Politics that Impact the Classroom

Education Week 
Partisan Hurdles Ahead on K-12 for some GOP Governors 
Andrew Ujifusa, 3/4/2015
Audience: Educators, Education Politics readers
Key Points: 
1) That three traditionally Democrat-leaning states (Massachusetts, Maryland, and Illinois)  have recently elected Republican Governors, and that this has implications for the education policy of the state. 
2) The issues in Maryland and Massachusetts focus on the role that charter schools play in serving the needs of the student population as well as their political implications. 
3) In Illinois, the foremost issue is that the new Governor plans to erode or eliminate the power of the public-sector unions.  He is also looking at options to close and consolidate school district administrative functions.   
Relevance: 
Working in public schools is an inherently political position.  Teachers are not meant to be overt partisan actors in the course of their typical day, but our professional lives and educational positions are most certainly political footballs.  It is important not only to develop ourselves pedagogically, but also to stay aware of, and to act on policies that will have implications for issues we care about.