When will "Progressives" defend public education?

• Author: Cody, Anthony
• Position: PUBLIC SCHOOL SHAKEDOWN - Column - Brief article

Will we go through another election where Republicans rail at the public school monopoly, and Democrats say virtually nothing?

Will the next President continue the policies advanced by the Obama/Duncan Administration, requiring the use of test scores in teacher evaluation, and promoting the expansion of charter schools and Teach for America?

Will we continue to encourage an "accountability" system centered on high-stakes tests that promote school closures and other disruptions to public schools?

In advance of President Obama's 2012 reelection bid, the National Education Association made its endorsement more than a year ahead of the election. Teacher unions were "all in," in their early public support of Obama, in spite of Race to the Top and other disastrous...