NEA RECOGNIZES NEED FOR PEER REVIEW

The National Education Association -- the nation's largest teacher's union -- has had a welcomed change of heart. NEA membership now allows that teachers should be able to rate the performance of fellow instructors.

It is a marked change for an organization concerned chiefly with wages and benefits, as opposed to quality education in the classroom.

But NEA's leap on the bandwagon for teacher performance standards may come at a steep price. NEA members want more bargaining power and executive decision making in return for more cooperation with school boards and administration. NEA leader Bob Chase has promoted this "new unionism" since he took office.

One also has to wonder if the NEA is really ready to do its part to clean up public education, or is merely on a public relations mission. Membership in all unions, including NEA, has continued to decline.

Weeding out bad teachers is fundamental. But if it comes at the cost of greater NEA powers, public education should think twice.