From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

The Teacher Wars in America's public schools.

Hello again, I'm Armin Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

The daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

America's failing education system has become a cliche of contemporary journalism. Most often,

it's blamed on the teachers. Union rules are said to protect the worst, while low salaries,

crowded classrooms, and unequal resources make it hard to retain the best. Disputes about standardized

testing in the Common Core curriculum have teachers caught retain the best. Disputes about standardized testing in the

common core curriculum have teachers caught in the middle. As another school year gets underway

across the country, we'll hear how today's controversies reflect the history of a crucial

profession. Today's talking point, a perfect political marriage goes on the rocks in a criminal

courtroom as jury deliberations begin.

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KCRW.com. Support for To The Point comes from the members of KCRW and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund. Hello again. We're on me back with To the Point. No institution is more

important to the U.S. economy or America's role in the world than

public education. But no profession is more of a battlefield than public school teaching. As another

school year begins, our reforms desperately needed, are teachers getting a bad rap? Today's

talking point, when Robert McDonald was governor of Virginia, he and his wife seemed to epitomize the perfect conservative Christian marriage.

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