Ed Notes Online: Political Tidbits: Norm in The Wave, August 23, 2013

Friday, August 23, 2013

Political Tidbits: Norm in The Wave, August 23, 2013

-->

Political Tidbits

By Norm Scott
www.rockawave.com

School Scope began as a column about education. Since Sandy, it has morphed into a mish-mosh. Today I have politics on my mind.

Erich Ulrich in The Wave: “Where have all the hospitals gone?” Did he ask Michael Bloomberg, who he has supported? Fran Lebowitz answered Ulrich’s question: “He thinks of himself as the public health mayor. How many hospitals closed under Bloomberg? Hospitals: that’s public health. Smoking, soda, salt? That’s private health.” Peninsula’s closing was related to free market health scams and St. Johns is in trouble (sorry, next time I fall off a bike and break something I’m going to Maimonides). Ulrich mentions a plan by surging mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio (my leading candidate because Liu or Albanese can’t win – I’ll elaborate next time) calling for the State to use $10 billion in Medicaid savings to modernize hospitals. “Is this the solution,” Ulrich asks? “Maybe not,” he says while applauding de Blasio for suggesting it. Nice way to take a stand. Is Ulrich reluctant to hold government responsible for providing such a basic public service as health care, the usual Republican “let the free market determine?” If Rockaway doesn’t have a hospital it must be our fault because there are not enough rich people to pay for it. What is Ulrich’s plan? Would he support raising taxes on millionaires so Rockaway could have decent health services? Government should be as responsible for health care as it is for fire, police and schooling (fast fading under Bloomberg’s privatization scheme).

Bill Thompson told The Wave how much he cares about Rockaway. He will “explore” reactivation of the Rockaway Beach LIRR line. Translation: study the issue, then toss in to the circular file. Speaking of Thompson and hospitals, reporter Wayne Barrett exposed ties between Thompson and another millionaire scam artist whose actions have led to the threatened closing of Interfaith Hospital in Bed-Stuy, Thompson’s own neighborhood. Blogger Reality-Based Educator, a NYC teacher told the story in this headline: “Bill Thompson - Political Hack And Walking Conflict Of Interest.” (http://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/2013/07/bill-thompson-political-hack-and.html).

Anthony Weiner, on a visit to The Wave said, “Why do you believe [personal behavior is] relevant to the job of mayor?” Let me get this straight. You engage in risky, insane, irresponsible behavior that blows up your career and harms your family and others in incalculable ways, and you want us to trust you with the lives of 8 million people? I couldn’t care if it was your sexting or the awful way you treat people who work for you or your arrogance. No thanks. But I will say that I like Weiner’s ideas on Rockaway transportation (Weiner has a proven record of having good ideas that he could not execute.) I agree – give up the mythic battle to restore the LIRR line but instead fight to improve what we have - an extra express track and express A trains. (Get rid of the shuttle - Why not an A leaving and returning to B. 116^th St every hour?)

Scott Stringer for Comptroller over Spitzer. Ok, so he couldn’t manage to run a bar 20 years ago but he wants to manage our money. But for an education issue nut like me there are 2 factors that will make me vote for him. As Manhattan Borough president he appointed Patrick Sullivan, the major voice opposing Bloomberg ed policies, to the school board (Panel for Educational Policy). That would be deemed sufficient for me. But he also defeated evil Eva Moskowitz 8 years ago. She might be running for mayor now instead of opening up charter schools while trying to destroy neighborhood schools. But the thought of having her run the city is even scarier – I’d vote for Weiner over her. Besides, if Eliot Spitzer wins, how much pension money will be invested in houses of ill repute? Well, if that would earn 8%....

Leticia James for Public Advocate: Not many people know of her and her chances of winning are not great but I’ve admired her for some time for her stands on charter schools invading public schools and other issues. See her dynamic speech at the December, 2012 Panel for Educational Policy meeting (www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tURc0tBGXw) where she says, “This is nothing more than an attempt to beat the clock to the end of this administration to privatize public schools and bust unions.” If you are involved in education in any way, as teacher or parent or activist or concerned citizen, Tish James is the way to go. (Besides, chief opponent Daniel Squadron is being shilled by the increasingly sleazy Chuck Shumer. 'Nuff said.)

I almost forgot about SCHOOL STUFF. By now you heard about the disastrous drop in test scores which puts the Bloomberg ed deform back to ground zero as the achievement gap between white/Asian and Black/Latino kids is where it started when Bloomberg became education dictator 12 years ago. Parents will be able to find out the exact scores this week and the fur will fly. It’s all due to the Common Core (or bore) which aims to have every child in the nation doing exactly the same thing at the same time (just joking – sort of). With all the test prep and so many kids vomiting on the tests, we expect the parent opt-out of the test movement (you can opt out you know) to grow this year. If interested, contact changethestakes@gmail.com. The next meeting is Aug. 28, 5:30 at CUNY (34^th St and 5^th Ave – bring id).

Sweetest words of the week: Poll: 2/3 of NY'ers Say Schools Same or Worse Under Bloomberg. Norm blogs at ednotesonline.com.

No comments:

"A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

What media call "philanthropy" for the public schools are actually seed monies to establish a private "market" in publicly-financed education - an enterprise worth trillions if successfully penetrated by corporate America. Cory Booker, one of the "New Black Leaders" financed by the filthy rich, is key to creating a "nationwide corporate-managed schools network paid for by public funds but run by private managers.

"Ed Reformers" want to cash in on public education and to control its content and outcome, not improve it. Provide great education? Baby boomers had as close as this country has ever gotten to it when we were growing up. The Ed Reform Movement has no interest in seeing such a well-educated, democratically astute population ever again.

http://blackagendareport.com/content/cory-booker-clear-and-present-threat-public-education

History of the UFT Pre-Weingarten Years

This award-winning series of articles by Jack Schierenbeck originally appeared in the New York Teacher in 1996 and 1997.

Naturally, from a certain point of view. But, despite certain biases, Schierenbeck, a great guy, was one of the best NY Teacher reporters so this is worth reading. Jack suffered a debilitating stroke many years ago (I used to get secret donations to ed notes from him through a 3rd source.)

This chapter looks interesting:

Class struggles: The UFT story, part 3

“The schism in the union over radical politics [is] a major reason for stalling the growth of a teacher union for decades.” Revolutionary politics and ideology take center stage, as the original Teachers Union becomes a battlefield, pitting leftist against leftist and splitting the union.

Clarence Taylor's "Reds at the Blackboard" focused on the old Teachers Union which disbanded in 1964 after suffering from anti-left attacks.

Of course for another view, check out the review at New Politics of the Kahlenberg Bio on Shanker by Vera Pavone and me: Albert Shanker: Ruthless Neocon

Effective Union Organizing

A video series put together by Jason Mann from the British Columbia Federation of Teachers about social media and how to use it for effective union organizing.

The first series was called New Media For Union Activists Roadmap and it's still available on-line at:
http://www.newmediabootcamp.ca/welcome/
I watched some of them and need to rewatch as they are loaded with information.

The second series started last week and it's called "Online Campaigning for Union Activists"

You can sign up for this free series at :
http://act.bcfed.ca/online-campaigning-for-union-activists/

You Don't Have A Choice - Join the Revolt

Ex-Harlem Success Teacher Comments on Eva the Diva

Ex-HSA Teacher has left a new comment on your post "Fear and Loathing at Evil's Harlem Success Empire ...":

I am a former Harlem Success teacher. Not many people who work/worked for her like her very much. I once made the comment that she is very nice when I first was hired. Two of her closest colleague responded immediately almost in unison, "Eve is not nice!" Over time I realized that there was a lot of political games going on. Another colleague once said to me that he was tired of "being part of a political campaign." Sending out 15,000 applications for only 400 seats in a school is reprehensible. The money that paid for those mass mailings could have paid the yearly salary of another teacher not to mention the heartache of all those parents who applied but did not get a spot. She does good work trying to give disadvantaged students a quality public school education but at a great cost to staff AND the school's educational budget! school budget.

Davis Guggenheim Compared to Riefenstahl

“Waiting for Superman" is the second most intellectually dishonest piece of documentary work I have seen. It is surpassed only by Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will," the pro-Hitler propaganda classic, in that regard. Uses personal narratives of adorable children to create narrative suspense that overrides public policy discussion with pure emotion in unscrupulous attack on teachers and their unions, among others

Timothy Tyson
Professor of African American Studies and History
Duke University

How Teaching Experience Makes a Difference

Even as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee and others around the nation are arguing for experienced teachers to be laid off regardless of seniority, every single study shows teaching experience matters. In fact, the only two observable factors that have been found consistently to lead to higher student achievement are class size and teacher experience, so that it’s ironic that these same individuals are trying to undermine both.
- Leonie Haimson on Parents Across America web site

Full article with charts here.

Weingarten/Gates Foundation announce drone-driven teacher evaluation

According to a press release issued by the Gates Foundation, the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, these three have entered a ground-breaking partnership to evaluate teachers utilizing the drone technology that has revolutionized warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. A bird-size device floats up to 400 feet above a classroom and instantly beams live video of teachers in action to agents at desks at Teacher Quality Inspection Stations established by the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

When asked if the drones were authorized to drop bombs on teachers who exhibit inadequacy, Chester E. Finn, Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, replied, "Don't be ridiculous. Gates money puts other methods at our disposal."

Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.5-million-member American Federation of Teachers said the powerful union has signed on to the drone project...

More at Substance

The Real Reason Behind Push for Standardized Tests: It's All About the Adults

On standardized testing in our schools

A must read article about the standardized test industry.
Written by an insider who has worked as a test scorer, the article outlines a multinational industry based on an army of temporary workers paid by the piece at $0.30 to $0.70 per test, translated in the need to grade 40 tests per hour to make a $12 salary. The article goes on to show how the companies gauge the grading "results" based on the need to ensure new contracts to continue profiting off of our youth. The original article is from Monthly Review. Here it is on Schools Matter blog.

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2010/12/on-growing-use-of-corporate-test.html

Parallels between America today and Germany in the 1920's and early 30's

"Resentment and obstruction are all the right wing in America have to peddle. Their policies are utterly discredited. Their ideology - even by its own standards - is a sham. They are so bereft of leaders, their de facto leader is a former drug addicted, thrice-divorced radio talk show host. That is literally the best they can muster. But they have built a national franchise inciting the downwardly mobile to blame the government, not the right, for their problems, exactly as Hitler did in the 1920s."

The US Is Facing a Weimar Moment

Published on Sunday, March 15, 2009 by CommonDreams.org

Chicago View of Unity/UFT on Charters

After many meetings and debates, the Chicago delegation succeeded in working with the New York United Federation of Teachers, Local 2 (UFT) to push the AFT to take stronger stands on charter school accountability and school closings — though many delegates from Chicago would have liked the language to have been even stronger.

Generally speaking, the New York delegation represented organizing charters as the best model for handling their role in reshaping unions, despite the fact that according to many reports few charter schools in New York have been organized as is the case in Chicago. This logic is the same touted by the Progressive Caucus of the AFT. The few that have been organized are a part of the UFT local though they have separate contracts negotiated with the help of UFT. The Chicago delegation reflection the mindset that allowing new charters to continue to proliferate while attempting to organize existing charters is an end game in which public schools and the union lose.

Jen Johnson, CTU, Local 1 in Substance

Ed Notes Greatest Hits: HSA Rally and Founding of GEM

SEE MY VIDEO ON HARLEM SUCCESS RALLY 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEp7rg_L5JI

Angel Gonzalez and I attended that rally and used the footage to promote our conference on Mar. 28, 2009, which is where the concept of a group like GEM emerged. Until then we had basically been a committee of ICE working with the NYCORE high stakes testing group. The actions of Eva and crew helped spawn GEM. Mommie Dearest!!

I have more video somewhere. I was hoping to get Leni Riefenstahl to edit it but she died. We would have called it "Triumph of the Hedge Fund Operators."

Ed Notes Extended

Friday, August 23, 2013

Political Tidbits: Norm in The Wave, August 23, 2013

No comments: