Today the 2013 annual membership survey was released by the Association of American Educators. The survey was conducted this fall, polling AAE members from all 50 states on issues relating to education and labor reform.   Continue Reading...

Education in America takes center stage as NBC News kicks off the third annual Education Nation summit this week. The event is a chance for some of the leading minds in the country to work together toward meaningful education reform.   Continue Reading...

In 2011, Wisconsin's fight over collective bargaining was the number one domestic story. From protests at the capitol to high-profile lawsuits, the battle to close budget shortfalls and curb union power is still gaining headlines in the state. In the latest development, WEA Trust, the health care insurer that has covered as many as two-thirds of Wisconsin school districts under strict collective bargaining agreements, has seen its revenue decline almost $70 million after a new law gave school districts the freedom to switch health care insurers to save funds.   Continue Reading...

Over the years, AAE membership surveys have covered a wide range of education policy issues and have often been critical in dispelling union-led perceptions that teachers are unsupportive of commonsense reforms. According to a new survey released by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in collaboration with Scholastic Education, the trend is in fact growing and teachers are embracing key education reforms like never before.   Continue Reading...

For generations, the public school teacher retirement system has functioned as a back-ended plan where teachers receive a modest salary in exchange for lifetime benefits and a guaranteed pension. However, the shifting demographics of the profession coupled with financial realities has led many states to question the sustainability of the current model.   Continue Reading...

Department of Education Unveils RESPECT Initiative Included in the Obama administration's 2013 proposed budget is a new $5 billion competitive program to challenge states and school districts to work with various stakeholders in an effort to comprehensively reform the field of teaching. Entitled RESPECT, the proposal seeks to touch on every aspect of teaching from training and tenure to compensation and career opportunities.

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A recent report by the union watchdog group, the Education Intelligence Agency, sheds new light on the financial disclosures of the American Federation of Teachers in the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The analysis reveals that the AFT spent an astonishing $7.8 million of member dues on a wide array of left-leaning advocacy groups, charities, and big labor organizations–more than triple the amount spent last year.   Continue Reading...

In the wake of last year's labor battles in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio, 2012 is shaping up to mark a new era in curtailed teacher union power. While it might seem difficult to believe that the National Education Association and its state affiliates, at their peak a $1.5 billion annual powerhouse, could be suffering from money troubles, new evidence suggests deep trouble for the NEA and state affiliates.   Continue Reading...

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivered his annual State of City address this week, and in it, described a new bold vision for education in the Big Apple. As the largest school system in the United States with over one million teachers and students, the plan is being hailed as a big step that will likely usher in a new era of reform in the city.   Continue Reading...

AAE Executive Director Gary Beckner letter to the editor as featured on the The Connecticut Post website:   Continue Reading...

What started in February as a battle over budget shortfalls and forced unionism has grown into a full scale ballot referendum in the key swing state of Ohio. The question known as "Issue 2" will ask voters to either accept or reject a sweeping collective bargaining law that Governor John Kasich signed in March, less than three months after his election day. Tomorrow, Ohioans will go to the polls to vote on the referendum, a case study in the near nationwide debate over union power and the sustainability of the current collective bargaining system.   Continue Reading...

2011 is shaping up to be the year of education and labor reform nearly nationwide. In March, 48 states were considering labor reform bills on the heels of major Republican gains in state legislatures across the country. What started as legislative progress and meaningful education reform in states like Indiana, Florida, and Idaho, has yielded an unprecedented backlash from unions who are literally fighting for their very survival in long drawn out court battles that are leaving many commonsense policies in limbo.

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This week we look back on another Labor Day gone, and the hope and promise of a new school year ahead. While most Americans see Labor Day as a long weekend marking the end of summer, it is critical to not only recognize the history and hardship of the workers of over century ago, but recognize the state of labor today.   Continue Reading...

The debt ceiling debate has played out like a soap opera all summer long with the U.S. credit score hanging in the balance. After intense debate and uproar, emergency bipartisan legislation was enacted on Tuesday, mere hours before we were to hit a cap on our borrowing. With the reported apocalyptic economic downfall behind us, education stakeholders are now evaluating the new budget cap and its inevitable impact on federal K-12 spending.   Continue Reading...

This weekend union leaders and liberal advocacy groups from across the country rallied in Washington, D.C. for the "Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action." With a smaller crowd than predicted, at just 3,000 people, teachers and anti-reform advocates rallied to protest everything from No Child Left Behind, to standardized tests, and everything in between somehow labeled as education reform.

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This weekend, union leaders and liberal advocacy groups from across the country will march in Washington, D.C. for what they call the "Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action."   Continue Reading...

With the 2011 legislative session at an end in many states, the dust is now settling on some of the most sweeping education and labor reforms we've have seen in generations. While each state has experienced reform and change on different levels, it is impossible to ignore the ground-breaking impact these laws will have on the future of labor relations and education across the country.

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With states across the country facing budget shortfalls and underfunded pensions, the concept of "double-dipping," or collecting both a state pension and salary has come under fire from various states seeking to rein in spending. From California to New York, many employees have been accused of unethically boosting their incomes by also taking a state pension, pushing certain state legislators to back state pension reform legislation.   Continue Reading...

When the dust settles on 2011 legislative session, states across the country will be dealing with some of the most sweeping changes in education and labor policy in generations. For months, tough-talking governors and state legislatures have been in the process of pushing through legislation that seeks to curb union power and implement sweeping education reforms. While each state is experiencing reform on different levels, it is impossible to ignore that this year will have an impact on the entire country's education outlook for years to come.   Continue Reading...

As the 2011 legislative session draws closer to its end, tough-talking governors and state legislatures across the country are proceeding with legislation that seeks to implement sweeping education and labor reforms. While each state is experiencing reform on different levels, it is impossible to ignore the ground-breaking changes that will undoubtedly change the face of education in this country in the coming years.   Continue Reading...