Financially Compensating the "Best" Educators

As a taxpayer and educator I am responding to "Paying better teachers better" published [in Utah County's Daily Herald] on December 16th, 2007.


I concur with John Morefield, an educator from Seattle, Washington who said: "I have come to believe that a school designed to work for children of color, works for white children. The reverse, however, is not true. Consequently, if we design our schools to work for children of color they will work for all children."


As someone who taught mostly white mainstream students and then diverse learners, mostly English language learning Hispanics, I know first hand that doing what we've always done that works for white mainstream learners isn't sufficient for diverse learners.


As Utah's student demographics continue to become more diverse, the "best" principals and teachers will be those who change what they have always done. This will obviously require humility, sacrifice, commitment, and willingness to step out of one's comfort zone to learn what it takes to design the kind of school Morefield suggests.


This opportunity and challenge to become effective with diverse learners can be exhilarating, and thus, a reward in itself. Yet, because of the extra time, energy, and expertise required, Governor Huntsman and other policy makers would do well to consider financially compensating educators who willingly accept this challenge.

Dr. James Scheurich: A Moral/Spiritual Leader

The work of Dr. James Scheurich, a Texas A&M University professor and dept. head, is an excellent resource for those interested in this topic of Moral/Spiritual Leadership For Multicultural Education.

Dr. Sherry Marx from Utah State University first introduced me to Dr. Scheurich with a work of his that has had a dramatic effect on my life:

Highly successful and loving, public elementary schools populated mainly by lows-ses children of color: Core beliefs and cultural characteristics
James Joseph Scheurich. Urban Education. Thousand Oaks: Nov 1998. Vol. 33, Iss. 4; pg. 451, 41 pgs

Abstract (Summary)
The widespread existence of highly successful elementary schools populated mainly by low-socioeconomic-status students of color substantially undermines popular assumptions about the pervasive school failure of these students. Indeed, the fact that these highly successful schools are academically competitive with and even superior to the better Anglo schools suggests that these highly successful schools may have developed a better model for schooling.

Dr. Scheurich continues to have an influence on my work. Each time I communicate with him he introduces me to the work of others who in turn have been an influence. This last time it was the work of Julie Laible, Michael Dantley, Colleen Capper, and David Purpel.

Dr. Scheurich truly exemplifies one of the finest qualities of a moral/spiritual leader--helping others to achieve their goals.