Undisrupted Education

By Larry Sand
04/17/2018
The world has progressed in amazing ways since 1983, but for the most part, public education has stagnated. In 1983, the first mobile telephones intended for public use were released, ARPANET became the technical foundation of the internet, and A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform was released. The latter was a report...

TAGS: A Nation at Risk, Center for Education Reform, Charter schools, Clayton Christensen, EdChoice, educational savings accounts, Fordham Institute, Heritage Foundation, Jeanne Allen, Jeb Bush, Larry Sand, Lindsey Burke, Matthew Ladner, Mike Petrilli, NAEP, National Assessment of Educational Progress, tax-credit scholarships, teachers union, vouchers

The malice of absence

By Larry Sand
09/26/2017
Thanks to collective bargaining, traditional public school teachers “get sick” way too often. It’s no secret that many teachers take advantage of the “sick days” that are part of a typical union collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Of course, while sick days are used legitimately by all teachers at some point, many (including yours truly, on...

TAGS: Alexander Willen, American Federation of Teachers, Caroline Hoxby, collective bargaining, Fordham Institute, Kate Walsh, Larry Sand, Michael Lovenheim, National Council on Teacher Quality, Randi Weingarten, Rick Hess, teachers union, Terry Moe

Pension Pilfery

By Larry Sand
02/07/2017
“The teachers unions don’t just screw over kids, they also screw over new teachers. Millennials beware.” The above tweet from Mike Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, pretty much tells the dismal story. To followers of Pension Tsunami, UnionWatch and Transparent California, the looming pension disaster for taxpayers is not news. But what has gone...

TAGS: California Teachers Association, CalSTRS, Fordham Institute, Jerry Jordan, John Fensterwald, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, Mike Petrilli, pension tsunami, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, teachers union, Transparent California

The Enemies of Choice

By Larry Sand
12/29/2015
The teachers unions’ fight against parental and teacher choice is not going well for them. Teacher union membership is dwindling. In fact, it has dipped below 50 percent nationwide, down from a high of almost 70 percent in 1993. Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana, having  become “right-to-work” (RTW) states over the past several years, have given...

TAGS: Act 10, Charter schools, Education Next, educational savings accounts, Fordham Institute, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Right to Work, tax-credit scholarships, teachers union, Tom Gantert, vouchers

Preferring Failing Schools to Successful Ones

By Larry Sand
12/22/2015
Teacher union leaders want to keep poorly performing public schools open, but kill off thriving charters and voucher schools. Just last week it was announced in New York City that three failing public schools would be closing. With a total enrollment of 217 students, there really was no other choice. Indeed, it was such a...

TAGS: Charter schools, Dennis Van Roekel, Eva Moskowitz, Fordham Institute, Harlem Success Academy, Larry Sand, Michael Mulgrew, National Education Association, school choice, teachers union, United Federation of Teachers, vouchers

Private v. Big Government-Unionized Schools

By Larry Sand
12/01/2015
If almost half the unionized workers at an auto plant could get a free Chevy as a company perk, but instead bought one made by non-union workers from a different car-maker, what would you think? A few weeks ago, Richard Stutman, head of the Boston Teachers Union, wrote a piece in which he delivered the...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Cato Institute, Fordham Institute, Greg Forster, James Tooley, Jason Bedrick, Larry Sand, teachers union, The Beautiful Tree

Dear Randi (Redux),

By Larry Sand
06/16/2015
Given the assertions you make in your latest “Where We Stand” column, we need to talk! So it’s been a year since I last wrote to you. You sure have been busy! Defending mandatory voting laws and Hillary Clinton, railing against cheese sandwiches and Jeb Bush, it’s totally understandable that you may be getting a...

TAGS: Bain v. CTA, California Teachers Empowerment Network, collective bargaining, Fordham Institute, Friedrichs v CTA, Koch Brothers, Larry Sand, Mike Petrilli, National Council on Teacher Quality, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union

Parents Need a Private School Option When Public Schools Fail

By Larry Sand
11/18/2014
As the need for vouchers increases, the politics of school privatization gets interestinger and interestinger. “Some NYC teachers: ‘Don’t send your kids here!’” screamed the headline in a New York Post article last week. The damning story goes on to explain how over 80 percent of the teachers in eight public schools – including charters...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, Education Next, Fordham Institute, Friedman Foundation, Gloria Romero, Hillary Clinton, Howard Fuller, Kevin Chavous, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, voucher, Whitney Tilson

The Poor Teacher Canard Redux – Part II

By Larry Sand
08/26/2014
The unions’ effect on teacher pay? Not what you think. Last week, I wrote about the fallacy of the underpaid teacher. When compared to other professions, teachers actually do considerably better when taking into account the various perks they get – generous healthcare and pension packages, etc. But, uninterested in facts, the unions continue to...

TAGS: Andrew Coulson, Cato Institute, Fordham Institute, Larry Sand, Michael Lovenheim, Mike Petrilli, National Council on Teacher Quality, teacher pay, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Anti-School Choice Goblins Haunt the Land

By Larry Sand
10/29/2013
It’s October and the voucher-bashing ghouls are doing their best to fog the issues and trick us. While there are some education traditionalists who may embrace charter schools, they frequently draw a strict line in the sand when it comes to vouchers. For the uninitiated, a voucher enables a parent to take education funding issued...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, Fordham Institute, Greg Forster, Larry Sand, Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, Patrick Wolf, privatization, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union, vouchers