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A CHEAP AND CRUEL TRICK.  The latest sleight of hand comes sadly from the Biden Administration.  Just yesterday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said “Our goal is to open 50% of all schools by April 30th for one day a week.”  So the goal of opening “a majority of schools” in the first 100 days is now defined as half of schools open ONE day a week. Also, as we reported upon hearing this and as Education Week confirms, FIFTY PERCENT OF SCHOOLS ARE ALREADY OPEN (are we yelling?)  Those 50%, however, do not represent the majority of students, who are locked in urban districts that refuse to open.

ERADICATE OR EDUCATE? An even more absurd, sad, and cruel commentary for parents and kids was provided by the Associated Press, who spoke to more urban school leaders, who are now predicting that they WON’T EVEN COMPLETELY OPEN UNTIL fall (are we yelling, again?) — and for some, that’s fall of 2022!  First they said they’d sanction a return when there were very low local infection rates. Then they demanded totally new ventilation systems for all buildings and no classroom work required for teachers who had anyone in their household “at risk,” as a condition for reopening. NOW some are saying nothing short of the “total eradication” of the virus will get teachers back into classrooms.  This is not a game — closed schools have real and severe learning, earning and emotional consequences for kids. Said one parent, they are “daily seeing kids experiencing a huge surge in mental and emotional health crises. It’s a social, emotional and academic crisis.”

THE IRONY is that the very schools providing superior education results to economically disadvantaged kids and those of color and for far less cost than public schools, are suffering serious enrollment declines.  That we would not use the arsenal at our disposal to help kids is a national disgrace. Catholic schools are open in person in most states (and wherever the government will let them — eg NOT California) but without jobs or security parents are not working enough to pay for them. The 6.4% enrollment drop nationally due to Covid is not reflected in cities like Boston, which after experiencing an initial drop of -17.6%, experienced an enrollment surge of 4,000+ students (+15.2%) when public school parents fled to Catholic schools to avoid remote learning. But, really, President Biden? This is your time to shine. The schools that educated you stand ready to support kids. Rather than rely on failed urban systems to open — when Covid is eradicated — it is time to invite the Catholic schools to take all they can fit. Use that stimulus money to support it. This is an emergency.

WHO CARES ABOUT TEACHERS? Well for one, we do, and so do a majority of Americans. But that doesn’t justify ordering them to stay home. Our angst, concern and outrage at reopening demands do not in any way suggest we don’t care for teachers’ safety. The reality is thousands of schools are opened and operating safely (more on that later today in Forbes). Commentator Noah Rothman writing on Twitter put it this way:

RANDI SAYS SHE CAN HELP. A curious commentary in the New York Times quotes AFT boss Weingarten as saying she “wants to get students back in the classroom,”  and that she’s spending day and night talking to her state affiliates. (So innocent, so caring) as if she is not RESPONSIBLE FOR  THEIR FAILURE TO OPEN. Unions, not teachers, are to blame for this mess.

AS GARY KNEW, THE UNION IS NOT THE TEACHER. No matter how many times pundits say otherwise, teachers are following their union lead, trusting that they know best — or they have no choice.  If you don’t believe us, just consider that when Gary Beckner started the Association for American Educators in 1994, knowing that teachers were tired of union politics, ideological biases and lack of appreciation for parental rights in their children’s education, never would he have dreamed that hundreds of thousands would turn to AAE away from the traditional labor unions. AAE ‘is the largest national, nonunion, professional educator organization, advancing the profession by offering a modern approach to educator empowerment and advocacy — promoting professionalism, collaboration, and excellence without a partisan agenda.’ (There are others individually operating in states, too!) Sadly, Gary passed away this month. His courage and dedication to creating a professional option for teachers is often under-appreciated in the public state. We are saddened for the personal loss thousands are feeling, especially his family, but also for the loss from the public square of his brave and eloquent voice. May he rest in peace.

GROUNDHOG DAY IS YEAR-ROUND FOR THE UNIONS. Failing kids don’t matter to them…failing schools don’t matter to them. It’s the same day every day for the unions. But our kids can’t afford another “continuous loop” groundhog day of 2020’s disastrous loss of learning in 2021. They need an immediate start to school…not more “groundhog” excuses from the unions. 

WILL PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL SPRING FORWARD FOR ED OPPORTUNITY?  Necessity is the mother of invention, and the necessity of union teachers refusing to teach has spawned innovative new ways to make sure kids learn. Jeanne Allen explains in Forbes:

“Akin to the DIY craze in cultural areas of life, an explosion of parent pods and micro-schools, both organic and well developed programs, have been an apt, and often better, substitute.”

Also consider that In North Carolina more than 18,800 families filed to operate a home-school from July 1 to Jan. 22 — more than double the school-year before. In Connecticut, the number of students who left public schools to be home-schooled jumped fivefold this school year, to 3,500. In Nebraska, the number of home-schooled students jumped 56%, to 13,426. Powerful numbers from a growing and powerful movement.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK. We should be celebrating how many are actually open compared to the bulk of schools around the country.  Their success should be recognized by the man they helped educate, who sits in the Oval Office. The test for the President as Jeanne Allen posed in this Wall Street Journal piece “will be whether the President supports efforts to ensure that poor and working-class kids just like him have the same life-defining opportunity he had.”

PARENT POWER DENIED IS THE PROBLEM. Yesterday’s New York Times carried a blunt but important report on widespread distrust of public schools districts among black parents, noting that hesitancy to send their kids back to school reflects “the profound lack of trust that Black families have in school districts, a longstanding phenomenon exacerbated by the pandemic.”  And why should they trust a system that has for decades failed black students who, because of their zip codes, are stuck in underperforming schools with underperforming teachers? As one parent said “for generations, these public schools have failed us and prepared us for prison, and now it’s like they’re preparing us to pass away.”

The article points out that  “home-schooling among Black families has been on the rise for years,” that “for some families, remote learning has offered a measure of control over an education system that can often feel opaque… so parents can see how their children are taught and treated by their teachers. It has also allowed some children to largely escape hostile school environments.”  Black parents have had enough…they deserve real power over their kids’ education.

THE SOLUTION IS TO FUND FAMILIES – NOT FAILURE. Watch the video and learn how to give every child a “virtual backpack” so that every family can choose the best learning environment for their kids. Such innovations in how we operate schools matter more now than ever.  Georgia is close — new legislation creates educational scholarship accounts for Georgia students. And the “Show Me” state of Missouri is set to vote today on HB 739 which would would create a program providing Missouri children with access to education savings accounts-ESA): the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program.  According to the bill, funds allocated for a child are placed in a parent-controlled ESA. Parents access the funds to pay for the resources chosen for their child’s unique educational program. Fund families and let parents choose their child’s “unique educational program”—the essence of parent power. Stay tuned.

For a complete national rundown of parental power by state, check out our Parent Power Index.

YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP.  Actually, we wish we had made up the fact that  Unions are suing Cincinnati to stop return of in person learning and that a Parents rally to re-open Oregon schools drew the ire of the union, noting that even though teachers had moved ahead of seniors for vaccines, that was not good enough for the unions.  And we take no joy in reporting that a “Former Broward schools administrator was arrested in a corruption probe.” We note it as a, dare we say vaccine, to the common union smear that corruption only happens around for-profit schools. As the Almighty advised, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

UNIONS & BIDEN vs THE CDC. Not only did the Chicago Teachers union defy the school board’s order to open the schools so kids can learn, hundreds of districts, including Fairfax County, VA have said that even with vaccinations their teachers won’t go back. Of course that contradicts the latest from the CDC. The stunning support these entities have been given by the new Biden Administration is unacceptable, let alone the lack of serious national media criticism.

A PICTURE TELLS A THOUSAND WORDS. This pic with the First Lady and both union bosses, from AFT Union Boss Randi Weingarten’s Twitter feed last week. The payback continues.

WHICH IS WHY WE NEED SCHOOL CHOICE! From a few hundred events in 2011 to 33,000 events involving thousands of students ten years later, the show of force for the annual “School Choice Week” is not only a sign of the times but of the importance and permanence of a basic, fundamental civil right — the right to have excellence, equity in education guided by one’s own choice, not one’s zip code. This week marks the world’s largest celebration of opportunity in education, complete with its own dance.  But aside from the fun, it’s time to get policymakers and pundits serious about the critical need to put kids, not adults first.  Speaking of which…

#FUNDFAMILIES (not failure). CER’s latest initiative to ensure that a parent’s constitutionally protected right to direct the education of their children becomes a reality for millions more, #FundFamilies (not failure) brings together a tapestry of diverse voices and remedies and is intended to help educate, drive the conversation and give the ultimate educational power to parents — not politicians. When education works for kids, we’re all happy. When it doesn’t we need to act with urgency.


TEACHERS ARE PUBLIC SERVANTS… Time for them to start acting like it, says a Washington Post opinion piece today. Welcome to the chorus; guess it’s better late than never.

TEACH HISTORY, SAVE DEMOCRACY? The latest Reality Check w/Jeanne Allen features an in-depth discussion of the issues surrounding how and why teaching civics and history may hold the key to saving our Democratic Republic. As scholar Jeffrey Sikkenga of The Ashbrook Center recalls from John Adams, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other…”  Bob Woodson of The Woodson Center also spoke of the “structure of our government” and our laws being “only as good as the values and practices that we bring” to it. Look in your Podcast App for this latest episode!

CAN WE REUNITE AMERICA? With a Silicon Valley twist, GSV Founder Michael Moe offers a unique perspective about how we might begin to look at our differences, coming out of his experience as a young man of divorced parents. “A funny thing started to happen as I was toggling between the two communities. I was bumping into the Edina jerks around town… at my siblings’ ball games, restaurants, church, gas stations, etc…..and started to think they weren’t so bad. I actually started hanging out with some of them and having them over to the house to play poker.” Moe, who also happens to Chair CER’s Board, goes on to explain how this all ties into what we do and expect from one another today.

TAKE A STEP TOWARD REUNITING at the National Forum On Education Equity, hosted by Stride, Inc. and CER’s own Kevin Chavous. Taking place on Wednesday, February 3rd, registration is free for this timely discussion on racial and education equity in America.

Today, for the 59th time since 1789, the oath of office was administered to a President-elect. That fact in and of itself makes America exceptional, that our still young, Democratic Republic could survive and thrive throughout unprecedented success, and challenge. We hope all citizens pause and consider that remarkable fact, and in doing so share our sense of pride.  In recognition of our country’s special day, a special edition of Newswire.  



LET’S TALK ABOUT OPPORTUNITY.  Now we’re not going to sugarcoat the situation – the Biden-Harris Administration enters significantly in love with the “system” point of view and their biggest backer was the teachers unions. For months, throughout the debates and the ensuing campaign, thousands of diverse opportunity supporters have pleaded with them. “Give parents power,” “Let money follow the student,” and let children, particularly our most vulnerable — choose their mode of education and not let their zip code determine their destiny.  And today, more than ever, parents know that the future of school needs to look very different from the past. Get ready for another case of history-in-the-making, as parents rise up to ensure that no child is locked out of opportunity.

WOMEN MAKING HISTORY. Kamala Harris is just the latest in a nation of women to “make history.”  President Biden in his speech today talked about the history made 108 years ago when women marched along the inaugural parade route to the Capitol to demand the right to vote. Our nation’s first three first ladies also made history. They instituted a lot of the inaugural traditions observed today, supported their husbands in their work and even saved documents from the British as they burned the White House!  In helping teachers and students prepare to learn about transfers of power and what goes along with it, CER’s  “Why America?” webinar last week featured first hand accounts and comments on the inaugurations these esteemed ladies experienced and helped organize. (Turns out, they weren’t all harmonious back then either.) We suspect generations to come will be saying similar things about our ladies (and new second gentleman!) today.



PANDEMIC SCIENCE.  “Follow the science” is a mantra that is batted back and forth more than a tennis ball at Wimbledon. Let’s remind everyone that the science of safely reopening schools — ASAP — is over. Scientific studies — as opposed to union propaganda — overwhelmingly show that it is past time to open the doors and let the kids learn in school — if that’s the modality that best suits them. No matter where you go or who you are, you need to read up on the reality:

• A peer reviewed study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics has found that the spread of COVID-19 in surveyed elementary schools is extremely limited.


• Brown University is part of a coalition that is making the case that safety now is both possible and necessary to avoid any more trauma to kids.


• Another new study out of Tulane University says the benefits of getting children back into the classroom outweigh the risks.

As the Chicago Tribune points out, it’s not science but the teachers unions that are driving the insanity. “City Hall and CPS should not back down. They need to stick to their reopening plans and not pay CTU members who refuse to return to work.” Amen.

A bit about the recent events, history and educating for and about it, course corrections and resolving the soft bigotry of low expectations, all today in Newswire.

The nation’s founders believed that education would provide young people the knowledge, capacities, and ethics required to protect liberty from arbitrary power. So should we.

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OUR BETTER ANGELS. Hatred is borne of ignorance and ignorance festers when we fail to impart knowledge. By the time our students reach adulthood, they have scant knowledge about how our nation is governed. “So what do we do when only 13 percent of Americans know when the U.S. Constitution was ratified? Or when six in 10 don’t know which countries the United States fought in World War II,” asks scholar Arthur Levine. Education, Jeanne Allen argues in Forbes, is vital to bringing out our better angels. We need a renaissance in education. Read the full piece if you missed it yesterday.

HISTORY MUST NOT REPEAT ITSELF.  A discussion on the Future of American History Education is well-timed. Moderator and educator Ian Rowe argued, quoting Alexis deTouqueville “The greatness of America lies not in her being more enlightened than other nations but in her ability to repair her faults.”  We try not to overuse “must,” but this is a must listen.

TRANSITIONS. Most have been peaceful, forward looking and hopeful. Sure, the losing team is often angry, sad, and more. Transitions have often been frosty but rarely violent. Until now, and we pray it’s the last. CBS This Morning took a look back at Lame Duck sessions and transitions this past weekend, with historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. It’s a great reminder of what once was and what once more can be.

INAUGURATIONS. Tune in today, Wednesday, January 13th at 4 pm EDT for the final session of CER’s Why America? 2020 Toward a More Perfect Union program Presidential Inaugurations: I Do Solemnly Swear with educators, the director of education at the National Endowment for Humanities, and special appearances by our very own Martha Washington, Abigail Adams and Dolly Madison, in a review of how Inaugurations play a role in our republic and our future. Free registration is here.

“YOUR DESTINY IS IN YOUR HANDS”….In 2009 President Barack Obama talked about a majority of those vulnerable students, particularly black students, when he addressed the NAACP, arguing that despite the odds and challenges of being black in America, “that’s not a reason to get bad grades, that’s not a reason to cut class, that’s not a reason to give up on your education and drop out of school,” he said. “No one has written your destiny for you. Your destiny is in your hands – and don’t you forget that.” And in ours, who must stop zoning kids by zip code.

SOFT BIGOTRY. Seven years earlier, at the same event, President George W. Bush said “No child in America should be segregated by low expectations, imprisoned by illiteracy, abandoned to frustration and the darkness of self-doubt. We have come so far [since the days of Little Rock] opening the doors of our schools. But today we have a challenge of our own. While all can enter our schools, many–too many, are not learning there…And whatever the causes, the effect is discrimination.”

OPPORTUNITY = FREEDOM. “I favor radical decentralization,” said Bill Clinton. “We will expand our commitment to charter schools,” said Barack Obama.  They and many other Democrats have championed the innovations and diversity of choices that charter schools represent. While some of the President-Elect’s supporters (ie the unions) were resilient in getting him to unfairly malign charters on the campaign trail, a growing cadre of leaders representing black and brown parents are working to ensure that the new Administration sees their point of view more clearly. Leading the charge of the Freedom Coalition will be their new director Rashaun Holliman​. We wish you the best!

MONEY ON THE TABLE.  Before she left, Education Betsy DeVos announced that amidst the more than $4 billion in additional COVID-19 emergency relief now available to governors to ensure learning continues for students of all ages and at all schools is a pool that extends to the needs of students in private and parochial schools, to pay for learning safety, health needs and more. Kudos to her for sticking with her goal to ensure equity for all kids – despite the constant barrage of fire coming from all sides.

WE JUMP INTO THE FIRST NEWSWIRE OF 2021… and our nearly 1,000th… with renewed hope for progress – progress in fostering education opportunity for all students, and innovation throughout the knowledge sector, two tenets we uniquely set out to achieve in 2016 when we issued our New Opportunity Agenda, a manifesto laying out the most important framework we must fight to achieve if all are to have access to participate in the future, a critical vision we espouse, once coined by our chair and GSV founder Michael Moe.

WHAT OPPORTUNITY LOOKS LIKE. It varies, and shouldn’t it? It’s big and small, it’s art and science and everything in between, it’s project based, experiential, or for some, direct instruction. It’s substantive, thoughtful, accountable and accessible by choice. It’s 10 grades, or 12 or even 14. It’s hybrid, AR and VR; it’s virtual or on ground or something yet to be discovered.  It’s what will propel us forward in 2021 and beyond. And it requires putting power — with money — in the hands of the families and students to craft and develop as they see fit. That’s our ambition. We hope it’s yours. Or be ready for the fight.

CHOICE IS OPPORTUNITY AND IT IS NOT PARTISAN. Agree with the concept or not, labeling the opportunity for parents to choose a school as one ideology or another is just plain wrong. The editors at the Washington Post made the colossal mistake of labeling school choice as “conservative” in a recent article quoting our CEO Jeanne Allen about President-elect Biden’s choice of Miguel Cardona as the new Education Secretary. So she sets the record straight — again —  in a letter to the editor which to their credit they published. “…education opportunity has been widely embraced by both Republicans and Democrats — including, at times, President-elect Joe Biden and The Post’s editorial page,” she wrote. And more.

WHAT COVID HAS WROUGHT.  If you had any doubt that diverse learning opportunities — as we have argued years for years — were necessary, just look at the data of who is in school and not, and the degree to which Covid is affecting communities and schools. Policymakers keep getting shut out by unions and special interests without regard for data. Don’t believe us? The story of DC’s dysfunctional school closing and attempts to reopen are well documented.  There’s no excuse, because thanks to data scientists, policy researchers and philanthropy there is a fabulous tool called the  Covid School Dashboard where you can view aggregated data and analyze the trends. Not only should you use this data to guide you, but you should make sure your school is participating. Find out how by clicking on that link.

TEACHERS NEED TO BE ABLE TO TEACH IN EVERY MODALITY.  Teaching online requires considerable support and training. Many teachers complain they’ve had little of it. So word of this major one day summit THIS SATURDAY, Jan 9th, online, hosted by Arizona State University and part of the RemoteK12.org initiative is a must attend for educators. The Connected Teacher Summit is designed for K-12 teachers and those who support and enable teachers in all manner of school.  Attendees will learn, network and share experiences on teaching and learning approaches in virtual, blended and in-person settings, and can qualify for an ASU certified Professional Development Credential.

NOT TOO LATE FOR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS. CER’s three Revolutionary Resolutions for 2021 are headed for the best seller list (well, not really but…) If you missed them, never fear — help is here! 

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FRESH RESOLUTIONS? Losing weight (again)? Kicking an addiction (or two?) More kindness, more assertiveness… you name it, we’re all thinking it. But how about resolutions that actually GIVE rather than receive…

To wit, here are just a few original Resolutions — to guide a much needed EDRevolution when 2021 arrives.

EDRevolution Resolution #1

MAKE MONEY FOLLOW KIDS. It shouldn’t take a pandemic to understand the inequities that are plaguing our society. However, it does take a crisis in America —sadly — to understand that just having a building to go to doesn’t equal great education. A New Year is a great time for new people in positions of power to get real about what it takes to educate kids. How might that work? It’s like a virtual backpack, where every student gets what they need to be educated.  We’ll be working with the millions of like-minded parents, teachers, policymakers and other groups to move this revolutionary resolution along in 2021.

EDRevolution Resolution #2

EQUALIZE OPPORTUNITY. The chance to take your funds to the school that you think works best for the children in your charge is not real opportunity, until it is equal to that which others have. The individual choices of parents and families should have the same foundation state by state.  The fact that we have educational choice programs where students get less than half of what traditional district students get, or where charters receive 65 percent on the dollar is pure insanity. We have to say so, and act on it, in 2021.

EDRevolution Resolution #3

LET TEACHERS REALLY CHOOSE. Opportunity for teachers should be enormous. Their ability to grow and thrive in whatever school environment they choose to use their passion and skills should be rewarded. But keeping them under the control of union-demanded, state regulated contracts requiring uniformity at the expense of quality and seniority as a condition for better pay is the recipe for failure that we are witnessing now in full techicolor. The teachers unions have been rightly blasted all over the country for keeping kids out of school… and for years prior for minimizing the opportunity for teacher excellence. We have a US Supreme Court decision decision that gives teachers the right to choose whether to pay for such backwards behavior but states have failed to execute on the Janus decision. Time for an EDRevolution to free teachers from contractual bondage in 2021.

Remember those days gathering with family and friends over the holidays? Seems like a life-time ago! 

Every year CER has been there to help you bring more substance to your Holiday small talk.

“How are the kids??” we’ve all been asked when that former colleague or friend doesn’t know what else to say.

“Oh they are GREAT, you say,” even though they are driving you crazy…

How we all long for those occasions now, even for that annoying small talk. We might even be missing Aunt Randi, Uncle Joe or Cousin Lily, even though we have nothing in common. And now they are only a FaceTime or Zoom call away!

And this time, if you’re connected to a family with kids anywhere, you know that those little darlings are likely on Zoom more than they are in person — in school, and that Mom and/or Dad, Grandma or Sister is struggling to help them keep up.

So let’s use the Holiday season to get a real conversation going. Grab your eggnog, fire up Zoom and let the yuletide fun begin with these festive cues:

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“I’m so sorry your kids have to still be virtual. Did you hear why so many school districts are still closed down?  You should read Atlantic Magazine from last week. It says the unions are the ones keeping the schools closed. “They were able to threaten local strikes against individual school boards,” even though  Schools Aren’t Superspreaders, the scientists say. “Did you hear about Microschools, parents solving the problems of their kids’ education? — a NOVEL idea! Talking about novel, the National Education Association though wants to put the kibosh on even these little parent-run schools, issuing an opposition paper  to keep the little scamps from getting schooled outside of the system. “And how about the unions? They failed to get their own bosses appointed education secretary.  Joe picked this guy from Connecticut, Miguel Cardona; he’s the Commissioner of Education there. Doesn’t seem to have an axe to grind with education opportunity like the rest of the establishment. Seems to be quite level headed. And from a state that produced the likes of Senator Joe Lieberman, a staunch parent power supporter, on top of that!

“Look what CER even had to say about it!!”

“It’s all about the kids, actually. What if we really tried to answer the question

‘How are the children…?’”

Holidays – Holy Days –  and busy days are here. So as not to interrupt for too long we’ll be brief with a few suggestions for both columns of Santa’s list.

NUMBER ONE AMONG THE NAUGHTY would have to be former President of the National Education Association (NEA) Lily Eskelsen García — a fierce opponent of education excellence and choice, even for low income kids and parents — who has the gall to think she would make a good Secretary of Education.

• The important whys and wherefores of why she would be a disastrous choice are forcefully spelled out in Jeanne Allen’s column in Forbes.

• Don’t just take our word for it — a coalition of organizations that represent students with disabilities, their families and educators penned a letter to President-elect Joe Biden‘s transition team on Thursday expressing serious concern about Eskelsen García, saying while at the NEA Eskelsen García “had the opportunity to steer the organization toward equity and access for students with disabilities but failed to do so.“

• You can join the fight against what would be a travesty of a nomination for U.S. Education Secretary by signing the petition by spokespeople for children of color  opposing her nomination. But don’t stop there ! Please also sign up in CER’s Take Action Center to tell your U.S. Senator to oppose union leaders in a position that should ensure kids are always first. Make sure Senators hear Vox Populi!

• You can get a sample of Vox Populi yourself in just a small sampling of the national firestorm on this issue. (See below and follow @edreform on Twitter) Our favorite is from Dr. Steve Perry pointing out that if Eskelson García had been Secretary during COVID, “…no kids would’ve had the opportunity to go to school, teachers would’ve been on strike and not even the option to learn on line would’ve been present. How do YOU SPELL #EducationDarkAges?”

RUNNING A CLOSE SECOND ON THE NAUGHTY LIST is the broad range of teachers unions manufacturing out of thin air excuses for keeping schools closed. Their “default” position is “safety,” which sounds nice but has no empirical evidence to support it. A detailed report exposing the unions’ mendacity says “teachers unions largely won’t explain why they want to keep public education virtual, even though studies have suggested that schools aren’t coronavirus super-spreaders as originally expected and that students’ performance have suffered in remote environments.” And a recent study by Johns Hopkins University says keeping schools closed “means that children will miss out on vital opportunities for educational, social and emotional development.”

COAL FOR THE OHIO EDUCATION ASSOCIATION which says “we want more than anything to be educating our children face to face.” But won’t. Here’s a hint for the union — if you want to be educating children face to face — show up in the classroom.  The kids will be there!

NEW U.S. SCORES VS. THE WORLD ARE DEFINITELY NOT NICE. The Trends In International Mathematics  and Science Study (TIMMS) is an international comparative study that measures trends in mathematics and science achievement at the 4th and 8th grades every 4 years. Sadly — the results are the same old story — mediocrity prevails. Poor kids once again declined and overall, 4th grade math, 8th grade math, as well as 4th grade science and 8th grade science scores are well behind  the countries that count — all of our competitors in Asia, Russia and England.

MOST DEFINITELY IN THE NICE COLUMN were the leading pioneers of education opportunity who helped kick off the 4th season of Reality Check. Listen to the inspiration of these five leaders who made choice famous, from AZ to DC, from the Badgers to the Wolverines: Lisa Graham Keegan, Kevin Chavous (@kevinpchavous), Howard Fuller (@HowardLFuller), J.C. Huizenga (@nhaschools), and Mickey Revenaugh (@mickeyrevenaugh).

LOTS OF NICENESS. We’ll end this somewhat abbreviated Newswire — you’ve got plenty to do in the next 10 days — with more candidates for the “nice” column.​

• Salt Lake City students know where learning takes place — in the classroom. They made sure their voices were heard at a rally asking that their classrooms be open so they can learn. Out of the mouths of babes!


• Wisconsin parents echoed the sentiments of the kids in Salt Lake as they sued the city of Racine after the city closed its schools, defying a Wisconsin Supreme Court restraining order preventing the city from closing the schools. Seems the city elders of Racine need a lesson in civics.


• How about some niceness for all the other parents who are leading protests demanding officials in Oregon,  Nashville, New York City, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, as well as Michigan, Texas, Washington, and Oklahoma open their schools. The unions’ excesses and power grabs have awakened a sleeping giant.  And a giant “hooray” to that !


• A Washington Post column asking the relevant question: If charters do more with less, why can’t traditional schools do the same?  An examination of charter school achievement effects in 41 large metropolitan areas showed that urban charters consistently boosted student achievement and the gains made by students from disadvantaged backgrounds have been large,” said the University of Arkansas study authors, citing research by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes.”

While the wee ones at the North Pole are putting the finishing touches on items for the sleigh on the 24th of this month, we’re putting the finishing touches on 2020 by keeping you up to date on who deserves sugar plums or lumps of coal in their stockings.

PARENTS ALWAYS KNOW BEST when it comes to the education of their kids.  The latest example of that — and an encouraging sign of parents insisting on taking control, comes from Oregon with parents saying our kids are the sacrifices – open the schools!

Parents have organized protests across the state, including one at the state Capitol in October. Speaking of parents balancing work and home schooling, one commented “This just isn’t plausible anymore. It’s not fair to the kids, who I am afraid aren’t getting an adequate education…Something needs to change. It is not working, and our kids are the sacrifices.” The Washington Times seconds Jeanne’s points in a blunt — and true — piece “Teachers unions continue to abuse children.”

PARENT POWER SWEEPING THE NATION. It’s not just Oregon where parents are fed up. This report on a rally in Nashville, TN held last Sunday notes a most encouraging sign.  Similar rallies have been held in Michigan, Texas, Washington, Oklahoma and Oregon, among others, with many more scheduled for the rest of December. “We really feel that our kids deserve better,” said N.H., resident Amy Medling. And really — that’s the bottom line — the kids deserve better.  Check out where parents have power to make changes and where more work is needed at our national Parent Power Index.

UNIONS PLAY PINOCCHIO. The excuses the unions have for keepings the schools closed, the kids at home, and not coincidentally their work days exceptionally short while receiving full pay all revolve around the bogeyman of “safety.” Many past studies have shown that open schools are safe. According to no less an expert than Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Center for Disease Control:

“It is critically important for our public health to open schools. CDC resources will help parents, teachers and administrators make practical, safety-focused decisions as this school year begins. “[W]e now have substantial data that shows that schools’ face-to-face learning can be conducted in K-12, and particularly in the elementary and middle schools in a safe and responsible way,”

CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION LETS THE MASK DROP. So you think the reasons parents want their kids back in school is out of concern for their learning, their well being and their futures. How naive of you. In an unbelievable tweet the Chicago Teachers Union said “The push to reopen schools is rooted in sexism, racism and misogyny.”   They received such pushback that they deleted the tweet after a couple of days, but issued no retraction nor apology to the tens of thousands of parents they insulted. The Chicago school district is over 40% African American and over 45% Latino. Hardworking folks who just want quality education for their kids, labelled sexist, racist and misogynist by the union.  Shame on the Chicago Teachers Union.

LOTS OF GOOD CHEER TO SPREAD. COVID tends to drive all the good news out of the spotlight — but there’s plenty to report.