Steven Singer urges the two big teachers’ unions to watch and wait before they make an endorsement in the Presidential race, and be sure to listen to their members.
The good news is that the Network for Public Education Action is creating a report card for all of the candidates and will regularly update the report card. We want education to be an important issue in the 2020 race, as it was not in 2016.
Singer begins:
Let’s not mince words.
The last Presidential election was a cluster.
And we were at least partially to blame for it.
The Democratic primary process was a mess, the media gave free airtime to the most regressive candidate, and our national teachers unions – the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) – endorsed a Democratic challenger too early and without getting membership support first.
This time we have a chance to get it right.
Edu-blogger Peter Greene spoke my feelings when he took to Twitter:
“Just so we’re clear, and so we don’t screw it up again—- NEA and AFT, please wait at least a couple more weeks before endorsing a Democratic Presidential candidate for 2020.”
He’s being snarky.
No one would endorse two years before people actually enter a voting booth.
Singer thinks it was a huge mistake to endorse Hillary Clinton long before the primaries. The result might have been the same, but the membership should have had a chance to weigh in before the decision was made. At the very least, Clinton should have been asked to state in public that she would support public funding for public schools only, with no federal funding for privately owned and privately managed charter schools, even those that call themselves “public charter schools” because they get public money. She should have also been asked to speak out on the subject of testing, its misuse and abuse. She should have been asked if she would change federal law to stop closing schools based on their test scores.
Right now, Congress gives more than $400 million every year to charter schools, even though they don’t need the money. They are flush with money from billionaires, millionaires, Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and tech titans. When you are funded by Betsy DeVos, the Koch brothers, the Walton family, John Arnold, Eli Broad, and Reed Hastings, just to name a few, why does the federal government lavish more funding on charters.
Candidates should be required to seek the support of teachers, not to take it for granted.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
As you watch pundits talk to candidates, no questions are asked about education. Glad a report card will be coming out.
and the fact that education continues to be ignored as an essential topic even as huge teacher strikes are happening again and again and again says so much about the media control game
The Janus case will force union leaders to listen to their members sooner or later, especially as older members retire and are replaced with new members who may be reluctant to pay dues unless they see a compelling reason to do so.
Love the idea of a report card (and would like to see it expanded to all governors and senators).
The points about waiting on national education union endorsements is so painfully obvious, but this has been just another area where the leadership of these organizations have let down the people they represent.
The leaders of the NEA & AFT did not let down the people they represent. They represented Hillary, etc. very well.
LOL! I stand corrected.
Endorsement is condition
For cabinet position
I agree with Singer. Singer is correct.
Pleased about this: “Singer thinks it was a huge mistake to endorse Hillary Clinton long before the primaries. The result might have been the same, but the membership should have had a chance to weigh in before the decision was made. At the very least, Clinton should have been asked to state in public that she would support public funding for public schools only, with no federal funding for privately owned and privately managed charter schools, even those that call themselves “public charter schools” because they get public money. She should have also been asked to speak out on the subject of testing, its misuse and abuse. She should have been asked if she would change federal law to stop closing schools based on their test scores.”
Any politician who doesn’t support public schools and public school teachers puts this country at risk re: the OLIGARCHS and we go backwards to Jim Crow days. Follow the $$$$$.
The DFERs are SO WRONG.
AFT and NEA presidents are already committed to the corporate centrist wing of the Dems of which both Weingarten and Eskelsen-Garcia are members. Their seats at this august table explains why they quickly endorsed Hillary so early without any rank-and-file input. Only an organized revolt by union members from the bottom will stop these two faux leaders from doing this again. At the moment, Klobuchar, Harris, Gillebrand, and Brown are the corporate center candidates with a profile.
There would be reason to hope if the AFT asked for return of its campaign donation to DFER”s Rep. Susan Davis. In Sept., Davis was on a panel sponsored by Gates and Arnold at Bipartisan Policy Center (founded by Tom Daschle, chair of the Center for American Progress Board, which advocates for charter schools). The organizer of the panel was the former politician, George Miller, who advocated for K-12 privatization.
BPC is considered a powerful lobby shop. A few years ago, It succeeded in privatizing natural gas decisions for one of its clients.
Davis is the 3rd ranking Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee. Someone should tell the corporate Democrat, Susan Davis, that Democrats are turning against the domestic evil of the Silicon Valley billionaire boys club.
It’s a damn shame that NPE isn’t the dominant voice instead of the pretenders who claim to represent public education. Public education’s stakeholders, its students, parents, tax funders, communities, teachers and the nation’s future deserve a single LOUD voice, the voice of Diane Ravitch.
Every time that scumbag Bill Gates or Melinda Gates get interviewed by a celebrity- drooling excuse for a reporter, there should be a counter balancing interview with Diane Ravitch. And, that would happen if the U.S. was a democracy instead of a tech and corporate oligarchy.
Anyone else remember when Randi promised in front of several hundred people at the NPE conference in 2015 not to take any more Gates money? Anyone else remember when she broke that promise? When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.
Endorsements are well and fine—and I completely agree with Steven—but they are hollow if not backed up by visible political muscle.
I have mentioned often how the various strikes around the nation are a national narrative, not isolated community issues. If education advocates can’t accomplish this, it will have severe long-term effects. Strikes will be occasional side shows.
We also need to have some metaphorical scalps to hang on our calling cards. For example, we need to see headlines like, “Booker Ends Presidential Run: Blames Education Lobby for Inability to Gain Traction.” We need to strike fear of upsetting us into candidates and, at the same time, put a higher value on getting our approval and support. Then endorsements will really matter.
Since we don’t have the money, we must build our constituency. That means educating our neighbors, friends, and colleagues and motivating them to do the same.
Agreed. I want some big-time politicians to lose office because of their mistaken education policy decisions. To my knowledge, the closest we have is Jeb Bush’s failed presidential run, and it’s hard to say that his ed policies were difference making in the collapse.
Jeb Bush lost because Trump told the audience that Jeb lacked energy. Then, Bush confirmed the comment with his defense which appeared weak and, his slow response which suggested mental lethargy.
The GOP voter was looking for a strong man, someone who would be a bully for them.
Greg’s headline about Booker is exactly what is needed. Inroads in shutting down Gates’ initiatives are succeeding.The recent headline in Huffpo about Dems abandoning Big Tech is proof.
One of my favorite headlines will be the Center for American Progress Abandons Privatization or. failing that, Democrats Abandon Right Wing, Center for American Progress.
Reportedly CAP gave big bucks to AEI, the employer of Frederick Hess.
Let’s note that Booker is still very supportive of school vouchers, ignores the 30 state referenda on the matter.
Booker is well … just a distraction. He has no clue.
Steven Singer says “The membership should have had a chance to weigh in before the decision was made”
Oh, Steven, democracy is so yesterday.
Haven’t you heard? Dictatorship is in?
Weingarten and Eskelson-Garcia don’t need the opinions of the pee-ons.
“Minion Opinions”
“My millions of minions”
Says AFT head
“Have worthless opinions”
“That needn’t be read”