Morning Shots

“Why Romney, Obama are education twins” suggests that teachers unions are not standing in the way of education reform, saying they “tolerate” charter schools and are more open to teacher evaluations. I have to respectfully disagree with this assessment. While the unions may be paying lip service to reforms like teacher evaluations and charter schools, their actions tell a different story.

Across the country unions are fighting against the use of strong data-driven and performance based evaluations to determine which teachers are rewarded, retained, and advanced. In Detroit they are suing the school district for considering performance over tenure when re-hiring teachers; in Pittsburgh they are fighting to have tenure, not merit, decide which teachers are laid off; and in Buffalo union resistance to a fair teacher evaluation system is putting at risk $5.6 million in funding that could help turnaround failing schools. Make no mistake, the teachers unions are still standing firmly against any valid evaluation systems that include real consequences.

I also take issue with the idea that unions “tolerate” charter schools. If this is true, then why did they sue to stop 17 charters from opening in New York City or attempt to drive out one of Maryland’s most successful charters (KIPP Ujima Village Academy) because they had longer school days than traditional public schools.

If the unions were serious about reform, they would work to create as many good schools as possible instead of picking fights over what kind of school it is; and they would put the best possible teachers in the classroom by advocating performance over time served.

Coverage of Candidate Romney’s education plan received varying reviews. His agenda aside, newspapers also reported that Romney appointed an advisory team which included former Education Secretary Rod Paige. Yet rather than tell the readers something about Paige’s past accomplishments, the only thing numerous newspapers felt worthy to use as a descriptor is that Paige once called the NEA a “terrorist organization.”

Let’s start with the fact that he did so because during his tenure iN Washington, the NEA held hostage any legislator who didn’t agree with their viewpoints. This is not new for the leading labor union in the country, which politicians fear as they run for office. But those facts aside, the Post reported that “Romney’s Education Policy Advisory Committee includes several prominent opponents of teacher’s unions, including Paige, who as secretary of education in 2004 labeled the National Education Association a “terrorist organization.” No context. Zip. The AP story from which the Post clearly drew had the same.

Paige’s career as Houston TX superintendent is well regarded to this day, as is his tenure as the leader of a dramatic, bi-partisan reform plan that took shape amidst a 9/11 world. He’s an author, a contributor to numerous education efforts and a man worthy of much more than one phrase to describe his tenure.

All corners of the political spectrum should call on the press, bloggers included, to save the drama for the Style section and focus on the big ideas espoused by both candidates that will shape the outcomes in every classroom for every school-age student nationwide.

–Jeanne Allen, Founder and President of the Center for Education Reform

A driving passion to create for students a school that meets, even exceeds, standards she had for her own children’s schools is what drove Deborah Kenny to jump headfirst into the raging sea of opening a charter network, the Harlem Village Academies. In a storytelling-style book, Born to Rise, Kenny offers not only her personal motivation to be a charter trailblazer in Harlem, but a down and dirty look into what it takes to open the doors on that first day of school – from funding to securing a building to finding the best teachers.

Much of what she writes about her inspiration is common among many charter school founders – social justice concern for children in the throes of poverty who can make it if only given a chance, despair over bureaucratic mandates that impede true student growth and an annoyance with union rules that handcuff teachers to doing less or keep teachers who work at sub-par levels in contact with students for way too long. Yet, Kenny holds a unique approach to the type of school she wants to open, one that puts people and culture first. Her belief, based on research and reading, particularly Peter Drucker’s Management Challenges for the 21st Century, is that building a culture where people enjoy work and empowering teachers to take ownership of their jobs will result in top outcomes for students. Like many education leaders, Kenny understands how critical it is to have a quality teacher in every classroom. But, rather than script teachers to get a top performance, she wants to give them the freedom, along with accountability, to make their own decisions. It goes without saying that she also puts a lot of time and energy into hiring the right teachers.

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