Blog

Your Education Road Map

Politics K-12

Politics K-12 kept watch on education policy and politics in the nation’s capital and in the states. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: Federal, States.

Education

Videos Give Two Views of Convention Floor

By David J. Hoff — August 26, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The floor of a political convention is a place unlike any other. I decided to offer Campaign K-12 readers a view of the floor during the speeches by the presidents of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association.

For the speech by NEA’s Reg Weaver, I stood near the Alabama delegation. I chose that spot because NEA’s Alabama chapter sent more delegates here than any other state affiliate. While NEA may have a lot of power in the Alabama Democratic Party, the Alabama Democratic Party doesn’t have much power with its national party. Because Alabama is about as red as possible in the Electoral College, it’s delegation sits way in the corner. In the video, you’ll also see that Alabama delegates got a better view of Weaver by watching the big screens than by looking at the podium.

Reg Weaver, NEA President:

I didn’t see many delegates sitting in the Alabama section. I hear many of them were down in front, under the podium. But you’ll notice Jane Battle, a retired 6th grade teacher from Huntsville, Ala., holding up a NEA T-shirt, while her husband videotapes the moment. You also may hear some of NEA’s thundersticks banging in the background.

Randi Weingarten, AFT President:

For contrast, I stood down near the stage for the speech by AFT’s Weingarten. I stood between the Illinois and Delaware delegations. (I don’t think Delaware would have gotten such prime space if Barack Obama had chosen a different running mate.) Don’t miss the teleprompter with Weingarten’s time ticking down. Once the three minutes allotted to her ended, the clock started counting up. She went over by 64 seconds.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Politics K-12 blog.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz Trump’s Surprise Freeze on School Funding—How Much Do You Know?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz What Lowers Teacher Turnover? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz Which State Is About to Pass a ‘Science of Reading’ Law? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz What is a Project 2025 Author Doing at the Education Department? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read