The labor battle continues to heat up all over the country as Wisconsin, Indiana, Tennessee, and Ohio lawmakers are in various stages of passing legislation that would end compulsory unionism and close budget shortfalls. Despite huge protests, media coverage, attempted filibusters and walk-outs, progress has been made in Wisconsin over the last few hours.   Continue Reading...

This week, Utah House Bill 183 cleared several legislative hurdles after years of union push back. The House advanced a bill Wednesday that would prohibit school districts from paying teachers on leave from the classroom for union duties as well as prohibit school district money contributing to union leader salaries.   Continue Reading...

The saga continues all over the country as Wisconsin, Indiana, Tennessee, and Ohio lawmakers are all fighting to end compulsory unionism and close budget shortfalls. Despite protests, national headlines and Democratic lawmakers leaving the states in droves, experts are calling this landmark legislation that will change the face of public sector unions for years to come.   Continue Reading...

AAE Executive Director Gary Beckner op-ed as featured on the Washington Times website:   Continue Reading...

Listen Live to AAEAAE Director of Education Policy and 1993 National Teacher of the Year Tracey Bailey will be discussing Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and the showdown between public employee unions and GOP governors during several radio interviews, listen via the streaming links below:   Continue Reading...

As thousands still march in Madison, Wisconsin, the battle for public-sector forced unionism continues. Democratic state legislators have refused to return to the state for a vote and thousands of public employees continue to miss work for protests. While the battle rages on in Wisconsin, both Ohio and Indiana are experiencing similar protests over union-crippling legislation.   Continue Reading...

Schools in Wisconsin are closed, Democratic legislators left the state in protest, and tens of thousands have converged at the state house. This has been the scene for the last few days in a state where Republican Governor Scott Walker has proposed legislation to close a budget shortfall and curb collective bargaining. The protests, uproar, and fallout have gained national attention and have even warranted comment from President Obama.   Continue Reading...

Idaho State Superintendent Tom Luna experienced quite the scare this week, waking up to an act of vandalism in his driveway. In the wake of his proposed bold education reform agenda, Mr. Luna has received quite the union push back to say the least. Luna's truck was left spray painted and the tires slashed Tuesday morning resulting in fingers pointing in the direction of the Idaho Education Association, Luna's biggest critic.   Continue Reading...

With tax season just around the corner, it's important to know what kind of federal tax breaks you might be eligible for as an educator. Most teachers purchase supplies for their classroom out of their own pockets throughout the school year. What you need to know is that if you are a teacher you can deduct up to $250 for unreimbursed classroom expenses.   Continue Reading...

Recently governors across the country have made national headlines bringing the salaries of district superintendents to light. While all of these salaries are a matter of public record, the public has become particularly outraged with the astronomical salaries of administrators at a time when school systems everywhere are seeking to cut back.   Continue Reading...

The debate over "value-added" methods of evaluating teachers has caused controversy all over the country. While most agree that we must find a way of fairly evaluating teachers, not many agree on the method. One common thread of a new evaluation system is a new focus on student achievement.   Continue Reading...

A recent report by the Education Intelligence Agency sheds light on the financial disclosures of the National Education Association in the 2009-2010 fiscal year. The analysis reveals that the NEA spent $13 million dollars of member dues on a wide array of left-leaning advocacy groups and charities.

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Last week in State of the State addresses in New Jersey, Idaho, and Florida, tough talking governors focused on education reform proposals all centered on eliminating tenure for public school teachers. With the issue of tenure making headlines lately, the support for elimination has been gaining steam nationwide.   Continue Reading...

Throughout the summer and fall, the whole country has been talking about education and education reform. Everyone from Oprah to AAE's own Gary Beckner have been talking about movies like Waiting for "Superman" as groundbreaking films that challenge our perceptions of education in America. One film about the state of education in New Jersey has been receiving critical acclaim, yet has not received the kind of national media attention of "Superman". The Cartel, out on DVD this week, is a chilling portrayal of education in the Garden State.   Continue Reading...

The face of the teacher workforce is changing dramatically. The fact is over the next ten years over half of current teachers in America will be retiring. In California the situation is even more dire as the number of Californians seeking to become teachers has plummeted 45% in the last seven years according to a new report released last week by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning.   Continue Reading...

Last week some of the best-known names in education reform converged for a round-table discussion at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. The moderator, former Secretary of Education under President George W. Bush, Margaret Spellings told the crowd, "It's like we have Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, and Tina Turner together on the same stage," referring to the panel. Former Washington, D.C., chancellor of schools Michelle Rhee, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, and former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta called for teacher accountability and school reform in their discussion entitled, "Strange Bedfellows: The Politics of Education and the Future of Reform".   Continue Reading...

This week New Jersey is again making national headlines over Governor Christie's run-ins with the education establishment in the state. On Monday, Christie publically criticized a raise in salary approved for a local superintendent. Christie called Parsippany-Troy Hills Superintendent LeRoy Seitz "the new poster boy for all that is wrong with the public school system that's being dictated by greed."   Continue Reading...

The debate over teacher pay continues as education reformers and policy makers share ideas about performance pay and value-added compensation scales. One aspect that has remained largely constant is pay increases for teachers who earn additional course credits or hold advanced degrees. Sometimes known as "lane" increases or the "master's degree bump", these increases are some of the costliest to schools systems and are raising questions on whether or not these degrees are in fact helping student learning.   Continue Reading...

For years, rigid union contracts have put teachers on very structured pay schedules that are predetermined based on years in service and level of education. On the heels of the recent trends in education reform, several districts around the country are experimenting with different methods of restructuring teacher pay.   Continue Reading...

New Jersey has been the talk of the education reform world for the past few months. From the tough talking, union-fighting Governor Christie's town hall meetings to Race to the Top application controversy, and the recent news of a $100 million donation to the Newark city schools by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, New Jersey has frequently made education news headlines.   Continue Reading...