Readers scanning the site today should take a few minutes with the Orange County Register story linked under the "In Today's Headlines" section, which reports on some hopeful polling data showing that a growing number of teachers are in favor of abolishing their unions and implementing merit pay. They should read beyond the lede, however, to see why education reform in California is such a hopless endeavor under the status quo. To wit:
Last year, California passed legislation to allow students' academic performance to be used to evaluate teachers and principals in California. But because school districts must get their local unions to agree to this plan for it to take effect at the local level, the effort has languished locally.The intransigence of the unions (not to mention common sense) dictates that this strategy will never work. California's education reformers need to stiffen their spines. Breaking the union monopoly is not going to be a cooperative endeavor.
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