Can there be change in public education?

The economy has trumped other issues in being the central focus of Congress, the outgoing administration, and the incoming administration. Nobody is talking about the sad state of public education. Yet education is one issue that both political parties claim to care about, and an issue that has a generational impact.

Public schools in America are in trouble. Children are kept in underperforming schools. Ineffective teachers are keeping their jobs. The government keeps throwing money into the system, but improvements are hard to come by. Why?

With the Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, there is a golden opportunity for the party to tackle America's education problem, if the Democrats are willing to break some bad habits, mainly its close ties with the teachers' unions.

Teachers union encourages members to wear Obama button

United Federation of Teachers has been handing out Obama/Biden buttons for members to wear, sparking a complaint from the Department of Education. The DOE has a long-standing policy of not mixing education and politics. The UFT will challenge the DOE decision.

I'm all for the teachers' right to free speech and wear buttons for a cause within the confines of school policy. In this case, the UFT already publicly endorsed a candidate and are encouraging its members -- public school teachers -- to promote its political agenda, even during class. Public schools are funded by taxpayers and should not be a place for politics.