You Can't Fire the Bad Ones! And 20 Other Myths about Teachers and Teaching

"Overturns common misconceptions about charter schools, school "choice," standardized tests, common core curriculum, and teacher evaluations. Teachers have always been devalued in the United States, but in recent years the pace and intensity of attacks by politicians, the media, and so-called education reformers have escalated sharply. Indeed, the "bad teacher" figure has come to dominate public discourse, obscuring the structural inequities that teachers and students face everyday. This book flips the script on enduring and popular myths about teachers, teachers unions, and education that inform policy discussions and choices. Some of these myths, such as "student scores on standardized tests should be used to evaluate teachers," have ushered in an era of high-stakes exam-centric classrooms. Other myths, such as "unions are good for teachers but bad for kids," have led to reduced protection and rights for teachers in public schools, making it harder for educators to serve their students. By unpacking these myths, and underscoring the necessity of strong and vital public schools as a common good, Ayers and Laura challenge readers - whether parents, community members, or policymakers - to rethink their own assumptions about teaching and education"--