructors, who oppose adding the class.
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. Teachers no longer have the ultimate tool of flunking students.
Like most Americans, my view of homeschooling was framed through the lens of abnormality. My own public-school education was my only frame of reference. Although my own experience wasn't great, it was familiar. It was the system I knew. As a college professor, I regularly saw the academic gaps my students carried with them from their public-school education. Yet even then, I struggled to imagine an alternative. My instinct was always to fix the existing system, not step outside of it.
