Intercepts
A listening post monitoring public education and teachers’ unions.

There are a lot of people out there of all political stripes with an interest in school choice. Now they have a place to (virtually) hang out together.

The Education Breakthrough Network is the brainchild of Lisa Keegan, former Arizona superintendent of public instruction. You can sign up as an organization or as an individual and, as with other social media sites, upload videos, send messages, post upcoming events and take advantage of the “living library” of knowledgeable folks involved in school choice.

Head on over there and click the tabs (I especially liked Derrell Bradford’s speech), then sign up. The more who join, the better the experience will be.

I can’t even write the word “breakthrough” without listening to this:

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan gave a speech yesterday at the American Enterprise Institute that is drawing raves from Mike Petrilli and Rick Hess. Here is the entire speech, plus Q & A:

I’m always suspicious of government officials who advocate belt-tightening after they’ve just stolen your pants, and are coming back for your socks next year.

I’ve written about low turnout in union elections before (most recently here), but this vote could have a profound effect on the Oakland school district.

The Oakland Education Association’s strike authorization vote received 79 percent approval – of those who voted. In a bargaining unit of 2,800 members, 341 turned out. That means fewer than 10 percent of the members OKed a strike.

I’m not sure why the rank-and-file is so apathetic, but maybe they’re just worn out. Or maybe they’re too busy writing NBIs for next year’s NEA Representative Assembly.

Who knew all these education groups and the tea party folks were on the same side?

The American Association of School Administrators, the National School Boards Association and NEA are seeking “regulatory relief” from the provisions of No Child Left Behind now that the prospects of revamping and reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA) are slim after Republican gains in the House.

Education Week reporter Alyson Klein is all over the issue, and cites Patrick McGuinn, an associate professor of political science at Drew University in New Jersey, who is an expert on NCLB politics:

Mr. McGuinn said the political timing for regulatory relief might be right, since many members of the incoming Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives ran on a platform of slimmed-down government.

Riiiight. That’s why AASA, NSBA and NEA worked so hard to get those guys elected. Huh? They didn’t? Well I’ll be.

I’m afraid many of those new members of Congress might propose a simple solution to the education groups for those regulatory problems.

Turn down the money.

Click here to read:

1) 26,000 California Pink Slips Led to 9,700 Fewer Employees

2) Insult to Injury for Michigan Education Association

3) Last Week’s Intercepts

4) Quote of the Week

We’re getting there.

At this rate, we can expect NEA’s 2007-08 political spending to show up on CNN or the network news… in 2013.

Here is NEA’s legislative alert for this week:

Hungry Children Fall Behind! Tell Congress to Pass a Child Nutrition Bill Now!

Congress will return for a “lame-duck” session next week, with the opportunity to make a real difference for children by passing a child nutrition reauthorization bill.

Educators know that hunger and inadequate nutrition impact the ability to learn. Hungry children are often irritable, feel ill, and lack concentration. In contrast, students who come to class well-nourished have fewer behavioral and attendance problems, and have higher test scores.

Child nutrition programs, such as the School Lunch, School Breakfast, and Summer Food programs, provide nutritious meals to children across the country. Sometimes, these meals are children’s main source of nutritious food.

At a time when our economy is still struggling, we should not sacrifice our children’s most basic needs. The Senate has already passed the bipartisan Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (S. 1650). The House now has an opportunity to pass this critical bill.

The bill would:

• Help reduce hunger and increase children’s access to healthy meals, including by better connecting eligible children with free school meals. 
• Authorize grants to retain summer food program sponsors, improve and expand breakfast programs, and encourage states to develop comprehensive strategies to end child hunger.
• Make progress against childhood obesity and improve the nutritional quality of meals by strengthening nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools, providing schools with increased resources and training to improve meal quality, and supporting farm-to-school programs and school gardens.
• Includes provisions addressing training and professional development for food service workers.

“At a time when our economy is still struggling, we should not sacrifice our children’s most basic needs.” At least, not now, after more important priorities have already been addressed.