With both David Brooks of the New York Times and the Washington Post's editorial page saying that Democrats are split over education, there's no denying it. Brooks says:
As in many other areas, the biggest education debates are happening within the Democratic Party. On the one hand, there are the reformers like Joel Klein and Michelle Rhee, who support merit pay for good teachers, charter schools and tough accountability standards. On the other hand, there are the teachers' unions and the members of the Ed School establishment, who emphasize greater funding, smaller class sizes and superficial reforms.
In the Post's words:
The different education factions of the party -- those pushing for radical restructuring and those more wedded to the status quo -- were each convinced during the campaign that Mr. Obama shared their particular viewpoints. So it is not clear whether Mr. Obama is leaning toward the "disrupters," House education committee chairman George Miller's approving description of the reformers, or the "incrementalists" who are allied with teachers unions.
The Post urges the President-Elect not to pick Linda Darling-Hammond; Brooks is hoping for the selection of Arne Duncan or Joel Klein. As for our Education Insiders--well, they are just hoping he picks somebody, and quick! This thing has been dragging on for over a month now.
