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With the eyes of the educational world closely watching the Vergara v. California case as it awaits an appeal ruling, the libertarian-tilted publication Reason magazine is the latest national media organization to profile the issue.
The magazine and its affiliated Reason.tv website interviewed a number of people involved, including 14-year-old Vergara plaintiff and LA Unified student Julia Macias, for a print story and video report that applaud the outcome of the case.
The landmark trial involved a group of California students, including some from LA Unified, that won a lawsuit that overturned five California laws governing teacher tenure, seniority and dismissal. The student plaintiffs argued that the laws kept ineffective teachers in their classrooms, thus depriving them of an equal opportunity at education. The state and the unions have appealed the case.
Defendants in the case, two teacher unions and the state, argued forcefully that the laws provided employment protections for teachers and should be maintained. The defendants and supporters nationwide say they feel confident that the judge’s ruling in the case will be overturned.
In the video, Macias sums up much of the ideas behind the supporters of Vergara, saying, “Being a kid in the California system right now is a lot like the lottery. You might get an amazing teacher one year, and then a not-so-amazing teacher and you see your scores are reflected upon that.”
Click on the above YouTube video to check out the story.