First, the good news: The Wall Street Journal reports that ?two national education groups? have spent some $3.5 million in local, political campaigns ?in an effort to challenge teachers unions' longstanding clout in the political arena.? The organizations in question?Democrats for Education Reform and Stand for Children?support, inter alia, reworking teacher tenure rules and encouraging the proliferation of charter schools. And while their campaign contributions do not yet approach the amounts spent by the unions, that these two groups are willing to hop into the fray and back up their reform-y words with non-trivial clumps of cash is definitely worth noting. Oh, the bad news? It comes from Jonah Edelman, who founded Stand for Children: ?It's about money, money, money.?
?Liam Julian, Bernard Lee Schwartz Policy Fellow