Education debate splitting Dems
Posted at 08:15 PM on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010
For years -- even decades -- the political equation on California public education has been engraved in stone.
Democrats lined up with the California Teachers Association and other elements of the education establishment to contend that spending more money would be the pathway to improving test scores, dropout rates and other indexes of educational attainment.
Republicans, meanwhile, argued that merely spending more money wouldn't improve outcomes and that public schools needed competition -- either more charter schools or vouchers for private schools -- and a crackdown on incompetent teachers.
Recently, however, the equation has been changing. The Democrat-establishment coalition is breaking down as parents, especially those in inner cities, demand more local control, more school options and better outcomes.
Political war erupted between the CTA and EdVoice, an organization financed mainly by wealthy Democrats that is pressing for reforms that the union dislikes, such as more charter
Read more: http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/12/12/2195563/education-debate-splitting-dems.html#ixzz17xzNNBeN