Schmoke ‘Em Out!

It’s official, Kurt Schmoke, former Baltimore Mayor and legal scholar is going to try to mediate a resolution to the contract dispute in Washington, D.C. under a voluntary arrangement agreed to by both parties. 

Today’s Washington Post editorial pretty much nails it:

This could be a promising development, but only if the mediator sees his role as deciding what best addresses the educational needs of public school students — and not, as is often the case in education policy, coming up with a consensus to mollify adult adversaries at the expense of progress.

Often in education getting everyone to get along is considered a big victory.   The kids?  Well c’mon, they’re just passing through.  The adults have to get along, after all, they’ve got to work there…get elected…etc…

Overall, in terms of where things are, I think what Richard Whitmire and I wrote in TNR still stands up, not much has changed.

One Reply to “Schmoke ‘Em Out!”

  1. D.C. withstanding, what about more progressive locals? Are there any? What about the folks interviewed in “Leading the Locals”? And . . .
    Is union involvement with charters just a way for unions to stay relevant in the long-term?

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