Full speed ahead for school reforms

Wisconsin State Journal:

If Wisconsin is to improve its public schools, it needs leaders willing to think and act boldly, kick sacred cows and innovate.

State and local officials should keep that in mind as they consider complaints that Gov. Scott Walker's move to restrict collective bargaining for most public employees risks cutting an essential partner out of education reform plans.

As the State Journal's six-part series "Labor's Last Stand" reported in Tuesday's installment, the complaints are based on the assumption that without teacher unions participating in the development and execution of reforms, those reforms will fizzle.

But framing the success or failure of school reform in terms of dependency on union bargaining is misguided. In the past, teacher unions have led some education reforms but have been roadblocks to others. In fact, it is insulting to individual teachers, school boards and superintendents to believe that nothing can be accomplished without going through a union.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at April 22, 2011 8:56 PM
Subscribe to this site via RSS/Atom: Newsletter signup | Send us your ideas