Teaching Profession

Policy Groups Assail Union Over Reform

By Ann Bradley — July 10, 1996 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

As delegates gathered here last week for the National Education Association’s annual meeting, a coalition of conservative policy organizations held a news conference to denounce the union as a politically potent force that blocks education reform.

The participants called for more scrutiny of the 2.2 million-member teachers’ union, which they said claims to be an advocate for children but is in fact looking out primarily for its members’ interests.

“There is a tremendous gap between NEA rhetoric and the reality of what the NEA and its state and local affiliates are doing,” said Charlene K. Haar, the president of the Education Policy Institute, a Washington-based organization that tracks the national teachers’ unions.

Members of the ad hoc coalition of nonprofit policy groups--called the Coalition to Educate America--are united by their support for school choice, including vouchers. The Los Angeles-based Center for the Study of Popular Culture, which publishes The Report Card, a “watchdog journal” that is sharply critical of public education, organized the umbrella group. The news conference was the first of what member groups hope will be more joint activities, said Allyson Tucker, the executive director of the Individual Rights Foundation, the center’s legal division.

“We are all small, and individually no one would have paid attention to us,” Ms. Tucker said. “But together, we can have an impact.”

The coalition includes the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution, an Arlington, Va.-based group that has conducted financial analyses of the NEA’s legislative agenda; the Institute for Justice in Washington, which is defending voucher programs for low-income students in Cleveland and Milwaukee that the NEA opposes; and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a Springfield, Va.-based legal-aid organization that assists employees opposed to compulsory unionism.

The NEA issued a statement in response to the criticism defending its record of advocating for legislation that would benefit children and schools.

“Instead of taking cheap shots at the NEA,” the statement said, “the detractors of public education and the NEA should ask our members how they’re working to improve education in their local communities.”

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the July 10, 1996 edition of Education Week as Policy Groups Assail Union Over Reform

Events

School Climate & Safety K-12 Essentials Forum Strengthen Students’ Connections to School
Join this free event to learn how schools are creating the space for students to form strong bonds with each other and trusted adults.
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
Assessment Webinar
Standards-Based Grading Roundtable: What We've Achieved and Where We're Headed
Content provided by Otus
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
Creating Confident Readers: Why Differentiated Instruction is Equitable Instruction
Join us as we break down how differentiated instruction can advance your school’s literacy and equity goals.
Content provided by Lexia Learning

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

Teaching Profession Inside the First-Ever White House State Dinner for Teachers
Teachers were feted by first lady Jill Biden and other national leaders, with a surprise appearance by a powerful dignitary.
6 min read
Jill Biden applauds teachers during the first-ever Teachers of the Year state dinner at the White House.
Jill Biden applauds teachers during the first-ever Teachers of the Year state dinner at the White House on May 2, 2024.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor Change the Workplace, Not the Person, to Fight Burnout
A science teacher argues that eliminating burnout is not the responsibility of teachers.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Teaching Profession Opinion Transitioning Out of Teaching Is Hard. Here's What I've Learned
For teachers looking to change careers, the skills they’ve honed in the classroom don’t always easily translate to their resume.
Julie Packett
5 min read
A solitary woman is highlighted in a spotlight.
iStock/Getty Images
Teaching Profession Will Biden’s New Loan-Forgiveness Plan Cast a Wider Net for Educators?
The Biden administration is taking another tack to push through loan forgiveness, including for teachers.
5 min read
Illustration of woman cutting ball and chain tethered to graduation cap.
iStock / Getty Images Plus