Add to that 11 offerings in women's studies, and you have over twice the offerings of the already multicultural English department. Only if identity scholarship has become the core mission of City. Mr. Stern is wrong about the union's padding payrolls. It was UFT monitoring that helped move education dollars from district and central offices into classrooms, where they belong. And it was our contract that finally stopped principals from using valuable teacher time for administrative tasks so they could spend more time on professional activities.
Vouchers are another matter.
High academic standards, orderly classrooms, a clear curriculum, well-prepared teachers, student accountability, and parental backing at home. These are the proven ingredients of schools that work, whether they are public or parochial schools, urban or suburban, here or abroad. Unfortunately, for decades American public schools demanded too little of students. Now that many school systems are raising standards, students are starting to do better. Seniority is not the only factor in hiring.