And the Edu-Razzie Goes to….

By Larry Sand
08/11/2020
The teachers unions keep racking up dubious awards. In the past week, I have seen cashiers, cops, postal employees, pharmacists, doctors, receptionists, nurses, bus drivers and others who work directly with the public remain on the job. Maybe they realize that if they don’t work, they will have no income. Maybe they have a sense...

TAGS: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Empowerment Network, CDC, Cecily Myart-Cruz, Chicago Teachers Union, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Waivers, lawsuits, pandemic pods and school choice legislation

By Larry Sand
07/28/2020
Last week, the school wars intensified on many fronts. Since Governor Gavin Newsom’s July 17th edict closing all but a handful of schools in California, much has transpired. First, it was uncovered a few days later that schools in the Golden State could apply for a waiver to reopen, something Newsom mysteriously omitted in his...

TAGS: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Federation of Teachers, California Policy Center, CDC, Gavin Newsom, Kerry McDonald, Lamar Alexander, Larry Sand, pandemic pods, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union, Tim Scott

Biden does teachers union bidding

By Larry Sand
07/14/2020
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders team up with the teachers unions; the big losers are poor and minority families. Back in May, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden tapped Senator Bernie Sanders to help assemble six task forces which would make recommendations for the party’s 2020 platform. The allegedly moderate Biden joined up with the...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Bernie Sanders, Charter schools, D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, Joe Biden, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association, Pell Grants, privatization, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union, vouchers

Catholic lives matter

By Larry Sand
07/07/2020
The Supreme Court finally clears the way for students to use tax-credit scholarships to attend religious schools; the teachers unions and much of the MSM are apoplectic. The oldest daughter of single mom Kendra Espinoza was being bullied and her youngest daughter was struggling academically at their local public school in Montana. Kendra transferred them...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Pell Grants, privatization, Randi Weingarten, Samuel Alito, school choice, teachers union, Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, vouchers, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris

The NEA’s massive money grab

By Larry Sand
06/23/2020
Using Covid-19 as an excuse, the teachers union wants you to “invest” more in education; historical data put things into perspective, however. Last week I reported on the American Federation of Teachers plea for more money to flow into government-run schools because of the Covid-19 crisis. Not to be outdone, the National Education Association has...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, American Federation of Teachers, Benjamin Scafidi, Corey DeAngelis, education spending, Just Facts, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Rick Hess, teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles

School choice ascending

By Larry Sand
05/19/2020
As traditional public schools grapple with the effects of Covid-19, many parents are awakening to school choice.  The left-right debate about how to improve education in the U.S. often comes down to money v. school choice. Many on the left bemoan the fact that we don’t “invest” more in education. It doesn’t help to point...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Betsy DeVos, COVID-19, Diane Ravitch, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union

My latest open letter to Randi Weingarten

By Larry Sand
03/10/2020
This is the fifth in a series of missives to the president of the American Federation of Teachers. (The first four can be accessed here.) Hey Randi! Can you believe it! Next Monday will be our tenth anniversary! Yup, a whole decade has passed since Terry Moe, Rod Paige and I devoured you and two...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Betsy DeVos, Elizabeth Warren, Hillary Clinton, Janus decision, Larry Sand, NRA, Randi Weingarten, Rod Paige, teachers union, Terry Moe

Vermont’s school choice secret

By Larry Sand
03/03/2020
As the political exhibition season ends, here’s a brief look at where the candidates stand on school choice, and the Green Mountain State’s 150-year-old parental choice program. In 2015, the American Federation of Teachers anointed Hillary Clinton as its 2016 presidential preference, with no input from its rank-and-file. This did not sit well with the...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Larry Sand, school choice, teachers union

Teachers unions lose it over State of the Union address

By Larry Sand
02/11/2020
Union leaders are enraged at Trump and DeVos for the audacity of promoting parental choice. Last week, the President’s State of the Union address was a typically upbeat affair. President Trump outlined his many successes and Congressional Republicans were jubilant, while Democrats scowled. One of the features of Trump’s talk was a revival of Texas...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Betsy DeVos, California Teachers Association, Donald Trump, Lance Izumi, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association, Neal McCluskey, Pacific Research Institute, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Power to the parents!

By Larry Sand
01/21/2020
The abusive education monopoly must go. Having retired as a teacher over ten years ago, I often look back on some of the great educators that I worked with during my 28-year career, and how lucky their students were to have them. I also think about the stinkers I encountered, and how sad it is...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Howard Zinn, Indoctrination, Larry Sand, NAEP, National Education Association, National School Choice Week, PISA, teachers union, tenure