Beyond Labels

A 360° Discussion of Foreign, National and Local Policy Issues

K-12 Education in the US

August 6, 2013
4 Comments

This topic was discussed August 19, 2013

Following up on our discussion of August 5, this session will focus in on primary and secondary education.

  • Finland model?  There seemed to be lots of support for elements of the education model in Finland:
    • Higher educational, certification and training standards for teachers
    • Much higher teacher-to-administrative personnel ratio
    • Robust performance reviews from peers [and other sources?] determining pay
    • Higher “societal status” accorded to teachers by their communities
    • Far fewer standardized tests applied to the entire student population

    Can we/should we try to replicate that model in the US?

  • Changing teacher role.  How can we transition toward such a model?
    • End of teacher tenure?
    • Higher standards (how measured?) and pay/retain for performance?(/li>
    • More curriculum flexibility for teachers, relying on their professional judgment as to what to teach and when
  • College prep vs. vocational training.  Should the secondary curriculum be primarily focused on college prep, or should other paths to strong, middle-class employment opportunities (“trade” skills, etc.) also be encouraged? How might we mitigate the perceived stigma that many of these careers are only for those who failed at college prep?

State and Local Entitlements

August 5, 2013
2 Comments

The bankruptcy of the City of Detroit has focused attention on a problem facing many other US cities, counties and states…the cost of the pension and retiree medical benefits promised to (largely union) employees.

  • How should the Detroit obligations be treated in the bankruptcy? Similarly to such obligations in a company bankruptcy context? Some otherway?
  • Should the Federal government intervene to protect these benefits?
  • Why did this issue arise in the first place, and what changes should be made to avoid it in the future?
    • Was it the ease of trading off current compensation against future benefits for cities, etc. on a budget?
    • Should municipal entities follow corporate employers by converting, over time, from defined benefit (pension and retiree medical) to defined contribution (agree on employer’s contribution; employee takes the risk (upside and downside) on investment returns)?

U.S. Drone Policy

July 29, 2013
3 Comments

This topic was discussed on July 29, 2013
The U.S. Government’s use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for targeted attacks has caused a great deal of discussion in the U.S. and abroad.

  • Is the U.S. use of drones effective? Even if the targeted individual(s) is/are killed:
    • What about collateral damage?
    • Do the impersonal nature of the strikes and their asymmetric risks to U.S. forces serve as fuel to mobilize (and radicalize) foreign antagonists?
  • Is it appropriate for the U.S. to have different criteria for strikes against U.S. citizens as opposed to foreign nationals?
  • What do we understand about the “rules of engagement” for drone strikes, and is there sufficient oversight of, and accountability for, making the necessary judgments about “acceptable collateral damage,” whether host country “permission” should be obtained, etc.
  • Since non-weaponized drones can be used for surveillance, how do we feel about the use of this technology within the U.S. borders?

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