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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    The Most Noble Profession of Teaching Is Now the Most Embattled

    America's "failing education system" has become a cliché of contemporary journalism — and it's most often blamed on the teachers. Union rules are said to protect the worst, while low salaries, crowded classrooms and unequal resources make it hard to retain the best.

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    By Warren Olney • Dec 18, 2014 • 1 min read

    America's "failing education system" has become a cliché of contemporary journalism — and it's most often blamed on the teachers. Union rules are said to protect the worst, while low salaries, crowded classrooms and unequal resources make it hard to retain the best. Disputes about standardized testing and the Common Core Curriculum have teachers caught in the middle. Teaching was once seen as a noble profession. We hear how that view has changed over time.

    (This discussion originally aired on September 2, 2014.)

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Evan George

      Director of Content, News

    • KCRW placeholder

      Dana Goldstein

      education and families reporter, The New York Times

    • KCRW placeholder

      Eric Hanushek

      Hoover Institution, Stanford University

    • KCRW placeholder

      Lily Eskelsen Garcia

      National Education Association

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    Back to To the Point