I have only just received a copy of the July 1998 issue of Z Magazine, a left-wing political and cultural opinion publication. It contains an extensive article on the NEA/AFT merger debate that I highly recommend to those of you with an continuing interest in the issue. The article, authored by Rich Gibson, the director of social studies education at Wayne State University, has many stunning behind-the-scenes revelations. It is available on the web at www.pipeline.com/~rgibson/mergerconvention.htm.

The common belief among voucher supporters present at CEO America's School Choice Conference is that the 2000 Presidential race will be launched by whichever candidate is first to propose a school choice plan and make it his or her issue. The expectation is that this will be a governor — perhaps George Bush of Texas or Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, the Children's Education Scholarship Fund, a group put together by Ted Forstmann and John Walton, is expected to announce today at the National Press Club new support for its efforts from such luminaries as Colin Powell, Rep. Charles Rangel (Dem. - NY), and others. Even with such high-powered people aboard, expect school choice supporters to highlight voucher recipients in upcoming media campaigns.

I spent a pleasant lunch at the school choice conference with the National Education Association observer sent to monitor the proceedings. Perhaps there really is a fraternity of spies.

Too much went on at the AFT/NEA Teacher Quality Conference to allow for adequate summarizing here. There were multiple workshops and presentations on peer review, national certification, teacher recruitment, licensure and professional development. Here a few random events and quotes. I am, of course, available to answer your specific questions about the conference by phone or e-mail.

Several speakers (with the notable exception of NEA President Bob Chase) expressed the hope that the conference would be an important step on the road to unity between the two major teachers' unions. These remarks were met with perfunctory applause and more than a few snorts from the back of the room, where many members of the NEA Board were seated.

In her remarks, AFT President Sandra Feldman asserted that unions were "largely excluded from decisionmaking" in school districts. Feldman noted that Japanese teachers meet with their colleagues as often as 10 hours every week and called for "time — time in the day for teachers to meet." This idea was later shot down by William Schmidt, National Research Coordinator for the Third International Math and Science Survey (TIMSS). Schmidt said that without common standards and curricula, "Who are they going to talk to, about what?"

"I don't think having money out as a carrot is going to work." —  Feldman on merit pay.

"If a public school is not doing the job it is supposed to do, I think it ought to be closed down and redesigned." — Feldman.

By far the most interesting speaker was William Schmidt of TIMSS. He first reintroduced the results of the TIMSS study, which showed US students placing above the international average in math and science in 4th grade, only to fall to the bottom by 8th and 12th grades. He showed the audience a sample math question from the test — a simple dual perimeter problem. He explained that more that two-thirds of 12th graders were unable to solve the problem. He emphasized and repeated the lack of subject matter and content knowledge among both teachers and students. He did not place the blame solely on teachers, but noted that US curricula tend to be "a mile wide and an inch deep" — covering too many topics too superficially. 

He also displayed data showing teachers were effective in teaching — and students in learning — many of the areas wrongfully emphasized by faulty curricula. For example, US math students ranked first in the world in rounding numbers. As many education observers have noted in the past, US schools tend to place extraordinary weight on rounding and estimating. In science, American students topped the world in "lifestyles and genetics" — in other words, as Schmidt explained, reproduction. The public school's stressing of self-esteem has also worked wonders, resulting in students who believe themselves to have great skills in math and science, even when their test results indicate otherwise.

Evaluations of the California class size reduction program will have to be made very carefully. After citing the fact that the state currently has 28,000 teachers on emergency credentials, an official from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing remarked that many districts are making great efforts not to place these teachers in the reduced classes. The logic is that these new, inexperienced, and perhaps unqualified teachers would offset the benefits of class size reduction and hurt public support for the program. The converse problem, of course, is that these teachers are being placed in the larger, upper grades, where we may expect to see student performance drop precipitously.

New Business Item #1, passed by the 1998 NEA Representative Assembly, says in part: "The President and Executive Committee will develop guidelines to deal with the question of mergers between NEA and AFT state affiliates before an NEA/AFT merger takes place, and arrange for the introduction of any amendments to the NEA Constitution and Bylaws that may be necessary.  These guidelines will be approved by the Board of Directors before they are implemented, and any proposed amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws will be approved by the Board of Directors before they are introduced.  No state affiliate mergers will take place except in accordance with these guidelines."

Many delegates, particularly those who voted to oppose the Principles of Unity, have asked EIA how the Minnesota Education Association and the Minnesota Federation of Teachers were able to merge on September 1 in light of this requirement (introduced, it should be mentioned, by MEA President Judy Schaubach). So, I asked NEA President Bob Chase about it at the Teacher Quality press conference.

"The state affiliates in Minnesota have merged," he said, "and we will now institute the process for them to affiliate with us."  

I asked, "Are you saying that during the interim period, Education Minnesota is not affiliated with the national unions?"

 "I consider them to be an affiliate," interjected AFT President Sandra Feldman.

Quote of the Week #1: "There's no accountability in that kind of
environment. We know from our contacts, from people in the business world, that you can have exceptional skills, but if you can't work with other folks, you're useless in the work force." — NEA spokesperson Kathleen Lyons, speaking about home schooling.

Quote of the Week #2: "She said, ‘You know, you're destroying public education as we know it.' And I said, ‘I pray to God every night that that's true.' " — Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Graham Keegan, describing an encounter with a political opponent.