Today's New York Times considers the breakdown in relations between the Democratic Party and teacher unions, in sharp relief after last week's NEA National Meeting where delegates passed a resolution demanding the resignation of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
“The Democratic Party used to outsource its education policy to the N.E.A.,” said Joe Williams, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform, an advocacy group that supports test-based evaluations and changes to tenure.
“The Duncan vote,” Mr. Williams said, “made them look like the lunatic fringe. It’s not exactly the way you convince the public that you’ve got a good, credible idea.”