A Language Crisis
Two years ago, the U.K. decided to allow students to drop foreign languages at age 14. Since then, a surprising number of kids have said, “Oui, oui!” to that. Less than 25 percent of students have continued their language study past the minimum age, a new report says, leaving foreign language teachers increasingly frustrated.
Victory in Croatia
After 90 percent of all teachers in Croatia went on strike for three days in November, the Croatian government finally gave them a decent raise—6 percent increases every year for the next three years, and bonuses over the next six years. (Teachers had been earning about $610 a month.) The teachers belong to three unions, affiliated with Education International (EI), of which NEA is a founding member.
Dangerous Work in Iraq
In 2005, 296 educators were murdered in Iraq. In early 2006, another 280 were killed, and up to 100 kidnapped. With that in mind, EI wrote to the Iraqi president late last year, urging him to “guarantee a safe and secure working environment” for teachers. In a country where just 30 percent of students actually go to school, increasing safety would help everybody.
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