Unions are always the bogeyman, right?  I have read a lot about education and improving outcomes.  Probably the single largest factor to a child's success is their parents income and stability.  Parents who have the time and money to take an interest in their child's education have more successful children when it comes to education.  In order to do this they need to be able to afford a stable home and enough to eat.  If we had more Unions then perhaps we would have a larger middle class and thus better educational outcomes for children in this country.