Tuesday, June 5, 2012

This Week In Education: Thompson: Blaming Arne Duncan For Scott Walker

This Week In Education: Thompson: Blaming Arne Duncan For Scott Walker:


Thompson: Blaming Arne Duncan For Scott Walker

I have been slow in realizing that the Obama Administration has been distancing itself from the anti-Walker campaign.
Walker
But then again I was also slow in realizing that Arne Duncan was willing to attack the hard-earned right of teachers.  By coercing teachers to give back negotiated rights such as seniority, and incentivizing the mass dismissal of educators through SIG, Duncan helped open a Pandora's Box which, predictably, led to the assaults on collective bargaining in the swing states of Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida.  As far I am concerned, Duncan provided aid and comfort to the Scott Walkers, John Kasichs, and Rick Scotts, and their attacks on unions as much or more so than Michelle Rhee, whom a recent Mother Jones story notes was recruited to help in Wisconsin (Walker Aide Wanted Union Foe Michelle Rhee to Counter Teacher Protests, Email Shows).
In our gut, teachers may be just as angry at Duncan as we are at the