The reporter laughed.
asserted
reporter → laugh → ?
Given the CTA’s enormous influence over California politics, he said, he had expected something more imposing.
asserted
he → give → something
I pointed across the street toward the State Capitol.
asserted
I → point → Capitol
“That’s the real estate they own,” I told him.
asserted
I → ’ → him
You cannot understand California education policy without understanding the raw political power of the institutions that make their living from the system.
asserted
that → understand → system
California calls it a “public education system.”
asserted
California → call → it
I have come to see it as a “public works system” — an enormous governmental enterprise organized around paychecks, pensions, contracts, bureaucracies and political power, while the people with the least power are the children sitting behind the desks.
asserted
people → come → desks
My mother had a sixth-grade level of education; I understood that education is the key to the American Dream.
asserted
education → have → Dream
That realization forged my commitment to fight on behalf of kids trapped in failing schools.
asserted
realization → forge → schools
When people ask, “But why did you walk away from the Democrat Party?”, the main reason I give is that I saw the cowardice of Democrats in failing to confront their donors and a system that traps too many low-income and minority children in schools that serve the adults, not the kids.\
Teachers themselves are not the enemy.
asserted
Teachers → ask → adults
I respect teachers’ right to organize and advocate for better pay, working conditions, and classrooms.
asserted
I → respect → pay
But respecting teachers is not the same thing as surrendering education policy to a political organization representing adults employed by the system.
asserted
respecting → respect → system
With millions to spend on lobbying California government, the CTA pushes legislators to pass bills that, overwhelmingly, oppose school choice and parent rights.
asserted
that → spend → choice
The union’s political involvement extends far beyond collective bargaining.
asserted
involvement → extend → bargaining
Its political committees support candidates and ballot measures, and its policy activity has ranged across taxes, school funding, bonds, tenure protection, and other major questions of education policy.
asserted
activity → support → policy
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The CTA’s 300,000 members pay an average of $1,000 in yearly dues.
asserted
members → download → dues
Approximately 98% of campaign contributions from their war chest go to Democrats; 1.6% to Republicans.
asserted
% → go → Republicans
But where is the equivalent political power for the child who cannot read?
asserted
who → read → child
California’s latest statewide assessment results should make that question impossible to ignore.
asserted
question → make → ?
The most recent data available reveal that only 48.8% of California students met or exceeded the state standard in reading; in math, just 37.3%.
asserted
% → reveal → math
Despite the glaring academic failures, students continue to be pushed through the system like a bad colonoscopy, and over 80% of all students graduate.
asserted
% → continue → students
Schools still collect their funding.
asserted
Schools → collect → funding
But in any other business, those school “leaders” would be fired and their businesses restructured or shut down.
asserted
businesses → fire → business
California needs reliable ways to determine whether students have mastered algebra, can analyze difficult texts, and are prepared for college-level work.
asserted
students → need → work
I am proud to have joined with several thousand University of California faculty who have, finally, and in fear of being called “racist,” demanded a return of the SAT or some form of objective metric of college preparedness.
asserted
who → join → preparedness
Yet, the Democrats march on, year after year, like obedient sheep paying homage to their shepherd.
asserted
Democrats → march → shepherd
And those who dare stand up to the system become fewer and fewer.
asserted
who → dare → system
The child pays the price, but all Californians suffer.
asserted
Californians → pay → price
Parents deserve transparent academic standards.
asserted
Parents → deserve → standards
They deserve honest information about whether their children can actually read, write, and perform mathematics at grade level.
asserted
children → deserve → level
And students deserve a system willing to put their academic success ahead of every institution that profits, politically or economically, from maintaining the status quo.
asserted
that → deserve → quo
Parents deserve school choice.
asserted
Parents → deserve → choice
The central principle should be simple: Public education exists for children.
asserted
education → exist → children
Teachers matter enormously.
asserted
Teachers → matter → ?
Administrators matter.
asserted
Administrators → matter → ?
Unions have a legitimate responsibility to represent their members.
asserted
Unions → have → members
School boards and elected officials have important roles.
asserted
boards → elect → roles
But the purpose of the system should not be simply to preserve the system.
asserted
purpose → preserve → system
It exists to educate the child.
asserted
It → exist → child
And, I would add, by any means necessary: whether through traditional district, magnet, or charter schools; in private schools; or even through homeschooling.
asserted
I → add → homeschooling
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
