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George Parker spent 30 years as a math teacher in low-performing schools in Washington, D.C., and then six years as president of the Washington Teachers' Union. A onetime opponent of charter schools, he's now a senior adviser at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.In a new op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Parker explained why he made such a dramatic transition: Despite claims by the unions that charter schools are unaccountable impediments to kids' educations, he finally realized that charters were not a threat to students but to unions."Too many teachers oppose them because they're bad for unions, not kids," the subtitle on Parker's article declared.Parker began with a memory of telling a group of children that he was focused on making "sure their teachers had what they needed to do their jobs" and "to help them become the best teachers they could be."But I knew that wasn't always the case," he lamented, adding:QuoteLike many union leaders, I had relentlessly negotiated contracts that protected not only teachers' rights, but their wrongs. As I drove home, I thought about the $10,000 my union had spent to keep a poorly performing teacher in the classroom—not because she deserved another chance, but because of a technicality.
Like many union leaders, I had relentlessly negotiated contracts that protected not only teachers' rights, but their wrongs. As I drove home, I thought about the $10,000 my union had spent to keep a poorly performing teacher in the classroom—not because she deserved another chance, but because of a technicality.
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Topic: Former teachers union president reveals why he went from fighting against charter schools to promoti (Read 204 times)
