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

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

#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

POTUS candidates line up to kiss the union ring

By Larry Sand
05/28/2019
Democratic contenders attempt to lock in teacher union endorsements to the detriment of taxpayers and the neediest students. A full year before the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the American Federation of Teachers endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. This infuriated many teachers who preferred Bernie Sanders, rightfully feeling they had no role in the decision. So...

TAGS: American Federation for Children, American Federation of Teachers, Bernie Sanders, Betsy DeVos, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Jason Riley, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Larry Sand, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teachers union

National Association of Arrogant Calculating Phonies

By Larry Sand
05/14/2019
Renegade locals fight California state NAACP and national board over anti-charter school stance. Nearly 68 percent of all black public school students in California perform below their grade level in English and language arts, and more than 80 percent fail to meet the state’s proficiency mark in math, according to the latest California Assessment of...

TAGS: California Charter Schools Association, Charter schools, Christina Laster, Democrats for Education Reform, Larry Sand, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Education Association, teachers union

Classroom forecast: Miseducated with a high chance of indoctrination

By Larry Sand
03/19/2019
Instead of American history, students now learn about the evils of capitalism, airplanes and cow farts.  “‘Education is Political’: Neutrality in the Classroom Shortchanges Students” read a recent headline on the National Education Association website. What the teachers union is essentially saying is that an objective approach to controversial subjects does a disservice to the...

TAGS: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Howard Zinn, Larry Sand, Massachusetts Teachers Association, National Education Association, Saul Alinsky, teachers union