To the Editor:
I was saddened and dismayed by your negative picture of the recent National Education Association convention in Los Angeles (“NEA President Says Achievement Gap to Go at Top of Union’s Priority List,” edweek.org, June 05, 2005). The NEA receives enough bad publicity from the far right without having education journalists join the fray.
The truth is that the No Child Left Behind Act does have serious flaws. Just because the NEA disagrees with provisions of the law does not mean that it disputes our collective responsibility to do a better job with students who are economically disadvantaged (and that is the real issue, not race).
States across the nation are experiencing grave difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified teachers. Why then is it so hard to understand that salaries for educators need to be increased? This is not greed, but plain common sense. I say bravo to Reg Weaver and long live the NEA, the last best hope for public education.
Julie Dwyer
Cary, N.C.
