Will education replace Iraq at the top of the 2008 Presidential campaign agenda? Yes, if philanthropists Bill Gates and Eli Broad have anything to say about it … they intend to pump $60 million into a nationwide effort to place education at the top of the list.
- Inside the beltway the “players” joust as the reauthorization of No Child left Behind (NCLB) slowly wends its way through the legislative process.
- In LA Steve Barr, the Green Dot unionized charter school operator fences with AJ Dufy the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) prez.
- Newly elected Washington DC Mayor Fenty chooses Michelle Rhee, leader of the New Teacher Project as superintendent, in spite of her total lack of managerial or school supervisory experience.
The defining struggle, however, is the battle going on in the Apple.
Last Friday at the Edustat Summit at Columbia University Joel Klein and Randi Weingarten the NYC Teacher Union leader each sketched out their vision of urban education.
Joel likes to link his educational vision as a continuation of Brown v Board of Education: sweeping school reform as a civil rights issue. The first iteration of school reform was an attempt to broaden the Chancellor’s District Model – a heavily scripted, micromanaged effort in the fifty-five lowest achieving schools in the city, implemented in a loose partnership with the teacher union. In Joel’s version the union had no role, he ignored the union and rammed his “reform” down the throats of teachers.
Two years later Joel found his Mohammed, he glimpsed the burning bush and became a disciple of Sir Michael Barber . From his bully pulpit Joel sees himself as the reincarnation of 60’s civil rights icons, on the ground he is attempting to:
- Disempower the unions.
- To the extent possible “privatize” schools in the public sector (Charter Schools, Empowerment Schools/Networks, Educational Management Organizations, and Partnership Support Organizations etc.)
- Create a totally data-driven, highly transparent school, principal and teacher evaluation system
- Reward and punish with pay for performance and weakening/abolishing tenure.
- Create a “Robin Hood” school funding system – driving funds, and experienced teachers from “rich” to “poor” schools.
- Create a laser-like focus on test scores
- An Open Market hiring/transfer system that encourages principals to recruit teachers from outside and within the system without limitations.
His deputy, Andres Alonzo has just been appointed as the Chief School Officer in Baltimore and Michelle Rhee, the leader of the New Teacher Project, and Klein ally, has been nominated as school leader in Washington DC.
Klein has flitted from city to city, from foundation to foundation espousing his vision of urban education.
Is the NYC teacher union on the brink of being overwhelmed by Joel?
Not only is it not on the brink the union is thriving, with their own vision of public education. While Joel has sought foundation acolytes Randi has courted elected officials and organized with parents and school advocacy groups. In the almost fifty year history of the union their relationship with elected officials, on the local, state and national level has never been stronger. While Joel flew from foundation to foundation Randi
- Negotiated an early contract with the Mayor, without any givebacks, that raises teacher salaries to six figures.
- Negotiated an agreement with the Mayor that thwarts Joel’s attempts to erode tenure and create a “robin hood” school funding formula.
- At the State level drove unparalleled funding through the implementation of the Committee for Fiscal Equity (CFE) lawsuit to schools, targeting ELL, Special Education and low achieving youngsters.
- Created a citywide coalition of parent, community and advocacy organizations.
- Lead the largest organizing drive in the city in decades that will add tens of thousands of low income workers to the ranks of trade unionism.
Although Mayoral control is all the rage, spreading from city to city the NYC law sunsets on June 30, 2009.
How much political capital will the Mayor exhaust to defend Mayoral control?
Elected officials on the local and State level despise Klein … will a Mayoral school system without Klein have a better chance of surviving? Will the Mayor’s interest in Presidential politics and his recent push in environmental areas supplant his interest in schools? Will Joel jump to some foundation and espouse his agenda from other lofty heights?
Joel versus Randi may be more interesting than Barack versus Hillary.
