By Kyle Olson
EAGnews.org

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Teachers unions and their apologists are skillful at shifting blame for failing schools. Their latest excuse: poverty.

They tell us that if we just eliminate poverty – which has been a constant condition throughout human history – problems in schools will take care of themselves.

MORE NEWS: From Classroom to Consulate Chef: Culinary Student Lands Dream Job at U.S. Embassy in Paris

Of course, poverty didn’t create tenure. Poverty didn’t create “last in, first out.” Poverty didn’t create meaningless teacher evaluation systems. Those were all created and protected by adults in high-powered labor unions.

But that reality doesn’t fit the union narrative. So they blame nebulous problems and try to shift the focus away from bad teachers and bad government schools. And they assign the task of communicating their excuses to lap-dog organizations like the National Education Policy Center, which recently issued a report saying economic conditions bear most of the blame for poor student test scores.

NEPC’s report was released by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice, a union “think tank” that regularly attacks school choice and reform. The Great Lakes Center’s board is comprised of Midwest teachers union leaders and gets most, if not all, of its money from union coffers. In short, the Great Lakes Center is paid to issue reports that support union claims.

So we should take it with a big grain of salt when NEPC and the GLC argue that linking student test performance to teacher evaluations is “problematic,” according to Mlive.com.

“Teacher quality is among the most important within-school factors affecting student achievement. However, research also suggests that teacher differences account for no more than about 15 percent of differences in students’ test score outcomes,” study author William Mathis wrote.

It’s a relief to hear them acknowledge that teacher quality matters. But to suggest that teachers lack the power to instruct poor kids is a sellout. Just ask the teachers and school leaders at Noble Street College Prep, for example.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

Last year, we – along with Juan Williams of the Fox News Channel – focused on that Chicago charter school’s incredible success in a short film called “A Tale of Two Missions.” Noble Street College Prep, and the others in its network, produces remarkable results because of its culture of expectation and accountability for everyone involved. They show that it can be done and any barrier, including poverty, can be overcome.

They don’t accept the excuses produced by the NEPC or GLC on behalf of the cowardly and lazy unions.

If the teachers unions and their members aren’t willing to accept blame, they should no longer be considered a source for solutions.