The Teacher Shortage Data Shortage

By Larry Sand
08/27/2019
“The false cry that there is no teacher shortage must not go unchallenged.” In recent times, one cannot go far without hearing piercing screams emanating from the education cognoscenti and teacher union poohbahs about the national teacher shortage. But, then again, this hysteria is hardly new. The above quote came from The Journal of the...

TAGS: Andrew Coulson, Cato Institute, Economic Policy Institute, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Council on Teacher Quality, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teachers union

Readin’, writin’, and proselytizin’

By Larry Sand
08/20/2019
More than ever, parents must be vigilant regarding what goes on in their child’s school. It is officially “back to school” season and, thusly, a time to remind parents that they must be very aware of what their kids are learning in school. Though I have written about this subject many times, it cannot be...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

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

How some teacher unionistas spent their summer vacation

By Larry Sand
08/06/2019
The “Red for Ed” movement is becoming redder by the day. At a time when most U.S. citizens have benefited from the Trump tax cuts, the American Federation of Teachers joined up with a motley assemblage of leftwing organizations over the summer on what was billed as the “Tax the Rich Bus Tour.” The road...

TAGS: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, American Federation of Teachers, International Socialist Organization, Janus ruling, Jesse Sharkey, Larry Sand, Measure EE, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

The teachers unions’ spotty progressivism

By Larry Sand
07/30/2019
When it comes to public charter schools and any meaningful education reform, the teachers unions are staunch reactionaries. In the political arena, teachers unions are far to the left. However, when it comes to serious education reform and any kind of school choice, they are committed to maintaining the all-too-often failing status quo. At its...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Ben Austin, Bill de Blasio, California Charter Schools Association, California Teachers Association, Charter schools, Eva Moskowitz, Larry Sand, Myrna Castrejón, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Education Association, Nina Rees, Parent Revolution, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union

Blaine, busing and educational freedom

By Larry Sand
07/23/2019
Thanks to Kamala Harris and the state of Montana, school choice is back in the news. A few weeks ago, Presidential hopeful Kamala Harris nailed fellow Democrat Joe Biden at a primary debate in Miami for not supporting court-ordered school busing some 45 years ago. It was a well-orchestrated attack, accompanied by the sale of T-Shirts...

TAGS: American Federation for Children, American Federation of Teachers, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Larry Sand, Pell Grants, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union, Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, vouchers, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris

#NEAexit

By Larry Sand
07/16/2019
The yearly NEA convention was as blatantly left-wing as ever, and conservative teachers are staying put. When a bunch of teachers gather for a yearly convention, you might think that education matters would be front and center. But when the National Education Association convenes for its yearly wingding, politics is the centerpiece. And this year’s...

TAGS: Janus v. AFSCME, Koch Brothers, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, school choice, teachers union, White Fragility

The Janus decision and teacher freedom: One year later

By Larry Sand
07/02/2019
What has happened, what hasn’t happened, and why. On June 27, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that government workers no longer had to pay dues to a union as a condition of employment, and the ensuing hysteria was a sight to behold. Loopy headlines like “How The Supreme Court’s Janus Decision Could Cripple Public...

TAGS: AB 119, Association of American Educators, California Policy Center, California Teachers Empowerment Network, Freedom Foundation, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, teachers union

No fight to the Finnish

By Larry Sand
06/25/2019
Finnish schools are unionized. American schools are unionized. The similarities end there. Randi Weingarten, Lily Eskelsen García and other teacher union leaders have on many occasions extolled the virtues of Finland’s education system, and, at every turn, they remind us that their teachers are unionized. They are right. Finland does have a highly regarded education...

TAGS: Bob Chanin, Charter schools, Christina Laster, Finland, Gavin Newsom, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Action Network, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teachers union

The Investicrats

By Larry Sand
06/18/2019
The great education spending swindle is never-ending for the teachers unions. Their whine never stops. While I and many others have been writing about the enormous sum of money spent on education for years, the “investicrats,” those who constantly demand that even more must be allocated, show no sign of leaving the building. Perhaps the...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, American Federation of Teachers, education spending, Gavin Newsom, John Fensterwald, Lance Izumi, Larry Sand, Los Angeles Unified School District, Measure EE, Mike Antonucci, parcel tax, PISA, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles