Larry Sand reminds us that the unions, in general, are still an enormous obstacle to what's best for kids:

In issue after reform issue, the public has come around to the reform side. In fact, reform, which used to be the dominion of conservatives and libertarians, has crossed over and liberals and progressive are now embracing reform – one of the rare issues that has become truly bipartisan.

Kevin Chavous, an Obama-voting Democrat, leads a group of determined pro-choicers called the Black Alliance for Educational Options. Joe Williams, a former newspaper reporter in New York, heads up the Democrats for Education reform. Davis Guggenheim , the director of "Waiting for Superman," is an admitted "unrepentant liberal." And evenOprah Winfrey has gotten into the act, featuring a couple of shows dedicated to educational reform the week "Waiting for Superman" was released in New York and Los Angeles.

What does all this portend for the unions? They have been exposed. Having lost the war of ideas, but flush with money, they will keep flailing away trying to sell the public their tired old "more money will fix things" canard. As for their claims of teacher-bashing in the movies – nonsense. Good teachers were praised constantly.

"Superman" and the other films unflinchingly tell the story of why public education in America is failing. The unfortunate reality is that teachers' unions protect not the good teachers but the bad teachers. Teachers' unions are clearly losing the battle because they are out of ideas and the public is finally realizing that the unions are not about the kids or the quality of education at all. In time, the unions will be marginalized and education will be freed to educate children and allow excellence to return to classrooms across America.

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'Superman' debate: Waiting for the teachers' unions

By Larry Sand, Thursday, October 21, 2010

www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/21/waiting-for-the-teachers-unions