A weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else — from the nation’s leading voice on education innovation and opportunity.
MORE BI-PARTISAN SUPPORT FOR CHOICE. In a major “get” for ed opportunity supporters, New Jersey Senator and presumptive Democrat Presidential candidate Cory Booker signed on to Senate Bill 213 that re-authorizes the District of Columbia’s Opportunity Scholarship program. The Opportunity Scholarships are the only federally funded program that helps low-income children pay for private school tuition. Booker is co-sponsor with fellow Dems Diane Feinstein (CA) and Republicans Ron Johnson (WIS) and Tim Scott (SC). We congratulate Senator Booker on his courage and sticking to his previous declarations of support for students to find education wherever it best suits them, and not just confined to zip code. As Booker is fond of saying, “I was born on third base…” and he readily acknowledges not everyone was.
MORE EVIDENCE OF BI-PARTISAN SUPPORT. Prominent California Democrat Gloria Romero, former Chair of the State Senate Education Committee, penned a must read piece dissecting the current anti-charter mania raging on the left coast. Most of you may not live there, but ideas - both good and bad - that start in California often spread, or in this case metastasize is the more accurate word, to other parts of the country. Romero does a superb job of describing the current fevered-climate as well as debunking anti-voucher canards. Read it and be prepared.
THERE THEY GO AGAIN. The unions are back to default as the West Virginia affiliate of the NEA and their AFT counterpart strike against the ed reform bill that the legislature had almost assured would pass. Union leaders argued they “had no choice” but to strike. Really? A bill that would make schools work better for kids by improving opportunities for students to find schools that fit them gives the unions no choice? It’s students who have no choice…(But we digress.)
BREAKING: TEACHERS STRIKE TO KILL STUDENT CHOICE. West Virginia’s GOP Governor surrenders to another union walkout.
WHY UNIONS REALLY STRIKE. As they continue to cover education system dysfunction, media outlets around the country are providing space for well-reasoned objections to the teachers’ strikes against their students. This particular piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer is the best so far. Philly leaders Janine Yass and David Hardy rightly argue that whether they realize it or not, teachers “are not striking to provide a better education for students — they’re striking to keep control over education in the hands of the powerful.” The solution? “Public education must be redesigned.” Let’s start with money…
EDUCATION FUNDING IS BROKEN. The teachers who are stuck here and in other states with no choice but to follow their union need to be demanding different actions from their union - let’s start with the fact that the state’s method of funding education which the union has secured in law is completely unworkable and counterproductive. Money goes to districts based on archaic formulas, teacher pay scales and pensions are set and individual schools have little flexibility to pay more or better. It’s time for teachers - and the general public - to get schooled on education funding and potential changes that would make a huge difference. For starters, here is a primer on Student Centered funding from ExcelinEd
Another L.A.- centric policy brief is also food for thought for any district. Look for more about how to fix the real problem with how teachers are paid here in the coming weeks.
TROUBLING CIVICS. A new study released by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation found that only 25% of the 41,000 students tested nationally could pass the US citizenship test. Vermont is the only state that had a majority of its students pass the test. As we argued last year the knowledge of American history required of applicants for citizenship is impressive. Most high school seniors would be unable to pass it.
OUR ANSWER TO THE WILSON FOUNDATION’S FINDINGS. I “Americans don’t possess the history knowledge they need to be informed and engaged citizens,” says Wilson’s prez Arthur Levine, about the problem. Rather than curse that darkness, we decided to light a candle in the form of our “Why America?” project. This month’s program is on “The Father of our Country and the Women Who Preserved it.” For more information on our “Why America?” project or any CER efforts please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education.
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Dear Dave,
I just realized our insurance has a health savings account (HSA) option. We’ve considered dropping this insurance soon and going to a cheaper Christian medical sharing program. We’ve got about $19,000 in debt between credit cards and a car payment, and we’re on Baby Step 2 of your plan. Our thought was to fund the HSA for a period of time as a means of saving, cancel that policy, then go over to a medical sharing program we found that costs $600 a month less. After that, we would start paying down debt again. What do you think?
Amy
Dear Amy,
There are two components to an HSA, the insurance component and the savings component. You don’t have to participate in the savings component. The insurance component is simply a large deductible, 100 percent coverage after the deductible, cheaper-premium health insurance plan. If I were in Baby Step 2, I would not do the savings component. I would only do the insurance component, or I’d do the medical sharing program.
I’m not sure why you’d need to jump back and forth it you’re going to permanently move to a medical sharing program. I get the idea of saving money, but what you’re talking about isn’t something I’d recommend for someone who’s in debt. I wouldn’t fund a savings account of several thousand dollars only for medical when you’re not even on Baby Step 3, which is saving an emergency fund of three to six months of expenses. That money needs to be used to pay off debt first.
It’s not the end of the world if you don’t fund the HSA portion of your current insurance plan. If you went with a medical sharing program, and just saved up a large emergency fund, the only thing you’d really lose out on is the tax deduction associated with an HSA.
Good question!
—Dave
* Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 15 million listeners each week on 600 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at daveramsey.com and on Twitter at @DaveRamsey
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The Workplace Blues: 5 Ways To Help Stressed-Out Employees
Problems with the emotional health of employees is costing employers up to $500 billion per year. As a result, the global wellness market is growing nearly twice as fast as the global economy, according to the Global Wellness Institute (GWI).
For employers wondering whether their workers are stressed out and unhappy – and thus hurting the bottom line – the signs are everywhere.
Discontented employees are less likely to engage each other in conversation, relying instead on email. The absentee rate increases and production declines as workers call in sick more often. And, of course, eventually employees begin to search for a more emotionally stable place to work, leaving managers to constantly look for replacements.
“The employers who do not consider their employees’ emotional wellness are bound to suffer high turnover rates,” says Alex Zlatin, CEO of Maxim Software Systems, a dental-practice-management software company, and author of Responsible Dental Ownership (www.alexzlatin.com). “Employers who are not responding to those needs will feel a significant impact.”
Zlatin says there are many ways to change the company structure to accommodate employees who are feeling stressed out:
Review existing (or create new) core values, vision and purpose. These items often sound like flaky ways for big corporations to show their connection to clients. The reality is, if done right, these items are the pillars of every company.
Walk the Walk. Leadership’s role in corporate change begins when its leaders behave the way they expect their staff to behave. If one of your core values is “have integrity” and the leaders do not act with integrity consistently, they cannot expect it from their teams.
Invest in employees. Create a “game” room for staff. Explore team activities that are pure fun and are not specifically designed to “enhance teamwork”. Treat random employees to lunch.
Monitor client feedback. Are your clients happy? If they are not happy, is it because your employees are not happy? When client feedback starts heading south, it might be because your employees are not “smiling on the phone” and if they are, it feels and sounds fake. Client feedback is the canary in the coalmine that your employees are not happy.
Don’t let employees suffer in silence. To reduce and prevent burnout, employers need to create a workplace culture that encourages employees to raise their hands and ask for help.
“The pressures of today’s society are unlike anything we have seen before,” Zlatin says. “These pressures don’t go away when a person goes to work. If employers want to have happy, satisfied employees, it is important that they offer comprehensive emotional wellness programs.”
About Alex Zlatin
Alex Zlatin, the author of the book Responsible Dental Ownership (www.alexzlatin.com), had more than 10 years of management experience before he accepted the position of CEO of a company that makes a dental practice management software (Maxident). His company helps struggling dental professionals take control of their practices and reach the next level of success with responsible leadership strategies. He earned a B.Sc. in Technology Management at HIT in Israel and earned his MBA at Edinburgh Business School.
