By Ben Velderman
EAGnews.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Through his involvement with the Teach for America program, Rob Bryan witnessed first-hand how teacher unions are bad for education.

“Everything was about perpetuating the status quo,” Bryan told EducationViews.org. “I had a teacher come to tell me, ‘It doesn’t look good for you to stay late.’”

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That experience helped convince Bryan to work for change. He is one of a growing number of Teach for America alumni who are running for political office, in hopes of reforming public education, usually by scrapping teacher tenure and using student achievement to measure teacher effectiveness.

Currently only two TFA alumni are serving as elected state lawmakers, but that number could increase significantly after this fall’s elections.

“At least six TFA alumni are running for state legislatures this year, and many others are running for boards of education,” the news site reports.

Teach for America is a national program that places some of the brightest and most accomplished college graduates in low-performing schools throughout the U.S. After signing a two-year commitment, TFA educators enter the classroom with only one mission: to help students learn.

These young teachers are not concerned about observing union work rules or fighting with administrators over salary schedules. This, of course, puts them in direct conflict with the teacher unions that exist solely to promote the financial interests of their members.

That explains why TFA alumni who run for office face heavy union opposition. Since several of the candidates profiled in the Education Views article are Democrats, the TFA/union battle is being played out largely in Democratic primaries.

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In one recent California primary, for example, TFA candidate Brian Johnson was supported by Democrats for Education Reform and Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst organization and opposed by the radical California Teachers Association.

It appears the union succeeded in defeating Johnson, although a few votes are still being counted, the site reports.

Regardless of how individual elections turn out, the trend seems clear: These young “upstarts” who actually think public education exists to serve the interests of students – and not adults – are bringing the fight directly to the unions.

Along with reform-minded governors and lawmakers throughout the U.S., these TFA veterans represent another existential threat to the nation’s self-serving teacher unions.

We’re looking forward to the day when the unions are no longer in control of public education. When that happens, don’t be surprised if union officials shake their fists at the TFA alumni and say in their best Scooby-Doo villain voice: “And we would’ve gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddlesome kids!”