Randi/Mulgrew Pal MaryEllen Elia Slammed for Position on Opt-out in Talk to Anti-Union Astroturf E4E

I suppose Ms. Elia felt safe to speak her mind before Educators4Excellence, an astroturf group funded in great part by the Gates Foundation. E4E has made it clear that it thinks accountability testing is just swell.  Or perhaps she believed that it is brave to come into a new state, without having the experience of giving or reviewing even one cycle of testing, and denounce Opt Out and those who support it in front of the press..... Carol Burris

Educators for Excellence, which has guards making sure anyone with another opinion doesn't slip in to one of its events gets UFT/AFT/NYSUT darling Elia to speak before them. What exactly does that say about our union leadership?

Make no mistake about it. Elia is State Ed Commissioner due in part to the influence of our union leaders, who also oppose opt out but try to obfuscate to mislead the rank and file while patting deformers on the back.

With threats against educators who support opt-out, most will be cowed - but not all. Let's see what happens when people like MORE's Jia Lee openly stands up and support parents who opt-out. Will they dare go after her? And watch the UFT wiffle and sniffle if they do.

Watch what happens as MORE runs in the UFT elections -- the UFT/Unity machine  will slam MORE and its attempts to get into schools while E4E attempts to subvert the union by gaining entry into schools will be ignored. I heard this the other day from a chapter leader who had mentioned MORE to a union official who practically held up a devil sign.

Our fellow bloggers have gone to town on Elia but they should not ignore the union connection which goes a long way back to her old Florida Hillsborough arrangement with the AFT and Bill Gates, which was a major keynote at the AFT Bill Gates 2010 convention.

NYC Educator: Hypocrisy, Thy Name Is MaryEllen Elia

I was pretty shocked when NY State Regents unanimously nominated MaryEllen Elia to be NY State Commissioner of Education. For one thing, I had heard Michael Mulgrew speak of the great hope he had in the Regents to modify the new and draconian APPR law. Given that, I was surprised they'd select someone with such enthusiasm for testing, junk science, and all things reformy. It makes me really wonder exactly how much interest (if any) the Regents have in doing the right thing.

Perdido St:

NYSED Commissioner MaryEllen Elia Attacks Parents And Teachers Over Opt Out
Gates Foundation-funded MaryEllen Elia gave the keynote address to Gates Foundation-funded astroturf group Educators4Excellence and attacked parents and teachers who support the Opt Out movement (video below).

Tisch, Elia Warn They Will Go After Educators Who Support Or Encourage The Opt Out Movement...

That warning came after NYSED Commissioner MaryEllen Elia called teachers who support or encourage opt out "unethical." 

Carol Burris

She was very "specific" (her word) that she opposes the Opt Out movement, thinks parents who opt their children out of state tests are "not reasonable," says educators who encourage or even just support the Opt Out movement are "unethical" and is doing everything she can to make sure opt out does not grow next year...... Carol Burris
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/08/21/n-y-schools-commissioner-its-unethical-for-educators-to-support-testing-opt-out-movement/