As I wrote in What if you feel betrayed by your union's leadership?, the President of the National Education Association, Dennis Van Roekel, by doing this USA op ed with Wendy Kopp of Teach for America, gave support to TFA while undercutting support for unions and their teachers.
I was not the only supporter of NEA and teachers who was incensed by the editorial. Later, my good friend Anthony Cody posted this blog. Meanwhile, lots of supporters were sending emails complaining about the editorial.
In response, a ranking NEA official tried sending out a rationalization via email to a lot of us who had complained. But they still don't get it. It almost does not matter what they THOUGHT they were doing. Besides the specifics noted by Anthony and me, there is something much more basic. All most people will note is that NEA and TFA did something jointly. That undermines any criticism of TFA. In fact, some on the educational right are already using the USA op ed to taunt those who have opposed some of the administration's policies, including its continuing funding of TFA.
-As a number of people have noted, TFA runs a budget of correcting figures over $200 million for 9,000 teachers, or a cost above salary of around 22,000 for each placement.-
A correction to above. The 500 mill is what they have raised to date. The actual cost per teacher per year is still in excess
Van Roekel's actions totally undermined the effective push back against TFA that was well underway.
Beyond that, anyone with any understanding of how things play in politics and policy should have understood that Van Roekel doing this op ed with Kopp would have had precisely the impact it did.
Yet still Van Roekel defends the oped in phone calls. Still NEA defends what they did - in emails, in a speechwriter for Van Roekel on twitter (search @mdawriter and @Anthonycody together on twitter for the thread). Still they apparently do not grasp the seriousness of their mistake.
So now not only do I feel betrayed. I have to wonder if those who decided to do this editorial, including Van Roekel, are too incompetent in politics and policy for the positions they hold?
My email and phone have been burning up. I am far from alone. Some of the major names in education have been complaining directly to Van Roekel and others in NEA. This is a self-inflicted blow.
And somehow, Van Roekel and other just don't get it.
I give up. On them.