Once in sync, 2 candidates for state superintendent of schools have diverged

10-26-2010

By Howard Blume/Los Angeles Times

For months it was hard to tell apart two of the Democrats vying to be the state schools superintendent. Tom Torlakson and Larry Aceves largely agreed on cutting-edge issues, espousing classically liberal positions, very much in sync with most of the education establishment. But after the two emerged from a nonpartisan primary in June, Aceves, 66, has carved a different path. The retired school district superintendent changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Independent and began to focus on flaws in teacher evaluations, limiting teacher tenure protections and the difficulty of firing ineffective instructors. Assemblyman Torlakson (D-Antioch) has, by contrast, stuck to his original message — mostly one of uniting often fractious forces behind an effort to increase funding for the state's schools. (more…)

Also: Education Week, New America Media

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Once in sync, 2 candidates for state superintendent of schools have diverged

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