Kavan-awesome

By Larry Sand
09/04/2018
With the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearings underway, the unions are very jumpy.  Did you know that the U.S. Supreme Court is there to protect the little guy and minorities, uphold women’s rights, and destroy school choice? That’s according to the make-it-up-as-you-go-along left, including the teachers unions. In reality, the job of a SCOTUS...

TAGS: American Federation of State, American Federation of Teachers, Betsy DeVos, County and Municipal Employees, Donald Trump, Larry Sand, Lee Saunders, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Mark Janus, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, school choice, Supreme Court, teachers union, vouchers, Walter Williams, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris

Public schools’ dirty laundry

By Larry Sand
11/28/2017
Do public schools really serve the public? On November 16th, the United Teachers of Los Angeles held a “Save Our Schools” rally, which was part of the larger American Education Week, a National Education Association creation. Touting NEA’s 2017 theme, “Public Schools for all,” union President Lily Eskelsen García emphatically stated “Public schools are the...

TAGS: Andrew Coulson, Ben DeGrow, Betsy DeVos, Cato Institute, EdChoice, Horace Mann, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Mackinac Center, National Education Association, Robert Enlow, school choice, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, vouchers

The best defense is to be offensive

By Larry Sand
09/19/2017
Anti-school choicers are getting desperate. The traditional public education monopolists are using some truly bizarre arguments to ensure that children remain in government-run schools. In July, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten intimated that parents who opt out of government schools are equivalent to southern segregationists. Then later in July, Katherine Stewart penned possibly...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Betsy DeVos, CAHSEE, credit recovery classes, graduation rate, Heartland Institute, Larry Sand, LAUSD, Mackinac Center, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union, vouchers

Pot calls kettle racist

By Larry Sand
07/25/2017
Union leader sinks to a new low by hyping a worthless report and insulting millions of parents. When some people become frightened, they’ll say and do some amazingly asinine things. Utilizing that as a guide, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten is apparently scared spitless. With Supreme Court decisions on the horizon that could...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Betsy DeVos, Center for American Progress, Derrell Bradford, EdChoice, G.I. Bill, Greg Forster, Jeanne Allen, Kevin Chavous, Larry Sand, Randi Weingarten, Rick Hess, school choice, teachers union, vouchers

NEA mob rules

By Larry Sand
07/11/2017
The yearly NEA convention was replete with the usual bogeymen, rah-rah talk, weird new business items and a bit more angst than usual.  This last year should have been a pip for the National Education Association. Antoni Scalia’s death killed Friedrichs and kept forced unionism alive and well in half the country. And the inevitable...

TAGS: Andrew Coulson, Betsy DeVos, charter school, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Rebecca Friedrichs, school choice, teachers union, Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, voucher

Let’s get real about the education budget

By Larry Sand
05/30/2017
Trump’s proposed budget includes some minor cuts; union leaders launch hyperbolic grenades. Did you know that the Trump/DeVos budget is manifestly cruel to children and catastrophic to public schools? Are you aware that Trump/Devos are planning to slash funding for public schools, and use voucher schemes to funnel taxpayer dollars to unaccountable private schools? Well,...

TAGS: Betsy DeVos, Center for Education Reform, Donald Trump, education spending, Jeanne Allen, Larry Sand, PISA, remediation, school choice, teachers union

Two Guys Walk into a Party….

By Larry Sand
04/11/2017
Debunking teacher union talking points about school choice. Okay, so you’re at a cocktail party sipping brandy, and some rabid teacher union supporter starts mouthing off about Trump, DeVos, the evils of vouchers and, at the same time, waxing ecstatic about the glories of our traditional zip-code monopoly education system (Z MES). Now, you might...

TAGS: Betsy DeVos, EdChoice, education savings account, ESA, Greg Forster, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association, school choice, teachers union, voucher

School Choice, Uber and Accountability

By Larry Sand
04/04/2017
Betsy DeVos’ ridesharing analogy is spot on, but draws Randi’s wrath.  At the Brookings Institution last week, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos gave a talk in which she drew parallels between school choice and the ascendancy of ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft. “Just as the traditional taxi systems revolted against ridesharing, so too does the...

TAGS: accountability, American Federation of Teachers, Betsy DeVos, EdChoice, Jason Bedrick, Larry Sand, NAEP, Randi Weingarten, school choice, seniority, teachers union, tenure

Course Correction Time for Teachers Unions?

By Larry Sand
03/07/2017
Unlikely elsewhere, but in California, just fuggedaboutit. As I wrote recently, the teachers unions had a bad week in early February. Anti-forced unionism lawsuits, the emergence of yet another right-to-work state and the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary all combined to make for a miserable few days in Unionland. But unlike waking from...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, Betsy DeVos, California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Dean Vogel, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Right to Work, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Trump Undoes Obama’s Transgender Bathroom Guidelines

By Larry Sand
02/28/2017
…and teacher union command central is furious. Last week, the Trump administration rightfully withdrew former President Obama’s guidelines regarding bathroom usage, which had called on schools nationwide to let transgender students choose “Boys” or “Girls,” depending on how they perceived themselves and not the old-fashioned way: by body parts. Additionally, Obama had threatened to remove...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Betsy DeVos, California Teachers Association, Donald Trump, Eric Heins, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, transgender