Tax-Free Teachers?

By Larry Sand
03/21/2017
California school districts lay off teachers…then two legislators move to fix the “teacher shortage problem.” In a surreal political moment, California State Senators Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles) and Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) have introduced the “Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act of 2017” which offers a novel incentive for teachers to remain in the profession. Senate Bill...

TAGS: first out, Larry Sand, last in, Mike Antonucci, Rolf Treu, Santa Ana Educators Association, seniority, small class size, teachers union, Vergara

LA Teachers Union: Striking Out?

By Larry Sand
03/03/2015
UTLA is planning to walk out over a mess that it helped to create. The case is being built for a teachers’ strike in Los Angeles. The next step in the contract negotiation process is mediation, whereby a state-appointed mediator will try to get the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the United Teachers...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, Chicago Teachers Union, Eric Hanushek, Larry Sand, Los Angeles Unified School District, Mark Berndt, Mike Petrilli, pension tsunami, small class size, teacher pay, teachers strike, teachers union, Terry Moe, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Chicken Little Class Size

By Larry Sand
01/06/2015
With a big assist from the teachers unions, the small class size myth lives on. “The sky is falling” is well-known throughout the world as an admonition to be wary of hysterical claims. While we appreciate the silliness of the Chicken Little story, we fail to recognize its relevance in many of the myths perpetuated...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, California Teacher Association, Caroline Hoxby, Eric Hanushek, Jay Greene, Jay Mathews, Larry Sand, Michael Mulgrew, small class size, teachers union, United Federation of Teachers

Small Class-Size Balloon Punctured Again

By Larry Sand
10/17/2012
It’s time to “just say no” to the small class-size pushers and eliminate seniority as a staffing mechanism. Small class size means less work for teachers. Parents seem to think that their child will be better educated in a room with fewer classmates. Unions love fewer kids in a class because it equates to a...

TAGS: Andrew Coulson, Eric Hanushek, Jay Greene, last in first out, Mike Antonucci, seniority, small class size, teacher shortage

Responding to Romney’s Critics

By Larry Sand
06/06/2012
Regarding education reform, Romney needs to pound on the facts, leaving his detractors to pound on the table. Recently Mitt Romney laid out his education vision in a speech at the Latino Coalition’s annual economic summit in Washington D.C. The Republican candidate for president didn’t mince words. He said that we are in the midst...

TAGS: Eric Hanushek, Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, Greg Forster, Jay Mathews, Lindsey Burke, No Child Left Behind, Randi Weingarten, small class size, teachers union