The Obama administration's anti-public education policies, including corporatization, charterization, and pay for performance initiatives, have earned it the enmity of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. The financial crisis of the last few years has forced the Obama administration to make difficult decisions, and it has come down on the side of the banks and corporations against public employees. Once key Obama supporters, the NEA and AFT have changed their tune. Let's hope that they will finally bury their knee-jerk support of the Democratic party and stop tying our fortunes to politicians who are willing to sell out the American people. Check out the AFT President's speech at the annual convention. Also watch NEA President Van Roekel's address to the annual convention. Van Roekel:

It's about time Van Roekel and the NEA leadership smelled the coffee. Maybe the Obama administration would have thought differently about Race to the Top had the unions not been so busy peddling the "reforms" to their members and had they consistently opposed it from the beginning. Instead, Van Roekel and the like fawned over Obama, even as he proposed anti-labor policies. Maybe now we'll see some action from the NEA. We need to oppose anti-teacher, anti-public education, anti-labor programs and policies and the corrupt politicians who back them. 

The NEA finally recognized the anti-public education, anti-labor principles embodied in the Race to the Top initiative and decided to vote "no confidence" on the program. While not directly opposing the Obama administration, the vote is a step away from the pro-Obama rhetoric that has characterized NEA statements since Obama's election. The NEA should distance itself from competitive grants (and the politicians who promote them) and support the full and equitable funding of public education.

Sarah Brown Wessling, the 2010 National Teacher of the Year, fired up the 9,000 educators attending the National Education Association (NEA) Representative Assembly last week with a passionate speech that emphasized her belief that teachers must be the lead learners in their own classrooms. That means teachers who are listening, interacting, and working side by side with their students, she said. Check out her speech.

The NEA offers a variety of online professional development classes to members through the NEA Academy. Courses are only $69, and the Academy has courses covering a wide range of topics.

Anthony Mullen, the 2009 National Teacher of the Year, addressed an audience of 10,000 educators in San Diego. Read More.