Latest news with #NationalEducationAssociation
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - On education reform, Rahm Emanuel talks a big game but is unlikely to deliver
San Francisco's public high schools recently tried to implement a massive change to their grading system— part of a 'grading for equity' program under which students can pass with scores as low as 41 percent. Moreover, homework, attendance and classroom participation would no longer factor into students' grades, which would instead depend mainly on a final exam — which, of course, they could retake multiple times if needed. Understandably, parents were outraged, in particular because this absurd system has been adopted by other cities and has failed to improve performance. After receiving 'significant backlash,' the plan was canceled. What a shock. Our public schools are in trouble, and even Democrats are noticing. Politico reports that Rahm Emanuel, former congressman, chief of staff to President Obama, Chicago mayor and ambassador to Japan, wants to run for president in 2028 on a platform of education reform. Emanuel has reportedly been 'road testing the outlines of a stump speech,' and it's a good one. He recently said in an interview, 'I am done with the discussion of locker rooms, I am done with the discussion of bathrooms and we better start having a conversation about the classroom.' Later, Emanuel told Bill Maher, 'We literally are a superpower, we're facing off against China with 1.4 billion people and two-thirds of our children can't read eighth grade level.' The feisty former mayor is stealing a powerful issue from the Republican playbook. It's a gutsy move. Attacking our education establishment, and especially calling out the teachers' unions, has long been the third rail of Democratic politics. The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers are, to lefty politicians, the most sacred of sacred cows. Not only do those two organizations claim enormous membership rolls — the NEA has 3 million members and the AFT has 1.8 million — that can help get out the vote and mobilize the public, they also spend tens of millions of dollars for political candidates, with more than 90 percent going to Democrats. For proof, look at the 2023 mayoral race in Chicago, during which both the disgraceful shortcomings of the city's schools and rampant crime were on the ballot. Paul Vallas, a tough-on-crime Democrat known as an accomplished school reformer, faced off against another Democrat, Brandon Johnson, a former teacher and labor organizer who was the favorite of the Chicago Teachers Union and its nearly 30,000 members. The race should not have been close. Vallas had a track record of success and the backing of the police. But he lost to Johnson anyway, who received over $5 million from CTU and other teachers' unions. From 2011 to 2019, Emanuel served as mayor of the Windy City. During those years he attempted school reform and took on the teachers' unions. The sparring resulted in the strike of 2012, which unions today celebrate because they won significant concessions, such as higher pay and reduced accountability. That strike also squashed the budding reform movement that had led to some school closings and efforts to set higher standards. It is credited with paving the way for similar walkouts in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Denver in the years that followed. The CTU calls the 2012 work stoppage 'The strike that brought teachers unions back from the dead.' All of this makes Emanuel a peculiar person to talk up school reform. That's not to say he isn't right in calling out the failures of our public education. In his home city, testing from last year showed that fewer than one in three students could read and fewer than one in five could do math at their elementary grade level. Among Chicago's 11th graders, only 22.4 percent could read at grade level in 2024, and only 18.6 percent performed math proficiently. This is unacceptable. Nationally, the news is grim as well. The most recent assessments from the Program for International Student Assessment tests 15-year-olds in over 65 countries; the U.S. places 18th overall, with an overall score of 1468, well below leader Singapore's 1679 and runner-up China's 1605. In math, the U.S. comes in 26th. The Chamber of Commerce Foundation reports that students in Singapore 'scored 110 points more than their American peers [in math] — five staggering academic years ahead of U.S. students.' As they point out, 'These results have huge implications for the United States' global competitiveness and national security.' Our country's education system is not short of money; U.S. public schools are spending over $17,000 per student on K-12 education. In 2019, our outlays per pupil were 38 percent above the level of other OECD countries. Something is wrong with this picture, and America's parents know it. We should care not only about national security and U.S. competitiveness, of course; we should also care about the kids — mostly non-white kids — who fall through the cracks of our broken schools every year and whose fates are often sealed by that failure. Recent state exams reveal that in 40 percent of Baltimore's high schools, not a single student was proficient in math. In Chicago, there are 22 schools where not a single student can read at grade level. How can local politicians — nearly all Democrats, who routinely ask for minority votes — accept that? Tackling the teachers' unions, imposing high standards, discipline and innovation — like using AI and other new technologies to augment in-class teaching — is part of the answer. Pushing school choice, which introduces competition into our sclerotic and underachieving system, is essential. President Trump and Republicans are on the right side of these issues, and must prioritize reforms. Emanuel is right to challenge the teachers' unions, and our failing schools. But his record shows he's not the guy to get the job done. Liz Peek is a former partner of major bracket Wall Street firm Wertheim and Company. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
On education reform, Rahm Emanuel talks a big game but is unlikely to deliver
San Francisco's public high schools recently tried to implement a massive change to their grading system— part of a 'grading for equity' program under which students can pass with scores as low as 41 percent. Moreover, homework, attendance and classroom participation would no longer factor into students' grades, which would instead depend mainly on a final exam — which, of course, they could retake multiple times if needed. Understandably, parents were outraged, in particular because this absurd system has been adopted by other cities and has failed to improve performance. After receiving 'significant backlash,' the plan was canceled. What a shock. Our public schools are in trouble, and even Democrats are noticing. Politico reports that Rahm Emanuel, former congressman, chief of staff to President Obama, Chicago mayor and ambassador to Japan, wants to run for president in 2028 on a platform of education reform. Emanuel has reportedly been 'road testing the outlines of a stump speech,' and it's a good one. He recently said in an interview, 'I am done with the discussion of locker rooms, I am done with the discussion of bathrooms and we better start having a conversation about the classroom.' Later, Emanuel told Bill Maher, 'We literally are a superpower, we're facing off against China with 1.4 billion people and two-thirds of our children can't read eighth grade level.' The feisty former mayor is stealing a powerful issue from the Republican playbook. It's a gutsy move. Attacking our education establishment, and especially calling out the teachers' unions, has long been the third rail of Democratic politics. The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers are, to lefty politicians, the most sacred of sacred cows. Not only do those two organizations claim enormous membership rolls — the NEA has 3 million members and the AFT has 1.8 million — that can help get out the vote and mobilize the public, they also spend tens of millions of dollars for political candidates, with more than 90 percent going to Democrats. For proof, look at the 2023 mayoral race in Chicago, during which both the disgraceful shortcomings of the city's schools and rampant crime were on the ballot. Paul Vallas, a tough-on-crime Democrat known as an accomplished school reformer, faced off against another Democrat, Brandon Johnson, a former teacher and labor organizer who was the favorite of the Chicago Teachers Union and its nearly 30,000 members. The race should not have been close. Vallas had a track record of success and the backing of the police. But he lost to Johnson anyway, who received over $5 million from CTU and other teachers' unions. From 2011 to 2019, Emanuel served as mayor of the Windy City. During those years he attempted school reform and took on the teachers' unions. The sparring resulted in the strike of 2012, which unions today celebrate because they won significant concessions, such as higher pay and reduced accountability. That strike also squashed the budding reform movement that had led to some school closings and efforts to set higher standards. It is credited with paving the way for similar walkouts in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Denver in the years that followed. The CTU calls the 2012 work stoppage 'The strike that brought teachers unions back from the dead.' All of this makes Emanuel a peculiar person to talk up school reform. That's not to say he isn't right in calling out the failures of our public education. In his home city, testing from last year showed that fewer than one in three students could read and fewer than one in five could do math at their elementary grade level. Among Chicago's 11th graders, only 22.4 percent could read at grade level in 2024, and only 18.6 percent performed math proficiently. This is unacceptable. Nationally, the news is grim as well. The most recent assessments from the Program for International Student Assessment tests 15-year-olds in over 65 countries; the U.S. places 18th overall, with an overall score of 1468, well below leader Singapore's 1679 and runner-up China's 1605. In math, the U.S. comes in 26th. The Chamber of Commerce Foundation reports that students in Singapore 'scored 110 points more than their American peers [in math] — five staggering academic years ahead of U.S. students.' As they point out, 'These results have huge implications for the United States' global competitiveness and national security.' Our country's education system is not short of money; U.S. public schools are spending over $17,000 per student on K-12 education. In 2019, our outlays per pupil were 38 percent above the level of other OECD countries. Something is wrong with this picture, and America's parents know it. We should care not only about national security and U.S. competitiveness, of course; we should also care about the kids — mostly non-white kids — who fall through the cracks of our broken schools every year and whose fates are often sealed by that failure. Recent state exams reveal that in 40 percent of Baltimore's high schools, not a single student was proficient in math. In Chicago, there are 22 schools where not a single student can read at grade level. How can local politicians — nearly all Democrats, who routinely ask for minority votes — accept that? Tackling the teachers' unions, imposing high standards, discipline and innovation — like using AI and other new technologies to augment in-class teaching — is part of the answer. Pushing school choice, which introduces competition into our sclerotic and underachieving system, is essential. President Trump and Republicans are on the right side of these issues, and must prioritize reforms. Emanuel is right to challenge the teachers' unions, and our failing schools. But his record shows he's not the guy to get the job done. Liz Peek is a former partner of major bracket Wall Street firm Wertheim and Company.
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Trans rights radicals surround mother holding baby at Christian group rally outside Seattle City Hall
Raving trans rights radicals surrounded a mother with three young children at a rally held by a Christian group outside Seattle City Hall Tuesday, video circulating on social media shows. The 'Rattle in Seattle' protest was organized by MayDay USA, which describes itself as a pro-life grassroots movement that defends traditional family values and units. The demonstrators descended on City Hall on Tuesday to rally against Seattle's woke mayor, Bruce Harrell, who blamed the conservative group for a weekend protest that turned violent. MayDay USA had held a demonstration on Saturday at the city's Cal Anderson Park that descended into chaos when left-wing counterdemonstrators stormed the event, resulting in 23 arrests. Harrell blamed the melee in the heart of the city's historically LGBTQ neighborhood on 'far-right' demonstrators and 'anarchists' who he said were 'promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city's values.' The weekend event was one leg of MayDay USA's five-city 'Don't Mess With Our Kids' tour, aimed at taking a stand against what the group sees as widespread indoctrination of America's children by the National Education Association 'in the ways of LGBTQ, social justice, and beyond,' the tour's website states. Tuesday's protest then also quickly descended into chaos when dueling demonstrations of trans activists and MayDay USA members faced off on the 4th Avenue steps of City Hall. One frightening video captured a woman carrying a baby, flanked by two young boys, surrounded by counterdemonstrators. A man, presumably the children's father, held the hands of boys, one of whom was clearly terrified by the melee and could be seen crying hysterically. Some members of the counterdemonstration urged the woman to get her kids out of harm's way before Seattle cops barged in and started separating the crowd from the family. What exactly happened before filming started and after the clip shared online ended could not be immediately ascertained. Meanwhile, MayDay USA blasted Harrell for pointing the finger at them for fomenting the violence at Saturday's rally. 'Following the MayDay USA worship event at Cal Anderson Park on Saturday, Mayor Harrell had the audacity to issue a press release blaming Christians for the premediated violence of Antifa which resulted in the hospitalization of Seattle Police Department personnel and the arrest of 23 Antifa agitators,' the organizers said in a statement. 'Under Mayor Harrell's leadership, the city of Seattle has continued its spiral into lawlessness and dysfunction while the First Amendment rights of citizens to peacefully assemble has been disregarded.' FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced Tuesday he had requested an investigation into allegations of 'targeted violence' against religious groups after the rally, during which eight people were arrested for assault, according to Seattle Police. No injuries were reported. Originally published as Trans rights radicals surround mother holding baby at Christian group rally outside Seattle City Hall
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Woke mob accosts mother holding baby at Christian group rally outside Seattle City Hall
Raving trans rights radicals surrounded a mother with three young children at a rally held by a Christian group outside Seattle City Hall Tuesday, video circulating on social media shows. The 'Rattle in Seattle' protest was organized by MayDay USA, which describes itself as a pro-life grassroots movement that defends traditional family values and units. The demonstrators descended on City Hall on Tuesday to rally against Seattle's woke mayor, Bruce Harrell, who blamed the conservative group for a weekend protest that turned violent. Advertisement MayDay USA had held a demonstration on Saturday at the city's Cal Anderson Park that descended into chaos when left-wing counterdemonstrators stormed the event, resulting in 23 arrests. A mother with three young children was surrounded by trans activists at a Christian group's rally in Seattle Tuesday. Cam Higby / X Harrell blamed the melee in the heart of the city's historically LGBTQ neighborhood on 'far-right' demonstrators and 'anarchists' who he said were 'promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city's values.' Advertisement The weekend event was one leg of MayDay USA's five-city 'Don't Mess With Our Kids' tour, aimed at taking a stand against what the group sees as widespread indoctrination of America's children by the National Education Association 'in the ways of LGBTQ, social justice, and beyond,' the tour's website states. Tuesday's protest then also quickly descended into chaos when dueling demonstrations of trans activists and MayDay USA members faced off on the 4th Avenue steps of City Hall. One frightening video captured a woman carrying a baby, flanked by two young boys, surrounded by counterdemonstrators. Advertisement A man, presumably the children's father, held the hands of boys, one of whom was clearly terrified by the melee and could be seen crying hysterically. Some members of the counterdemonstration urged the woman to get her kids out of harm's way before Seattle cops barged in and started separating the crowd from the family. What exactly happened before filming started and after the clip shared online ended could not be immediately ascertained. The protest, organized by MayDay USA, was held to oppose Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell blaming the group for violence breaking out at a demonstration held over the weekend in the city's Cal Anderson Park. Cam Higby / X Advertisement Meanwhile, MayDay USA blasted Harrell for pointing the finger at them for fomenting the violence at Saturday's rally. 'Following the MayDay USA worship event at Cal Anderson Park on Saturday, Mayor Harrell had the audacity to issue a press release blaming Christians for the premediated violence of Antifa which resulted in the hospitalization of Seattle Police Department personnel and the arrest of 23 Antifa agitators,' the organizers said in a statement. 'Under Mayor Harrell's leadership, the city of Seattle has continued its spiral into lawlessness and dysfunction while the First Amendment rights of citizens to peacefully assemble has been disregarded.' FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced Tuesday he had requested an investigation into allegations of 'targeted violence' against religious groups after the rally, during which eight people were arrested for assault, according to Seattle Police. No injuries were reported.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opponents raise alarm over school vouchers in GOP budget bill
Opponents of school vouchers are raising concerns as House Republicans attempt to push through federal legislation in their 'big, beautiful bill' advancing President Trump's agenda. If successful, the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) will create scholarships parents can use to send their students to private schools, available in all 50 states. Those opposed fear the damage the measure could do to public schools and disadvantaged students. School choice advocates were giddy after finding out ECCA was put into the reconciliation package, knowing it means the legislation would only have to be passed by a simple majority of members in the House and the Senate, both of which are controlled by Republicans. The National Education Association, the largest teachers' union in the country, immediately reached out to representatives. 'We oppose creating a $20 billion tax credit voucher scheme and allowing 529 accounts to be used for home schooling,' Marc Egan, the director of government relations for the union, wrote in a letter to the House Ways and Means Committee. Opponents list several concerns with the bill, including the weakening of public schools, especially in rural areas where other options are not available, and the lack of federal regulations on private schools or homeschooling. Those concerns are what slowed down the school choice movement in Texas, which only recently passed its own bill to adopt education savings accounts (ESAs) after years of opposition from rural Republicans. ESAs are accounts given to parents from the government with a certain amount of money to cover private school or homeschooling costs. In Texas, the program will cost $1 billion in its first year. 'Voucher schemes are transparent attempts to diminish parental choice by syphoning money away from public schools to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. The research shows that vouchers hurt student achievement, go 70 percent to families with kids already in private school, and that private schools then increase tuition in response,' said Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers. The ECCA would create a federal tax credit for individuals who donate to groups that provide school choice scholarships to students. The scholarships would be available for students from families with incomes up to 300 percent of their area's median gross income. One of the biggest concerns for opponents is the lack of restrictions over to what type of schools these scholarships could go. Private schools are not upheld to the same federal regulations, making them immune to investigations by the Education Department if concerns of discrimination are raised. While the school choice movement says their goal is to create competition in education, the measure could result in wildly different classroom experiences for students. 'I don't understand, if this bill passes and is signed into law, why only certain schools in a community have to be accountable to their local communities because they're being supported with tax dollars,' said David Schuler, executive director of the School Superintendents Association. 'You could have two schools a block away, one a private school with voucher dollars, another public school without voucher dollars, both being supported by those either local or national taxpayers, and one with no accountability measures,' Schuler added. The school choice movement had seen multiple successes since the pandemic, but it has also repeatedly fallen short in blue and even some red states. More than a dozen states have rejected school choice measures, most recently in November, when ballot measures failed in Kentucky, Colorado and Nebraska. Advocates describe the ECCA as a natural next step. 'As with the Civil Rights Act of two generations ago, Congress needs to step in and bypass that opposition to education freedom where it exists in states,' Peter Murphy, senior advisor of Invest in Education coalition, previously told The Hill. But the success of the ECCA in reconciliation is not assured as congressional Republicans are deeply fractured over the sweeping package, with some wanting deeper cuts to government spending while moderates fear the impact on federal benefits such as Medicaid. With Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) facing razor-thin margins in the lower chamber, hard-liners such as GOP Reps. Chip Roy (Texas) and Ralph Norman (S.C.) have already said they are planning to vote against the bill. And even if the legislation does survive the House, Senate Republicans are already voicing their own doubts, too. While concerns of how ECCA will affect students are top of mind for critics, the legislation's dollar-for-dollar tax credit is also under criticism as it will give these scholarship programs a leg up over tax credits for other nonprofits. 'It really becomes a financial tax donation, right?' said Schuler. 'And I think it's going to hit other nonprofits. It's going to hit their revenue significantly. And I just, again, I hope other nonprofits think about that, and I hope our legislators think about' that, he added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
