http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/opinion/kristof-the-value-of-teachers.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Nicholas Kristof summarizes the importance of good teachers. He brings up a study that discovered that having a poor teacher is the same as missing 40 percent of the school year! Also, having good teachers can increase your chance of going to college, getting a good job, and receiving a higher salary. Because of these positive effects, Kristof believes that education should be a major source political discussion/reform. To his disappointment, hiring better teachers is not the first priority of our government. Maybe this is because of the American fear of socialism, or due to the fact that the state and federal governments lack the funds for this reform. Budget cuts were mostly enacted in schools where the government cut fine arts programs and fired teachers. This should not be happening. Because of the large impact a teacher has on the student, America should be improving the quality of its teachers, not reducing their numbers.
