The Los Angeles Times (9/28, Nichols) reports that on Monday, President Obama said in an interview on NBC's "Today Show" that "incompetent teachers must be identified and weeded out." Said the President, "We've got to be able to identify teachers who are doing well [and] teachers who are not doing well. We've got to give them the support and the training to do well." He added, "And, ultimately, if some teachers aren't doing a good job, they've got to go." The Times also noted that "Obama's view of unions" is positive, yet "tempered." Obama is quoted as saying, "I'm a strong supporter of the notion that a union can protect its members and help be part of the solution, as opposed to part of the problem." But, he added, "What is also true is that sometimes that means they are resistant to change when things aren't working."
The AP (9/28) reports that President Obama "issued a tough-love message to students and teachers on Monday: Their year in the classroom should be longer, and poorly performing teachers should get out." Currently, most schools throughout the nation offer about "180 instruction days per year." In comparison, nations with the highest student achievement offer "an average of 197 days for lower grades and 196 days for upper grades." Said Obama, "That month makes a difference. ... It means that kids are losing a lot of what they learn during the school year during the summer."
Newsweek (9/27, Wingert) reported that Obama acknowledged that "one of the big barriers to extending the school year is money, because it costs more in terms of salaries and overhead, but added that he thought it would be 'money well spent.'" The Wall Street Journal (9/28, Favole) also covers the story.
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