Stand Tall, John King

TNTP's Tim Daly with a great article, Stand Tall, John King – amen!

At this weekend's annual meeting, representatives of the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) are expected to follow through on a longstanding threat to vote "no confidence" in the state's chief education official, John King. 

Put plainly, the intent of the vote is to intimidate King. He has steadfastly insisted on raising the standard for what it means to master basic subject areas in New York classrooms. The union has demanded that King delay—for years—any accountability for teachers to help students make progress against the Common Core State Standards. King has stood his ground. The planning process has already lasted four years. He believes that a 2010 law adopting new teacher evaluation parameters, passed with the union's hearty support, should now be implemented as agreed. In the recent state budget negotiations, the governor and the state legislature agreed with him and declined to make any changes to teacher evaluation. At least for now, the issue appears settled.