It is one thing to spend two hours a month at a UFT Delegate Assembly with the Unity Caucus horde. It is quite another to spend 4 days surrounded by them and their allies from around the nation.
One of the Chicago/CORE crew told me: After spending days dealing with these assholes I completely understand and sympathize with what you New York guys face.
One correspondent said: I am still trying to get a mental picture of a DA on steroids but all I see is Randi with extremely large muscles.
He's almost right about the muscles. Randi came up huge for her side, so much so that even her opponents were impressed. She had been looking a bit shopworn and a bit bored in New York but she was as confident and relaxed as I've ever seen her.
The master of manipulation had every base covered. She was tireless, running to breakfasts to meet with state delegations and then most of the day running the sessions - with 8 mics to call on, it could have been confusing. But nothing seemed to deter her or dampen her spirits.
Given all of this, nothing has changed in terms the policies of the AFT which have gotten so much press for Randi the last few days while leaving her membership behind
So at down times it sets one to thinking about the essence of democracy.
Time and again, we heard Unity Caucus people talk about how democratic the process is at the AFT and in the Progressive Caucus (the national version of Unity). When I attended the Progressive Caucus meeting we heard about how decisions are made in the caucus. Jeff Zahler and Peter Goodman made those points publicly. The more you are a one-party system; the more you talk about democracy. How funny that this is the first AFT contested election since 1974 (the Progressive Caucus won with about 95% of the vote).
So let's see how these decisions were made.
Unity issues marching orders weeks ago
A few weeks before the AFT convention, UFT leaders convened a meeting of the 800 delegates elected in the March election to get them ready. The meeting took place at 52 Broadway. This was not a meeting for the delegates to have an open discussion and debate the virtues of the resolutions that would come up. No, it was a meeting to dictate to 800 people how they would be required to vote based on decisions made by the top of UFT/AFT officialdom.
With well over 200 of the delegates being new, there was some level of surprise. They knew they signed a paper that they would adhere to caucus discipline on decisions made. But some of them didn't know they would have absolutely zero say in how these decisions were made.
Staff director Leroy Barr gave them training on how to use Robert's Rules to assure control over meetings. Leroy kept getting it wrong and had to be corrected numerous times, but no matter.
Jeff Zahler, who has a lot to do with running the caucus - and the national version of Unity - the Progressive Caucus - harangued them with the fact that for the first time since 1974 there would be a slate running against them. This was serious he told them even though those in the know understand it was not. We know they just don't want to win but they want to win with a 100% so as to make sure an opposition never gets traction and remains dispirited. (Remember that Zahler had Unity spend a fortune to red bait ICE-TJC pres candidate Kit Wainer in the 2007 election even though they were assured of an overwhelming victory. And he got up at the DA to brag about it.)
The big prep at this meeting was for the teacher evaluation reso #5 that caused so much comment.
During the debate over a reso titled "Keep Supernaturalism out of the Science Curriculum." The resolves declare supernaturalism is not a scientific endeavor and inappropriate for inclusion in science curriculums, affirms the teaching of evolution and opposes the teaching of creationism and intelligent design. At the Progressive caucus meeting it became clear they were not supporting the reso. The word "supernaturalism" seemed to bother them. Unity's Jackie Bennett who usually makes sense didn't in this case. I told her I was surprised - I didn't catch everything in her response, but it was something about how this was a democratic body. I laughed and repeated the story about the Unity Caucus prep meeting, telling her "Jackie, one day we must have a discussion about the essence of democracy." [I wasn't allowed into the committee meeting that dealt with this the next day so I didn't hear the debate there but the recommendation of the committee was non-concurrence.]
Democratic centralism is when a party or caucus exerts discipline - all members must follow every decision made even if they disagree. That is the way Unity runs.
Now I can live with that because a group has the right to make its own rules. If you don't like the policies then leave. But at least if there is democracy operating you can make the case that you have a fair shot to convince people and if you lose you lose.
But Unity internally itself is not run as a democracy. People at the top decide and issue orders. There is no real debate or when there is it is minimal. No one wants to get up and disagree even if they don't.
The higher ups don't worry and feel free to banter. Talk to Unity secret dissidents - yes there are some. "The watch us and who we are seen talking to," say some of the low level people who are paranoid about losing their privileges. Yes, there is paranoia both ways.
"So what," you might ask? "This is a private body that people can or cannot join. If they choose to be a member of Unity they must think they are getting something for it no matter how it runs."
I beg to differ. This is the body that has run the UFT and AFT since the 1960's in basically a one party system. If Unity had open discussions in a democratic manner instead of slavishly following the policies decided on by a tiny oligopoly, even if they followed democratic centralism, the union would be a better place. Instead we see most follow any policy without thought and also some extremely bright people turning and twisting to adjust their thinking to the party line. If it changes, they change. We know that there are more Unity people than one would think who object to the policies of cooperation with the Gates/Broad world. But they are left to leave anonymous comments on blogs or whisper as they pass by, "You are doing God's work."
This 1984ish type scenario is what has dragged our union deep into the muck of ed deform.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Video - Bill Gates at the AFT: Bringing in a Trojan Horse
Who is the real Trojan Horse?
Here is a rough video of low quality I put together very quickly. First a small demo outside before the speech, then Randi's intro of Gates to rousing cheers, the most vociferous from most of the 800 Unity Caucus people who were there on our dues, the walkout to Unity led jeers and the song na-na-hey-hey-goodbye, selections from Gates' speech with some commentary from me, and the final demo outside as people left. Here is the direct link if it is slow loading:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Ezri0pVOg
An Ex-Unity Caucus Member Issues a Warning
"The UFT/AFT has caved to this educationally unsound pressure time and time again and need to be stopped. We should be following Diane Ravitch and the NEA, not a union that has consistently worked with power to sell out the students and teachers, the majority of whom live in poverty, of New York City."
I write to you today not as a disgruntled ex Unity delegate but as an educator who’s first and foremost concern has always been to ensure that poor Black students receive the same education and opportunities as students of means. I am glad that I do not have to ignore what I know to be right to support UFT leadership and follow my team leader as delegates were told on in June. Make no mistake about it, as a UFT/Unity delegate, there is no voting other than the way one is told to vote. The UFT/Unity delegation works very hard to get their way on everything at the conventions. By packing the committees with their people and having a contingent of delegates ready to line the microphones, it is an orchestrated effort to enforce their way. Trust when I say delegates follow along for many reasons, none related to education or any common sense education reform. Now they are poised to lead us further down the path of the quick fix in education which will allow the achievement gap to flourish not close.
Since taking control of public schools in New York City, Bloomberg has had one goal in mind. He wants his legacy to be the man who solved the problems in public education, specifically closing the achievement gap between Black and White. He had only 8 years to accomplish his goal he set out on quick fixes, not once doing what was necessary to truly close the achievement gap. He identified teachers as the problem, and in turn, closed large high schools, created test requirements for promotion and advocated for charter schools. Now with an additional four years in office he has been given the opportunity to continue and influence more people.
Any rational educator in NYC knows his tests are the new word for social promotion. One can score a Level 2, enough for promotion to the next grade without even reading a question on the 6th grade ELA and 7th grade Math Exams. Yet UFT leadership has stood beside Bloomberg and declared social promotion has ended.
To truly close the achievement gap Bloomberg and his followers would have to acknowledge poverty and those disadvantages associated with it that affect children’s ability to learn. Children in poverty enter school far behind in their exposure to reading and language than their advantaged counterparts. These deficiencies persist throughout their lives in public school as schools have traditionally not provided the necessary resources to bring children of poverty to the level of their peers in the early grades. To remediate for this, in elementary school, would require the kind of tax money; no urban district has yet been willing to spend.
We come to this point today where many states have passed legislation tying test scores to teacher evaluation. Now the AFT wants to officially make it union policy to support this. There are 2 major problems with this.
The first is when administrators/teachers are rated or paid based on test scores and credit accumulation they will reach those goals by any means necessary, as I have seen firsthand for many years. The second problem is the way in which the UFT justifies their actions. The UFT says that the observation/evaluation system is broken. They negotiated the rules yet somehow it is not working.
It is not working because the UFT have allowed Bloomberg/Klein to run roughshod over our contract specifically Article 21D. I requested information from the Department of Education (DOE) under the Freedom of Information Law, as to the amount of U-Ratings for the past 30 years and how many were sustained and overruled. I expected to see a huge increase in both U-Ratings and the number sustained under Bloomberg/Klein. It is unfortunate that the DOE has yet to find the information from May when I made the request.
It is also unfortunate that the UFT has also failed to secure this information. Despite the UFT Delegate Assembly passing a resolution regarding U-Rating appeals in 2007 the UFT has never followed through. The resolution says they will seek applicable data from the DOE, canvas members and analyze the information. I have not seen any evidence this was done. Email to UFT officials went unanswered.
If the UFT were to admit the contractual language has been abrogated they would have to do something. By ignoring the fact that our U-Rating appeals under Bloomberg/Klein have been sustained at an unprecedented rate, they have perfect justification for their resolution on testing and teacher evaluation. They may continue to convince the membership the system does not work and therefore having a percentage of your evaluation based on tests is a great advance. I have seen firsthand the tyranny of the observation and rating system under Bloomberg/Klein, carefully orchestrated under the guise of supervisory discretion. I am a chapter leader and I have received U-Ratings and according to the UFT I should be happy that 40% of my evaluation will be based on test scores? Oh and with new categories instead of just Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
I want what I have always wanted since setting foot into my first urban public high school 12 years ago. Essentially to provide students in poverty with the education and tools they need and to guarantee they have the same education and opportunity I had in my public school experience. Mostly I would like to see public education live up to its responsibilities to educate all equally. In ten years in the south Bronx I have not seen it, nor have I seen Bloomberg or Duncan suggest they will do anything to secure this right. I have seen each blame teachers and advocate for tests as measurement of student progress and more incendiary, teacher effectiveness.
The UFT/AFT has caved to this educationally unsound pressure time and time again and need to be stopped. We should be following Diane Ravitch and the NEA, not a union that has consistently worked with power to sell out the students and teachers, the majority of whom live in poverty, of New York City.
An ex- Unity Caucus chapter leader
I encourage you to stop the AFT leadership from continuing to follow Bloomberg, Duncan and the major media outlets down the wrong education reform path. AFT/UFT leadership has always demonstrated a willingness to sell out the membership and students of color for their own personal gain and success.I write to you today not as a disgruntled ex Unity delegate but as an educator who’s first and foremost concern has always been to ensure that poor Black students receive the same education and opportunities as students of means. I am glad that I do not have to ignore what I know to be right to support UFT leadership and follow my team leader as delegates were told on in June. Make no mistake about it, as a UFT/Unity delegate, there is no voting other than the way one is told to vote. The UFT/Unity delegation works very hard to get their way on everything at the conventions. By packing the committees with their people and having a contingent of delegates ready to line the microphones, it is an orchestrated effort to enforce their way. Trust when I say delegates follow along for many reasons, none related to education or any common sense education reform. Now they are poised to lead us further down the path of the quick fix in education which will allow the achievement gap to flourish not close.
Since taking control of public schools in New York City, Bloomberg has had one goal in mind. He wants his legacy to be the man who solved the problems in public education, specifically closing the achievement gap between Black and White. He had only 8 years to accomplish his goal he set out on quick fixes, not once doing what was necessary to truly close the achievement gap. He identified teachers as the problem, and in turn, closed large high schools, created test requirements for promotion and advocated for charter schools. Now with an additional four years in office he has been given the opportunity to continue and influence more people.
Any rational educator in NYC knows his tests are the new word for social promotion. One can score a Level 2, enough for promotion to the next grade without even reading a question on the 6th grade ELA and 7th grade Math Exams. Yet UFT leadership has stood beside Bloomberg and declared social promotion has ended.
To truly close the achievement gap Bloomberg and his followers would have to acknowledge poverty and those disadvantages associated with it that affect children’s ability to learn. Children in poverty enter school far behind in their exposure to reading and language than their advantaged counterparts. These deficiencies persist throughout their lives in public school as schools have traditionally not provided the necessary resources to bring children of poverty to the level of their peers in the early grades. To remediate for this, in elementary school, would require the kind of tax money; no urban district has yet been willing to spend.
We come to this point today where many states have passed legislation tying test scores to teacher evaluation. Now the AFT wants to officially make it union policy to support this. There are 2 major problems with this.
The first is when administrators/teachers are rated or paid based on test scores and credit accumulation they will reach those goals by any means necessary, as I have seen firsthand for many years. The second problem is the way in which the UFT justifies their actions. The UFT says that the observation/evaluation system is broken. They negotiated the rules yet somehow it is not working.
It is not working because the UFT have allowed Bloomberg/Klein to run roughshod over our contract specifically Article 21D. I requested information from the Department of Education (DOE) under the Freedom of Information Law, as to the amount of U-Ratings for the past 30 years and how many were sustained and overruled. I expected to see a huge increase in both U-Ratings and the number sustained under Bloomberg/Klein. It is unfortunate that the DOE has yet to find the information from May when I made the request.
It is also unfortunate that the UFT has also failed to secure this information. Despite the UFT Delegate Assembly passing a resolution regarding U-Rating appeals in 2007 the UFT has never followed through. The resolution says they will seek applicable data from the DOE, canvas members and analyze the information. I have not seen any evidence this was done. Email to UFT officials went unanswered.
If the UFT were to admit the contractual language has been abrogated they would have to do something. By ignoring the fact that our U-Rating appeals under Bloomberg/Klein have been sustained at an unprecedented rate, they have perfect justification for their resolution on testing and teacher evaluation. They may continue to convince the membership the system does not work and therefore having a percentage of your evaluation based on tests is a great advance. I have seen firsthand the tyranny of the observation and rating system under Bloomberg/Klein, carefully orchestrated under the guise of supervisory discretion. I am a chapter leader and I have received U-Ratings and according to the UFT I should be happy that 40% of my evaluation will be based on test scores? Oh and with new categories instead of just Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
I want what I have always wanted since setting foot into my first urban public high school 12 years ago. Essentially to provide students in poverty with the education and tools they need and to guarantee they have the same education and opportunity I had in my public school experience. Mostly I would like to see public education live up to its responsibilities to educate all equally. In ten years in the south Bronx I have not seen it, nor have I seen Bloomberg or Duncan suggest they will do anything to secure this right. I have seen each blame teachers and advocate for tests as measurement of student progress and more incendiary, teacher effectiveness.
The UFT/AFT has caved to this educationally unsound pressure time and time again and need to be stopped. We should be following Diane Ravitch and the NEA, not a union that has consistently worked with power to sell out the students and teachers, the majority of whom live in poverty, of New York City.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Updated Again: AFT Update - and Gates as the Most Dangerous Man in America
Update 2: July 11, 1am PST
The morning session is over and we are pre-Gates, but this came in from Leonie Haimson:
Key debates on educational issues
[I have video of it all so won't go into tremendous detail.]
The most controversial issues on education were up for debate this morning. Reso # 5 on teacher evaluation was supposed to be the most contentious. Randi/Unity prepared carefully. A few weeks ago the Unity delegation met in NY and were told this was the crucial reso and were prepared to manipulate in committee and at the floor debate.
Chicago vs NYC was a key background. Chicago/CORE people were a little taken aback at some of the tactics used at the committee meetings on Thursday. At the main sessions one CORE/CTU teacher after another were the key people standing up to Unity/Progressive Caucus, telling of the experience of being in the belly of the Duncan/Daly beast.
Today on Reso 5 the mics were packed with Progressive Caucus people until Randi pulled the democracy issue and "allowed" 2 people - CTUers it turned out - to speak against some of the language that they said opened up teachers to attacks. But then the question was called as we always see in NYC.
Chicago and NYC cooperate
On the closing schools reso we saw a different scenario. A UFTer/Unity got up to amend the reso and everything she said was on the mark. The next speaker was from Chicago/CORE - local 1 - and thanked local 2 for working with them to strengthen the reso. Both speeches were very powerful.
I spoke to CORE people after and apparently there were some intense negotiations between the two big powerhouse locals to find some common ground. And they did.
What is playing out here is a baptism of the Chicago group just a few days after taking power in the union. I have been very impressed with the number of quality people. One after another you speak to are articulate and educated on so many issues. CORE clearly has done a great job of educating, organizing and mobilizing. In two years at Detroit they will be prepared.
But that won't stop Randi from trying to coopt them, something she is so good at doing.
To be continued
------
Everyone wants part of the GEM banner - well, not everyone
Speaking of co-opting. New Action's Jonathan Halabi is here. Now don't get in
to a snit. New Action did not get delegate positions. He is here as college prof delegate - PSC. As some of you know he is not my favorite person for his constant ICE bashing - he was even overheard doing it in a bar the other night. You know, "the ICE opposes everything mantra" - like mayoral control, merit pay, measuring teachers by data - stuff like that. Stuff that the UFT has supported.
When there was discussion about the Gates protest today and people talked about holding up the GEM banner, there are reports Halabi balked, saying GEM was sectarian or something like that. Ridiculous. Though GEM has many ICE people in it, it has attracted people from every active group in the UFT. Not New Action of course. GEM has not been active within the UFT very much and is not a caucus, one of the reasons so many ICE people who feel there is a need for a broader movement than just a caucus have jumped on board. New Action on the other hand sticks to the narrowest of issues and does little more than function as a completely owned subsidiary of Unity.
In defense of ICE/GEM
Pretty ironic that Lisa North and Gloria Brandman, two key ICE people have been amongst the leaders of the the AFT P&J committee which Halabi has been hanging around. And they have been on the UFT Peace and Justice Committee. And the UFTers to stop the war.
Other ICEer/GEMers: Fiorillo is one of most respected voices out there. As is John Lawhead. Julie Woodward has been relentless in holding the UFT's feet to the fire. Arthur Goldstein is chapter leader of the second largest school in the city and is one of the leading voices in defense of teachers with his columns at Gotham Schools. Eterno and Kaufman have been enormously respected for their strength and knowledge of the contract. And John Elfrank chapter leader of Murray Bergtraum. And the retirees: Ellen Fox, Loretta and Gene Prisco, Vera Pavone who co-wrote the review of the Kahlenberg book with me - and she did most of the work. It's late. I'm sure I'm forgetting people. Jeez! The nerve to disparage the work of these people.
How else have we been able to build alliances with just about every group in the city - teachers and community activists? From NYCORE to Teachers Unite to TJC. And parent groups around the city. People I meet here from all over the nation know our work and want to stay in touch. Ed Notes received over 2000 hits in the last 3 days alone.
We have links nationwide. Chicago CORE are allies and we've been spending time with them. Karen Lewis know our work. And the Washington DC crew with Candi Peterson and Nathan Saunders who are here. Detroit called us when they were taking action. LA people are in touch. We linked to a group in Philly on this trip. Now, quick - name New Action activists who have done anything close to this work.
Who do they call? GEM
Halabi may carp about ICE and GEM but he and New Action have been invisible while GEM/ICEers have been at numerous charter school co-location and school closing meetings supporting teachers and parents and building alliances. When they need support they call us. And we have been there for them.
Well, anyway, given all this, today he impressed me - for about 2 minutes. He got up to speak against a reso that everyone supported. It had language on credit recovery and some other issues and he was nervous but extremely articulate. I will get the video up when I can (I am very backed up on the videos). What he said is important to us in NYC.
And he did put up a very good piece critical of Weingarten on the first convention day.
AFT Convention in Seattle Day 1
Maybe there's some hope for some people in New Action. I respect and like New Action's Arjun Janah who today wrote a great poem about Bill Gates which I will post.
After burn
I was hanging with Stephen Sawchuk today and we had some good chats. I really didn't know his work 'till this week but I will take a closer look.
He was chosen to do a private interview with Gates post-speech. We talked about what he would ask and I am looking forward to seeing what he writes. Meanwhile follow his posts at: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/
I got to watch his computer while he went to meet with Gates. Maybe next time we switch and I interview Gates- hear that Janet Bass (who as AFT press chief was extremely gracious throughout the week- in case you didn't know I am here as press for The Wave - I think there is a Rockaway somewhere in the Pacific Northwest).
While I was baby sitting his computer I ended up in the midst of what looked suspiciously like a Unity Caucus meeting about voting in the AFT elections. I wasn't asked to leave as almost everyone was gracious - only Sandi March was nasty - but what do you expect? I was extremely pleased when Alan Lubin came over to say hello. Alan is one of the most respected union officials I have met. He was once Dist 32 rep and then Brooklyn boro chief. He is VP of NYSUT for quite a while. I had heard he was ill but he looked great. He just retired. No matter how much we all disagreed politically, Alan was always a mensch, never making things personal, always with a quip. It is funny but many of the old guard Unity people do not look at this as war. But I find many of the Unity relative newbies are rabid.
From two observers, one of them associated with the Chicago Teachers Union Twitter feed on Gates appearance at AFT convention
The morning session is over and we are pre-Gates, but this came in from Leonie Haimson:
Hope its not too late to create a buzz at Seattle…please share!
The most dangerous man in America is taking the stage at the AFT conference in Seattle today:
Watch out, America! You have nothing to lose but your public school system, at the hands of the richest man in the country who, like a spoiled child carelessly playing with toys, breaks one after another.
check it out at
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leonie-haimson/the-most-dangerous-man-in_b_641832.htm
Key debates on educational issues
[I have video of it all so won't go into tremendous detail.]
The most controversial issues on education were up for debate this morning. Reso # 5 on teacher evaluation was supposed to be the most contentious. Randi/Unity prepared carefully. A few weeks ago the Unity delegation met in NY and were told this was the crucial reso and were prepared to manipulate in committee and at the floor debate.
Chicago vs NYC was a key background. Chicago/CORE people were a little taken aback at some of the tactics used at the committee meetings on Thursday. At the main sessions one CORE/CTU teacher after another were the key people standing up to Unity/Progressive Caucus, telling of the experience of being in the belly of the Duncan/Daly beast.
Today on Reso 5 the mics were packed with Progressive Caucus people until Randi pulled the democracy issue and "allowed" 2 people - CTUers it turned out - to speak against some of the language that they said opened up teachers to attacks. But then the question was called as we always see in NYC.
Chicago and NYC cooperate
On the closing schools reso we saw a different scenario. A UFTer/Unity got up to amend the reso and everything she said was on the mark. The next speaker was from Chicago/CORE - local 1 - and thanked local 2 for working with them to strengthen the reso. Both speeches were very powerful.
I spoke to CORE people after and apparently there were some intense negotiations between the two big powerhouse locals to find some common ground. And they did.
What is playing out here is a baptism of the Chicago group just a few days after taking power in the union. I have been very impressed with the number of quality people. One after another you speak to are articulate and educated on so many issues. CORE clearly has done a great job of educating, organizing and mobilizing. In two years at Detroit they will be prepared.
But that won't stop Randi from trying to coopt them, something she is so good at doing.
To be continued
------
Everyone wants part of the GEM banner - well, not everyone
Speaking of co-opting. New Action's Jonathan Halabi is here. Now don't get in
to a snit. New Action did not get delegate positions. He is here as college prof delegate - PSC. As some of you know he is not my favorite person for his constant ICE bashing - he was even overheard doing it in a bar the other night. You know, "the ICE opposes everything mantra" - like mayoral control, merit pay, measuring teachers by data - stuff like that. Stuff that the UFT has supported.When there was discussion about the Gates protest today and people talked about holding up the GEM banner, there are reports Halabi balked, saying GEM was sectarian or something like that. Ridiculous. Though GEM has many ICE people in it, it has attracted people from every active group in the UFT. Not New Action of course. GEM has not been active within the UFT very much and is not a caucus, one of the reasons so many ICE people who feel there is a need for a broader movement than just a caucus have jumped on board. New Action on the other hand sticks to the narrowest of issues and does little more than function as a completely owned subsidiary of Unity.
In defense of ICE/GEM
Pretty ironic that Lisa North and Gloria Brandman, two key ICE people have been amongst the leaders of the the AFT P&J committee which Halabi has been hanging around. And they have been on the UFT Peace and Justice Committee. And the UFTers to stop the war.
Other ICEer/GEMers: Fiorillo is one of most respected voices out there. As is John Lawhead. Julie Woodward has been relentless in holding the UFT's feet to the fire. Arthur Goldstein is chapter leader of the second largest school in the city and is one of the leading voices in defense of teachers with his columns at Gotham Schools. Eterno and Kaufman have been enormously respected for their strength and knowledge of the contract. And John Elfrank chapter leader of Murray Bergtraum. And the retirees: Ellen Fox, Loretta and Gene Prisco, Vera Pavone who co-wrote the review of the Kahlenberg book with me - and she did most of the work. It's late. I'm sure I'm forgetting people. Jeez! The nerve to disparage the work of these people.
How else have we been able to build alliances with just about every group in the city - teachers and community activists? From NYCORE to Teachers Unite to TJC. And parent groups around the city. People I meet here from all over the nation know our work and want to stay in touch. Ed Notes received over 2000 hits in the last 3 days alone.
We have links nationwide. Chicago CORE are allies and we've been spending time with them. Karen Lewis know our work. And the Washington DC crew with Candi Peterson and Nathan Saunders who are here. Detroit called us when they were taking action. LA people are in touch. We linked to a group in Philly on this trip. Now, quick - name New Action activists who have done anything close to this work.
Who do they call? GEM
Halabi may carp about ICE and GEM but he and New Action have been invisible while GEM/ICEers have been at numerous charter school co-location and school closing meetings supporting teachers and parents and building alliances. When they need support they call us. And we have been there for them.
Well, anyway, given all this, today he impressed me - for about 2 minutes. He got up to speak against a reso that everyone supported. It had language on credit recovery and some other issues and he was nervous but extremely articulate. I will get the video up when I can (I am very backed up on the videos). What he said is important to us in NYC.
And he did put up a very good piece critical of Weingarten on the first convention day.
AFT Convention in Seattle Day 1
Maybe there's some hope for some people in New Action. I respect and like New Action's Arjun Janah who today wrote a great poem about Bill Gates which I will post.
After burn
I was hanging with Stephen Sawchuk today and we had some good chats. I really didn't know his work 'till this week but I will take a closer look.
He was chosen to do a private interview with Gates post-speech. We talked about what he would ask and I am looking forward to seeing what he writes. Meanwhile follow his posts at: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/
I got to watch his computer while he went to meet with Gates. Maybe next time we switch and I interview Gates- hear that Janet Bass (who as AFT press chief was extremely gracious throughout the week- in case you didn't know I am here as press for The Wave - I think there is a Rockaway somewhere in the Pacific Northwest).
While I was baby sitting his computer I ended up in the midst of what looked suspiciously like a Unity Caucus meeting about voting in the AFT elections. I wasn't asked to leave as almost everyone was gracious - only Sandi March was nasty - but what do you expect? I was extremely pleased when Alan Lubin came over to say hello. Alan is one of the most respected union officials I have met. He was once Dist 32 rep and then Brooklyn boro chief. He is VP of NYSUT for quite a while. I had heard he was ill but he looked great. He just retired. No matter how much we all disagreed politically, Alan was always a mensch, never making things personal, always with a quip. It is funny but many of the old guard Unity people do not look at this as war. But I find many of the Unity relative newbies are rabid.
From two observers, one of them associated with the Chicago Teachers Union Twitter feed on Gates appearance at AFT convention
Reports from Seattle Locals
We've run into some Seattle activists and they are posting reports of the Duncan confrontation yesterday. First a bunch of us met at Wild Ginger restaurant a few blocks from here - about 50 people. Another group led by the Detroit teachers and BAMN - the people running against Randi's Progressive Caucus - organized a bus to go to Aviation HS and confronted Duncan. He met with them for a half hour. This action alone makes them look more qualified than the Randi bunch.
Since we were prepping for the AFTP&J meeting on education at 4:30 (Randi extended the general session from 4:30 to well after 5 and we could have gone with BAMN) we went back to the hall. I asked Steve Conn later if they had video and he said someone did so we are waiting. (I tell all groups not to do anything without getting some video.) Here are some reports. Make sure to check out the web links.
7/9/10
Report from Seattle teacher Bob Murphy
I got to Wild Ginger at appx. 11:45.
I. I saw City Council Member Tim Burgess stroll up, he saw my sign and we chatted quickly - he frequents the 36th LD Dems - so I chewed his ear off about the reform stuff
(1. I'll do anything for kids anytime anywhere)
2. my school is over 60% FRL,
3. MY KIDS NEED, I need, MY KIDS NEED, HELP -- not powerpoints, not consultants, NOT consultants, NOT powerpoints...)
He mentioned he was there for Arne ("opps!" I think he thought, real quick!)
II. Some woman was texting & she's a Detroit teacher, & she asked me if I was the Arne protest - I gave here the cliff notes of all known information, she texted some people, more people showed up ...
III. some guy Norm Scott from NYC was there, as were some other teachers from NYC, he was doing video stuff for them ... (he is on the "to:" line)
IV. MORE people showed up, some people who are good at chants were making up chants for Arne's lunch - there were about 30? 40? 50? of us in front of Wild Ginger ...
V. people left to go to Aviation High,
VI. many / some of the people are with the AFT Peace and Justice Caucus,
There is a meeting of their caucus TODAY from 4:30 to 6:30 i
the caucus is http://www.aftpeaceandjusticecaucus.org/
VII. there was talk of doing some something tomorrow when the great Gates delivers from the throne - I do NOT know what, when, where, how,who ...
I presume it will NOT be singing his praises...??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf0vJiyeLIo
a. I am going to go to this afternoon's thing at 4:30
VIII. Personal Note - you can say a lot of things about New Yorkers, and, as a Red Sox fan and son of Massachusetts I'll never defend them, BUT - these people know how to get stuff done.
Bob.
Report from Seattle parent activist Dora Taylor
Since we were prepping for the AFTP&J meeting on education at 4:30 (Randi extended the general session from 4:30 to well after 5 and we could have gone with BAMN) we went back to the hall. I asked Steve Conn later if they had video and he said someone did so we are waiting. (I tell all groups not to do anything without getting some video.) Here are some reports. Make sure to check out the web links.
7/9/10
Report from Seattle teacher Bob Murphy
I got to Wild Ginger at appx. 11:45.
I. I saw City Council Member Tim Burgess stroll up, he saw my sign and we chatted quickly - he frequents the 36th LD Dems - so I chewed his ear off about the reform stuff
(1. I'll do anything for kids anytime anywhere)
2. my school is over 60% FRL,
3. MY KIDS NEED, I need, MY KIDS NEED, HELP -- not powerpoints, not consultants, NOT consultants, NOT powerpoints...)
He mentioned he was there for Arne ("opps!" I think he thought, real quick!)
II. Some woman was texting & she's a Detroit teacher, & she asked me if I was the Arne protest - I gave here the cliff notes of all known information, she texted some people, more people showed up ...
III. some guy Norm Scott from NYC was there, as were some other teachers from NYC, he was doing video stuff for them ... (he is on the "to:" line)
IV. MORE people showed up, some people who are good at chants were making up chants for Arne's lunch - there were about 30? 40? 50? of us in front of Wild Ginger ...
V. people left to go to Aviation High,
VI. many / some of the people are with the AFT Peace and Justice Caucus,
There is a meeting of their caucus TODAY from 4:30 to 6:30 i
the caucus is http://www.aftpeaceandjusticecaucus.org/
VII. there was talk of doing some something tomorrow when the great Gates delivers from the throne - I do NOT know what, when, where, how,who ...
I presume it will NOT be singing his praises...??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf0vJiyeLIo
a. I am going to go to this afternoon's thing at 4:30
VIII. Personal Note - you can say a lot of things about New Yorkers, and, as a Red Sox fan and son of Massachusetts I'll never defend them, BUT - these people know how to get stuff done.
Bob.
Report from Seattle parent activist Dora Taylor
And yes, the Chicago, Oakland and Detroit teachers know how to organize. On the other hand, they have all been through this for a few years now and see what is happening to the students. They are frustrated and beyond mad.
As Karen Lewis, the Chicago Union President, said last night, this "rotting" of our public school system has to stop first in Chicago where it began and from there continue throughout the country.
She's an awesome speaker by the way.
Anyway, that will all be on my post.
Dora
Architecture 101
http://archforkids.blogspot.com/
http://archforkids.blogspot.com/
Seattle Education 2010
http://seattle-ed.blogspot.com/
http://seattle-ed.blogspot.com/
and our new website
Seattle Education 2010
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/
Seattle Education 2010
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/
Edweek Gets Schooled at the AFT
Reporter Steven Sawchuk has an interesting report on the caucuses at the AFT. It's pretty good but he is a little off base on some of it. We had a short chat before I had to leave and I tried to leave a comment on his blog but had some problems. So I'll touch on some of what I know here.
First, there's this from Sawchuk:
"Like any other union, the AFT is a democratic, political organization." I don't blame any reporter for making this mistake because they don't know the infighting that goes on. But the AFT is no a democratic organization. Name an organization that has not had a contested election in 36 years? I mean Iran is more democratic. Kim il Jung uses the AFT manual for political control. And never forget – Al Shanker had the bomb before either of them.
Now those of us who have been at Delegate Assemblies for years know the drill. But the Chicago people at their first convention are getting a rude awakening. First at the committee meetings yesterday and then on the floor today where the massive numbers of NYC delegates from Unity Caucus had a total plan for eliminating any resos or amendments they didn't like. Or rather Ms. Micromanagement Randi didn't like (there's no democracy in Unityville either).
They have specific people assigned to each area - even the designated "I call the question on all matters before the body" to stifle debate. There was one guy yesterday named Steven Kaplan I believe who was so thrilled at how he carried out his assignment he leaped in the air (I have to find that video). I mean it is not every day that you get to call the question in front a national audience.
So at last night's CORE party so many people were talking about the "machine". They were really shocked that Unity - Progressive Caucus nationally - of which I am now a proud member for the year - till they change the rules next time in Detroit to make sure I am not - would bother to go to so much trouble given the reality that they wouldn't lose many things even if they let democracty play itself out. I heard the expression "dirty politics" more than once. To us in NYC it's not dirty - it's institutional.
Second point with Sawchuck
Nice plug for our side, though my GEM/ICE pals Gloria and Lisa are very active in P&J I have been bombarding them all week with questions that I won't repeat publicly. Sawchuk says:
Sawchuck closes with:
Now this one is tricky. There are many Progressive Labor people in AFTP&J and I don't think the vibes between PL and BAMN are all too cool. I could tell when we had the demo against Arne Duncan at a restaurant at noon today and BAMN sent a message that their chartered bus to Duncan's next appearance was leaving. Not one PLer budged and I saw a few sour faces. I started exploring the differences tonight at the all hands on deck party at the Sheraton where all the players are in the room but am not sure what will be on and off the record.
Now I think P&J people may vote against Weingarten but I detect some ambivalence about BAMN but don't know enough to figure it all out.
Getting late - gotta get up early to hear the candidate speeches which will take place starting at 8:30. BAMN was forced by the Unity machine to be up first to make sure no delegates can hear them. Democracy anyone?
-------
After burn
We hung with some Unity people today and heard a funny. When they were being whipped up into a frenzy at a meeting a few weeks ago to prepare for this convention by Jeff Zahler one of the things that came up was, "Can Randi come back to NY if she loses the election?" Now we know that this is not possible but it seemed Unity Caucus members were being driven to work hard for the Progressive Caucus slate by being threatened with Randi's return if she should lose.
Or maybe she would just go back to the classroom and put in another 6 months.
I can see her coming ashore now. Now there's a turn of the screw.
First, there's this from Sawchuk:
"Like any other union, the AFT is a democratic, political organization." I don't blame any reporter for making this mistake because they don't know the infighting that goes on. But the AFT is no a democratic organization. Name an organization that has not had a contested election in 36 years? I mean Iran is more democratic. Kim il Jung uses the AFT manual for political control. And never forget – Al Shanker had the bomb before either of them.
Now those of us who have been at Delegate Assemblies for years know the drill. But the Chicago people at their first convention are getting a rude awakening. First at the committee meetings yesterday and then on the floor today where the massive numbers of NYC delegates from Unity Caucus had a total plan for eliminating any resos or amendments they didn't like. Or rather Ms. Micromanagement Randi didn't like (there's no democracy in Unityville either).
They have specific people assigned to each area - even the designated "I call the question on all matters before the body" to stifle debate. There was one guy yesterday named Steven Kaplan I believe who was so thrilled at how he carried out his assignment he leaped in the air (I have to find that video). I mean it is not every day that you get to call the question in front a national audience.
So at last night's CORE party so many people were talking about the "machine". They were really shocked that Unity - Progressive Caucus nationally - of which I am now a proud member for the year - till they change the rules next time in Detroit to make sure I am not - would bother to go to so much trouble given the reality that they wouldn't lose many things even if they let democracty play itself out. I heard the expression "dirty politics" more than once. To us in NYC it's not dirty - it's institutional.
Second point with Sawchuck
But there's also a group called the AFT Peace and Justice Caucus. Though admittedly much smaller than the Progressive Caucus, it is not at all happy with the idea of teacher evaluation scores based even partly on student test scores. "Evaluation & Pay Based on Test Scores? ARE YOU ANGRY? Many AFT locals have agreed to teacher evaluation plans based on unreliable student test scores," a flier some of its caucus members have been handing out reads. It is also, apparently, unhappy that the union is welcoming Bill Gates this Saturday to the convention, deeming it "A Trojan Horse in the AFT House."
Nice plug for our side, though my GEM/ICE pals Gloria and Lisa are very active in P&J I have been bombarding them all week with questions that I won't repeat publicly. Sawchuk says:
the Peace and Justice Caucus got a boost recently with the election of Karen Lewis in Chicago. She emerged out of a group there that shares philosophical similarities with the Peace and Justice CaucusHe is right there but then he found out that Karen Lewis has joined the Progressive Caucus - but there are some interesting reasons which I have on background which I will share with Sawchuk and maybe you tomorrow.
Sawchuck closes with:
CLARIFICATION: I should have stated earlier that the Peace and Justice Caucus, unlike the Progressive one, is not actually a political caucus. It is, however, closely aligned to a new political caucus called "By Any Means Necessary" that is going to try to run a different slate of candidates in tomorrow's elections.
Now this one is tricky. There are many Progressive Labor people in AFTP&J and I don't think the vibes between PL and BAMN are all too cool. I could tell when we had the demo against Arne Duncan at a restaurant at noon today and BAMN sent a message that their chartered bus to Duncan's next appearance was leaving. Not one PLer budged and I saw a few sour faces. I started exploring the differences tonight at the all hands on deck party at the Sheraton where all the players are in the room but am not sure what will be on and off the record.
Now I think P&J people may vote against Weingarten but I detect some ambivalence about BAMN but don't know enough to figure it all out.
Getting late - gotta get up early to hear the candidate speeches which will take place starting at 8:30. BAMN was forced by the Unity machine to be up first to make sure no delegates can hear them. Democracy anyone?
-------
After burn
We hung with some Unity people today and heard a funny. When they were being whipped up into a frenzy at a meeting a few weeks ago to prepare for this convention by Jeff Zahler one of the things that came up was, "Can Randi come back to NY if she loses the election?" Now we know that this is not possible but it seemed Unity Caucus members were being driven to work hard for the Progressive Caucus slate by being threatened with Randi's return if she should lose.
Or maybe she would just go back to the classroom and put in another 6 months.
I can see her coming ashore now. Now there's a turn of the screw.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Still Sleepy in Seattle
Before heading back to the convention floor here is a brief summary of this morning's events.
Randi was running her first AFT convention - she was elected 2 years ago but the incumbent ran it - so this was a UFT Delegate Assembly on steroids. Imagine instead of listening to Randi for an hour and a half you has to sit there for 3 days. Oy!
Just as I got in Randi started dancing. Aw shucks, Randi, I didn't know you felt that way. But it turned out the AFT has added more members to be sold out. Watch the video see if you can spot some old Unity friends.
Then it was off to Wild Ginger restaurant to protest Arne Duncan's lunch with Senator Patti Murray and others. We had a rousing crew and I got some footage but unfortunately my mic failed and I lost most of the sound. So I won't bother to put any of it up. Mic is fixed for the AFT P&J meeting this afternoon where I am supposed to speak about conditions in NY for 5 minutes. It should only take 30 seconds.
Randi showed a video supposedly about how the affilates were fighting back (smart of course) around the nation. But of course it was all about Randi. Randi goes to California. Randi goes to Florida. Randi goes to Detroit (where the next AFT convention will take place in 2 years - can't wait to see how many Unity slugs want to opt out of that gig.) Remember how many pics of Randi in the NY Teacher? This was new age video with her all over 3 screens. Oh, yes, the local unions had a few shots of them. Then every local in the video got up to thank Randi.
Missing? Washington DC where Randi cancelled the union election and Chicago. Behind the scenes Randi is doing what she does best - trying to woo a potential opposition group with political offers - this is playing out right now in the floor so I have to get over there.
I'll have more in this space later on some observations.
--------
The Bill Gates leaflet is finished. Shortened and sweetened by Sharon Higgins. Thanks for input to Susan Ohanian, Leonie Haimson, Diane Ravitch's wonderful quotes, Lisa North, Gloria Brandman, NYC Educator, Gandi, and Homer.
Bill Gates: Vulture Philanthropist
Randi was running her first AFT convention - she was elected 2 years ago but the incumbent ran it - so this was a UFT Delegate Assembly on steroids. Imagine instead of listening to Randi for an hour and a half you has to sit there for 3 days. Oy!
Just as I got in Randi started dancing. Aw shucks, Randi, I didn't know you felt that way. But it turned out the AFT has added more members to be sold out. Watch the video see if you can spot some old Unity friends.
Then it was off to Wild Ginger restaurant to protest Arne Duncan's lunch with Senator Patti Murray and others. We had a rousing crew and I got some footage but unfortunately my mic failed and I lost most of the sound. So I won't bother to put any of it up. Mic is fixed for the AFT P&J meeting this afternoon where I am supposed to speak about conditions in NY for 5 minutes. It should only take 30 seconds.
Randi showed a video supposedly about how the affilates were fighting back (smart of course) around the nation. But of course it was all about Randi. Randi goes to California. Randi goes to Florida. Randi goes to Detroit (where the next AFT convention will take place in 2 years - can't wait to see how many Unity slugs want to opt out of that gig.) Remember how many pics of Randi in the NY Teacher? This was new age video with her all over 3 screens. Oh, yes, the local unions had a few shots of them. Then every local in the video got up to thank Randi.
Missing? Washington DC where Randi cancelled the union election and Chicago. Behind the scenes Randi is doing what she does best - trying to woo a potential opposition group with political offers - this is playing out right now in the floor so I have to get over there.
I'll have more in this space later on some observations.
--------
The Bill Gates leaflet is finished. Shortened and sweetened by Sharon Higgins. Thanks for input to Susan Ohanian, Leonie Haimson, Diane Ravitch's wonderful quotes, Lisa North, Gloria Brandman, NYC Educator, Gandi, and Homer.
Bill Gates: Vulture Philanthropist
Eva Moskowitz Wants Your School
I heard from the chapter leader at PS 123 the other day. They stopped the illegally run hearing on space utilization on June 18. I know first hand about the impact on the school when they had to drop out of the robotics program last year due to factors related to the HSA invasion.
Hey! If you're a teacher in NYC and free Monday afternoon/evening, there is no excuse for you not to go up to Harlem at 4:30 to support the PS 123 community at this public hearing over the invasion of their school by Evil Moskowitz' Harlem Success Academy. I won't be back in time but send reports on what happened. Anyone with a video camera should get footage for the day when a serious documentary maker decides to do a film telling the side of the resistance against the ed deformers.
Just talk to the teachers in CORE from Chicago as I did extensively last night and they are practically screaming for other teachers to take action NOW and not allow to happen to them what happened to Chicago teachers who have suffered under the catastrophe of 15 years of mayoral control. I will write more about that later. Here is a plea from Concerned Educators Network UFT and the Coalition for Public Education.
Hey! If you're a teacher in NYC and free Monday afternoon/evening, there is no excuse for you not to go up to Harlem at 4:30 to support the PS 123 community at this public hearing over the invasion of their school by Evil Moskowitz' Harlem Success Academy. I won't be back in time but send reports on what happened. Anyone with a video camera should get footage for the day when a serious documentary maker decides to do a film telling the side of the resistance against the ed deformers.
Just talk to the teachers in CORE from Chicago as I did extensively last night and they are practically screaming for other teachers to take action NOW and not allow to happen to them what happened to Chicago teachers who have suffered under the catastrophe of 15 years of mayoral control. I will write more about that later. Here is a plea from Concerned Educators Network UFT and the Coalition for Public Education.
We are forwarding this information for the purpose of alerting you about the Charter attacks on Public Schools. If your school is not a target of a charter invasion, it may soon be. There is a deliberate and aggressive campaign by Klein/Bloomberg to push charter schools into Public School buildings with a vengeance. They may succeed in their draconian plans if we passively allow them. We are calling on all educators to use their time off to come and support PS 123M to stave off the Eva Moskowitz plan to continue her Harlem Success Academy invasion of space at the Public School building. It's a gesture of solidarity. An Injury to one is an injury to all!
In Solidarity,
CENUFT
Friends,
A train to 145 St.
Friends,
Our embattled Sisters & Brothers at PS123 need you. Come out on Monday @ 4:30pm.
It's the mandated state hearing on the impact of the invasion on the PS123 facilities. Dept of Mis-Education (DoM-E) has tried to have this when nobody is around.
Support the students, parents, educators and staff. They are struggling for educational equity.
They demand respect and to get their lab, library, classrooms and bathroom back.
" RESIST as Bloomklein, DoM-E & Moscowitz continue the charter school invasion."
-- CPE-CEP Outreach
It's the mandated state hearing on the impact of the invasion on the PS123 facilities. Dept of Mis-Education (DoM-E) has tried to have this when nobody is around.
Support the students, parents, educators and staff. They are struggling for educational equity.
They demand respect and to get their lab, library, classrooms and bathroom back.
" RESIST as Bloomklein, DoM-E & Moscowitz continue the charter school invasion."
For Info Call: 646-262-9052
-- CPE-CEP Outreach
PUBLIC HEARING AT PS 123
State mandated Facilities Hearing
Monday, July 12, 2010
4:30 pm
In the Auditorium
301 West 140 Street,
Bet. 8th Ave. & Edgecomb Ave.
A train to 145 St.
2,3,or 10 bus to 140 St.
Randi is Shocked
"My past and present right in front of me." — Randi Weingarten upon seeing me as a reporter at her post-speech press conference today.
She must think I'm a stalker following my appearance at the Progressive Caucus meeting the other night when she stopped by to tell me how overjoyed she was that I joined the caucus — I told her she had finally convinced me and it was really the best 20 bucks I've spent so far.
People are still hounding me for the story of how they tried to throw me out but I can't get to it now. A UFT VP really got a kick out of my being there and wanted to know if I now had reciprocity to attend Unity Caucus meetings. "Only if I can tape them," I said. A high level union official told me to see him when I was ready to join Unity. Bye-bye ICE. I really want to be told how to vote and learn how to manipulate Roberts Rules. Today Randi asked at the press availability, "When did you get your press pass?" "10 years ago when I started covering you," I said. Actually more like 15 years. I'm a Randiologist specializing in deciphering her lingo as PR. George Schmidt and I got to ask her some questions and I taped the whole thing.
---------------
Just back from a Chicago party. Did they get a lesson in Unity control in their committee meetings. I had been telling them about Unity control and today they saw it first hand.
Today was a busy day. We worked on some leaflets all morning for
the AFT Peace and Justice caucus. My assignment was to handle the flier 
for the Gates appearance on Saturday. As usual I had diarrhea of the pen and filled up 2 sides. I sent it to Sharon Higgins in Oakland this morning and she chopped off 500 words. Wish I can send her my belly. Sharon did a great job and with just a little more modification we just finished it. And yes we are going with the Trojan Horse theme. Funny how many other people are also doing stuff with that idea though some think Randi is the real Trojan Horse.
Being backed up with the leaflet this morning I got to the convention hall just as Antonia Cortese was introducing Randi. George Schmidt had staked out a good end spot at the press table and I just got my video camera set up as Randi began. But I didn't tape it all. Now, if you read my previous post you know what I was expecting with some embellishments. While the speech before the Progressive Caucus was about 15 minutes, this one was about an hour. There are lot of comments on the speech both nationally and locally. To some it was very impressive. To those of us used to the rhetoric it was just more of the same.
I'll give you one brief example. Randi talked about 360 degree accountability. For a second I thought she was talking about global warming. OK, let's everyone be accountable, even that slime of a Leadership Academy principal you have. Now here is where she made a good point — theoretically. She said part of a principal's evaluation should be based on teacher turnover. Well, isn't that interesting since in her decade of running the UFT that never once came up. I mean that is so obvious that one would think the NY Teacher would post those schools that had large turnover on a consistent basis. But they didn't. And they won't do much more now. I see the speech as the a PR opportunity and nothing more.
One of the guys working on the P&J committee is also running a convention web site and he has some good stuff up there. Here are a few comments on the speech:
He has the speech up at Randi is Shocked or you can get it and weep at:
The complete text of Weingarten's speech will be available at http://www.aft.org/convention2010speech .
Coming up tomorrow are a few Duncan demos as he breezes into town and the P&J session at 4:40 where I am supposed to speak. I want to get video of Dunkin Donuts but may miss one of the demos. The Detroit crew from BAMN has chartered a bus to get people to the demo furthest away. The early one is near here. At the Chicago party tonight some people from Seattle were there and donated a bunch of oaktag and markers and some people had a ball making signs.
Off to bed. More in the AM. Wait a minute. It is the am. 1am. snore.
---------
After burn: More analysis of the speech
She must think I'm a stalker following my appearance at the Progressive Caucus meeting the other night when she stopped by to tell me how overjoyed she was that I joined the caucus — I told her she had finally convinced me and it was really the best 20 bucks I've spent so far.
People are still hounding me for the story of how they tried to throw me out but I can't get to it now. A UFT VP really got a kick out of my being there and wanted to know if I now had reciprocity to attend Unity Caucus meetings. "Only if I can tape them," I said. A high level union official told me to see him when I was ready to join Unity. Bye-bye ICE. I really want to be told how to vote and learn how to manipulate Roberts Rules. Today Randi asked at the press availability, "When did you get your press pass?" "10 years ago when I started covering you," I said. Actually more like 15 years. I'm a Randiologist specializing in deciphering her lingo as PR. George Schmidt and I got to ask her some questions and I taped the whole thing.
---------------
Just back from a Chicago party. Did they get a lesson in Unity control in their committee meetings. I had been telling them about Unity control and today they saw it first hand.
Today was a busy day. We worked on some leaflets all morning for
the AFT Peace and Justice caucus. My assignment was to handle the flier 
for the Gates appearance on Saturday. As usual I had diarrhea of the pen and filled up 2 sides. I sent it to Sharon Higgins in Oakland this morning and she chopped off 500 words. Wish I can send her my belly. Sharon did a great job and with just a little more modification we just finished it. And yes we are going with the Trojan Horse theme. Funny how many other people are also doing stuff with that idea though some think Randi is the real Trojan Horse.Being backed up with the leaflet this morning I got to the convention hall just as Antonia Cortese was introducing Randi. George Schmidt had staked out a good end spot at the press table and I just got my video camera set up as Randi began. But I didn't tape it all. Now, if you read my previous post you know what I was expecting with some embellishments. While the speech before the Progressive Caucus was about 15 minutes, this one was about an hour. There are lot of comments on the speech both nationally and locally. To some it was very impressive. To those of us used to the rhetoric it was just more of the same.
I'll give you one brief example. Randi talked about 360 degree accountability. For a second I thought she was talking about global warming. OK, let's everyone be accountable, even that slime of a Leadership Academy principal you have. Now here is where she made a good point — theoretically. She said part of a principal's evaluation should be based on teacher turnover. Well, isn't that interesting since in her decade of running the UFT that never once came up. I mean that is so obvious that one would think the NY Teacher would post those schools that had large turnover on a consistent basis. But they didn't. And they won't do much more now. I see the speech as the a PR opportunity and nothing more.
One of the guys working on the P&J committee is also running a convention web site and he has some good stuff up there. Here are a few comments on the speech:
Like the Vichy policeman in "Casablanca" who was "shocked, shocked" at gambling going on in the casino, AFT President Randi Weingarten can't believe that a U.S. President that the AFT supported could applaud the mass firing of 89 teachers. She starts four paragraphs "I never thought ..."
Who is she kidding? She knew what Arne Duncan did in Chicago. Did she think he would change his spots. Why doesn't she demand Duncan go? Labor poured enough money and sweat into the Obama campaign to make the demand.
He has the speech up at Randi is Shocked or you can get it and weep at:
The complete text of Weingarten's speech will be available at http://www.aft.
Coming up tomorrow are a few Duncan demos as he breezes into town and the P&J session at 4:40 where I am supposed to speak. I want to get video of Dunkin Donuts but may miss one of the demos. The Detroit crew from BAMN has chartered a bus to get people to the demo furthest away. The early one is near here. At the Chicago party tonight some people from Seattle were there and donated a bunch of oaktag and markers and some people had a ball making signs.
Off to bed. More in the AM. Wait a minute. It is the am. 1am. snore.
---------
After burn: More analysis of the speech
http://socialistworker.org/2010/07/09/teachers-at-a-crossroads
Teachers unions at the crossroads
Lee Sustar reports from the American Federation of Teachers convention in Seattle.
I finally met Lee at the Chi party and at the press conf with Randi. Lots for us to talk about.Thursday, July 8, 2010
Randi Tries Out Her Big Speech -then goes back to drawing board to make it tougher on Obama/Duncan
UPDATED: July 8 11:15am, PSTRandi is feeling the heat and it's not just from the weather
Seattle, July 8, 7am, pst
(This post will be updated through this morning so check back later)
Part 1
It's supposed to get hot here in Seattle today with temps reaching 90, but it may get even hotter at the convention hall with the opening session of the AFT today.
Randi was burning the midnight oil last night polishing her big keynote speech due to be delivered around 11am this morning. She gave a preview to the Progressive Caucus (the national version of Unity) meeting, which I joined for $20 so I could attend – and therein lies a tale with Randi herself coming over to give me a love tap.
The reaction must have been that she was not tough enough on Obama/Duncan — and she certainly wasn't. The anger of teachers at them is so palpable. So reports surfaced while we were hanging with the Chicago Teachers CORE people at the Hard Rock Cafe last night that Randi was reshaping parts of her speech to make it look like she was tougher on Obama/Duncan. Yawn.
NEA's president Dennis Von Roekel came out strong a few days ago (Teachers Union Chief Blasts Obama Administration's Education Policies Teachers Union Chief Blasts Obama Administration's Education Policies though Susan Ohanian calls it "Too little too late - This is the same union that told its members not to sign the petition against NCLB. Their argument was they needed a seat at the table."
But it is Chicago's new president Karen Lewis (who I met last night) who is getting raves for her acceptance speech last week when she took over the CTU on July 1. Ana Philips has a great piece over at Gotham on this speech: Chicago’s aggressive, new union leader introduces herself.
Lewis' speech is not to be missed. Ana writes:
If anyone wondered what the union backlash to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s leadership would be like, watch this state of the union address by Chicago’s newly elected teachers union president.....Led by Weingarten, the national branch of the union has taken a softer approach to its relationship with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. And in New York, we’ve yet to hear rhetoric like Lewis’s from union president Michael Mulgrew.
Oooh! Nice dart from Ana. By the way, there has not been a Mulgrew sighting here yet. He must be up in Randi's room ironing her clothes.
One comment:
Do you believe this…..Ms. Lewis did not use any buzz words! there was no mention of robust, of invigorated, of forward thinking, of a new paradigm. I bet she was never schooled by McKinsey. Hallelujah….someone who talks intelligently, who like a real person, wants to improve our education system for our children. Now that’s an innovation
Leonie Haimson said:
“Our opponents have deep pockets and shallow morals.” I like that line!
Heh, heh, heh - you don't have to look far here in Seattle to find union officials with shallow morals and deep pockets.
So yes Randi IS feeling some heat. She even went to dinner with the Chicago new leadership last week. One of them told me "she really loves you." How nice to see Randi misses me. We did speak yesterday after her speech and I really do miss her - so much material.
So one would have expected her speech to try to compete in the anti-Obama/Duncan rhetoric. But it didn't and that is why I expect her to act tougher - and I mean act - in today's version.
When the Progressive Caucus nominated her and she got up to accept- she said she would just say a few words - sure Randi - you and a few words are incompatible.
The Unity crew - remember though they dominate the room this is still a national caucus - gave her a rousing standing ovation before and after the speech. Many of them in private conversations say how happy they are to have Mulgrew - a real teacher. But there are those shallow morals, you know.
Randi looked good - tanned and maybe a little thinner - as she took the podium. She was wearing - how the hell would I remember what she was wearing - this is not a fashion report. Besides I was too busy fending off Unity hacks.
Before the speech a contact told me that the AFT hired Michael Powell as their new messager - a guy who shapes the message after polling to see what resonates. Powell was involved in the disastrous and short lived Harold Ford Jr. campaign in NY recently. Ford dropped more than a few ed deform crums in his brief stint. Maybe Powell is really the AFT's new massager to rub Randi's back when she is tired. At any rate their polling - internal and external showed that the way they shape their defense of teachers is crucial to the response of the public.
So - here it is - the grand theme - FIGHT SMART.
Now we all know what that means. A way to rationalize all the givebacks the AFT/UFT has agreed to.
After talking about the hot weather, Randi began by saying: "Those of us who have been in the trenches for a long time..."
Huh? What trench has she been in?
"...you have seen hot all year."
Oh, I get it - a funny.
"We are finding things we have never seen - even from a Democratic president - telling us we don't have a right to exist- no voice, no retirement security..."
That's about as tough as she got. She continued with, "Why are we upset? Not a surprise. Members are mad." Sure, real members as opposed to the Unity hacks are mad at her.
"They didn't sign up for a world where we would be demonized and scapegoated, where even if you have no U ratings every single teacher would be fired."
She was referring to Central Falls, RI, which she is claiming credit for saving all the teacher jobs. Unity hack supremo Jeff Zahler stressed that point before Randi's speech.
Randi continued:
"It is easy to vent against people we supported for a long time. Now all of a sudden they have gone from liking us to not liking us." At that point I was getting cramps.
"Look at the economy." Oh that one is coming. Like the ed deformers weren't attacking teachers in Chicago and beyond in the mid nineties when the economy was booming - except in NYC where in 1995 Randi went along with the Mayor Giuliani line the city had no money and she negotiated a 5 year contract with a two year wage freeze, only to see the city have a billion dollar surplus a year later. Yeah, that economy.
"When we say we need more taxes or deserve retirement security - part of the social contract - we worked for low wages - they want to bring us down. Our strategy - yes - fighting back hard [oh when did she fight back hard] and fighting smart.
There it is - the big strategy laid out for us to wonder at. Or wander at. Or wender at.
PART 2:
She went on - "Fighting Smart lifts all boats - trade unions are not anchors of privilege but beacons of hope. We have a harder job than ever. We have to call out the demonizers no matter who they are..."
AND HERE COMES THE BIGGIE, FOLKS -
"EVEN IF THEY ARE THE PRESIDENT OR THE VICE PRESIDENT."
So there, Ana Philips. How dare you say Randi I mild compared to Karen Lewis or Diane Ravitch.
Now back to the pablum:
"You went into this [teaching] in the first place to create a greater good."
Come on Randi - some of us went into teaching so we didn't have to go to Vietnam. Let's be honest here. Teaching is also a job. We can do it well but also not have it be a calling.
"The reason we have a full opposition slate against us - instead of national taking a step back..." [what does she mean by a step back?] "we rolled up our sleeves and helped those on the front lines - Central Falls, Detroit, Cincinatti, California ..."
We are getting a geography lesson - but Randi seems to have forgotten Washington DC and her best friend Michelle Rhee who along with New Teacher Project Tim Daly have a love affair with Randi.
Then she goes into the screwing - oops - the saving of Detroit - you know where Randi helped broker a deal where teachers gave up money to save jobs. How the city was going to go bankrupt, etc, etc, etc.
She ended with the usual screech that got everyone to their feet - we will see better days ahead you know. Well, maybe when we have more Chicago-like revolts.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
NY Times' Sam Dillon Misses the Mark
Obama was hiding at the hotel during the AFT convention in Chicago pretending to be out of town but George Schmidt had proof he was there. I'll leave it to Susan to take down Dillon and the Times:
http://susanohanian.org/show_nclb_atrocities.php?id=3995
Teachers' Union Shuns Obama Aides at Convention
Ohanian Comment: This reporter is wrong. Presidential Candidate Obama did not address the AFT conventioneers in Chicago two years ago in person. Although he was in Chicago the night before, he avoided addressing the conventioneers in person, just as he'd avoided NEA convention goers, choosing to appear via video. And although he promised Higher standards; More money for NCLB; Merit pay (“teachers…who consistently excel in the classroom”); and although he asserted that "You teachers", not parent income, is the single most important factor in determining a child's achievement, he received a standing ovation.
I would point out that, seated in the second row, I remained seated.
One can only wonder what "change" NEA president Dennis Van Roekel could possibly have been hoping for. Since his Senatorial days, Obama's education platform, fashioned by the Center for American Progress, has always been aligned with that of the Business Roundtable.
All that said, this is a disgusting article. Look at who Dillon calls on for "expertise" in union matters: Chester Finn and the head of the New Teacher Project.
http://susanohanian.org/show_nclb_atrocities.php?id=3995
Teachers' Union Shuns Obama Aides at Convention
Ohanian Comment: This reporter is wrong. Presidential Candidate Obama did not address the AFT conventioneers in Chicago two years ago in person. Although he was in Chicago the night before, he avoided addressing the conventioneers in person, just as he'd avoided NEA convention goers, choosing to appear via video. And although he promised Higher standards; More money for NCLB; Merit pay (“teachers…who consistently excel in the classroom”); and although he asserted that "You teachers", not parent income, is the single most important factor in determining a child's achievement, he received a standing ovation.
I would point out that, seated in the second row, I remained seated.
One can only wonder what "change" NEA president Dennis Van Roekel could possibly have been hoping for. Since his Senatorial days, Obama's education platform, fashioned by the Center for American Progress, has always been aligned with that of the Business Roundtable.
All that said, this is a disgusting article. Look at who Dillon calls on for "expertise" in union matters: Chester Finn and the head of the New Teacher Project.
Typically, about 30 percent of TNTP’s annual revenue comes from the support of leading philanthropies, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Arnold Family Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, theCarnegie Corporation of New York, and the Charles & Helen Schwab Foundation.
Chair of the Board of Directors of TNTP is Kati Haycock of Education Trust. Other members include: John D. Arnold (Arnold Family Foundation), Chris Bierly (Bain & Co.), Christopher Cross (Cross & Joftis, whose clients include Gates & Broad & Walton Family Foundations), Daniel Keating, Wendy Kopp (teach for America), Julie Mikuta (New School Venture Fund), Dr. C. Kent McGuire (Temple University), John Simpson (Stupski Foundation), Dr. Uri Treisman (University of Texas, Austin)
Last Minute Pitch for LeBron - Gary nails it again
Mr. James was reportedly wowed by the Powerpoint, which went through the myriad of ways that big money can be made through an association with the DOE. While he found possibilities such as no bid computer consulting contracts and vending machine deals very appealing, he was said to have been particularly impressed by the fortune that can be made in charter schools alone.
MORE AT
Last Minute Pitch for LeBron
Truly Sleepless in Seattle
July 7, 2010Diane Ravitch, who received the NEA Friend of Education award, electrified the Representative Assembly Tuesday with an impassioned call for the defense of public education and the teaching profession. There is a video but it didn't run for me. http://www.nea.org/grants/40241.htm
The NEA strong stand on Obama/Duncan and RTTT will put pressure on the AFT this week. They passed some very good resos which I will link to later. Don't forget- Ravitch was at the NEA and won't be at the AFT. Not a rift but there may be some tension there. See NEA press release about Ravitch. Diane Ravitch receives NEA’s Friend of Education Award.
Here is my report from last night.
July 6, 2010
Jeez, this place is beginning to crawl with teachers. "What's going on," asked a pretty hip guy who runs an very interesting and eclectic bookstore on the lower level of the Pike Place Market? "Everyone who's been coming in here seems to be a teacher." I told him about the AFT convention. He went on to tell me how he hated school and most of his teachers were awful. "But you run a book store," I said. "Yeah, funny, my mom always says that it is strange given by history with school." We had a nice chat about the Seattle schools, most of which he seemed to have attended - unwillingly - at one time or another.
I intend to stop by a few times to browse and if you're in town give him the business instead of the big chains. Wait a minute, I am getting my Nora Ephron/Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks films mixed up. The battle of the small bookstore vs big chain didn't take place in Seattle while the sleepless houseboat thingy did. (By the way, if you are a fan of "The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo" read Ephron's wonderful takeoff in last week's New Yorker.)
I took an early morning flight out on Tuesday and we arrived an hour early at 10:30am local time. I saw a bunch of UFT people on the flight (I recognized Maureen Salter and Betty Zohar), along with retired John F. Kennedy teacher Carolyn Eubanks, here with a contingent from Progressive Labor. She experienced the wonderful Anthony Rotunno (A DOE Favored Principal Takes A Hit - Way too Late) at Kennedy so there was joy in her Mudville over his recent travails.
I had a little time to settle in, grab my new video camera and check out the scene - which meant eating my way through the city. I must have eaten 5 times yesterday. Lisa North (GEM/ICE) came in last night and Gloria Brandman is due tonight. George Schmidt and the Chicago crew are due today. Gloria, Lisa and I are staying at the Homewood Suites a short distance from the convention center and it is very impressive - a full kitchen and free breakfast and a dinner reception almost every night - I think I may be able to eat 10 times a day. I hope no one is sitting next to me on the way home on the Monday night red eye.
There will be some activity from the AFT Peace and Justice group which is where Lisa and Gloria will be putting their efforts.
Given the NEA "no confidence" vote in RTTT this past weekend I imagine the Randi rhetoric will fly showing just how tough she will be. I expect lots of people to break out in gales of laughter. Even some Unity people might have to hide their faces. This is going to be pretty funny considering how just about everyone you talk to in Unity trashes Randi as they gush, "Mulgrew is so different. He is a real teacher." Sure. A year ago they would be telling you how smart Randi was. If Jack the Ripper ran the union they would talk about how clean and shiny he keeps his knives.
One retired Unity person was throwing this at a friend who told her about the teacher evaluation based on test score agreement Mulgrew agreed to. "Terrible they would do that," she responded. By "they" she meant BloomKlein. Somehow Unity people have the ability to make their leader disappear from anything bad that they agree too. Or maybe they think BloomKlein are using water boarding.
By the way, we heard Arne Duncan will be in town on Friday afternoon for another event. Would Randi dare to bring him in to address convention? I am betting not as there is so much teacher anger out there his reception would not be pretty.
Here is one place you WON'T find me this week.
LIFO
Updated 7am, Pacific time
Over at Eduwonk there was an interesting debate over LIFO based on the Rotherham analysis of the Obey amendment. A key step in the ed deform movement is to go after salary structure based on years of service and LIFO. Someone asked for a defense of LIFO. (See the piece I wrote with John Tarleton for the Indypendent.) While many of us have some issues with a strict LIFO policy, even if we think about it 'till our brains smoke, given the way so many principals operate, I haven't seen a plan that makes more sense in the long run.
Sort of like when people get frustrated with how inefficient and messy democratic systems can be (certainly NOT the UFT/AFT which is both undemocratic and inefficient) the response is often "show me a better alternative."
(This paragraph updated)
Miss Eyre over at NYC Educator touches on the issue in: Why Should It Be Easy to Fire Someone? I like to point out when a relatively young teacher who entered the system under BloomKlein writes a piece like this. Though Miss Eyre was a Teaching Fellow I believe and not Teach for America, one of the reasons TFA wants to get their people out of the classroom ASAP is to keep them from turning into Miss Eyre.
Here John Thompson takes a crack on the LIFO and tenure aspect of the argument in a comment on the Rotherham post:
Over at Eduwonk there was an interesting debate over LIFO based on the Rotherham analysis of the Obey amendment. A key step in the ed deform movement is to go after salary structure based on years of service and LIFO. Someone asked for a defense of LIFO. (See the piece I wrote with John Tarleton for the Indypendent.) While many of us have some issues with a strict LIFO policy, even if we think about it 'till our brains smoke, given the way so many principals operate, I haven't seen a plan that makes more sense in the long run.
Sort of like when people get frustrated with how inefficient and messy democratic systems can be (certainly NOT the UFT/AFT which is both undemocratic and inefficient) the response is often "show me a better alternative."
(This paragraph updated)
Miss Eyre over at NYC Educator touches on the issue in: Why Should It Be Easy to Fire Someone? I like to point out when a relatively young teacher who entered the system under BloomKlein writes a piece like this. Though Miss Eyre was a Teaching Fellow I believe and not Teach for America, one of the reasons TFA wants to get their people out of the classroom ASAP is to keep them from turning into Miss Eyre.
Here John Thompson takes a crack on the LIFO and tenure aspect of the argument in a comment on the Rotherham post:
Here’s my #1 argument for reforming LIFO, but still protecting seniority. Tenure in universities protects free speech. Without tenure, public school teachers immediately lose the bulk of their power in arguing against policies that impose educational malpractice. I was just watching the video of Brad Jupp at the Ed Sector, and even he who I respect so highly, said that we must accept a world where reform leaders want to just staff schools with “their type of teachers” and train them in their way. Too many in the reform camp just want an educational monoculture. Not all, but many in the reform camp want to drive Baby Boomers out of the profession. Economics is only part of it. Mostly they don’t want the voices of experience distracting from their vision. But economics is a factor, too, and its intertwined with their vision thing. In schools we constantly hear complaints that veteran teachers don’t embrace Smartboards or whatever. Principals of turnaround schools often get rid of older teachers, not because of their lack of effectiveness, but because they aren’t unreservedly on board with the new paradigm. So, you can get rid of dissent and high salaries at the same time.Too many reformers see that as a win win for them. But often veteran teachers are cautious because they – unlike the young reformers – have seen the same reforms tried and failed over and over under different names.
If I could persuade you on one point, it would be this. The single best way to improve schools would be to think ahead, plan, and stop making the same old errors. It is much better to avoid a mistake than to clean up afterwards.
And point #2, teachers want to teach. The best way to recruit and retain teaching talent is to create learning cultures that respect teachers’ voices as well as the full humanity of students. The best way to drive off talent is to perpetuate this standardized testing madness.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
A View from the Trenches of the War on Teachers in New York City Schools
----Or The Gotcha Culture at the NY City Department of Ed.
by Matt Frisch
July 5, 2010
Imagine for a minute that we live in a culture in which we are judged solely on the basis of our shortcomings- our strengths, talents, past experience and accomplishments all have no bearing on how we are judged by the world at large. One tiny slip, one miscue, one weakness and we are labeled a failure for all the world to see. Now, imagine that we are forced to submit to other people’s highly subjective criteria of what constitutes an error or a weakness and that the criteria are constantly in flux but the decisions of those sitting in judgment over us are nonetheless final and irreversible. This is not the stuff of science fiction or a nightmarish prediction of the future; this is now. This is the culture created by 8 years of mayoral control of the NY City school system.
The mayor and chancellor have spawned a generation of principals and assistant principals who are encouraged to consolidate their own power in their buildings by bringing in their own people and by pushing out independent-minded veteran teachers. The arsenal of weapons at the disposal of these aggressive administrators to use against non-conforming teachers is virtually limitless. Any infraction, no matter how insignificant, can serve as the pretext for disciplinary action. The stakes in this unfair fight are the teacher’s mental health and livelihood.
Allow me to describe how this blood sport is played in the elementary schools. A principal decides that he wants to get rid of a teacher. Perhaps the teacher has questioned the principal’s pet professional development program as irrelevant to the most pressing needs of the students. Perhaps the principal just needs to meet his quota of unsatisfactory ratings. In any case, the principal drops by the teacher’s room and notices that a student is sitting by himself rather than with the group. The principal asks the student why he is sitting by himself and the boy says, “The teacher says I talk too much.” The principal leaves without a word to the teacher. This “incident” leads to a disciplinary meeting and invariably to a letter in the teacher’s file saying that students must not be excluded from lessons and ending with the dread word- “unsatisfactory.” Or imagine that a teacher on the principal’s hit list has a sick parent or child at home, has to take a phone call and is seen by an administrator with a cell phone to his ear during class time- another negative letter to file. All principals need are two of these critical letters and it is well within their authority as supervisors under the NY City Department of Education to rate that teacher’s work, over the entire school year as unsatisfactory. There is nothing the teacher’s union can say that can change that decision, as long as the principal has adhered to the letter, if not the spirit, of the UFT contract.
These are just two examples of the awesome power principal’s hold over teachers. As I said earlier, the grounds for rating a teacher’s performance as unsatisfactory are only limited by the breadth of the administrator’s creativity. Today’s administrators are not held back by any quaint notions of collegiality with teachers or by an understanding of the realities of teaching that might be gained through experience. Graduates of the DOE’s Leadership Academy are for the most part young and inexperienced. Their primary motivations for becoming principals are the salary and the power, rather than any desire to make a difference in kids’ lives. They go about their work of consolidating their power and doing their higher ups’ bidding without ambivalence or scruple.
A year or a career’s hard work are trashed because of a cell phone conversation. The profound, perhaps life-changing influence a teacher has had on his students, the important lessons he has taught, the way he has shared aspects of his own personality and given his students a safe space to explore and express their own unique qualities- all of this is beneath the notice of these young, ruthless administrators. All that matters is that on March 15th, the teacher was seen drinking a hot beverage during class time or on April 6th, he took his class to the front of the building to see the daffodils during the “writer’s workshop” timeslot.
Principals are impervious to any excuse for an infraction, once they have you in their sights. And they are all powerful. Who can a teacher turn to when he is caught for example with his head on his desk during a preparation period and is accused of sleeping during the prep? Unless the principal’s accusations violate specific rights guaranteed in the teachers’ contract with the DOE, the UFT cannot come to the teacher’s rescue and he is at the mercy of the principal.
The new breed of principals is not weighed down by any ethical baggage. They don’t believe in anything other than consolidating their own power and protecting their own sorry skins. They do what they’re told by higher-ups; they aggrandize themselves and punish anyone who rocks the boat. Principals fear two things- low test scores and angry parents. Test scores are not a problem because the tests are so dumbed down and curved up that nearly every student is judged above average. Never mind that 4th graders don’t know their multiplication facts and can’t write a grammatical sentence- the Department of Education in conjunction with the test publishers can virtually guarantee that almost every student will pass.
The risk posed by angry parents is tougher to manage. The short term solution that most principals choose is to dispense with discipline in the school. Incidents short of violence causing serious injury or bringing weapons to school are swept under the rug. No consequences for the rule breaker; a few pat assurances to the parents of the injured party and on to the next incident. No one takes a stand and no one is the wiser. This approach allows the principal to steer clear of the shoals of angry parents for the short term but the atmosphere in the building gradually deteriorates, a little each day. Disrespect and roughness toward classmates and teachers alike become the norm and sooner or later something really bad will happen. But by then, no one will connect the dots between this one isolated incident and the overall lack of discipline or leadership in the building.
All the discipline that principals could implement, in a uniform and consistent manner, with students is inflicted, in a capricious, self-serving way, on teachers. Kids go to the principal’s office with a swagger because they know that nothing they do, short of really hurting someone or bringing a weapon to school, will get them into any real trouble. Teachers go to the principal’s office with their hearts in their hands because unsatisfactory ratings for two years in a row can get you terminated. Bloomberg/Klein’s new graduates of the Leadership Academy are the system’s hit men. The more veteran teachers they can bring down, the higher their star rises.
Principals can make limitless errors without any real consequences. Scheduling can be haphazard, communication with staff can be sporadic and their scores for trustworthiness on the school environment survey can be abysmal but none of this will pose an obstacle to the principal’s advancement. It almost seems the more dysfunctional a building, the more the DOE likes it.
Principals are given broad financial discretion. They can hire more assistant principals than the number of students can justify, they can sign up for intensive, costly professional development that no one wants, they can hire an endless procession of substitute teachers so that regular teachers can engage in endless reinvention of the wheel and there are no repercussions from above.
Students can’t write or do arithmetic? Again, no problem as long as they pass the dumbed-down tests. The more counter-intuitive and convoluted the professional development program, the more popular with principals. How better to keep teachers jumping through hoops with the wool pulled tight over their eyes than with an emperor’s new clothes circus of professional development swirling around them. When professional development is on hiatus, the “mushroom” theory of management- keep ‘em in the dark and feed ‘em sh*t- takes up the slack.
Without any real accountability for poor administration, what’s an ambitious young principal to do to keep his edge? Bullying veteran teachers makes a good substitute for real leadership. It allows principals to feel like tough administrators and win accolades from superintendents and network leaders without making any substantive changes to the corporate-friendly status quo. Do as you’re told; follow a few simple rules spelled out in the teachers’ contract; check your humanity, sense of fair play and sound educational principles at the door and you’re set for life. That’s all the Department of Education asks of its new principals. This is the Kafkaesque culture that we immerse our children in when they go off to elementary school each morning.
Matt Frisch
frischome@aol.com
by Matt Frisch
July 5, 2010
Imagine for a minute that we live in a culture in which we are judged solely on the basis of our shortcomings- our strengths, talents, past experience and accomplishments all have no bearing on how we are judged by the world at large. One tiny slip, one miscue, one weakness and we are labeled a failure for all the world to see. Now, imagine that we are forced to submit to other people’s highly subjective criteria of what constitutes an error or a weakness and that the criteria are constantly in flux but the decisions of those sitting in judgment over us are nonetheless final and irreversible. This is not the stuff of science fiction or a nightmarish prediction of the future; this is now. This is the culture created by 8 years of mayoral control of the NY City school system.
The mayor and chancellor have spawned a generation of principals and assistant principals who are encouraged to consolidate their own power in their buildings by bringing in their own people and by pushing out independent-minded veteran teachers. The arsenal of weapons at the disposal of these aggressive administrators to use against non-conforming teachers is virtually limitless. Any infraction, no matter how insignificant, can serve as the pretext for disciplinary action. The stakes in this unfair fight are the teacher’s mental health and livelihood.
Allow me to describe how this blood sport is played in the elementary schools. A principal decides that he wants to get rid of a teacher. Perhaps the teacher has questioned the principal’s pet professional development program as irrelevant to the most pressing needs of the students. Perhaps the principal just needs to meet his quota of unsatisfactory ratings. In any case, the principal drops by the teacher’s room and notices that a student is sitting by himself rather than with the group. The principal asks the student why he is sitting by himself and the boy says, “The teacher says I talk too much.” The principal leaves without a word to the teacher. This “incident” leads to a disciplinary meeting and invariably to a letter in the teacher’s file saying that students must not be excluded from lessons and ending with the dread word- “unsatisfactory.” Or imagine that a teacher on the principal’s hit list has a sick parent or child at home, has to take a phone call and is seen by an administrator with a cell phone to his ear during class time- another negative letter to file. All principals need are two of these critical letters and it is well within their authority as supervisors under the NY City Department of Education to rate that teacher’s work, over the entire school year as unsatisfactory. There is nothing the teacher’s union can say that can change that decision, as long as the principal has adhered to the letter, if not the spirit, of the UFT contract.
These are just two examples of the awesome power principal’s hold over teachers. As I said earlier, the grounds for rating a teacher’s performance as unsatisfactory are only limited by the breadth of the administrator’s creativity. Today’s administrators are not held back by any quaint notions of collegiality with teachers or by an understanding of the realities of teaching that might be gained through experience. Graduates of the DOE’s Leadership Academy are for the most part young and inexperienced. Their primary motivations for becoming principals are the salary and the power, rather than any desire to make a difference in kids’ lives. They go about their work of consolidating their power and doing their higher ups’ bidding without ambivalence or scruple.
A year or a career’s hard work are trashed because of a cell phone conversation. The profound, perhaps life-changing influence a teacher has had on his students, the important lessons he has taught, the way he has shared aspects of his own personality and given his students a safe space to explore and express their own unique qualities- all of this is beneath the notice of these young, ruthless administrators. All that matters is that on March 15th, the teacher was seen drinking a hot beverage during class time or on April 6th, he took his class to the front of the building to see the daffodils during the “writer’s workshop” timeslot.
Principals are impervious to any excuse for an infraction, once they have you in their sights. And they are all powerful. Who can a teacher turn to when he is caught for example with his head on his desk during a preparation period and is accused of sleeping during the prep? Unless the principal’s accusations violate specific rights guaranteed in the teachers’ contract with the DOE, the UFT cannot come to the teacher’s rescue and he is at the mercy of the principal.
The new breed of principals is not weighed down by any ethical baggage. They don’t believe in anything other than consolidating their own power and protecting their own sorry skins. They do what they’re told by higher-ups; they aggrandize themselves and punish anyone who rocks the boat. Principals fear two things- low test scores and angry parents. Test scores are not a problem because the tests are so dumbed down and curved up that nearly every student is judged above average. Never mind that 4th graders don’t know their multiplication facts and can’t write a grammatical sentence- the Department of Education in conjunction with the test publishers can virtually guarantee that almost every student will pass.
The risk posed by angry parents is tougher to manage. The short term solution that most principals choose is to dispense with discipline in the school. Incidents short of violence causing serious injury or bringing weapons to school are swept under the rug. No consequences for the rule breaker; a few pat assurances to the parents of the injured party and on to the next incident. No one takes a stand and no one is the wiser. This approach allows the principal to steer clear of the shoals of angry parents for the short term but the atmosphere in the building gradually deteriorates, a little each day. Disrespect and roughness toward classmates and teachers alike become the norm and sooner or later something really bad will happen. But by then, no one will connect the dots between this one isolated incident and the overall lack of discipline or leadership in the building.
All the discipline that principals could implement, in a uniform and consistent manner, with students is inflicted, in a capricious, self-serving way, on teachers. Kids go to the principal’s office with a swagger because they know that nothing they do, short of really hurting someone or bringing a weapon to school, will get them into any real trouble. Teachers go to the principal’s office with their hearts in their hands because unsatisfactory ratings for two years in a row can get you terminated. Bloomberg/Klein’s new graduates of the Leadership Academy are the system’s hit men. The more veteran teachers they can bring down, the higher their star rises.
Principals can make limitless errors without any real consequences. Scheduling can be haphazard, communication with staff can be sporadic and their scores for trustworthiness on the school environment survey can be abysmal but none of this will pose an obstacle to the principal’s advancement. It almost seems the more dysfunctional a building, the more the DOE likes it.
Principals are given broad financial discretion. They can hire more assistant principals than the number of students can justify, they can sign up for intensive, costly professional development that no one wants, they can hire an endless procession of substitute teachers so that regular teachers can engage in endless reinvention of the wheel and there are no repercussions from above.
Students can’t write or do arithmetic? Again, no problem as long as they pass the dumbed-down tests. The more counter-intuitive and convoluted the professional development program, the more popular with principals. How better to keep teachers jumping through hoops with the wool pulled tight over their eyes than with an emperor’s new clothes circus of professional development swirling around them. When professional development is on hiatus, the “mushroom” theory of management- keep ‘em in the dark and feed ‘em sh*t- takes up the slack.
Without any real accountability for poor administration, what’s an ambitious young principal to do to keep his edge? Bullying veteran teachers makes a good substitute for real leadership. It allows principals to feel like tough administrators and win accolades from superintendents and network leaders without making any substantive changes to the corporate-friendly status quo. Do as you’re told; follow a few simple rules spelled out in the teachers’ contract; check your humanity, sense of fair play and sound educational principles at the door and you’re set for life. That’s all the Department of Education asks of its new principals. This is the Kafkaesque culture that we immerse our children in when they go off to elementary school each morning.
Matt Frisch
frischome@aol.com
Tell Randi to Follow the Constitution in DC and Hold Elections
Dear AFT member:
Please CUT AND PASTE the email script below to AFT and DC CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. Please remember to remove the word forward in the subject line and CUT AND PASTE only the email script and senders names. Don't forget to sign your real name as a UFT/AFT member. Please forward this email to teachers at your school and encourage them to write the AFT.
Don't forget to SIGN YOUR REAL NAME AS AN AFT MEMBER
I am an AFT Member and I am demanding that the Washington Teachers' Union hold elections immediately and restore WTU's General Vice President, Nathan Saunders salary and position. Only the WTU/AFT Constitution should be able to determine when local union elections take place. It is my understanding that the AFT has postponed DC elections and I believe this to be unfair. Members pay dues money to the AFT which should entitle them the right to vote in a timely manner. The AFT must demand that the WTU to do the right thing.
Signed,
Rochester Crew Was In the House
We met a great bunch of resistance fighters from Rochester today who made the long trip down to rally in front of Malcolm Smith's offices in Queens and Manhattan because of his attempt to get the NY State Senate to shove mayoral control down their throats. I won't go into Smith's history here - search Ed Notes and The Wave (www.rockawave.com) to find all the sordid details. You see Smith's picture when you look up "conflict of interest" in the dictionary. The Daily News sent a reporter.
James and Camille Eterno (and baby) came by to make a statement as did GEM's Diane Smith. I took some video which I will try to work on during the long plane ride to Seattle. (Big question- should I do convention stuff Thurs night or go see the Yankees?)
Some of the Manhattan parents showed up later (I didn't make that event) and here is a statement by Richard B:
James and Camille Eterno (and baby) came by to make a statement as did GEM's Diane Smith. I took some video which I will try to work on during the long plane ride to Seattle. (Big question- should I do convention stuff Thurs night or go see the Yankees?)
Some of the Manhattan parents showed up later (I didn't make that event) and here is a statement by Richard B:
I stood with the folks from Rochester in front of Malcolm Smith's 250 Broadway office today. NY 1 and WNYC radio were there. I pointed out when it was my turn that as unhappy as those of us here in NYC are about the fact that the Legislature essentially renewed mayoral control for NYC with only minor changes, over our objections, there is a level of outrageousness present in the Rochester situation which was not present in our situation, in that a legislator from another city (Smith) is attempting to get mayoral control established for Rochester EVEN THOUGH the city's own senators oppose it.
As Patrick Sullivan wrote in a post yesterday, we really ought to demand that our own senators refuse to go along with dictating to Rochester how its own school system should be governed.
RB
Monday, July 5, 2010
Weingarten delivers the goods: Tim Daly of NTP - A frequent critic praises the union head for backing bold reforms
UPDATED: Mon, July 5, 9:30pmWhat else is there to say when both Michelle Rhee and Tim Daly praise Weingarten for delivering the goods. The "goods" are the heads of rank and file teachers on a platter.
David - if you read this deliver the goods - Randi's head on Salome receiving John the Baptist.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/07/05/2010-07-05_weingarten_delivers_the_goods.html#ixzz0sp41wnwP
Addendum:
Off to Seattle tomorrow morn to do battle with the forces of evil.
Contrast to the NEA- I was shocked when a close colleague over 40 years said yesterday- maybe there should be a movement away from the AFT towards the NEA. I'm not totally convinced but given the lock-down Unity holds over the AFT/UFT what's to lose?
The NEA Gets It from RBE at Perdido and
Another World from NYC Educator
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)