A bitter rift inside the Democratic Party over testing, teachers, and No Child Left Behind will be exposed this weekend as the party's convention kicks off in Denver, putting to a test Senator Obama's promise to bridge differences and bring diverse coalitions together.
Although everyone says the goal is to improve schools, one group of activists favors keeping No Child Left Behind mostly intact and pressing even more aggressive measures, such as firing teachers whose students do not score well on tests. Another group argues for overhauling the law, is less supportive of testing, and says failing schools need support, not punishments...
The mystery to some is where Mr. Obama stands in the fight.
I guess Iraq isn't the issue the Dems thought it would be, so they may as well squabble about education.
Obama floated a trial balloon at his NEA endorsement jamboree by putting in a good word for charters (scattered booing) and teacher accountability (much more lusty booing). It may be that black interest in educational alternatives has increased to some critical level and can no longer be ignored. But there's something going on on the left side of the aisle and it looks to be worth a couple of good squabbles at the convention.
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