Democratic POTUS candidates must choose between parents and unions

By Larry Sand
12/03/2019
Sanders stands firm on the issues; Warren and Booker are chameleon-like; Biden is meh. As I wrote in May, several of the Democratic presidential hopefuls were tripping over each other in an effort to secure the endorsement of the teachers unions. These candidates were most pointed in criticizing any form of school choice. Bernie Sanders...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Andrew Gillum, Bernie Sanders, Charter schools, Corey DeAngelis, Cory Booker, Democrats for Education Reform, Education Next, Elizabeth Warren, Howard Fuller, Joe Biden, Larry Sand, Randi Weingarten, Ron DeSantis, school choice, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, vouchers

SPLC and NEA v. Parents and Kids

By Larry Sand
10/15/2019
The disgraceful Southern Poverty Law Center is now trying to keep poor parents from getting their kids out of awful schools. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which regularly labels organizations whose politics they disagree with as “Hate Groups,” has jumped head-first into the school choice fray. Just a few weeks ago, they began Public Funds...

TAGS: Cato Institute, Education Next, Greg Forster, Kerry McDonald, Kevin Jennings, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Pell Grants, school choice, teachers union, vouchers

Poll Dancing

By Larry Sand
08/13/2019
The latest PDK poll is useless, as are most. The latest yearly poll from Phi Delta Kappa, an organization whose mission is to “activate educators and other stakeholders to elevate the discourse around teaching and learning….” has just been released, and I don’t see any elevation. In fact, the poll is ultimately meaningless, although that didn’t...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Education Next, James Agresti, Larry Sand, Randi Weingarten, teacher pay, teachers union

School choice’s strange bedfellows

By Larry Sand
12/04/2018
The move to educational freedom brings together some unlikely allies. Shortly after the general election, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten was ecstatic. Writing in The New York Times, she insisted that there was a “realignment in the electorate.” She also claimed that “voters responded to a decade of disinvestment in public education and...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Andrew Gillum, Betsy DeVos, Education Next, Larry Sand, Randi Weingarten, Ron DeSantis, school choice, Scott Walker, tax credit scholarship, teachers union, voucher

An open letter to Randi Weingarten

By Larry Sand
11/06/2018
This is the fourth in a series of missives to the president of the American Federation of Teachers. (The first three can be accessed here, here and here.)  My Dear Randi, It has been a while! I hope you are well, though I suspect recent events have you a bit off-kilter or even a tad...

TAGS: AFSCME, American Federation of Teachers, Center for American Progress, Education Next, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, NEA, Randi Weingarten, school choice, seiu, teachers union, vouchers

Young minds, bureaucrats and union bosses

By Larry Sand
08/28/2018
School choice is advancing, but the monopolists continue to defend a failing system. As I mentioned in last week’s post, the latest bogus anti-school choice study being touted by the National Education Association was released in June. The report from the Network for Public Education (NPE) and the Schott Foundation contains all the usual gasp-worthy...

TAGS: Cato Institute, Corey DeAngelis, EdChoice, Education Next, ESA, Greg Forster, Larry Sand, Network for Public Education, Patrick Wolf, privatization, school choice, teachers union, vouchers

Teacher pay fray

By Larry Sand
08/14/2018
  In light of strikes past and future, a brief review of teacher compensation is in order. A recent headline in the Austin American-Statesman caught my eye. It read, “Texas education chief suggests paying higher-performing teachers more.” Those of you whose first reaction is “Well, duh,” are hardly outliers. But in the land of...

TAGS: Democrats for Education Reform, Education Next, Educators for Excellence, Eric Hanushek, Janus, Larry Sand, pensions, teacher pay, teachers union

Worker freedom: The Janus edition

By Larry Sand
10/03/2017
With another right-to-work case headed to the Supreme Court, union lies and chicanery are in high gear. Among the greatest myths in recent history include the belief that Che Guevara was a freedom fighter, that China in the 20th Century was a “People’s Republic” and “If you like your health care plan, you can keep...

TAGS: AFL-CIO, Education Next, Friedrichs v CTA, George Leef, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Liberty Justice Center, Mark Janus, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, National Right to Work Foundation, teachers union

Teacher Shortage Claim Is Still Short on Data

By Larry Sand
05/17/2016
No matter how many times it’s repeated, the national teacher shortage story is a canard. In the months since I last wrote about the alleged teacher shortage crisis, I had hoped the hysteria would abate. But alas, it hasn’t; if anything, it has increased, with the teachers unions at the forefront of the bogus story....

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Andrew Coulson, California Teachers Association, Cato Institute, EdSource, Education Next, John Fensterwald, Kate Walsh, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teacher shortage, teachers union

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