Education

I became involved in education reform, because nothing less than Louisiana's future is at stake. None of the things we all seek – higher standards of living, improving our economy, keeping our best and brightest minds in state – are possible without first-rate public education for all Louisiana children.

I also believe the path to improving education is often much clearer than we're sometimes willing to acknowledge. In most cases, we know what the solutions are. Going about them might take hard work and dedication, but the answers are there.

I know our state has the commitment. Every day, I speak with residents from all walks of life and all across the state who desperately want a better education system and the opportunities that come with it. We cannot allow complacency, naysayers and special interests to derail meaningful reforms.

No one questions employees' rights to organize, and there is certainly any number of obstacles to meaningful reform over the years. But teacher unions' motivations are a crucial piece to this puzzle. Take these comments, for example, from Bob Chanin, former general counsel for the National Association of Educators:

"So the bad news, or depending on your point of view, the good news, is that NEA and its affiliates will continue to be attacked by conservative and right-wing groups as long as we continue to be effective advocates for public education, for education employees, and for human and civil rights. And that brings me to my final and most important point. Which is why, at least in my opinion, NEA and its affiliates are such effective advocates. Despite what some among us would like to believe, it is not because of our creative ideas. It is not because of the merit of our positions. It is not because we care about children. And it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child. NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power. And we have power because there are more than 3.2 million people who are willing to pay us hundreds of millions of dollars in dues each year because they believe that we are the unions that can most effectively represent them, the unions that can protect their rights and advance their interests as education employees."

His comments, which came in his 2009 farewell address, is one of the most compelling examples of how a single group – in this case, teacher unions – is capable of placing its ability to exert influence ahead of its stated goal of improving education and protecting children.

If we are to make public schools better, we must be open to frank discussions about the value of public education, its shortcomings and ways of improving it.