The Daily Top Five: January 25, 2007

1. Michael Steele is going to head up GOPAC. A good move for national exposure, but not so much for a statewide MD race.

2. Jenny D asks what Teachers Unions could do to expand the professionalism of teaching. Jenny and I have long thought about this issue and this post is yet another of Jenny's wonderfully thought provoking ideas.

Eduwonk observes that teachers' unions feel the heat of criticism from many corner. But this image problem (brand problem, according to Eduwonk) can be remedied. He offers several suggestions here at an Education Sector piece he wrote. He suggests unions become more flexible in their advocacy for workplace issues, that they take on more responsibility for aspects of the work of teaching, and that they consider operating charter schools.

I'd like to take that second suggestion farther. I'd like to see unions become more like professional organizations, such as the legal bar or the medical board. I'd like to see the best teachers become the gatekeepers for the profession, setting standards for who can be licensed, telling Ed Schools what skills new professionals need, and taking over the work of vetting new members and recommending licensing afterward.(links in original)

I fully concur with Jenny's vision. If teachers want to be treated like professionals, they need to act like a profession.

The comments to this post are exellent and well worth the read.

3. With the 2008 Presidential race in full swing, the discussion arises once again about the disproportionate impact of smaller states like New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina on the nomination process. The NY Times has this piece about moves by big states to move their primaries earlier in the year to get more influence over who is nominated. I for one would like to see Congress step in here and impose a regional primary system, with multiple big and large states in one geographic area of the country having their presidential primaries on the same day. It just seems more efficient and it could happen in the spring or early summer of the year, or even spread them out a lot. But anything but this race to be first.

4. Last year the voters of Michigan approved a ballot measure ending racial preferences in admissions to state universities. La Shawn Barber has an update--the Supreme Court refused to take up the case and now universities and Michigan can no longer consider race in any way when making admission decisions. Finally, one state has come to its senses.

5. Can I use this scholarship to pay down my student loan debt?