Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Collective Bargaining

According to a new CBS/New York Times survey, Americans oppose weakening the bargaining rights of public employee unions by a margin of nearly two to one: 60 percent to 33 percent. Source: New York Times

The Real Political Math in Wisconsin

Despite all the talk about cutting spending, writes Howard Fineman in The Huffington Post, ” the underlying strategic Wisconsin story is this: Gov. Scott Walker, a Tea Party-tinged Republican, is the advance guard of a new GOP push to dismantle public-sector unions as an electoral force.” Source: The Huffington Post

Debating Michelle Rhee

Michelle Rhee is clearly very popular with members of the elite media, but Richard Kahlenberg of the Century Foundation argues that the former D.C. schools chancellor’s approach to reform continues to be misguided.

Largest Crowd Yet: 80,000 Rally in Wisconsin

by Tim Walker and Cynthia McCabe In one of the biggest rallies in Madison since the Vietnam War, up to 80,000 Wisconsin workers and their supporters, waving off freezing, snowy weather, marched into Capitol Square on Saturday. The rally the weekend before was huge – 55,000 plus – but this one surpassed it, sending a [...]

Schools Vouchers Making a Comeback

By Mary Ellen Flannery Despite resounding parent opposition to the idea of taking taxpayer money and using it to pay private-school tuitions, partisan lawmakers across the country — as well as in Congress – have returned this spring to one of their favorite pet topics: school vouchers. So far, faced with unified opposition from parents [...]

Must Reads – Some GOP Governors Soften on Anti-Union Plans

“With a wary eye on Wisconsin, Republican leaders in several states are toning down the tough talk against public employee unions and, in some cases, abandoning anti-union measures altogether.” Source: Associated Press

Must Reads – Idaho Education Plan

Stateline.org writes about Idaho Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna’s education plan. “The efforts to curtail public employee union influence in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana all involve teachers. But the Idaho plan is perhaps the most far-reaching effort to use teachers’ rights and performance as part of a bid to revamp a state’s entire educational process.” [...]

Must Reads – Vote in Wisconsin

“Wisconsin Democrats in the state Assembly agreed to a deal in the pre-dawn hours Thursday to limit debate and reach a vote, perhaps by midday, on a bill taking away public workers’ collective bargaining rights.” The measure would then go to the state Senate. Source: Associated Press

Must Reads – Paying Kids to Study

A series of studies by Harvard’s Roland Fryer has found that paying students for good grades does not help boost achievement. However, paying students to read, attend class and do homework does in some cases. Source: NPR

Standing Up For Pensions

By Mary Ellen Flannery It’s certainly not the fault of union employees that state legislators have broken their promises to fund their pension systems or that Wall Street crashed the economy, costing over 8 million jobs and devastating state budgets. And yet, all over the country, lawmakers are unfairly demonizing teachers and other public employees, [...]

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