Politics K-12

Education Week launched a convention blitz by sending two teams of reporters to the Democratic and Republican conventions, armed with smartphones, laptops, video, and still cameras, with the goal being to deliver engaging, up-to-the-minute, and useful news . Response from readers was terrific, as gauged by the numerous comments we got.

A sampling of the best reader comments from the convention:

"Parents do have a choice. They elect a school board and can run for that office. Don't slay public education. It is the glue that holds education together." -- Don, John McCain Talks a Good Game on School Choice.

"McCain says he will reward good teachers. He's a senator right now. Why can't he push that idea through at this moment?" -- Lorraine, McCain Calls for School Choice and Shakeup of Education Bureaucracy.

"I find this very amusing that just because she [Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin] was part of the PTA people assume that she understands school policies. It may make her a qualified fundraiser but anyone can sell skittles at a table in the front hall of the school." -- Paul, Delegates Praise Palin's Grace and Grit.

"I am also disappointed that Obama is parroting the mantra of the so-called reformers, 'higher standards and accountability.' I don't know about your state, but I think in my state, the higher standards are there. That's not the problem." -- Diane, Obama: Education is a 'Moral Obligation'.

"The two biggest impediments to public education were the creation of the U.S. Dept. of Education and the founding of the NEA." -- Bob, ‘New’ Voice Speaks About Teachers at Convention.

"I'm a life long Democrat who believes that my party still doesn't understand that we can recruit great teachers to the schools that need them most, but we must, simultaneously, offer the highest quality professional learning for those already teaching." -- Ellin, ‘New’ Voice Speaks About Teachers at Convention.

"If teachers are not to blame for the sorry state of inner city education then maybe it is the urban Democratic mayors and other elected officials who are responsible." -- Rich, Union Tensions at DNC.

"She's awesome." -- Kerry on Sen. Hillary Clinton, AFT Delegates Back Obama Even If They'd Rather Vote for Clinton.

Posted by Michele McNeil at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In a historic acceptance speech before 70,000 screaming, stomping supporters, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama declared that it is “time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education.”

Obama got an especially resounding round of applause when he called for the creation of a “new army of teachers” that would be paid higher salaries. He also said that, in exchange, he’ll “ask for higher standards and more accountability.”

The U.S. senator from Illinois didn’t mention the No Child Left Behind Act, the main federal K-12 education law that requires schools to test students and move toward a goal of all students being proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014.

The nearly 45-minute speech, in which Obama declared “enough!” to the practices of the President Bush's administration over the last eight years, was heavy on foreign policy, the economy, and his signature theme of change.

His address was preceded by speeches from former Vice President Al Gore, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, and Susan Eisenhower, a granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Singers Sheryl Crow and Stevie Wonder spiced up the night.

But perhaps the most said about education came about 30 minutes before Obama's speech, when Teresa Asenap, a teacher from New Mexico, told the crowd in brief remarks that Obama would invest $10 billion in early education and additional funds to make college affordable.

She said: "Our schools don't have the resources they need to meet the high standards of No Child Left Behind."

--Michele McNeil

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The final day of the Democratic National Convention has been low-key. The calendar of events was long on receptions and short on policy seminars. Everyone’s waiting for Barack Obama's speech tonight.

This morning, I talked with Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. The chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee seemed excited—almost giddy—about Obama’s candidacy.

Miller endorsed Obama shortly after the Illinois senator lost the New Hampshire primary—a time when many Democrats were waiting to see which way the political winds would blow. "I figured: 'Hey, I gotta add something to the pot here," he said, as we waited for the event where he was the guest speaker to begin.

Miller said he met Obama through Sen. Richard Durbin, the other senator from Illinois and one of the tenants of Miller's Capitol Hill rowhouse. Obama occasionally came over for a dinner of takeout Chinese food and to talk about issues with Miller and his roommates. Miller was impressed by Obama's knowledge of educational issues, particularly on the No Child Left Behind Act.

“He understands that the basic tenets of No Child Left Behind—high standards, assessments, accountability, highly qualified teachers, funding—are very important,” Miller said.

Obama took a nuanced position on the controversial law, saying its principles and goals are good, but some of it's policies need to be fixed. Other candidates calculated “they could get a few points in the polls by bashing it,” Miller said. Then, they found that they had to “double back” and offer solutions to the problems facing schools.

Miller acknowledged that NCLB’s reauthorization won’t be a top priority for the next president. While the next administration—whether it’s John McCain’s or Barack Obama’s— addresses urgent issues such as foreign and economic policies, Miller plans to start a dialogue about how to fix the law.

Miller was optimistic about the prospects for the law. Last year, a discussion draft never advanced through the legislative process, largely because teachers' unions lobbied against the draft's experiments with performance pay.

“It’s not going to get hung up on performance pay,” Miller predicted.

I didn’t get to ask why he thought that. One of the event’s organizers complained that I was monopolizing the congressman's time and whisked him away to talk to a reporter from the news organization co-sponsoring the event. (This was the reprimand that Michele tweeted at www.twitter.com/educationweek.)

I did sneak in two other quick questions as he left.

Will NCLB get a new name? “I’ve always said you get 100 votes if you change the name,” Miller said.

Would he like to be secretary of education in an Obama administration? “I love what I’m doing,” he responded.

--David J. Hoff

Posted by David J. Hoff, edweek.org at 8:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The assignment for the 11th grade class yesterday at Mapleton Expeditionary School for the Arts in a north Denver suburb was to examine Michelle Obama's speech from the opening night of the Democratic National Convention, and describe whether or not her words sparked a personal connection.

In art class, students were to draw Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain based on a sketch, but with a twist: to copy the portraits upside down.

Students at Mapleton, or MESA, as it's called, are probably more politically engaged than most kids their age. They live in the city that is hosting the Democratic convention. Their school received a visit in June from Sen. Obama. And their principal, Michael Johnston, is an adviser on education policy to the Democratic nominee.

But spend a morning at the school, and it's clear these kids and their families have the same problems and same worries as others in the working and middle classes--whose votes are being courted by both candidates. Johnston, the principal, says his 520-student school that serves grades 7-12 has been particularly hard hit by the mortgage- foreclosure crisis.

During a class discussion about Michelle Obama's speech, 16-year-old Aspen Gelski said her family often lives paycheck to paycheck, and her mother was on the fence as to whom she would vote for--until Obama came to her school. "That made her really believe in him--that he cared," Gelski said.

Cindy Huynh identifed with Michelle Obama's call to help single mothers. "My mom is a single mother, and she's on her own," she said.

And perhaps ED in '08 should hire Abdul Zulali as a spokesman. He said education is an important issue to him, because "with education, you can break out of that cycle." And on the candidates, he said:
"I do hear him [Obama] talking about education, whereas, I'm sorry, I forget his name," said Zulali, prompting several students to remind him that the presumptive Republican nominee is John McCain. "I don't hear him talking about that."

On our visit to the school on the day Obama received his historic nomination, we also talked to some 8th graders who will have to wait until 2016 before they can vote in a presidential election. But they are still excited about this election. We hope to have video of them up soon.

--Michele McNeil and David J. Hoff

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IN VERY LONG LINE AT INVESCO FIELD--Even though his union members split between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, National Education Association President Reg Weaver was for Obama all along "in his heart," he said today.

At a private reception in his honor put on by the Congressional Black Caucus, the retiring NEA president told us that he made up his mind early on that he would support his fellow Chicagoan, Obama.

But for the sake of NEA unity, he kept quiet until the primary was over.

"I had my organization to think about," said Weaver, 68, who leaves office Sept. 1. "They were right down the line" split between the two Democrats.

Unlike the American Federation of Teachers, which jumped out early for Clinton, the NEA waited until there was a winner of the protracted Democratic primary before endorsing. Because the NEA waited, it was easier to unite its members behind Obama.

Weaver is predicting an Obama victory over Sen. John McCain: "The cat's going to win."

--Michele McNeil and David J. Hoff

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When Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. ran for president, he didn't have much to say about education. Other than answering a few debate questions about issues such as merit pay and the No Child Left Behind Act, the Delaware Democrat was quiet on his views about how to improve the nation's schools.

Now that Biden is the vice presidential candidate, he appears to have adopted the education platform of Sen. Barack Obama.

"Barack Obama knows that any country that out-teaches us today will out-compete us tomorrow," Biden said in accepting the vice presidential nomination tonight. "He'll invest us in the next generation of teachers. He'll make college more affordable. That's the change we need."

Biden didn't mention pre-K, expanding charter schools, or fixing NCLB. But it's safe to assume he'll adopt Obama's position on those issues, too.

In his 36-year career in the Senate, Biden hasn't played a significant role on educational issues. But he has been an advocate for working-class people, according to one teachers' union member from Delaware who is a delegate to the convention.

"Senator Biden has always been for the working person," said Crystal Barnett, who is a member of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and works for the union's headquarters. "He is pro-union."

--David J. Hoff

Posted by David J. Hoff, edweek.org at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The Democrats for Education Reform, which embraces school reform ideas that are often opposed by traditional Democratic union stalwarts, have apparently arrived on the convention scene.

Members of the group nabbed a coveted spot in the Democratic National Committee’s skybox at the Pepsi Center here in Denver on Tuesday night, where they watched Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s rally-cry-for-unity speech.

The skybox next door belonged to the former President Bill Clinton and family, who were hosting the American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten—who was none too happy with an event DFER organized on Sunday and who undoubtedly took note of their presence in the DNC skybox.

DFER Executive Director Joe Williams and board member John Petry, a partner at a New York City hedge fund and Democratic Party donor, got such an invitation because their group includes some big-time donors like Petry. They embrace such ideas as charter schools and merit pay for teachers.

Later, Williams partied with the centrist Democratic Leadership Council. That event was, ironically, sponsored by the National Education Association, considered by many to be pretty liberal.

--Michele McNeil

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ED in '08, the $60 million campaign to promote education as a top-tier issue in the presidential campaign, hasn't been a thunderous force here at the Democratic convention.

So what's the group's strategy as the Democratic convention hits the mid-point and the GOP convention in St. Paul is just days away? Basically, it is to insert former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, a Democrat and superdelegate to the convention, into as many scheduled events here as possible to help raise the level debate on education.

The group has also made a $5 million ad buy in seven battleground states, including a full-page ad in yesterday's Denver Post, TV commercials (one is included below), and ads online and on the radio. The states are New Mexico, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Virginia. They plan to expand their strategy to an eighth state--Minnesota--next week for the GOP convention.

With the election about two months away, Gov. Romer told me Tuesday after a school choice event at the Denver Country Club that this strategy is evolving as ED in '08 seeks to live past its expiration date on Nov. 4--Election Day.

Now, Romer says, one of the chief goals for ED in '08 is to be a player in the transition, whether the winner is Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain. He said ED in '08 folks recognize that getting their voices heard in these final 60 days will be difficult. After all, Gov. Romer said, "The campaigns aren't thinking about profound policy now. They're thinking about how they're going to win."

Romer said he met with some of Obama's staff yesterday to talk education, and presumably, Ed in '08's executive director, Republican Marc Lampkin, will do the same outreach next week in St. Paul.

--Michele McNeil

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Education Week reporter Michele McNeil asks an NEA delegate why he supports Barack Obama.

Tod Bowman- Twelfth grade government teacher at Maquoketa Community High School in Iowa:

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Hillary Rodham Clinton said she supports Barack Obama for president—and so do the American Federation of Teacher delegates elected to vote for her at the Democratic National Convention.

The senator from New York urged the thousands of cheering delegates—who started out holding "Hillary" signs, but then switched to signs that said "Obama" and "unity"—to unite behind a "single party with a single purpose."

The stakes are high, and on the issue of education, Clinton's rhetoric was simple: "We want to create a world-class education system and make college affordable again."

The more than 20-minute speech gave her delegates a chance to show their enthusiasm and for Clinton, who lost an extended primary fight to the Illinois senator. But the division in the Democratic Party that many say exists is overplayed, said Donna Stempniak, a retired teacher who taught bilingual Spanish in Buffalo's schools and is a New York delegate here.

"I have mixed feelings because I am such a Hillary supporter," said Stempniak, a member of the AFT, which endorsed Clinton early on. "But we have to look at the big picture and get a Democrat in the White House. We have to stop McCain. New York is behind Obama now, and if we're behind him, most everyone else is or should be."

Ted Kirsch, the president of the Pennsylvania Federation of Teachers, says that he switched his allegiances to Obama the day that Clinton suspended her campaign. "You win some; you lose some," he said. "When it was over in June, I knew I was supporting Obama."

Kirsch compared the primary fight to a lovers' quarrel.

"Husbands and wives fight all the time," he said. "People fight, and they make up."

West Virginia delegate Shelby Leary said she's "very disappointed" that Clinton won't be the Democratic nominee for president—or vice president.

"Hillary got a lot of votes, more votes than any other woman," said Leary, who worked in the West Virginia Federation of Teachers' campaign on behalf of Clinton during that state's primary. Clinton won the state handily.

"It bothered me really bad to hear some senators tell her to step down," said the Blacksville, W.Va., retiree, who is a former state employee and a member of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. "If she was a man, they wouldn't have done that."

But Leary said would vote for Obama tomorrow and hopes to work for the AFT affiliate's campaign staff in the fall.

"I'm a Democrat. We need a Democrat in the White House," said Leary, a former member of the West Virginia legislature. "I will certainly work hard."

--Michele McNeil & David J. Hoff

Posted by David J. Hoff, edweek.org at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, who was a big player in high school reform during his tenure, used his prime-time keynote speech to Democrats to stress the link between quality schools and the economy.

It was a nearly 15-minute speech that placed education front and center at the Democratic National Convention.

''If we recruit an army of new teachers and actually give our schools the resources to meet our highest standards, not only will every child in America will be given a fair shot, the American economy will be given a shot in the arm," Warner said. ''Whether they want to be an engineer or an
electrician, every kid will be trained for the jobs of the 21st Century.''

--Michele McNeil

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NEA President Reg Weaver and AFT President Randi Weingarten spoke with Education Week reporters, shortly after they each addressed the Democratic National Convention on Monday.

AFT President, Randi Weingarten spoke with reporter Michele McNeil after her speech at the DNC. Weingarten spoke about what she hoped delegates took away from her speech and what it was like participating in such an historic event.

Randi Weingarten, AFT President:

Reg Weaver sat down with reporter David Hoff, and spoke about National Education Association delegates at the convention, his support for Sen. Barack Obama, and what it was like to speak in front of such a large crowd.

Reg Weaver, NEA President:

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Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York is headlining tonight's convention festivities with a much-anticipated speech that Democrats hope will unify the party.

The moment will be bittersweet for delegates of the American Federation of Teachers--the second largest teachers' union in the country that jumped out early in support of Clinton. But with Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois the presumptive nominee, the AFT has shifted its allegiance. Its leadership--including President Randi Weingarten, who spoke last night from the podium--is going full throttle in support of Obama. Will the union's rank-and-file members follow? We'll be asking that question tonight.

But at least for now, Clinton is still the favorite when you look at campaign donations. My Education Week colleague Vaishali Honawar, over at the Teacher Beat blog, details how Sen. Obama--despite enjoying the support of both teachers' unions--still hasn't caught up in donations from those unions, at least as of July 28, the end of that reporting cycle.

--Michele McNeil

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If you were invited to an event promoting school choice to be held at a country club, who would you guess the audience would be?

a.) white Republicans

or

b.) a bipartisan, multi-racial group

Today, in Denver, the answer was b.

At a breakfast supporting efforts to expand students' ability to enroll in charter and other public schools, Colorado state Senate President Peter C. Groff explained that the demographics of school choice are changing.

African-American policymakers under the age of 50 are no longer opposing school choice simply because they're following the lead of their allies on other issues—mainly teacher unions, said Groff, 45, who is black.

"This is a generation that doesn't look at race first, but policy first," said Groff, 45, a Democrat. "It's not looking at party first, but the best idea first."

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, the event's main speaker, said charter schools in his New Jersey city are successful, but they don't have enough seats to fill demand.

Many Newark families "break the law, literally," said Booker, a Democrat. "They are faking addresses and sneaking [their children] into schools" in neighboring towns. School officials there investigate students and kick out those who live in Newark, charging their families tuition for the time they were enrolled.

"This is not the America I dream of," Booker said.

The shift in attitudes isn't only happening among blacks under 50, Groff said in an interview.

Groff's father is a retired Denver public school teacher. Groff said he and his father debate school choice. "He's coming along slowly," Groff said. "Since he's retired, he's starting to say: 'Now I can see why you want to have some of this flexibility.'"

Today's event in a banquet room of the Denver Country Club was sponsored by the Alliance for Choice in Education, a group that provides scholarships for low-income Denver students to attend private K-12 schools. Groff and Booker didn't endorse using public money to pay private school costs, however.

--David J. Hoff

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South Carolina State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex came to Denver to try to put obesity on the agenda for education policymakers. Yesterday, he attended a forum sponsored by the Obesity Society and then toured the Omar D. Blair Charter School on the northeastern edge of Denver. I asked him why in this video:

Jim Rex, South Carolina school's chief:

--David J. Hoff

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Caroline Kennedy, a strong supporter of Sen. Barack Obama, led a tribute to her uncle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, during the first night of the Democratic National Convention. The tribute featured a video highlighting his accomplishments during his 43 years in the U.S. Senate, including his work on healthcare reform, child welfare, and his time spent volunteering in D.C. schools.

"If your child is getting an early boost in life through Head Start, or attending a better school, or can go to college because a Pell Grant has made it more affordable, Teddy is your senator, too," Ms. Kennedy said.

Mr. Kennedy is the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

--Jennifer Neidenberg, Online Producer

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The teachers’ unions weren’t the only voices representing teachers on the first night of the Democratic National Convention.

Enter Jon Schnur.

The CEO of the reform group New Leaders for New Schools, also an adviser to Barack Obama’s campaign, got a prime seat on the stage of the Democratic National Convention Monday night during the first of three American town halls.

The 15-minute town hall meeting managed to cram in issues including health care, tax reform, and education.

Schnur tackled a very broad question from a Philadelphia mom who was piped in on video, who wanted to know how Obama would reform schools. Schnur basically recited Obama’s education platform in lightning speed, but emphasized the Illinois senator’s plan to recruit and retain effective teachers with the goal of getting the best teachers in schools where our students need them the most. Schnur, and his school reform group that trains school administrators, are more open than the teachers' unions are to ideas such as merit pay.

Schnur's appearance followed speeches by National Education Association President Reg Weaver, a boisterous and verbose speaker who managed to come close to his three-minute time limit, and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, who ended up running over on her time limit by about 64 seconds.

Weaver, who leaves office on Sept. 1, in his speech shortly after 5 p.m., got some good applause (bolstered by people banging together their inflatable thundersticks the NEA handed out at its luncheon earlier today), when he said: "He knows we must hold schools accountable. But that the world is too complex and diverse to judge students by a single, multiple choice, and high stakes test."

The NEA dragged its feet in endorsing a candidate for president, but is now fully behind Obama.

Weingarten, in her first big speech in the political arena as the new AFT president, didn't mention that her union endorsed Obama's opponent in the Democratic primaries, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. There were only good things to say about Obama. Weingarten said: “Barack Obama knows teachers must be partners, not pawns, in federal education policy.”

--Michele McNeil

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National Education Association President Reg Weaver and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten are on tap to speak before the Democratic National Convention tonight. Weaver is slated to speak shortly after 5:00 P.M. Mountain time (7:00 P.M. ET), and has been alloted about three minutes. Weingarten is slated about five speakers after Weaver.

Monday of convention week is the day the Democratic Party traditionally squeezes in representatives of some of its biggest constituencies, but ones that it doesn't necessarily want to have a prime-time role. (Also on tap today, Nancy Keenan, the president of the National Abortion Rights Action League.)

Meanwhile, the Denver Post and other news organizations are reporting that Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the chairman of the Senate education committee, has arrived in Denver and will be at the Pepsi Center for the big tribute to him, although he is unlikely to address the delegates.

--Mark Walsh

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American Federation of Teachers’ President Randi Weingarten told me today she is “really pissed” about the anti-union bent of yesterday’s Education Equality Project event.

While the Democratic National Convention here in Denver is supposed to be about uniting the party, Weingarten said that yesterday’s “Ed Challenge for Change” forum, sponsored by the Democrats for Education Reform, and a press conference before promoting the Education Equality Project, was more about creating division than showing leadership on school reform.

Some big-city mayors, including Washington’s Adrian Fenty, and Newark’s Cory Booker, along with Washington schools’ Chancellor Michelle Rhee, took the unions (which they sometimes called “special interests”) to task for standing in the way of education reform. They were promoting their Education Equality Project, which demands more accountability and solutions from schools for lifting student achievement.

“It was a cheap shot,” Weingarten told me today, after a joint AFT-National Education Association luncheon honoring woman governors wrapped up. She added that union members weren’t even invited to join the conversation. By contrast, she pointed out that two rising Democratic stars—Govs. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Janet Napolitano of Arizona—used their speeches at today’s luncheon to talk about the importance of partnerships between policymakers and teachers and their unions.

“This was a couple of mayors, and I very much appreciate their efforts. But they’re tearing down the people who they need to lift up,” Weingarten said.

Today’s two-hour luncheon, held at Mile Hile Station in downtown Denver, also honored outgoing Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner. Washington’s Chris Gregoire and Michigan’s Jennifer Granholm, the only other female Democratic governors, did not attend.

--Michele McNeil

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Teacher pay may be the biggest education issue at the Democratic National Convention.

At today's premier education discussion happening in conjunction with the convention, the wide-ranging debate seemed to keep coming back to how to compensate teachers, addressing such issues as whether to offer extra pay for teachers in schools facing the biggest challenges, for improving their students' test scores, and other innovative proposals. The issue is particularly salient considering the ideas put forth by Sen. Barack Obama on performance-based pay for teachers.

Although the two-hour discussion touched on a variety of topics, such as improving the quality of standards, extending learning time in schools, panelists representing a variety of perspectives agreed that schools need to find new ways to set teachers' pay.

"I can't think of any other profession that doesn't have any rewards for excellence," Los Angeles philanthropist Eli Broad, who has supported a variety of experiments with teacher pay and other reform measures, said at the event organized by the Rocky Mountain Roundtable, a group of Denver corporations and foundations that has organized discussions on a variety of issues to coincide with the convention.

Even John Wilson, the executive director of the 3.2 million-member National Education Association, said his union is open to experiments with alternatives to the traditional pay scales, which set teachers' salaries based on their experience and their education level.

"That's a significant statement from the executive director of the largest teachers' union in the United States," said Thomas Toch, a co-director of Education Sector, a Washington think tank.

Many of those critics portrayed the teachers' union's opposition to innovative pay plans as one of the biggest roadblocks to improving schools at an event on Sunday.

But Wilson is unlikely to satisfy the union's critics. In an interview after the discussion, he said the union would support plans that "focus on the practice of teaching."

"You need to put the focus on the practice," he said. "If you're a good teacher, you will drive outcomes."

In particular, the NEA endorses extra pay for teachers who are certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, he added.

But it wouldn't support plans that are based on teachers' ability to improve students' test scores.

The union opposes pay decisions based on the results of "a single test on a single day, multiple choice, bubble sheets" because they aren't good measures of teachers' success helping students, he said.

-- David J. Hoff

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Education Week reporter David Hoff asks Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the Bush administration's education policy:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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Education Week reporter David Hoff asks DNC educator delegates about their views on Obama's education platform:

David A. Sanchez – President of the California Teachers Association.

Kathleen Gordon - Retired K-12 school librarian and elected school board member for Orange County Public Schools in Florida:

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The education event that followed the NEA luncheon showed the growing tensions within the Democratic Party over school reform, and the role of teachers’ unions.

Though it’s no surprise an event sponsored by the Democrats for Education Reform would have a slight anti-union message; many of the speakers at the event took several shots at unions during the press conference announcing the Education Equality Project in June.

Today, the sentiment was strong and persistent at standing-room-only, three-hour forum called Ed Challenge for Change. In fact, some of the big-city mayors who participated predicted that had such a forum been held four years ago, a mere five souls would have showed.

Here at the Denver Art Museum, Democratic mayors from Newark, N.J., Washington D.C., and Denver joined education reform darlings including New York City’s Joel Klein and Washington D.C.’s Michelle Rhee. The group was referred to as the “misfits” of the Democratic Party by DFER's Joe Williams, a nod to their willingness to speak up against the influence of teachers’ unions, which have formed the backbone of the party.

The educators, along with the Rev. Al Sharpton, kicked off the event with a nearly hour-long press conference to tout the event. There, Rhee (who left early to catch a flight home; D.C. schools open on Monday), took the Democrats to task, saying the party is “supposed to be the party that looks out for poor and minority kids,” when that’s not actually happening.

The anti-union sentiment spilled over into policy forums that followed. The fight against the teachers’ unions and other special interests is a “battle at the heart of the Democratic Party,” said Newark Mayor Cory Booker. “As Democrats, we have been wrong on education. It’s time to get right.”

Even former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, who has tried to avoid controversy in his position as the ED in ’08 leader, earned some murmurs from the audience when he said that reformers cannot be “wedded to someone else’s union rules and that politicians, practically speaking, need to work with unions even thought they are “wedded to the past.”

--Michele McNeil

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The 200-plus NEA delegates from the Democratic National Convention aren’t going to be reading Campaign K-12.

If they follow the advice of their union’s staff, they’ll be getting their convention news from stalwart liberal blogs DailyKos, talkingpointsmemo, and others.

The blogs will give delegates the news they need “to help direct the conversation toward the association’s goal: Great Public Schools as a Basic Right for Every Student!” says a flier handed out at the lunch.

Sample endorsement: americablog.com is “a great place to get anti-McCain information,” the handout says.

The advice is no surprise, given the tenor of the speeches at the two-hour event.
Robert Kennedy Jr. said that the Bush presidency is “the worst administration we’ve had” on education and environmental issues. (His uncle Ted may disagree when it comes to the No Child Left Behind Act.)

Colorado Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff praised the NEA’s state chapter as one of the “most aggressive and successful” groups assisting Democrats in their takeover Colorado’s Statehouse and governor’s mansion. State Treasurer Cary Kennedy (no relation to RFK Jr.) said that Democrats would win a ballot initiative to “drive a stake in the heart” of the state’s Taxpayers Bill of Rights--a conservative cost-cutting measure.

NEA’s incoming President Dennis Van Roekel told Michele and me that he’s traveling to St. Paul for the Republican convention next week. He’ll be lunching with the 20 or so NEA members who will be delegates there and giving them information to help them advance the union's agenda. I wonder what blogs he’ll recommend them. Any suggestions?

--David J. Hoff

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The country's two largest teachers' unions will be well represented at the Democratic Convention next week.

The American Federation of Teachers will have 135 delegates in attendance.

The National Education Association will be sending more than 200 delegates—including 22 superdelegates. Their biggest delegation is from Alabama, with 22 members, followed by North Carolina, with 15.

But the delegate making the farthest trek comes from Wasilla, Alaska, near Anchorage. That's 3,180 miles from Denver—according to the Google map I included above.

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The Democrats are starting to flesh out their speaker line-up for the convention, which starts Monday night.

Opening night will feature a tribute to No Child Left Behind architect Sen. Ted Kennedy, and will also feature prime-time speeches by the country's top two teachers' union leaders: Reg Weaver of the National Education Association (who turns over the helm to Dennis Van Roekel) and the American Federation of Teachers' Randi Weingarten.

UPDATE: Over at EdWeek's new blog, Teacher Beat, read my colleague Vaishali Honawar's take on the merit pay debate in Denver, and how that ties into the convention.

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With the Democratic convention days away, and the GOP confab immediately following, I wanted to let you all know that Education Week's Campaign K-12 will be on the ground in Denver and in St. Paul, bringing you first-hand coverage.

We'll be writing stories for our print and online versions of EdWeek, blogging here (of course!), and even experimenting with Twitter. We'll be carrying around trendy backpacks, filled with the latest audio and video equipment (which we may or may not know how to use) as we strive to bring you not just stories, but the sights and sounds of the convention as well. Stay tuned here for all updates, starting Sunday evening.

David Hoff of NCLB: Act II fame, pictured farthest left, and I will be dispatching from Denver.

Alyson Klein and Mark Walsh, who is pictured far right, will be reporting from St. Paul.

Will any of you be there? Are there any education-policy events we should be sure to catch? And furthermore, even if you're not going, what should we be on the lookout for as we comb the convention halls for stories and blog items?

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Earlier this week, I blogged about the education angle of the Democrats' new platform. At the time, the Democratic National Committee didn't have a final, electronic version done so I could share it with you. Well, now it does. It's a 94-page document, but their main policy positions on education start on page 20.

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Although Barack Obama's campaign manager lauds the former Virginia governor for his work on the economy, edutypes will remember Mark Warner for his work on high school reform. Warner, who was governor from 2002-06, will deliver the keynote on Tuesday night of the convention. Campaign K-12 will be there to cover it.

As the National Governors Association chairman from 2004-05, Warner made redesigning the American high school a priority for this group—traveling the country to participate in town hall meetings on the subject to jumpstart a national dialogue. In November 2004, he penned this commentary for EdWeek, writing:

We must make high school more rigorous and relevant to the high-skills work students will have to do. We now know that the skills required for most jobs match the skills required for college entry. Now is the time to make sure every high school student graduates college-ready.

This is a conversation that's still ongoing, and perhaps he'll use his convention speech to help jumpstart more debate about education in this presidential campaign.

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