American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten is known primarily for two things: screaming into microphones at political rallies and making the teacher’s union an extension of the Democratic Party. However, Weingarten had an unintended substantive moment when she changed her earlier position on the elimination of the Education Department. Weingarten previously shrugged off the elimination of the department as not a big deal for education. Recently, she returned to her irate default in denouncing the elimination. The reason, however, was telling.
After Trump was reelected in November, Weingarten said that the elimination was not a big deal and that teachers had originally opposed the creation of the department: “I mean, my members don’t really care about whether they have a bureaucracy of the Department of Education or not. In fact, Al Shanker and the [American Federation of Teachers] in the 1970s were opposed to its creation.”
Now, however, Weingarten has resumed her natural state of being “really angry.” In an interview with MSNBC, Weingarten explained:
“That is why so many people are so mad about it. Because they’re just taking opportunity away from kids that don’t have it. So billionaires – kids of billionaires, they have it, they go to private schools. Everyone else, 90% go to public schools. Don’t take away their opportunity.Sorry, I’m really angry about this … I’m really angry,”
However, it is the reason that is most interesting.
In a podcast, Weingarten explained that they have to avoid such “block grants” going to families. Host Molly Jong-Fast readily agreed, raising the danger that it might even support Catholic and religious schools. Weingarten stressed that “We know, for example, what Texas would do. They’ll use it for vouchers. So they won’t give [federal funding] to the kids who have it now, they’ll just give it for vouchers.”
There is reason for Weingarten and the teacher’s union being so concerned. Florida allows for school choice and has demanded greater performance from public schools. Despite attacks by Weingarten and other Democrats, Florida has been ranked as the number one state for both education and the economy.
We have previously discussed how schools have been dropping the use of standardized tests to achieve diversity goals in admissions. That trend continued this month with Cal State dropping standardized testing “to level the playing field” for minority students. I have long been a critic of this movement given the overwhelming evidence that these tests allow an objective measure of academic merit and have great predictive value on the performance of students.
Many colleges and universities are returning to standardized testing after the much-acclaimed abandonment of the tests for a more “holistic approach” to selection.
However, public educators have continued to lower proficiency requirements and cancel gifted programs to “even the playing field.” The result has been to further hide the dismal scores and educational standards of many public school districts.
I previously wrote about how public educators and teacher unions are killing public education in America. Many of us have advocated for public education for decades. I sent my children to public schools, and I still hope we can turn this around without wholesale voucher systems.
Teachers and boards are killing the institution of public education by treating children and parents more like captives than consumers. They are force-feeding social and political priorities, including passes for engaging in approved protests.
As public schools continue to produce abysmal scores, particularly for minority students, board and union officials have called for lowering or suspending proficiency standards or declared meritocracy to be a form of “white supremacy.” Gifted and talented programs are being eliminated in the name of “equity.”
Once parents have a choice, these teachers lose a virtual monopoly over many families. They are no longer a captive audience. If public unions want to maintain funding, they will have to actually improve educational results for these families.
You see, Weingarten knows that, like her, they are “really angry,” but not about the future of a union that increasingly sounds like an educational cartel.
(“We know, for example, what Texas would do. They’ll use it for vouchers. So they won’t give [federal funding] to the kids who have it now, they’ll just give it for vouchers.”) Is that no the function of aid to STUDENTS, not to school systems that are loaded with bureaucrats and half-baked educators filled with ideology that they want to inculcate into little minds? Just what would be wrong with attaching school funds TO THE CHILD rather than the bureaucracy that is our public education system? I’ll tell you what they think is wrong, they know that they will see a drastic reduction of monies going to their less-than-adequate educators and watch all that funding go to teachers as schools preferred by the PARENTS, rather than the dept of education AND a severe reduction in funds that would normally go to democrat politicians. Now there is the rub – the dems know what is coming and just how do you defend corruption and collusion?
@whimsicalmama
Nailed it. And even after addressing the bureaucracy, which will take a long, long time, there is not a dang thing any of us can do about the parents, and that is a real trigger issue:let us be clear. We are not talking about curriculum, we are talking about what has happened at home so kids show up so ill-equipped in the first place. That defies ethnicity or income at this point. It is astonishing even among 21st century adults how many homes do contain a bookshelf.
“Just what would be wrong with attaching school funds TO THE CHILD rather than the bureaucracy that is our public education system? ”
I will take your proposal on step further. Give that money to the child’s parents to use to educate the child as they see fit, even at home, if they so choose. Alternatively, stop extorting taxes from the childless in order to indoctrinate the children of others. What could be more in the spirit of Marx’ mantra “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” than that, regardless of the level of government at which the extortion is levied?
My husband and I are 74 and own our home in a moderate city. We pay school taxes because, as we understand it, we are investing our money in the future by seeing that those children are prepared to continue our civilization long after we are gone. At this point, however, it does irritate us that the teacher’s union have such a grip on education that they have subverted that original concept and now use our schools as indoctrination centers for ideologies that run at odds with the original ethos of this nation. Sure we do not like our money wasted by ideologically driven progressive who hate the original nation that we support but there needs to be some baseline as to how you would monitor that money if given to certain parents because I can foresee much fraud if there is no restrictions on how it is spent. The problem, now that we are no longer a cohesive culture, who gets to determine what those parameters are. Would I support tax money funding a madras that teaches death to the infidel, or a radical school that supports transgenderism to its ultimate conclusion? Of course not but we have passed the point of trusting what our neighbors believe. Our mistaken venture into multiculturalism has shattered our society and left us fragmented and distrustful and for that we need to thank each and every bonehead that voted for democrats.
“We pay school taxes because, as we understand it, we are investing our money in the future by seeing that those children are prepared to continue our civilization long after we are gone. ”
Presumably you would have the option of donating to a community school that is not supported by extorting money from taxpayers. And extortion is exactly what it is. Your claim of paying your taxes because you see it as an investment might be true, or it might be a rationalization, but many other taxpayers pay property taxes because their real property will be confiscated and sold by the local government if they fail to do so.
Parents just want teachers to be accountable for the quality of their product.
How is that unreasonable?
Why would teachers’ unions object to that request?
JLM,
Accountability is not a trait known to leftist Democrats or unions. Transparency is something they fear as they then would have to take accountability. We are seeing that as DOGE exposes all the fraud, waste and abuse. Look how hard Democrats and unions try to stop the exposure, being held accountable with legal suits.
“Accountability is not a trait known to leftist Democrats or unions.” What do you mean? Like doing what you say you would do?
How about lowering the price of eggs on day 1? Is that Accountability?
Or how about ending the Ukraine war on day 1? Is that accountability?
trump is now going full out bonkers with his trade war against Canada, our closest ally. Will this lower prices? Hardly, the price of nearly everything will rise. The guy is an idiot. Are you going o hold him “Accountable” for all he promised? And I’m pretty sure the dumb sh-t in office now is not a “Leftist Democrat”.
Agriculture Secretary Rollins says price of dozen eggs has dropped $1.85 in roughly past 13 days
https://justthenews.com/nation/economy/agriculture-secretary-rollins-says-price-eggs-has-gone-down-185
Ukraine Willing To Accept US-Led Ceasefire Proposal If Russia Agrees
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/11/ukraine-agrees-to-us-led-ceasefire-plan-if-russia-accepts.html
As I stated yesterday in another column, we all knew there was going to be a recession in 2025 from Bidenomics and Bidenflation. Biden’s so-called strong economy was propped up with massive spending mostly in the government by the Biden admin. In order to reduce the national debt, cut fraud, waste and abuse, Trump ended that spending. Without that spending, all the budget cuts, jobs cuts, likely a recession will start in DC. Some believe it will be a short recession on a six to eight months scale. I am thinking a year. But, as Trump adjusts from a public/government economy, to a private based economy, when we come out of the recession on the other side, the private sector will be much stronger, actually producing things, employing Americans. As one economist noted, building and buying a tank adds to the GDP. Having 1,000 people sit around and think about buying a tank does not. As it has also been noted, the government does not produce anything. They just suck in tax dollars and for what? As we have seen from DOGE, a lot of fraud, waste and abuse. During Bidenomics, real wages did not keep up with inflation. If under the new private based economy, wages exceed inflation that is a good thing.
setting reasonable parameters for government efficiency is doable, changing the world of Ukraine or Gaza is much more complicated but you already know that and are just throwing out incendiary bombs because that is all that you have. Your progressive ideology, like everything that ever stemmed from communistic ideology, has failed completely and is being rejected “bigly” by the sane adults in the country. Why don’t you better edify your brain (what hasn’t been destroyed by TDS at this point) on some actual history and facts before exposing your ignorance and proclivity for divisive rhetoric.
#74. Educators just want parents to be responsible for quality their product. 😂
I would venture that unions (my late husband was a certified NY State high school teacher of English and Social Studies) are in existence to keep tenured teachers employed as long as they “go along to get along” and don’t question the progressive ideologies that they are peddling. Indoctrinating young children rather than educating them, is their primary goal so I would question whether teachers care more about spreading their ideology than making sure students get a WELL ROUNDED education.
I have personally known 4 high school seniors from two different states [one was California] who had no idea what Washington, DC was.
Also, for awhile there was a YouTube video of UCLA students who did not know what Washington, DC was. Can’t find it now.
Universities are complaining that incoming students lack the concentration or ability to read and understand much of anything…and certainly not an entire book.
Weren’t public schools supposed to train competent citizens?
We have gone from a system in which a barefoot boy with bark suspenders holding up his trousers could attend class in a one room shack and grow to be the man who could write the Gettysburg Address to a system spending billions on palatial schools and armies of administrators to produce adults who can’t read the Gettysburg Address and may not even know what it is.
Public education is a disastrous failure.
Public education is a huge success in legal illegal alien migration, pre-1789 native Americanism, LGBTQ, Trans, communism, global warming, climate change, Islamophobia, BLM, “racism,” affirmative action, equality of the unequal, merit doesn’t matter, color of skin not GPA and CV, etc.
Rather than interpret the inability of public school children to read and do math at grade level as a failure of the educational establishment, perhaps it is instead a sign of the success of the push for “equity” in government school education. In the name of “equity” these DEI policies have effectively worked to make children in government school equally uneducated. Isn’t that the real goal of “equity”?
#74. Yeah, I suppose vouchers would send them running to avoid Emotionally Disturbed children. Children throwing scissors across the classroom while teacher can only say- thank you for ducking, Rachel. There’s a lawsuit behind every door.
Vouchers will result in segregation which is fine, too.
😂
Is trump an absolute idiot?
“To Republicans, Conservatives, and all great Americans, Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB, But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for.”
“illegally and collusively boycott Tesla”? Illegally? Really you dumb sh-t? Does this guy not know that it is not illegal to boycott a product or company?
Does anybody doubt that we have, by far, huge difference, backed up by millions of opinions, the dumbest president the universe has ever seen? Its huge, the guy is an idiot.
Lumping Trump with absolute idiots is offensive to absolute idiots.
According to some libertarians here, it’s called the free market doing what the free market is meant to do. Elon is the one to blame for the Tesla’s problems with it’s stock.
Tesla gets a lot of components from Mexico and President Sheinbaum has threatened to stop parts from going over the border if Trump continues to threaten tariffs. That will hurt U.S. automakers almost immediately since they operate on a just-in-time supply chain.
Trump speaks before he thinks. That’s why he keeps flip-flopping with the tariff threats.
Baby Trump – one day I hope you will grow up and have your eyes wide open. the illegal part – they set fires and attacked employees. Last I checked that sends you to jail.
Boycott – to abstain from buying or using
I said nothing about fire bombing, that is clearly illegal and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. JDEbraG – first seek to understand. You did not read my post. I pointed out how our idiot president doesn’t understand that boycott is not illegal. Quite making assumptions.
It may not be illegal to protest like a civil human being. However, I would definitely say it is illegal to firebomb cybertrucks, blow up charging stations, and refuse removal by a *private company*’s *private security* or cops. This is what you dingbats never understand: you obfuscate words (i.e. all “protests” are legal) thinking that this is still the Obama era. We are all smarter now, except for you.
I know that this will just go over your head anyways, but maybe someone will listen: We. Do. Not. Listen. To. You. Anymore. Your tricks and games no longer hold power. Your words are worth less than the rock in my boot, because at least the rock gets me to feel something.
“We’re going to bring down inflation starting on day one and it’ll happen fast. It will be easy.” — Donald Trump, 2024 campaign stop in Pennsylvania.
Instead of Annoyingus you should post as Wash rinse repeat…
He’s working on it, watch what happens. Always a little pain
Trump bankruptcies
Trump Taj Mahal – $3 billion
Trump Plaza Hotel – $550 million
Trump Castle and Casino – $338 million
Trump Plaza Hotel: $550 million
Trump Casino Resorts: $1.8 billion
Trump Entertainment Resorts: $1.7 billion
United State of America: pending
Ahem, I think Trump is trying to prevent bankruptcy of the United States by cutting spending and increasing total revenue collected. How else do you propose it be done, genius?
Not by tariffs. Either Trump is an imbecile, is mentally ill, or covertly wants to destroy America. It is well understood that tariffs are a tool to promote the health of specific business verticals such as the steel industry, the auto industry, specific agricultural products, etc, and aimed at specific countries. They are not for revenue generation, i.e., tariffs do not work as a national income mechanism.
The only large countries to ever implement comprehensive tariffs in order to generate revenue, which Trump wants to do, were Stalin’s USSR and Mao’s China. How did that work out?… genius.
Why do you ignore such an obviously troubling problem with Trump? He doesn’t know what he’s doing.
It is the goal of every Marxist: punish the achievers and the gifted and reward the lower performers and the bureaucrats. The result? Poverty and stupidity for all. Check out Cuba and the former USSR.
Exactly. Former KGB agent Vladimir Putin must be stopped from bringing the Soviet block back together. He not only punishes achievers… he murders them.
“. . . avoid such ‘block grants’ going to families.”
Here we see the Left’s totalitarian premise:
Your children are property of the State. We, the Wise ones, the Voice of the People, will decide for you where and how to educate your children. Since vouchers and choice undermine that premise, We reject them both.
Republicans have been attacking public schools for decades, under funding, having unqualified hacks run for school board and then sabotage it, and otherwise damaging public schools. Perhaps that is having the intended effect and contributing to what Turley points out.
That has been their agenda all along. Sabotage and badmouth an otherwise good system and then use the failures they promote as an excuse to funnel money and opinion towards private schools where they are not held accountable or are obligated to teach special needs children or accept sub-par students who will tarnish their otherwise stellar reputation. It’s effectively segregation based on economic status.
As an old Reagan Republican I would disagree. I think it’s cultural. I’m from Iowa where people, though conservative, have historically valued education and had among the best k-12 schools in the country. Lately it’s dropped way off but not because of Republicans. I think the biggest threat to education are the wealthy (left and right) and Evangelicals.
What we need, is a nice, polite way to re-segregate public schools, both for students and teachers, so that black teachers and black principals can start beating the crap out of these little black monsters on a daily basis, and turning them back into civilized human beings. This can’t be done in integrated schools, because the statistics will heavily skew toward blacks being punished as opposed to the little white kids, and Liberals will howl something awful.
Then use standardized tests, administered by third parties, for each grade, for each half of the school year. No more passing a grade by turning one year older. If little Lakeesha and Trayvon turn 18 years old, and all they can do is read The Cat in the Hat, and do simple addition, then so be it. No high school diploma for them. For truant students, start revoking some of the mommas welfare benefits. For students who do not conform, and behave themselves, there needs to be kiddie work farms/prisons, and their mommas need to be booted off welfare and food stamps.
I have every confidence that black people can solve black problems, but they have to be given the freedom to do it. This is not just me being a racist, as some will surely claim. See this:
“Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court decision that desegregated public schools, stands in the collective national memory as a turning point in America’s fight for racial justice. But as the U.S. observes its 70th anniversary, Brown also represents something more somber: It ultimately led to thousands of Black teachers losing their jobs.
Before Brown, Black teachers constituted 35% to 50% of the teacher workforce in segregated states. Today, Black people account for just 6.7% of America’s public K-12 teachers, even as Black children make up more than 15% of public school students.”
https://blogs.und.edu/und-today/2024/05/how-black-teachers-lost-when-civil-rights-won-in-brown-v-board/
I do not agree with everything in the article, because those new black teachers need to be teaching black kids. White teachers and principals can not do their job when it comes to black kids. They can not discipline them or punish them as needed without being called racists. Of course, there needs to be school choice and vouchers so that those black parent(s) who do care about their children’s education, can work immediately to get their kids into a better school.
You can also read this:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/why-black-teachers-matter/
Again, I do not agree with everything in the article, but it is obvious that black kids CAN do better with black teachers, and a lot of the SJW and CRT crap can be overcome with standardized testing by third parties.
The odds of this all being done, and problems being officially recognized, are about zero. Frankly, black kids were better educated in the 1960s and 1970s in segregated schools, but we are all more invested in the symbolism than the substance.
What if the system is working as designed? Rather than improve the education of minorities, was it instead surreptitiously designed to have their schooling fail them so as to limit the pool of minority graduates that would then compete against non-minority graduates? If the points raised by Floyd at 10:00 AM are correct, it sure would seem that way.
I have wondered the same thing sometimes. But often, what seems to be a good idea at the time, turns out to have been a case of the cure being worse than the disease. I do not see how, in 1954, any other decision made sense than to do what Brown v. Board of Education did – desegregate the schools. As Bork wrote:
In his book The Tempting of America (page 82), Robert Bork endorsed the Brown decision as follows:
By 1954, when Brown came up for decision, it had been apparent for some time that segregation rarely if ever produced equality. Quite aside from any question of psychology, the physical facilities provided for blacks were not as good as those provided for whites. That had been demonstrated in a long series of cases … The Court’s realistic choice, therefore, was either to abandon the quest for equality by allowing segregation or to forbid segregation in order to achieve equality. There was no third choice. Either choice would violate one aspect of the original understanding, but there was no possibility of avoiding that. Since equality and segregation were mutually inconsistent, though the ratifiers did not understand that, both could not be honored. When that is seen, it is obvious the Court must choose equality and prohibit state-imposed segregation. The purpose that brought the fourteenth amendment into being was equality before the law, and equality, not separation, was written into the law.
But, as Clarence Thomas said,
Given that desegregation has not produced the predicted leaps forward in black educational achievement, there is no reason to think that black students cannot learn as well when surrounded by members of their own race as when they are in an integrated environment. (…) Because of their “distinctive histories and traditions,” black schools can function as the center and symbol of black communities, and provide examples of independent black leadership, success, and achievement.[86]
All that being said, was White Flight a foreseeable outcome, or even worse, the disastrous Great Society Welfare schemes, to pay black women to produce illegitimate kids? Whatever the motivations, Brown v. Board of Education caused more harm than good for a lot of black kids. Not for all, but for a lot, particularly in the big city neighborhoods.
I was in 9th grade when our city went into desegregation mode. Prior to that, most black kids went to Booker T. Washington High School. One of my teachers said that the average black 12th grader was operating on about the 8th grade level of white students. He said that when you try to mix 8th graders with 12th graders, only bad things could happen. He was right. Nowadays, I think we would all, black and white, be happy if some of these bad schools were operating at an 8th grade level.
The other problem is that many schools are de facto segregated already, and there is still no good results. Like Baltimore.
See this:
In August, the Maryland State Department of Education released the results of the 2023-2024 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, which were met with disappointment and frustration in Baltimore. Despite roughly 70% of the district’s K-12 students being Black, only 10.2% were proficient in math, a slight increase from 8.8% the previous year.
https://wordinblack.com/2024/10/zero-math-proficiency-the-national-impact-on-black-students/#:~:text=Despite%20roughly%2070%25%20of%20the,still%20not%20proficient%20in%20math.
There’s not a single Trump supporter on this board who would call you out for your racism. In fact, they probably all agree with you.
Because it’s not really racism – it’s Reality. The Liberal Sh!t didn’t work like it was supposed to – for Civil Rights, for Women’s Rights, for DEI, for Crime – etc. Not dealing with the aftermath isn’t working either.
No, you are just an old fashioned nasty racist.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.
All Dems are either followers or puppets of Satan.
Your president doesn’t know that a boycott is not illegal.
Why do you love a guy so stupid?
No, that would be Evangelicals. Satanic to the core.
weingarten and the union have major responsibility for present day politics- secondary schools have largely abandoned government/civics classes-the level of ignorance among the population in this country is staggering – its a huge disservice to kids to fail to teach them about the system under which they live- really sad
I am shocked and disappointed that you are in favor of “monopoly” in education and denying families a choice about their childrens’ education. In my humble opinion, you are dead wrong on this one, Dr. Turley.
Education is going to take a looong time to fix, it has been polluted more than any other institution. It is a HUGE mess, and even with vouchers, many teachers at alternative schools still went through the system and are often just as bad (and that is not to diminish the really great teachers we have), even if not ‘woke’, per se.
Thanks for the honest assessment Professor Turley. And man my posts have been hasty and typo laden lately, keeping it simple.
I started my professional career as a public school teacher. I was fortunately in a time and place where teachers and principals still had a great deal of autonomy. in what was taught and how it was taught. We had a list of educational objectives and were given the task that the students would achieve the goals and objectives for the grade level. I was in a very tough school and yet the children performed better than many of the schools in our district because of the dedicated principal, staff and teachers. We were allowed to have classroom rules and if a child did not adhere to the them, there were consequences. We, as teachers, did not apply corporal punishment, but that right was reserved for the principal. She used it sparingly, but it was effective. If a parent did not want this, and if their child misbehaved, they were called and they either had to apply punishment themselves or they had to take their child home and make sure that they returned with their school work completed. Sound harsh? The kids loved being in an environment that was welcoming but had rules and expectations. Children crave fair rules and expectations. They must be in a safe environment. Many came from homes without structure and expectations.
I could see which way the winds were blowing more than 35 years ago and decided to move on into another profession. Now, I look at where public “education” has gone (as with all general statements, there are many exceptions) and it is very sad. We have the highest funding per student in the world and our collective scores are dismal. Teachers have less in their bag of tools to maintain an orderly classroom and have more restrictions. One unruly student can disrupt the harmony in a classroom or even a whole school.
The feds have their finger in everything and in the last number of years seem to have taken a bizarre detour from teaching the basics, the fundamental components of a well educated, independently thinking student (citizen) to social engineering. Is it a purposeful effort to dumb down our students? Or is it incompetence?
As for Randi Weingarten, her salary is higher than the President of the United States. Last I heard, she is making 600K++. Of course she wants to keep her salary and perks. She’s “angry” as long as it serves her purpose.
If my children were school-aged, I would not put them in the public school system. I know this varies from one state to the other and from one district to the other. I think many people feel this way. If one wants to see our future, we need only look to our youth. They have the same potential of any generation. My parents were from the “greatest generation.” They were an amazing generation, but today’s youth have just as much a future and more, if only they are given a chance to meet their full potential.
The problem isn’t teachers. It’s parents. Today’s parents suck. They either don’t give a crap about how their kids do in school (MAGA parents, ghetto parents, dumb parents, no parents) or they want their kids to get an A without having to put in the work.
Howard Zinn wrote leftist garbage history books for school children. Millions of minds were poisoned by that dreck, but I think the poison is wearing off. Who are you going to believe, Howard Zinn or your lying eyes??
Turley appears to be perpetuating the same justifications that advocates of school vouchers promote. This trend of casting blame on teachers for unsatisfactory educational outcomes is concerning. What’s often overlooked is that even in private schools, academic performance can be subpar, and many of these institutions do not release performance data due to their private status.
If we hold all schools—both public and private—to the same standards for educational outcomes, there should be a mandate for all institutions to disclose data that reflects their performance over time. The lack of requirement for private schools to publish their results creates an imbalance, making it difficult for parents to make informed choices about which schools might be the best fit for their children. This inability to compare the effectiveness of different educational environments is crucial for parents who are weighing the benefits of school vouchers against the performance of public schools.
Moreover, the trend of disparaging teacher unions only serves to undermine the credibility and dignity of teachers in public schools. Unlike private institutions, public schools are obliged to provide data on their performance, which creates a transparent framework for evaluating educational effectiveness. When public school teachers are criticized for poor student performance without considering the broader systemic issues, it unfairly shifts the blame entirely onto them.
In the public sector, unions are a fundamental aspect of negotiating contracts for teachers, reflecting the rights afforded to all public sector employees. This includes professions such as firefighters, police officers, and legislative staff, all of whom also have unions advocating on their behalf. Criticizing teachers for lackluster student outcomes not only seems unjust but also serves as a pretext to discredit the entire concept of public unions. Public sector union membership is typically more robust than in the private sector, which may explain the ongoing attacks against them. Critics often argue that these unions negotiate better benefits than what is typical in private sector jobs, a situation that tends to provoke discontent among opponents who are often aligned with Republican and fiscal conservative viewpoints.
The narrative propagated by many Republicans and certain parents tends to attribute disappointing educational outcomes solely to teachers and their unions. In reality, the underlying issue lies in the expectation for immediate results. Anything less than rapid improvement is frequently deemed a failure. However, achieving meaningful results is a gradual process. When educational parameters, curricula, and standards are constantly altered, while funding is slashed, it creates a perfect storm that leads to a cycle of self-fulfilling prophecies. These outcomes are then used to bolster arguments against teachers and their unions.
Ultimately, this ongoing trend seems aimed at reorienting education towards a business model, where profit can be generated from a sector that is fundamentally essential for societal progress. It raises concerns about prioritizing financial gain over genuine educational improvement and student well-being.
When I was a young public school music teacher, just starting out in 1969, there was NO Department of Education and teachers’ unions were, mercifully, an afterthought. I never joined–didn’t want to. I taught in a total of 14 schools, in Oklahoma, D.C. suburbs (Fairfax County—fabulous back then!!) and Waco, Texas (during its years of de-segregation, which went BEAUTIFULLY, by the way- a wonderful experience for all). I loved teaching, but wanted to have a baby, so I retired just as things were rapidly changing…… and not for the better. Then, someone sent in the clowns, and the Dept of Edu. was created, and unions ruled and you know the sad and ugly rest of the story.
When Evan Bayh was elected governor of Indiana, by executive order, he allowed teachers to unionize and we had nothing but conflict on negotiations for pay, retirement and such and some schools missed significant days of school because of conflict. The following Governor eliminated that right and then the state got back to teaching the children. The state schools are not perfect but kids do get a reasonable eduction now. Still have difficulty in 2 large cities but nothing like we hear in other states. Charter schools were tried for a while but there was some corruption and poor outcomes but you can home school kids here without a lot of hassles and many do quite well. I can’t speak for all but the kids I have dealt with after graduation seem well educated with their home schooling.
But I do support the idea of vouchers and the money traveling with the child. So all children get the chance for a good education and children are not locked into failing “public schools”.
If you want to stick with only public schools then ban the unions and make sure that parents have clear cut control over their children’s well being. None of this nonsense with transitioning children without telling the parents like some have been doing in California. If I had school age children I would not come close to a big city or California.
The Professor is sounding more and more like a conservative every day.
The devil’s guide to controlling public education and using it to change American culture; enlarge government; and influence the private sector:
1. Hire teachers who depend on teaching income. Reject candidates who are retirees, who have outside employment, or have their own businesses. Dependence on teaching income will promote loyalty to the education establishment.
2. Expand the mission of the public schools. Offer health services and child rearing assistance. Make the public schools a source of authority and services outside the control of parents.
3. Increase the number of regulations affecting education. Hire the administrators needed to establish and enforce compliance with regulations. The greater the number of people employed in public education, the greater the number with a stake in preserving and enlarging the institution.
4. Establish and maintain control over what is taught in order to influence the way students view history, the role of government, sexuality, and family life.
5. Employ teachers unions to influence the selection of investment managers by state pension funds. Encourage investments in favored industries.
6. Develop and use the political power of political committees established by public sector employee unions.
7. Exploit every opportunity to increase the power of government as a counterweight to the power of the family.
Generally speaking your description of the teachers union could be applied to any public sector bureaucracy and its union. Unionization of public sector services empowers the bureaucracy while simultaneously protecting it from accountability. The natural outcome is an alliance with the politicians who support them and receive support in return. The public interest has no representation at the collective bargaining table. All public sectors unions should. be decertified.