Soon after she was announced as the new president of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers this morning, Randi Weingarten went after the No Child Left Behind law, all cannons blazing.
She called the federal law a four-letter word, and vowed to work to overhaul it. NCLB, she said, is not about teaching, but about testing. “By misdefining achievement, relying too heavily on paper-and-pencil tests narrowing and dumbing down the curriculum, and stressing sanctions over supports, NCLB has become a blunt instrument for attacking, not assisting, our public schools,” she said.
Ouch.
Ms. Weingarten, who was long expected to succeed Ed McElroy as president, got a standing ovation before and after the speech from most delegates, although there were a few who sat with arms firmly crossed and faces grim. I am guessing they did not vote for her.