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

Montana, SCOTUS, and your kids

By Larry Sand
12/17/2019
Americans are losing confidence that public schools will improve, but a Supreme Court case could pave the way to greater parental choice. A recent in-depth survey by RealClearPolitics concludes that a majority of registered voters are dissatisfied with the performance of America’s education system and “have little confidence that public schools will improve any time...

TAGS: Blaine Amendment, education spending, Larry Sand, National Assessment of Educational Progress, PISA, school choice, tax-credit scholarships, teachers union, Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris

Is Elitist Elizabeth’s campaign collapsing?

By Larry Sand
12/10/2019
The NEA grills POTUS candidates on the issues, and Elizabeth Warren is outed as a world-class hypocrite. In an attempt to be transparent about its endorsing process, the National Education Association is recording interviews with all the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. And Elizabeth Warren’s effort is right in line with her talk in Atlanta, in...

TAGS: Charter schools, Elizabeth Warren, Greg Forster, Larry Sand, National Education Association, school choice, teachers union, vouchers

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

Elizabeth Warren’s “No Teachers Union Left behind” Campaign

By Larry Sand
10/30/2019
Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren used to be a Republican, a Native American and pro-school choice. Now she is a Democrat, a Caucasian and anti-choice teacher union suck-up. As I wrote back in May, the Democratic presidential contenders were battling each other fiercely to score the endorsement of the nation’s teachers unions. The anointment comes with...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, California Charter Schools Association, Center for Education Reform, Charter schools, Chris Stewart, education spending, Elizabeth Warren, Jeanne Allen, Larry Sand, Myrna Castrejón, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union, Thomas Kane

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

Failing education, lawsuits and parental choice

By Larry Sand
09/17/2019
A literacy lawsuit is due to go to trial in October, but little will change if it is successful. Americans are shockingly weak in civics. The latest Annenberg Public Policy Center survey finds that only 39 percent could name the three branches of U.S. government and less than one-quarter know that Congress has to muster...

TAGS: charter school, education spending, homeschool, Larry Sand, school choice, seniority, Students Matter, teachers union, tenure

Politicians who accept Government Union money betray the public

By Edward Ring
09/12/2019
Public sector unions should be illegal. They have very little in common with private sector unions, which, properly regulated, play a vital role in society. The differences between public sector and private sector unions are significant. For example: 1 – Private sector unions cannot be unreasonable in the demands they bring to negotiations with management,...

TAGS: California, Charter schools, conservative, Costa Mesa, firefighters, orange county, public sector unions, school choice

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