The former president of the United Teachers Los Angeles, who in that role was a frequent critic of charter schools, is now launching a charter school organization. A.J. Duffy, 67, will be executive director of the newly formed Apple Charter Academy Public Schools. As a union leader, he often spoke against charter schools, saying they siphoned off union membership, cherry-picked pupils, and typically enrolled low numbers of special-needs children and English-language learners.
A version of this article appeared in the September 14, 2011 edition of Education Week as Ex-Union Chief to Lead Charter
