As a public school teacher, I agree with Bernie's position on higher education, but wanted to know where he stands on the high-stakes testing that has overtaken and degraded our public school system K-12. Since I couldn't find it on his presidential campaign site, I browsed through his site for Vermont, and found this:
K-12
Sen. Sanders has been a vigorous opponent of the standardized testing regimen put in place by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) because it narrows school curriculum and constrains the development of critical thinking and creativity. Instead, the Senator supports a system that would promote creative learning by doing away with fill-in-the-bubble standardized tests, and instead evaluate students based their understanding of the curriculum and their ability to use it creatively.
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/legislation/issue/education
I'm not surprised, but still, it generated a
"HELL, YES!" response from me. He can easily reel in support from teachers all over the country with this, whether or not the NEA or AFT offer their endorsement. If the NEA is listening, at all, they will.