Shanker

In a recent post, Matthew Di Carlo of the Shanker Institute provided a credible analysis of the studies that seem to be the basis for the claim.

John Merrow: Where do teachers come from? John Merrow 2011

And that discussion can only begin in earnest if we are prepared to acknowledge what the iconic teachers 'union head Albert Shanker told us almost two decades ago: "As long as there are no consequences if kids or adults don't perform, as long as the discussion is not about education and student outcomes, then we're playing a game as to who has the power."

Joel Klein: Waiting for the Teachers' Union Joel Klein 2010

Who'd have thought that Al Shanker, the man who opposed every voucher initiative, every tuition tax credit measure, every attempt to loosen restrictions on home schooling, would deliver such a strong critique of his own "one size fits all" school monopoly?

Ken Blackwell: President to Parents: "Do As I Say..." Ken Blackwell 2010

Later in life, union leader Al Shanker questioned some of the value of the trade union approach that he brought to education.

Alexander Russo: Diane Ravitch's Stunning Certainty Alexander Russo 2011

It was the late Al Shanker, president of the AFT, who famously said parents are not "qualified" to choose their children's schools.

Ken Blackwell: President to Parents: "Do As I Say..." Ken Blackwell 2010

Many years ago, the teachers union leader Albert Shanker reputedly declared that "when school children start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interests of school children."

The NAACP vs. Black Schoolchildren William McGurn 2011

As Albert Shanker, the late, iconic head of the UFT, once pointedly said, "When schoolchildren start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interests of schoolchildren."

Scenes From the New York Education Wars Joel Klein 2011

As Shanker put it in a surprisingly candid speech in 1993: We are at the point that the auto industry was at a few years ago.

Scenes From the New York Education Wars Joel Klein 2011

Matthew Di Carlo, senior fellow at the non-profit Albert Shanker Institute, located in Washington, D.C., looks at this issue.

The real effect of teachers union contracts Valerie Strauss 2010

Shanker was a smart guy, but that was a dumb statement.

Ken Blackwell: President to Parents: "Do As I Say..." Ken Blackwell 2010