So we've been working with a group of folks from around the country, most notably the Rev. Al Sharpton, on trying to push education reform to be more widely embraced as a civil rights issue (for students.) And this morning was our group's first press conference, at the National Press Club.
Regular readers will recall that I was slightly skeptical, after appearing on a panel with Sharpton in Memphis in April, that this thing was going to really go anywhere. Sharpton, you'll recall, talked about the need to abandon past clergy-labor-civil rights coalitions formed years ago which were now essentially keeping kids trapped in crappy schools. (That in fighting to protect adults, we were leaving kids vulnerable.) I was slightly worried because I felt Sharpton was absolutely right, and that the essense of his rightness (that we have essentially allowed ourselves to be blind to reality by very, very tight partnerships with entrenched interests like teachers unions) would chop off the head of this civil rights push before it even got out of the gate.
Here is how I figured it would play out:
1.) Sharpton makes bold comments linking bad education policies with the "coalitions" that were once established to help public schools (but which were now causing them to die a slow death.)
2.) Teachers union president (correctly) interprets Sharpton's comments to mean there is trouble in paradise and that the coalitional gravy train might be coming to the end of the line.
3.) Teachers union president calls Sharpton and complains about living up to a cross-your-heart-hope-to-die-stick-a-needle-in-your-eye blood oath that was made way back when bell-bottom pants were fashionable (the first time) and threatens God-only-knows-what if Sharpton doesn't zip his lips and get with the program.
4.) Sharpton responds by issuing a press release demanding class sizes of no more than 4 students as a basic civil right for every child.
While steps 1-3 inevitably played out, Sharpton didn't even come close to the fourth step. Just the opposite. The reverand actually came on even stronger than he did in Memphis and offered some very blunt comments about why so many of us have allowed our schools to fail so many kids for so long. Straight Talk Express, baby. Keep your eye on this Education Equality Project because it is likely to be like nothing you've ever seen before in this sphere. More later…