As a central piece of his controversial education-reform agenda heads to the state Supreme Court for review, rising Republican star and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Tuesday unloaded on teachers unions and cast them as the biggest reason American schools continue to wallow in mediocrity.
“There is one entity working hard every day, spending millions of dollars every year, to make sure you never get the opportunity to get your child out of a failing school and into a different school, and that is the teachers union,” Mr. Jindal said during a speech in Washington, given in conjunction with a new report from the Brookings Institution showing that several Louisiana districts are among the best in the nation in offering parents more options and better access to charter and other alternative schools.
The state has also become the latest battleground in a string of fights between school reformers and their foes in organized labor. Mr. Jindal’s landmark education overhaul is now facing opposition not only from unions but has also seen a significant setback in court.
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"To stop school reform" says it all.
ReplyDeleteAs a former teacher and school administrator (retired after 30 yrs), I completely agree that teacher unions/associations do more to harm than help students. I was a former association rep for the WCEA and the bottom line was to 'protect' colleagues from school administrators. I quit that position in disgust after seeing the overall 'talent' in Wicomico County to become a school AP then Principal. In over a decade in school administration I can tell you that it was nearly impossible to remove a teacher, and so incredibly frustrating that children had to suffer at the hands of average to below average teachers. I applaud Mr. Jindal for his efforts and sincerely hope that an answer can be found that restores America's public schools to a better place. Please note that I recoginze that truly amazing teachers work hard every day in Wicomico County, but the percentage is most likely in the 25% IMHO.
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