Does Teacher Union Power Influence Media? You Bet!
Richard Whitmire gives an insightful look into teacher union power and its influence on the press in the74million.org. He describes how the pendulum has swung in and out of favor of charter schools, with the deciding factor being the dependence of many education writers on the opinion of teacher union officials. He recommends reports instead observe what is happening in their communities and judge charter schools accordingly.
The evidence is pretty much everywhere. In years past, USA Today, my former employer, might have written a balanced national roundup about charter schools — the good, bad and ugly. Just recently, however, it was nothing but a sum-up of the bad and ugly.
Another harbinger: The prestigious New York Times just last week blew a big wet kiss at LeBron James’s new school in Akron, I Promise School, citing quick score jumps among its third- and fourth-graders. I mean, good for those kids, and good for James. But one-year data from a relative handful of students?.