Jindal rips teachers unions, touts education reform

ROSEMONT, IL - JUNE 08: Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal speaks to guests at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on June 8, 2012 in Rosemont, Illinois. CPAC is being hosted by the American Conservative Union. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) / Scott Olson

This article originally appeared on RealClearPolitics.

As his administration awaits a Louisiana Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of its school voucher program, Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal had some harsh words for teachers unions on Tuesday, accusing them of perpetuating an unfair education system that benefits neither students nor educators.

"Were it not for the teachers unions' herculean efforts, every low-income family would have the opportunity to enroll their children into a better performing school -- a school that meets the unique needs of their kids," Jindal said during a speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "It's time to bring American education out of the Stone Age and into the 21st century, a place where our choices are dramatically expanding, and a place where the old centralized government model is increasingly outdated and inefficient."

Jindal previously served, at 28 years of age, as the youngest ever president of the University of Louisiana system; he has made education reform the top priority of his second term in Baton Rouge.

Last April, he pushed through the state legislature a sweeping educational overhaul that included a voucher program to dramatically expand access to private and religious schools; reforms to teacher tenure rules; and the creation of a coordinated early education system.

Jindal said that he was "confident we'll prevail" on the voucher issue, the central aspect of the overhaul, which is being challenged in court.

On the day when Brookings released its annual ranking of American school districts --based on the choices they offer to students -- Jindal touted the progress he said has been made in his state since 2005, when 77 percent of New Orleans students attended schools deemed to be "failing."

"Since 2007, the last five years alone, the percentage of students in New Orleans that are reading and doing math at grade level has more than doubled," he said.

Jindal has begun to subtly position himself for a potential presidential run in 2016 and has increasingly sought to wear the mantle of an accomplished executive willing to speak hard truths to his own party.

As he tore through an approximately 5,000-word speech in just about a half-hour, Jindal devoted a portion of his remarks to a broader discourse about the state of the American education system.

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"The United States of America does not provide equal opportunity in education," he asserted. He then asked the crowd to let those words sink in -- though he paused only for a second or two before making further points in rapid-fire succession.

"It is completely dishonest to pretend today that America provides equal opportunity in education," Jindal added. "We do not, and if you say that we do, you are lying. I would try to be more direct, but I don't know how."

The 41-year-old governor said that while he disagreed with some of the Obama administration's education initiatives, there are several that he supports, arguing that the issue is in large part a bipartisan one.

"To oppose school choice is to put the wishes of the adults who control the status quo ahead of the needs of children," he said. "To oppose school choice is to oppose equal opportunity for poor and disadvantaged kids in America."

[WHAT-IS-HE-SMOKING]

So let's send our tax dollars to for profit schools, religious schools including Muslim schools.

[ichibandan]

When you say School Voucher in the Deep South, you're coding segregation. To the Tea Party , that's the real root of the problem-racial mingling. Vouchers themslves aren't a bad idea; it's just the way they are viewed and maipulated that makes tem the tool of institutional racism.

[Texas_Democrat]

Lack of speaking and reading appropriate English is the major problem with lack of success of students. When children are raised learning only non-English or ethnically-altered English they will struggle thoroughout their entire primary academic lives. Their exposure to correct English occurs only a few hours at school. Often at home English is not preferred nor reinforced, even discouraged, and children are taught from birth words and phrases that make it very difficult for them to read and understand classroom materials and comprehend teachers. By the time they enter school they can't speak appropriate English and this sets them up for not being able to read or write appropriate English later,failure and school drop out. The main solution begins at home with parents.

[FactsNotFallacies]

The DC voucher program was shown to give slightly better results at only half the cost per student.

And we've tripled per student spending since the 70's (adjusting for inflation) and the results on the NAEP have been flat the entire time.

More spending doesn't equal better education.

[markfromdover]

Wow another Replublican attack on middle class workers. Go figure

[FactsNotFallacies]

How so?

[elliesamericana]

Teachers are middle class workers.

[nolapearl]

Jindal touts education reform. We here in Lousiana are what? 47th out of 50 in education? We're right up there in healthcare also - excuse me bottom 5 in both. He's a healthcare expert and an education expert. Would you vote for him? The numbers haven't changed and he's on his second term.

[jnostromo]

Funny..but the republican governor in my state has cut funding for education....If you want to improve the system then you start by teaching our children the history of this country first instead of the world cultures bs that is currently being shoved down their throats...You change the teaching degree system , so that a teacher must certify in one subject only and be proficient in that subject instead of allowing our grade school teachers to teach every subject. The final piece is that you must get parents to take an active interest in their child's education...Too many parents today cannot be bothered with what their children are learning or what they are doing on the internet...Children need care and guidance , they require a lot of dedication and work to raise them with proper values.

[thechooch1]

jnostromo I agree with a lot of what you say. Especially the part about getting parents involved, that is the problem as far as I am concerned. However, years ago teachers taught all subjects in their grade and we did just fine.

[greennnnnn-2009]

Hey, Indiana just changed the "teaching degree system" to where one no longer needs a master's degree. Can have bachelor's degree only. Also, all one needs to do to teach ANY subject at all is to pass a test. Doesn't matter if you majored in electrical engineering. If you want to teach history, pass the test and you're in. That's what I call progress. SNARK.

[Ericwvb]

If you look at only the performance of only white and asian students in America, then suddenly our schools would rank near the top in the world. For that to be the fault of teachers, they would have to all segregate themselves according to their individual skill and skin color of their students, which is a ridiculous concept. The real reason for bad student performance are things like poverty, lack of opportunity, gang violence, etc., making it so much harder to get a decent education.

[paulteague89]

Here we go again - another Tea Party moron. It's a shame they get indoctrinated so early.

[Scimajor]

""Were it not for the teachers unions' herculean efforts, every low-income family would have the opportunity to enroll their children into a better performing school..."

I don't know how it is in other states but in California teachers and their union have NOTHING to do with which school a student can or can't go to. The administration has control over that NOT the teachers.

[nolapearl]

I live in Louisiana and Jindal is a horrible governor. The legislature doesn't even like him. He's the king and it's his way or the highway. He killed an extension on cigarette taxes while continuing to strip away education funds. AND for the past 3 years, he's been outside of the state campaigning for his 2016 presidential run rather than here in LA learning the concerns of the citizens and what's important to them. He closed most all mental health beds in New Orleans after Katrina and sent them to the northshore. He recently (and still is trying to)now close the northshore mental health hospital, which has been a huge success for patients and families since the 1950's and move it to north LA where no one lives - certainly not those who need it. He is horrible. Jindal is a legend in his own mind - certainly not the citizens here.