Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute bluntly declares that Mayor Emanuel was defeated by CTU. Hess clearly prefers the Scott Walker style of crush-the-unions and take no prisoners.
His scorecard is interesting.
It is a good counterweight to those who say that CTU did not win enough concessions.
Remember this was a negotiation, not a battle to the death. The great thing about the strike was that it happened. Teachers got a spine and a voice. That’s the news.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It seems Hess took a pot shot at you in his remarks about Karen Lewis. I could be wrong but if not, it’s a little rude.
Besides the cheap shot at you in the Karen Lewis paragraph, I take issue with this essay in that he presumes that the people on the ground weren’t all in sync about their strategy with this strike. Why would he say that the teachers lost on the editorial side of the New York Times when we all know the New York Times has leaned pro-ed-deform for a few years now? Also, as many real reformers have proved, Steve Brill doesn’t actually matter in the grand scheme of things. Rick Hess seems so out-of-touch in this piece that I wonder the destination of “straight up.”
I’m used to cheap shots.
What I liked was the score:
CTU wins, Rahm loses.
I agree about Brill: he is irrelevant.
I wonder if Hess’ view might be an acknowledgement that the “reformers” are not invincible.
When faced with people power, bullies back down.
Contrary to the movie title, they do back down when they face a sea if teachers.
Also true. Chicago teachers gave them another serving of crow (lots of nutritional value there), and they’ve yet to diminish what the American public actually feels about educators.
And you’re right: so long as the kids win, who cares what others have to say about you? Or any of us for that matter.
The latest poll shows that 77% of American public gives high marks to the public schools they know; and the same three-quarters admires teachers. Wonder what percent would give high marks to conservative pundits?
I am used to cheap shots. Glad to see that champions of faux reform are worried. When confronted with unity and determination, bullies back down. People power beats money power.
Diane
Not that this guy is worth taking too seriously, but note the comment:
“Today Democratic ed reformers will be cranking up their spin machines to explain why Rahm didn’t really get rolled by the CTU. (And, let’s be honest, Democrats account for about 90+ percent of both the education blob and the education reform community.) ”
Hess lays out the bind in which Obama, the Clintons, and the DLC have placed the Democrats. By moving the Democrats to adopt the sorts of positions taken by the original progressives, an important victory for unions and the public is rendered a political loss for the party traditionally associated with the labor movement and public service. Thus, the CTU is now truly on its own, without a political party other than the Greens to support it and the pulbic schools. Hess is thus free to argue that far right, following Scott Walker, would be more effective than Obama’s progressives at controlling the unions and bringing reforms.
So, celebrate today. But fear tomorrow, unless we can either get the Democrats back to work or find a third party.
And speaking of the blurring of Democrats and Republicans under our progressive president, take a look at Matt Taibbi’s article on why we can’t rein in Wall Street:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/a-rare-look-at-why-the-government-wont-fight-wall-street-20120918#ixzz26uWnLEpi
When folks take cheap shots, it means they have nothing, and I mean NOTHING, of substance or importance to say. It is an overused, easily identified tactic, and a huge yawn now, to paint Diane Ravitch as the story instead of the dispute between CTU and the Mayor.
“…seventy-something former academic…”! He paid you a very high compliment by not using your name although I’m sure that was not his intention. He assumed that all his readers would know who he was talking about. You have made it!!
What a low level jerk he is !
I hope you live to be 100, so that my three kids who are teachers still have your wisdom and support…
You really make an impact, or he wouldn’t have mentioned our most wonderful “seventy year old”
…an eighty-two year old retired teacher…still in the ring!
I thought I heard that the teacher evaluations will go forward in this contract?
Looks like a win for Obama/Rahm/Duncan.
When the assessments come out, it would help to draw attention to whether they are watered down/carry a political agenda/etc.
Prof. S. Wilson already critiqued the preliminary SBAC and noted the emphasis on Communication Skills in the math assessment.
That is what needs to be conveyed if this is what ends up being assessed.
IF we are using a dumbed down assessment, and teachers are now evaluated on it, what good is the reform?
Listen to Karen Lewis on DemocracyNow!
http://www.democracynow.org/
Note her comments on the lack of political accountability of Rham’s hand-picked board; the same broad that is burning through teachers and principals using teacher “accountability”.
Thank you so much for this link. Karen was so together and has been through all of this. She deserves now to get a few more hours of sleep each day for at least the rest of the week! Let’s hope folks like Emanuel have learned what democracy really looks like! The CPS negotiating team as well!
Dr. Ravitch,
I appreciate your end point. This was a negotiation issue, but if I remember hearing somewhere, we are just beginning. It sounds like there will be some work on mayoral control of schools etc.
I thought I heard that Lewis and CTU has done an excellent job of working the streets and getting the people energized.
I expect this won’t be the only loss to Mr. Emanual
Hess is a clown, but a dangerous one because people actually listen to him. A few months ago, he identified “Dr” John Deasy as engaging in cage busting reform. Dr. John spun a yarn, swallowed by Rick, that he, John, ran around the teachers union in Prince George’s County Maryland and moved hundreds of teachers without regards to the negotiated settlement between PGCEA and PGBOE. As a DC area resident, Dr. John’s story sounded fishy and I asked several people for their take. Everyone said Dr. John was full of it.
And Rick swallowed.
Another lying reformer like Rhee.
http://sitelife.edweek.org/ver1.0/gocomm?ck=CommentKey%3a82d23699-dc74-41f6-bda4-955a1e46c69f
I’d be more impressed with Hess if he actually worked for a living.
My suggestion to him would be to get a real job, like teaching.
Expending real daily effort might be good for his perspective.
Who knows? He might gain some sorely needed humility.
Humility is a rare quality in think-tankia.
It is good to see the “reformers” up in arms about this and spouting preposterous nonsense all over the place. They are not used to being confronted with truth. In line with that, Hess states the CTU gained nothing by waiting two days. In fact, he fails to see the most extraordinary thing–the CTU wanted its members to know what they were voting on before simply pushing it through. That is democracy, something precious and rare, and something very much needed by unions.