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Thanks for the ping on this very informative article, Joe.

Here in FL, Gov Jeb Bush co-founded the state's very first charter school, in a low income commmunity, Liberty City, near Miami. The other person who worked with Gov Bush to found this school is a well known black leader in FL.

Charter schools have been encouraged in FL under Gov Bush, but a handful of FL charter schools have also experiened the problems cited in this article here:

But not all reform-minded conservatives are happy with charters’ progress. Fordham Foundation’s Chester Finn, for example, supports charters, but charges that the movement is "leaderless," "rudderless," and "losing its edge." Despite generally positive reports such as those cited above, Mr. Finn says incidents of poor planning, ill-conceived state laws, and a small but visible group of greedy charter operators threaten to turn charters into a "faux reform."

On the other hand, because Gov Bush wants student achievement to rise in a big way, he has actually allowed chart school "DISTRICTS" in FL, meaning, a public school district can be waived from a series of state regulations in exchange for meeting certain performance goals. I think that's great.

Speaking now as a teacher, here is the problem I see loominig on the horizon, and it is already hinted in this article: no one speaks for teachers -- except the union.

I think more teachers would be willing to experiment by teaching in charter schools if they felt assured that someone, somewhere was also watching out for their interests. But, only the union claims to look out for teachers, even though the union, time and again, is actually looking out for a host of other matters not pertaining at all to teachers.

There has to be a new organization, a professional organzation, willing to engage in both education reform, for the benefit of students, AND willing to allow itself to be a voice for teachers who DO want change. Right now, such an organization does not exist on a large national scale.

And, because such an alterantive organzation does not exist on a wide scale, teachers can be subject to intimidation, and easily find themselves the subject of harassment if they are on the "wrong" side of an issue or speak too loudly.

To be a teacher in this highly charged political climate is tough. For those teachers who want change, it is particularly frightening, because you do not want to spend all your time defending yourself against harassment, false charges, etc. Until this climate changes, and student achievement and teachers interested in reform can find both their interests represented by a professional organization which is not the NEA, the change will be slower than it could otherwise have been, because more reform minded teachers may choose to leave the teaching profession than stay and be in the midst of what often feels like a war.