Less than 'courage' in New Haven - washingtonpost.com:
"EDUCATION Secretary Arne Duncan is a big advocate of the need for educators to set high expectations. So when he singled out the recently ratified teacher contract in New Haven, Conn., as a model for the nation, we assumed it contained bold reforms. In fact, there's little that's remarkable about the contract. We hope that's not a sign Mr. Duncan is getting timid in bringing about the real changes needed in teacher labor agreements.
Praise of the New Haven contract has been effusive. Mr. Duncan told the Wall Street Journal that it is 'a really important progressive labor agreement' that showed 'real courage on the union's part.' American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten, who helped broker the deal, said: 'I rarely say that something is a model or a template for something else, but this is both.' Even President Obama got in on the act as he complimented New Haven for 'coming together' to find smarter ways to improve learning."
"EDUCATION Secretary Arne Duncan is a big advocate of the need for educators to set high expectations. So when he singled out the recently ratified teacher contract in New Haven, Conn., as a model for the nation, we assumed it contained bold reforms. In fact, there's little that's remarkable about the contract. We hope that's not a sign Mr. Duncan is getting timid in bringing about the real changes needed in teacher labor agreements.
Praise of the New Haven contract has been effusive. Mr. Duncan told the Wall Street Journal that it is 'a really important progressive labor agreement' that showed 'real courage on the union's part.' American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten, who helped broker the deal, said: 'I rarely say that something is a model or a template for something else, but this is both.' Even President Obama got in on the act as he complimented New Haven for 'coming together' to find smarter ways to improve learning."