Which sets of school reforms are inflicting the most damage on teachers and students? Has the right wing Tea Party's most extreme assaults on public education hurt schools the most? Or, has the Duncan administration's ill-conceived corporate reforms done the most harm?
North Carolina was once touted as an exemplar of standards based reforms, and Wake County was praised for its socio-economic integration. Tea Party Governor Pat McCrory and Republicans are phasing out tenure and gutting salaries. As a result, mid-year teacher resignations in Wake schools have increased by an "alarming" 41% this school year. The number of resigning teachers who said they are moving to other North Carolina schools dropped, as there was an increase in teachers leaving for other states. Early retirements have tripled...