I am sad to hear of Shanker's passing.  He was a voice for sanity in the 
public education wilderness.  Every one of his (many) New York Times columns 
I read struck me as well-reasoned...most I agreed with.
    Shanker was a courageous leader who showed he could stand for teachers 
without standing for curriculum fads, "self-esteem theory", and catering to 
"victim" groups.
--- Simplex BBS (v1.07.00Beta [DOS])
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