If for no other reason, you have to admire the tenacity of some legislative leaders to look out for the interests of their teacher union sponsors. The Idaho House of Representatives was debating a bill that would eliminate the cap
Bill Ayers, the one-time domestic terrorist who, along with his colleagues in the Weather Underground, bombed government buildings, now wants us to believe the government is the answer to all our problems. I suppose that’s what happens when your friend
I believe there is a difference between rank-and-file teachers and the leadership of radical teachers’ unions. The trouble is, the rank-and-file sits idly by as the radicals embarrass them, time and time again. Perhaps we’ve reached the point where the
Why did the state of Wisconsin bother to have an election last November? To look at the results, you would think the voters had spoken clearly. They elected a Republican governor and legislature, based on the promise that they would
The far left has attempted to portray their elderly hero, Frances Fox Piven, as a lonely shut-in who spends her time knitting mittens and eating Werther’s Originals in her New York apartment. But the truth is that age has not
The Obama administration, principally the president and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, are now routinely making public statements which are leading to one conclusion: instead of fixing American education, we should dumb down the standards. According to the Associated Press, President
Apparently Gov. Scott Walker knew exactly what he was doing. Before he signed the bill limiting collective bargaining privileges, teachers unions throughout the state were slow to respond to calls for salary and benefit concessions. They believed their members should
This week the Michigan Education Association encouraged its local affiliates to consider whether the union should have the power to consider “job actions” – code words for a sick-out, strike, or other childish antics – to get its way in
Union leaders can dress it up and use innocuous-sounding phrases like ” voluntary consumer activism,” but the bottom line is that Wisconsin’s unions are now resorting to thug-like behavior against political opponents, real or imagined. The state’s largest teachers union,
Being vocal about the need for serious education reform means you must face a few arrows heading your way from teachers’ unions and the educational establishment. Both have a lot to lose if a student-centered education system emerges. Education Action
Last year, even as education reformers all across the country were turning cartwheels in celebration of Davis Guggenheim’s “Waiting for ‘Superman,’” I remained skeptical. I’ve been keeping tabs on the teacher unions for years, and understand how they work hand-in-glove
Last year, even as education reformers all across the country were turning cartwheels in celebration of Davis Guggenheim’s “Waiting for ‘Superman,’” I remained skeptical. I’ve been keeping tabs on the teacher unions for years, and understand how they work hand-in-glove
Disingenuous filmmaker Michael Moore is using the Wisconsin public labor dispute as a tool to get his bulbous head back in front of the TV cameras. He held up handcuffs during Rachel Maddow’s nightly left-wing rant on MSNBC. He wants
Teacher tenure is considered holy gospel in most of America’s public schools. But this policy does nothing for children, and tends to protect teachers who don’t necessarily deserve job security. Why is it we never hear stories about tenure protecting
Suppose you’re a college student who is about to begin searching for a summer job. You’ve spent the past few semesters taking classes in “The Spirituality of Running” and “The Mythic Rhetoric of the American Superhero*,” so you feel adequately
Since 2009, the day-to-day management of Detroit Public Schools has been under the auspices of Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb. He was appointed by former Gov. Jennifer Granholm to right the ship that is DPS. It had already struck the
In the ongoing battle between public employees and taxpayers, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has cited WEA Trust, a company that specializes in providing health insurance to unionized school employees, as the number one reason why collective bargaining must be reformed.
The fount of business knowledge that is Forbes.com ran a bit dry this weekend when it published a blog by one Rick Ungar in which he made the case that taxpayers don’t actually fund public employee pensions in Wisconsin. Just
Many parents and taxpayers feel the problem is overwhelming for one person and there is nothing they can do. There are several things individuals can do to make a difference. In the first several segments of “Kids Aren’t Cars,” we
As government employee unions continue to rally across the country in support of the Wisconsin protesters, they are becoming completely unhinged. (Being surrounded by hygienically-challenged individuals who continuously shout mind-numbing slogans will do that.) All the protests are understandable. The
Is it the slow-moving nature of bureaucracy or is it politics that has turned a simple Freedom of Information Law request into a 94-day wait? On December 20, 2010, Education Action Group filed a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request
As the rhetoric continues to escalate and vitriol is directed at Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, the left willfully ignores all the hate and incivility. Fewer than 40 days after the Tucson Tragedy, the left is once again using heated rhetoric
While all eyes are on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his efforts to reform his state’s spending, Indiana is leading the way with broad-based education reforms. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett is pushing several concrete reforms: limiting collective bargaining,
Perhaps one of the most disturbing developments in the fight against Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to curtail school spending is his opposition’s penchant for reverting to its usual selfish ways. A commune has been created within the Wisconsin state Capitol.
Much of the current controversy in Wisconsin involves the impending loss of most collective bargaining privileges for state employees, including public school teachers. The fact is that the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the largest teachers union in the state, has
