Union Agitators

A decade has passed since a few union leaders formed the network known as TURN to search for innovative ways to enhance education. Selling their message hasn’t always been easy.

Napa, Calif.

A room filled with union leaders, each with a mind of his or her own, can be a formidable audience. But that doesn’t deter Adam Urbanski.

One recent sunny day here in California’s Napa Valley, the director of the Teacher Union Reform Network of AFT and NEA Locals, or TURN, declares, “I think we should make public schools more like private schools.” His statement is greeted with one loud shout of “Wait a minute!,” a few gasps, and many raised eyebrows.

The next moment, the room erupts in heated debate. “That is a horrible model. ... It would be like the tail wagging the dog,” retorts A. James Duffy, the president of United Teachers of Los Angeles. “We are talking not about cars...