WASHINGTON, Va. – If you want to mesmerize small children and make them believe everything you’re saying, just grab a guitar and deliver your philosophy in the form of music. Soft sounds and attractive rhymes ring true with kids, regardless
NEW YORK – The new year has only just begun, but the United Federation of Teachers, the union that represents teachers in New York City, seems determined to make it a banner year for union selfishness. The New York Post
MINNESOTA — Charter schools are popping up all across the nation, with 41 states offering families access to the alternative public schools. Because the large majority of charter schools are not unionized, they can focus solely on serving students instead
MADISON, Wis. – For years thousands of minority students have struggled in the Madison public school system. In 2010, for example, 87 percent of white students graduated on schedule, compared to only 48 percent of black students. So the Urban
Yesterday we wrote about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s attempts to end the practice of paying bonuses to public sector employees, just for not calling in sick to work. Across the Hudson River, a New York school district is also
TRENTON, N.J. – Take a look inside a typical public employee union contract – including teacher contracts – and you’ll find provisions that give public servants a payout for any unused sick or personal leave time they have banked. Sometimes
Labor unions are very powerful in Michigan, and the Michigan Education Association may be the strongest of them all. That explains why the number of charter schools in Michigan has remained capped at a frustrating 150 for nearly two decades.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Earlier this year Florida lawmakers voted to put a proposal on the statewide ballot which, if approved by voters, would clear the way for state money to be used for student tuition at religious schools. The same
LAS VEGAS – While the Great Recession has affected almost all Americans, Nevadans may be the hardest hit. The state leads the nation in unemployment (13 percent) and home foreclosures (three times the national average). Because of the faltering economy
TALAHASSEE, Fla. – What’s happened to Florida Gov. Rick Scott? When Scott took office earlier this year, he wasted no time establishing himself as a bold education reformer by placing limits on teacher tenure, basing teacher pay on student achievement,
The “education experts” that are giving leadership to the National Education Association have come out in favor of tougher testing measures for prospective teachers. The NEA, the nation’s largest labor union, announced last week that it favors “national standards for
Remember back in August 2010 when Congress passed the $10 billion “Education Jobs Bill” to create or save some 300,000 teaching, police and firefighter jobs? Then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the legislation “has a direct relationship to the strength of our
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Board members at Fort Wayne Community Schools have found a crafty way of preventing charter schools from moving in on their territory, despite new laws designed to help the schools acquire underutilized public school buildings. They
MONROE, Ohio – What a difference a month makes. On November 8, over 60 percent of Ohio voters shot down SB 5, the law designed to save school budgets by limiting the collective bargaining privileges of school employee unions. Like
CARY, Ill. – For the past several years, Illinois‘ Cary District 26 was a prime example of the damage a demanding teachers union and a weak school board can inflict on a public school system. District 26 was in such
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana state lawmakers reviewing the issue of superintendent compensation can learn a lot from the recent Wayne Township lawsuit filed against former superintendent Terry Thompson. The district alleges Thompson and his attorneys schemed to defraud the district through
KENOSHA – Apparently there’s no room for free thought or disagreement within the Wisconsin Education Association Council. We suppose that’s not terribly surprising for a group that has to force its members to join. Still, it’s troubling to hear that
MINNEAPOLIS – Last week marked the beginning of contract talks between Minneapolis Public Schools and the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, the local teachers union. But this time around there’s a third voice that wants input at the bargaining table. A
INDIANAPOLIS – The idea of a salary cap for Indiana school superintendents may have floundered this summer during a legislative study committee, but issues surrounding compensation for school leaders aren’t going away any time soon. Recent studies are unveiling some
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Hundreds of protesters are converging on the state capitol in Olympia, Washington to protest cuts in K-12 education spending, and promote various plans to restore that funding. We wish we could be on hand to join the
MILWAUKEE – The sky is falling. Hell’s freezing over. Well, almost. The Milwaukee school board has decided to invoke Act 10 and cut labor costs, without permission from its large and influential teachers union. Welcome to the real world of
MUSKEGON, Mich. – We’ve always known that teachers unions are very political organizations, and many of their more radical members are active in left-wing causes. That’s their right, as long as they pursue their activities after school. But more and
NESHAMINY, Pa. – Some well-meaning people still cling to the notion that teachers union collective bargaining is healthy for public schools. We invite them to visit Neshaminy, Pennsylvania, or at least do some research on the three-year labor standoff that
HAINESPORT, New Jersey – The Hainesport Township School District needs to cut expenses, and officials think outsourcing the school’s custodial, maintenance and groundskeeping jobs to private, for-profit companies might be one way of doing so. This has caused Hainesport’s school
The local Republican Party made the unusual move of endorsing 4 of the 15 school board candidates who were on the ballot this year in Michigan’s Plymouth-Canton school district, according to the Detroit Free Press. What’s even more amazing is
