NEA's Independent Teaching Commission Not So Independent

Mike Antonucci

At the union's convention last July in New Orleans, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel announced the creation of a Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching, which would study teacher effectiveness and report its findings to the delegates of the 2011 convention.

"Let's demand to be the ones in charge," Van Roekel said, adding, "Imagine going beyond 'being at the table' to running the meeting."

He asked, rhetorically, "What would the profession look like if we - the union of practitioners - actually controlled teacher training, induction and licensure, evaluation and professional development?"

Today, NEA announced the 21 members of that commission, and while the press release described them as "diverse" and "independent," they seem committed to Van Roekel's goals - union control of teacher training, induction, licensure, evaluation and professional development.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at December 15, 2010 1:58 AM
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