In some of the most interesting recent education news, neither of the nation's two teacher unions -- the American Federation of Teachers or the National Education Association -- invited President Obama or Education Secretary Arne Duncan to address their annual conventions this summer. Both unions feared that either official would face too much criticism from disillusioned teachers.
Has the partnership between Democrats, teacher unions, and thereby teachers, come to an end?
It is too early to say whether Obama's continuation of a top-down policy of school reform -- one that relies on testing and competition -- has created a lasting shift in education alliances.
But teacher unions' resistance to the administration underscores a claim that many educators and proponents of school reform have made for over a decade. Any true progress in our public schools must take into account the ideas of those doing the real work within them: teachers.
For teacher-led reform to succeed, a couple of things need to happen. First, teachers must hone