NEW Caucus Under Attack by Press, Randi: Whose Side Are You On?

Watch Randi and Cami hold the vote in the middle of the hurricane tomorrow ---

NPS, the union leadership, and the local media all see their agenda threatened by our analysis. --- NEW Caucus

Below is the latest from NEW Caucus on the contract. But first a short video from a NEW member who attended the MORE Chicago Lesson session on Oct. 20.


Video: http://youtu.be/x1d1vZdS3Dk

NEW Caucus Members and Supporters:

This has been a long and taxing week for all education workers in Newark.  It has been especially busy for NEW Caucus in our attempts to inform NTU members about the proposed contract to be voted on Monday.

There have been flurries of emails over district email from NTU officials and their supporters, calling into question NEW Caucus motives, and our analysis of the proposed contract.  Money has been spent on shiny flyers, NTU officials and AFT staffers have visited schools, and AFT staffers have been calling the membership urging them to vote yes.  Even the Star Ledger Editorial Board - headed by Tom Moran, who last week wrote a glowing piece on the proposed contract and NTU leadership - got into the act Saturday, calling the NEW Caucus liars (see link below).  

Yet most of the criticism we have heard of our analysis addresses only the front page of our document, where we bullet pointed, in stark language, the logical conclusions if such a business contract was carried out to its fullest extent.  It almost seems as if none of our critics have read the 4 page ANALYSIS that follows.  Mr. Moran certainly did not.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/111391259/NEW-Caucus-Newark-Updated-Contract-Critique

NEW Caucus (Newark) Updated Contract Critique

As members consider how to vote tomorrow, and as you mull over the honesty of everyone involved, WE ARE RESENDING BOTH THE PROPOSED CONTRACT AND THE NEW CAUCUS WORKING ANALYSIS!  The analysis is updated in response to a few legitimate criticisms of the original document.

We hope that all members will read the proposed contract, and then our analysis.  After comparing the two, members can draw a solid conclusion about the work of NEW Caucus and our veracity.  

Here is Press Coverage of NEW Caucus in recent days:

1) Good article from In These Times on NEW Caucus' Tuesday meeting, and on NEW Caucus' views of proposed contract.

 http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/14087/newark_teachers_union_new_caucus_contract_vote_del_grosso_ratification_owen/

2) Another good article from NJ Spotlight also on NEW Caucus' Tuesday meeting and the proposed contract debate within the NTU.

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/12/10/25/jeers-and-cheers-greet-newark-teachers-contract-agreement/

3) The Star-Ledger Editorial blasting NEW Caucus.  Tom Moran and the Star Ledger have ignored us for about one year now, have never interviewed or even spoken to us officially prior to now, and even refused to run an op-ed piece from us last year, yet chose to criticize us publicly after we analyzed the proposed contract and only 2 days before NTU members vote.  This tells us that we are striking close to the truth. Why else would the Ledger use an editorial to try to discredit us unless they thought we NEEDED to be discredited?  It tells us that our analysis is on point, and that they cannot allow the full contents of that analysis to be seen as credible, lest people actually believe it.  Why else would they harp only on our bullet points rather than the in-depth, 4 page analysis that follows? The answer is that NPS, the union leadership, and the local media all see their agenda threatened by our analysis.

Anyway, here it is...

http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2012/10/lies_in_newark_over_teacher_co.html

4) Lastly, here is a post by the always sharp Jersey Jazzman, critiquing the Ledger's attacks on NEW Caucus

http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2012/10/star-ledger-calls-teachers-liars.html

Monday's Vote:

During the week, NEW Caucus had considered doing an unofficial exit poll of the vote, but were asked on Thursday by NTU leadership to come in and monitor the process officially.  So, on Monday, 2 NEW Caucus members will be in and around the NTU headquarters monitoring the process.  

Finally...

NEW Caucus continues to urge members to read both the contract and our analysis of it before they vote on Monday.  

This is a reactionary contract that blames teachers for all the educational problems of the world, and makes it seem that teacher quality is the sole factor in student performance, without taking into account the socio-economic conditions of our students, not to mention the 16 years of state control of the Newark Public School system.  

Does teacher quality matter?  Of course.  

But to focus only on teacher quality, and then to punish thousands of good teachers for socio-economic factors beyond their control is immoral, will not work, sets us up for failure, AND WILL NOT HELP STUDENTS BECAUSE IT IN NO WAY ADDRESSES THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE PROBLEM!  

NEW Caucus continues to urge NTU members to VOTE NO to this proposed contract!

The question then remains: if we vote down this contract, where do we go from here? Here’s our tentative strategy:

1) Create and carry out a REAL Fair Contract Campaign (as happened in Chicago) to truly reenergize and reunite our union.

2) Form a Rank-and-File Contract Committee to involve the entire NTU membership in the decision making process (as happened in Chicago).

3) Form Contract Committees in every NPS building so that members will be involved in every step of the process (as happened in Chicago).

4) Reach out to social justice-oriented labor and education lawyers for assistance and guidance.

5) Begin to form alliances with other social justice organizations in the Newark community who can and will support the NTU in its drive for a fair contract that truly serves the interests of education workers and students.  

In Solidarity,

Newark Education Workers Caucus

(NEW Caucus)

NewarkEducationWorkersCaucus.com

862-367-9211

Facebook.com/NEWCaucus

Twitter.com/NEWCaucus

hush, hush, sweet charlotte. . . . . . from Rob Rendo

Cartoon by Robert Rendo.

Robert Rendo gives free and permanent license to anyone who wishes to use this image in their literature, tweets, websites, blogs, etc. to fight the corporate education reform agenda and to restore public education to educators and cognitive scientists who are maintaining the same fight. While Robert Rendo retains copyright, he encourages everyone to use the free permanent license to utilize the image as advocacy. The sole condition for usage is that the name "Robert Rendo" is credited for the illustration. This notice of free licensure can be used as well and is equally encouraged. If image obtainment is a problem for the reader, please e-mail Robert Rendo at artwork88@aol.com, and he will e-mail the image in any file format the user requests.

Norm In The Wave: As a One-Issue Guy, It’s Not Easy Being Green

I wrote this Weds morning pushing right up against a deadline. Nothing has happened since to change things.

Published: Friday, Oct. 26, The Wave, www.rockawave.com


As a One-Issue Guy, It’s Not Easy Being Green

By Norm Scott

So in this election I’m trying real hard to look at the overall picture. The economy. Defense. Foreign affairs. The environment. The fact that I believe a Mitt Romney presidency will being us back to the 1930’s world of great depression and possibly nuclear Armageddon. You know, all that boring crap.

Most people who know me are aware that I have been obsessed with the politics of education over the past two decades to the extent that interest in all this stuff – and even sports - or worse, working out - are taking a back seat. My wife has been talking about having me committed. One night I woke up as she was attaching some wires to my head from her “do it yourself shock therapy” kit. So how has this addiction affected my vote in the upcoming election? Don’t ask.

I told you not to ask. Now I have to go on another tirade about how there is little difference between Obama and Romney when it comes to education. In fact, there are relatively minor differences generally between Democrats and Republicans on education. Both parties agree that despite throwing all that love at teachers publicly, it is teachers, their unions and the general lack of quality teaching in this nation that is bringing down the entire economy of the western world.

If I had to boil down a major difference between the two parties I’d say that the Republicans want to wipe out teacher unions completely while the Democrats want to weaken them severely but keep them around as a hollow shell for the money and election support the teacher unions give them no matter how badly they are treated.

I’ve railed here for almost the entire 4-year Obama term in office how his Race to the Top (RTTT) has taken George Bush’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB), and as education historian Diane Ravitch has so eloquently stated “put it on steroids.” An enormous amount of money has been used to bribe states into forcing teachers, at least in part, to be rated based on student test scores based on a system known as Valued Added Measures (VAM) that has been discredited. Governor Cuomo has jumped on that bandwagon by setting a mid-January 2013 deadline for the UFT here in NYC to capitulate or have the city lose an enormous amount of state education aid. Since the UFT supports having a portion of teacher ratings be based on discredited tests (which with some irony, many top-level principal in NY State oppose). I’m guessing the UFT will cave in some manner but manage to disguise it as a “win”. Frankly, I would dare Cuomo to make these cuts and suffer the political consequences. But the union is so afraid of public retribution, which they will get no matter what they do, I’m betting on them caving.

In addition, Obama and his education secretary Arne Duncan have put a billion dollars on the table for merit pay schemes that have been proven by all research to be failures. Yes, I said a billion. Remember how that half a billion dollar Solara solar energy company supported by Obama went belly up and the Republicans screamed bloody murder? Not a peep about the enormous amounts of money – like 750 billion - added to the deficit as a result of RTTT. Hey, Republicans will argue about a relative dime but when the money helps undermine the teachers and their unions it’s “Right on Barack.”

Both national unions, the NEA and the AFT, now run by Randi Weingarten, our own former sell-out in chief, have jumped to Obama’s support unconditionally, leaving many teachers scratching their heads. The unions are selling the idea that Romney is much more dangerous than Obama for educators. Much more? Well, maybe a little.

In selling Obama to the members union leaders like UFT’s Michael Mulgrew are toning down the education issues. All he is saying is “the president believes that public education is the great equalizer and we need to invest more in it and that Romney believes that we should cut funding in our public schools and get rid of thousands of teachers, and that every child is nothing more than a voucher or a dollar sign.” Well, I guess if you think that spending money on privatized charter schools, merit pay, an enormously expensive testing program used not to help kids but monitor teachers is a good investment then Obama looks better – on the surface.

A surprising number of teachers facing this onslaught are not buying it and looking for other options, especially teachers in non-swing states where their Obama vote won’t mean much. Right now I am one of those even though I know Romney will ramp up all that other boring stuff: scut social security and medicare and let the market decide, savage the middle class, remove as many government regulations as possible to allow the financial markets to run wild once again and cut the federal government to the extent that you will need a food taster to check for contamination of everything you eat. Hey Mitt, let’s get rid of the FAA and let the market regulate aviation as planes fall from the sky. You know, your basic right wing Republican program: cut taxes and every government program that services the bulk of the population while raising defense spending and getting us into at least two wars. A sure formula following up on the successful George Bush era.

I know, I know, with Mitt, who I believe as I write this is going to win, we are heading for catastrophe. But since I’m a one issue guy and my vote means nothing here in New York, I (and many other teachers) are voting for the Green Party presidential candidate, physician Dr. Jill Stein.

I hope Dr. Stein makes house calls in case my wife, who claims she is voting for Obama, succeeds in getting those wires attached.

Norm blogs every hour about education issues at ednotesonline.org

=============

The opinions expressed on EdNotesOnline are solely those of Norm Scott and are not to be taken as official positions (though Unity Caucus/New Action slugs will try to paint them that way) of any of the groups or organizations Norm works with: ICE, GEM, MORE, Change the Stakes, NYCORE, FIRST Lego League NYC, Rockaway Theatre Co., Active Aging, The Wave, Aliens on Earth, etc.

Your UFT at Work: Charlie Turner Emails Jeff Kaufman

Will Brooklyn HS District Rep Charlie Turner visit Chapter Leader Jeff Kaufman's school even though Jeff tells him not to bother? I bet he will since Unity slugs like Turner are supposed to go in and try to undermine chapter leaders who are viewed as "opposition." (I have stories from more than one school.)

Jeff refers to Turner's last uninvited visit along with HS VEEP Leo Casey when they both were there to undermine Jeff due to some complaint from a teacher who happened to be associated with E4E. You can watch Jeff tell about it in this video I shot in July 2011 posted at https://vimeo.com/26575544.  Since I consider Turner one of the bigger shits in the UFT hierarchy, I got more than a little chuckle from Jeff's comments.

From: Charlie Turner [mailto:cturner@uft.org]
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2012 1:44 PM
To: JeffB
Subject: Issues at your school
Hi Jeff,

I haven’t heard from you lately. You didn’t respond to my inquiry about curriculum, etc. Please get back to me about that stuff. Also, does your school have a library and a librarian? Let me know.

Thanks,
Charley
Charley Turner
UFT District Representative
Brooklyn High Schools

Charley,

------------

Thank you for your concern about my chapter. While issues come up from time to time our staff has remained unified and resilient toward administration overreaching. Fortunately we have not had to utilize our grievance procedure past Step 1 to resolve differences.

Perhaps what most concerns our Chapter is the looming fact-finding and the recent contract negotiations in Newark in which our Union leadership has played a major role in a pay for performance scheme. Additionally the failure of any progress in reformulating assessment metrics for transfer schools has doomed us to become future ATRs. The last contact I had with the Union about this issue was in the Spring of 2011.

Yes, we have a library and a librarian.

Jeff

----------

Jeff,
Thanks for the information. I find it surprising that your teachers are so intent with the Newark negotiations.
With regard to the assessment metrics for Transfer schools, the union is pressuring the DOE to use a Transfer school waver that was agreed to last spring with Bushwick Community High School.
I would be happy to visit your school to discuss these and other issues with your members.
Regards
Charley

-----------

Charley,

Our Union has provided precious little in the way of information about contract negotiations over the last 3 years except to say they weren’t going well and that we are once again going to fact-finding (which you know has brought us teacher busting contracts the last 2 times we went this route). Our teachers need to know what to expect from fact-finding and how our Union leadership will react to further DOE demands to emasculate teachers and their role in education.

I was never notified about the agreement that Bushwick Community High School made last year. What are the details? Who made the agreement and what does it provide? (A copy of the same would be greatly appreciated). My understanding, the last I was advised about this issue, was that the Regents tabled the waiver application.

Given your last appearance with Leo Casey I strongly advise against any visits at this time.

Jeff

Newark Contract: Weingarten is a Serial Pusher of Bad Contracts

The NTU leadership and Weingarten ought to be ashamed they're pushing this piece of shit contract onto Newark teachers, but they're incapable of that emotion. They're too busy sucking up to the corporatocracy as they collect their six figure salaries and benefits and sell working teachers down the river with these "innovative" contracts Weingarten and the education reformers/corporatocracy love so much. It's time to rid the AFT and the locals of these corporate shills and bring in leadership that defends public schools and teachers from the horrors of corporate education reform. ----Reality-Based Educator

When the Baltimore Teachers Union was initially faced with a merit pay proposal in 2010, they turned it down. But after Randi Weingarten and the AFT went there to convince the Baltimore teachers that this was a good contract, a second vote passed merit pay and the contract provisions. Since then, the number of unsatisfactory evaluations (ineffective) shot up throughout the city, in some schools as high as 60%. Let’s not repeat these same errors.  ---NEW Caucus analysis of contract

The Weingarten tactic she and Unity Caucus used here in NYC in pushing the 2005 contract of saying the only alternative is to strike is being used hot and heavy in Newark, as Jersey Jazzman chronicles in this letter (A Newark Teacher Speaks) from a Newark teacher:

From every account I heard, however, our rep told those who were there that if we don't vote for this proposal, the only thing left will be to strike - with no income, no benefits, etc.  Now several people who were firm NO votes are concerned.  They are waffling.

JJ has many articles on the contract but does not take an out and out stand against it trying to lean over backwards to give Weingarten a break:

I also appreciate the work AFT president Randi Weingarten and Newark Teachers Union president Joe Del Grosso did to get this deal done. I am a union guy - I am on your team.

But this is not helpful :

“This is not a merit pay system,” said Weingarten. “This is a full compensation system where the work you do and the compensation you have are tied in together.” She said the new contract is “aligning the evaluation system with experience” while offering “significantly higher salaries for teachers all throughout their experience. … When you have all of those components, that’s a professional compensation system." [emphasis mine]

I'm sorry, but there's just no way you can call this anything but a "merit pay system." From the NTU's own joint statement with NPS:

I wouldn't use the terms "not helpful" here. How about "Vichy, backstabbing swine?" 

Leave it to Reality-Based Educator to lay it on 

Newark Teachers Hammer Union Leaders Over Sell-Out Contract

A lot of people met Del Grosso and the union leadership tonight and it doesn't sound like too many of them are happy with this sell-out contract.

We'll have to see how the vote goes, but if tonight is any indication, Randi Weingarten and the rest of the corporate shills at the AFT and the NTU might have some trouble getting this "piece of garbage that will divide the union" passed.

And that's of course exactly what this contract is meant to do - divide teachers, pit school staffs against each other, pit young against old, pit other teachers in New Jersey against teachers in Newark if they agree to this contract and merit pay comes to other towns and municipalities.

The NTU leadership and Weingarten ought to be ashamed they're pushing this piece of shit contract onto Newark teachers, but they're incapable of that emotion.

They're too busy sucking up to the corporatocracy as they collect their six figure salaries and benefits and sell working teachers down the river with these "innovative" contracts Weingarten and the education reformers/corporatocracy love so much.

It's time to rid the AFT and the locals of these corporate shills and bring in leadership that defends public schools and teachers from the horrors of corporate education reform.

And of course out brothers and sisters in the NEW Caucus which we in MORE relate to. Here is their latest analysis of the contract. I imagine they will play a similar role ICE and TJC played in the 2005 contract battle here in NYC where we did help turn out almost 40% to vote NO despite the Unity machine going out full force.

Here is what NEW sent out:

NYC Schools Face Another Wave of For-Profit Field Testing

Parents and Educators Protest Unsound Testing Policies

If you want to help in this fight, join our Change the Stakes group.

www.changethestakes.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


October 24, 2012

NYC Schools Face Another Wave of For-Profit Field Testing as
Parents and Educators Protest Unsound Testing Policies

Reference material on this week’s field tests and additional updates on challenges to New York City and State’s high stakes testing programs and policies

Pearson’s New York State Field Tests

The New York State Education Department has assigned 169 NYC schools (559 schools statewide) to administer stand-alone field tests to children in grades 3-9 this week.  The stated purpose for October field testing is to try out questions for future testing products. This is the third time this year that public school children in NYC have been subjected to experimental testing solely for the benefit of the state’s test development contractor, NCS Pearson, Inc. 

NYC children are expected to participate in this for-profit research effort despite the fact that parents have received no notification.  Change the Stakes reaffirms the position our organization took in the spring that the State Education Department and NYC Department of Education must notify families of affected students and only administer field tests to students for whom explicit consent has been obtained. 

Earlier in the month, Change the Stakes joined ParentVoicesNY and Time Out From Testing in an effort to educate and inform parents at NYC schools selected for October field testing.  As a result, we have heard from parents and educators from across the state looking for information on ways to challenge this unfair practice.

New York City’s Assessment Policies are Failing Students and Communities

Stand-alone field testing, an ineffective way to try out new test questions, is disruptive to classroom instruction and learning.  Unfortunately, field testing is just part of a larger problem.  In many schools, preparation for high-stakes testing has come to dominate curriculum and instruction, to the exclusion of more-comprehensive, rigorous, and substantive education.  Change the Stakes joins others who argue that inflexible and severely flawed assessment policies waste human and financial resources by narrowing curricula and preventing teachers from using their training and experience to provide optimal educational opportunities for their students, causing particular damage for the most needy and vulnerable students. 

Most New Yorkers are not aware of the excessive amount of testing that occurs in NYC schools throughout the school year. While the State is responsible for the development of standardized tests and the misguided new test score-based teacher evaluation program, specific NYC Department of Education (DOE) policies and practices place ever-mounting pressure to dedicate valuable classroom time and resources to test preparation.

               

• DOE student promotion policies, modified this past summer, are still essentially entirely based on test scores from seriously flawed exams.
• DOE School Progress Reports continue to provide parents and community members with extremely limited and misleading information on the quality of education offered at an individual school.  Despite widespread criticism of this reporting tool, individual school grades continue to guide decisions on school closing and other critical matters.  

Explosion of Parent, Educator and Community Protest across the State

Over the past year more New York parents have begun to fight back against test-driven education by refusing to allow their children to participate in standardized testing.  A number of NYC parents took this action during last April’s annual state exams, and many more refused to participate in field testing conducted in June (press coverage of these actions can be found on the Change the Stakes website).  A number of NYC schools have formed parent committees focused on challenging high-stakes testing policies and practices. 

Over 2,100 parents and other citizens concerned about the impacts of high-stakes testing have signed a Change the Stakes petition calling for a non-punitive process by which New York parents can opt their children out of standardized tests, with many expressing deep concerns about unbalanced and ineffective testing policies. 

Important petition and letter signing efforts spearheaded by other groups include:

1.      New York State Principals Open Letter of Concern Regarding New York State’s APPR (teacher evaluation) Legislation, signed by over 1,500 principals and more than 5,600 supporters

2.      New York State Professor’s Letter to End the Reliance on High Stakes Standardized Testing, signed by more than 1,100 professors and released in June at a press conference at the New York Civil Liberties Union

3.      ParentVoicesNY petition expressing concern about the role of state standardized testing in New York public education

Resolutions calling for an end to unbalanced and ineffective high stakes testing policies include the following:

1.      New York City Council Resolution calling upon the New York State Education Department, the New York State Legislature, and the Governor to re-examine public school accountability systems and to develop a system based on multiple forms of assessment which do not require extensive standardized testing, introduced in June 2012.

2.      Resolutions against high stakes testing adopted by five NYC Community Education Councils (3, 14, 20, 21 and 30) and currently being considered by CEC 6, modeled on the national resolution that originated in Texas and has been passed by hundreds of school boards in that state.

3.      An emergency resolution adopted by the Niagara Region PTA opposing high-stakes testing and calling for the suspension of the statewide testing program for grades 3-8.

Finally, educators such as Carol Burris and Lauren Cohen submitted testimony communicating concern about high stakes testing to the New York Education Reform Commission. 

                                                           -----------------------------------

Change the Stakes (changethestakes.org) is a growing group of parents, teachers and other New Yorkers concerned about the harmful effect high stakes-testing is having on our children and our schools.  We oppose the over-emphasis on such tests and misuse of the results for purposes they were never intended to serve. We believe high-stakes testing must be replaced by educationally-sound, reliable and valid forms of student, teacher, and school assessment.

www.changethestakes.org

Follow us on Twitter or on our Facebook page

 

Sorry, Bob Schieffer: Between Testing and Teacher Evaluations, America's Teachers Don't Feel Too Loved

As someone who has worked in a non-union school, I can tell Ms. Kenny what violates trust between teachers and administrators. Knowing that you can be fired for your personality.  Knowing that there is a fresh crop of well-intentioned, starry-eyed Teach for America kids who can take your place in the time it takes to make a phone call. Knowing that you will be scorned for using your allotted sick days and guilted into working through lunch, during prep time, and hours after the final school bell rings. ----charter school teacher Allison LaFave

Wow1 I'm impressed. There are lots of charter school teachers we can align with and Allison is an example. She sent this to the GEM listserve:

Hi all,

I submitted this article about my experiences re: standardized testing and test-based evaluations in NYC schools to PolicyMic this afternoon.  I hope that it resonates with many of you!  Please feel free to read, comment, and forward as you wish.

And, in honor of Mr. Wellstone (July 21, 1944 – October 25, 2002), who reminded us that laborers and teachers are one in the same, "Stand up. Keep fighting."

Thanks!
Allison LaFave

http://www.policymic.com/articles/17490/romney-loves-teachers-what-teacher-evaluations-and-tests-mean-for-american-teachers

Romney Loves Teachers: What Teacher Evaluations and Tests Really Mean for American Teachers

During Monday’s final presidential debate, Bob Schieffer spurred a collective American chuckle when he cut off Romney’s long-winded brown-nosing with the knee-slapper, "I think we all love teachers..."
I'd love to believe Mr. Schieffer, but as someone who hails from a family of public school teachers and spent last year teaching third grade in a New York City charter school, I have to say, “Bob. You’re adorable. But America’s teachers haven’t felt loved in quite some time.”

Last spring, my principal corralled our school's third grade teaching team around a kidney-bean shaped table and apologetically explained that we needed to sign forms acknowledging the weight of our students’ test scores on our end-of-year evaluations. Ultimately, our students’ math and ELA scores would comprise as much as 40% of our annual rating. 

Now, I don't know a single educator who outright opposes the idea of fair evaluations and/or some level of teacher accountability. But as I sat quietly in that little red plastic chair, a voice in me cried:

"You want to evaluate me? Great. No problem.

"But let's also evaluate the misaligned (or nonexistent) curriculum I was given to plan for my classes."

"Let’s evaluate the number of chairs huddled around single desks, because there are more students in the room than there were last year, and the copy machine, the one that never works.

"Let’s evaluate the number of students with IEPs that aren't being adequately serviced, and the number of English Language Learner students sitting voiceless in the back of the room, because they have yet to be admitted into nonexistent ELL classes.

"Let’s evaluate the employers who are smugly underpaying/underemploying my students’ parents or guardians, forcing them to work multiple jobs, likely without ever securing benefits for themselves or for their families. Or the number of students who have lost parents or loved ones due to gang violence, substance abuse, or the labyrinth that is our failing criminal justice system. Or the number of my students who didn't eat dinner last night.

"Let's evaluate how many hours of sleep I got last night, because I was not afforded adequate prep time during my 10 or 11 hour day in the building, or how many times I've skipped out on doctor's appointments and family events to be here for my students.

"And, finally, let's evaluate my motivations for being here — because it sure as hell isn't for the money."

Last week, Deborah Kenny wrote an op-ed piece decrying the heavy influence of test scores on teacher evaluations. Kenny rightfully claimed that the practice “undermines principals and is demeaning to teachers” and leaves little room for innovative teaching and learning. She went on to say that test-based evaluations inhibit the “culture of trust" between principals and teachers and “discourage the smartest, most talented people from entering the profession.”

While I agree that test-based evaluations are inherently flawed (when was the last time our politicians, Democrats or Republicans, truly analyzed a Pearson test?), I am baffled by Kenny’s ultimate argument. It seems that Kenny bashes test-based evaluations because ... wait for it ... they make it harder for her to fire teachers she doesn’t like – specifically a teacher whose students performed “exceptionally well” on the state exam.

Teachers aren’t statistics, but they also aren’t part of some school-wide homecoming court. Administrators shouldn’t cast votes for the teachers they like or dislike. They should work to support all teachers who act in the best interest of students.

Ms. Kenny also takes a not-so-subtle jab at teachers' unions, attacking evil tenured teachers in America, who are clearly exploiting their glamorous roles as K-12 educators. However, unions don't grant tenure; PRINCIPALS grant tenure. And, moreover, Ms. Kenny, like nearly all charter school administrators in America, likely prohibits her teachers from joining their local union.

As someone who has worked in a non-union school, I can tell Ms. Kenny what violates trust between teachers and administrators. Knowing that you can be fired for your personality.  Knowing that there is a fresh crop of well-intentioned, starry-eyed Teach for America kids who can take your place in the time it takes to make a phone call. Knowing that you will be scorned for using your allotted sick days and guilted into working through lunch, during prep time, and hours after the final school bell rings.
I encourage our presidential candidates (and all Americans) to listen to the voices of practicing teachers, who are so often talked about and around during national education debates.

Says Kelly G., a third grade teacher in Brooklyn:

"These teacher evaluations are complex. I honestly used to think that a teacher could indeed be evaluated and held accountable using test scores. And then I started teaching at school that didn't allow me to do the kind of teaching I thought needed to be done in order to develop intelligent children. There's nothing quite like having your teaching micromanaged and then being told it was your fault the kids didn't achieve exemplary scores on the state exam.
 

“My kids are capable of so much already. Come in and look at their writing. Listen to their discussions. Watch them solve math problems. Their tests scores will not reflect their growth from the school year. A one shot assessment does not give a good picture of student achievement. Have you read those exams? Have you been in the room during testing? Test anxiety vomiting is a real thing in the third grade. Too bad they don't evaluate me on sick child comforting and vomit clean up. I'm sure my scores on those evaluations would be proficient."

In popular media, teachers are cast as heroes or villains. They are either lazy, money-grubbing, ne’er-do-wells or Jaime Escalante, the “teacher savior” of the acclaimed film Stand and Deliver.

The truth is, as in most professions, the majority of teachers lie somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. Such romanticized notions of teaching make great stories, but that’s just it; they are stories that too often exaggerate and obscure the truth. Jaime Escalante spent years preparing his students for the AP Calculus exam, not a few inspired semesters. Does that mean that he was an inadequate teacher during the years he spent honing his craft and teaching foundational math concepts to his students? How would Escalante have been rated under the New York City evaluation system?

In his research paper entitled “Effects of Inequality and Poverty vs. Teachers and Schooling on America’s Youth,” David C. Berliner (Regents’ Professor Emeritus in The Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College of Arizona State University) finds that “Outside-of-school factors are three times more powerful in affecting student achievement than are the inside-the-school factors.”

Consequently, he concludes, “The best way to improve America’s schools is through jobs that provide families living wages. Other programs…offer some help for students from poor families. But in the end, it is inequality in income and the poverty that accompanies such inequality that matters most for education.”

America’s education system is in crisis; of this, we can be sure. But let’s stop blaming the dentists for their patients’ cavities.

ATR Reports on Bronx UFT Meeting

One of our correspondents sent this along with a handout. Look for more reports from this and other meetings at the NYCATR blog which I am  managing temporarily.

About 100 attendees. Meeting well run by Amy ( only speaker from UFT ). about 15 were guidance/social workers. 65 % female; 50 % non white. 1/3 first time ATRS. 1800 ATR # confirmed. UFT seems to be pushing ATR rights a little more; supposedly DOE is clamping down on Principal ATR abuses; UFT wants ATRs to notify them promptly of any perceived problems. NO ATR chapter will be formed.

Crowd was fairly passive but had many questions but little new info. UFT meets with DOE regularly; one person asked if ATRs could serve as mentors or teacher assists in CR; say they brought this up to DOE but was rejected.

Amy emphasized that ATRs must be treated just like other teachers in the school.

COALITION FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION TO HOLD 3RD ANNUAL CONVENTION Sat. Oct. 27

Grassroots group to focus on replacing mayoral control of NYC public schools with People's Board of Ed   

[NEW YORK, NY] The organization committed to “Ending Mayoral Control” of public education is holding its Third Convention on Saturday October 27th, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Community Service Center building, located at 105 East 22nd Street in New York City (Manhattan).
 

The organization has fought against the rubber room, against school closings and charter school re-locations and is struggling for a democratic form of school governance as evidenced by its concept of a People’s Board of Education. Parents, teachers, students and members of the education community can call (718) 616-9587 or (212) 362-6021. For information, please call (347) 785-3418.

The convention is open to the public and is free of charge. CPE membership is $10 and CPE will gladly accept donations.

The Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública is an independent, non-sectarian, and non-governmental organization with short, middle and long-term educational and social goals. We believe that education is a human right and we want to ensure that New York City public schools are places of learning in which all stakeholders (parents, students, educators, non- pedagogical staff, administrators and the community) are engaged in a democratic process to provide a free and quality education to all its students, from Pre-school to College.

More info at http://forpubliced.blogspot.com/

Washington Irving Campus Continues Anti-Moskowitz Protests

In case you missed our post:

Washington Irving Campus Acts Up Against Eva Moskowitz Invasion

here is a follow-up:

Press Release Subject: Opposition to Eva Moskowitz’ Elementary School Co-Location at Washington Irving High School Campus, 40 Irving Place, Manhattan, Union Square.

Parent & Teacher Rally &

Press Conference

Thursday, Oct. 25^th, 2012

5pm, Main Entrance Stairs

(before the start of Parent Teacher Conferences)

I am the Chapter Leader of "International High School at Union Square" one of currently six proud public high schools inside the Washington Irving Campus. My Name is Thomas Hasler. (hattom@mac.com)

I am a founding member of the movement to stop Eva Moskowitz from being given three floors of our school for another of one of her K-8 elementary schools.

We had 72 people from all 6 schools at our Thursday morning rally last week. You can see the fired up and determined crowd in the Rally movie. A link (https://vimeo.com/51866144) and photos including content is featured on ednotesonline.com under the title “Washington Irving Acts Up Against Moskowitz Invasion”

This is such an injustice. Above all this is the handover of prime real estate to a private operator of schools. On her Harlem Success website http://www.successacademies.org/page.cfm?p=710 she already writes as if she owns 40 Irving Place. There is a small disclaimer on the page that says that the government still needs to approve it, but if you read it, it becomes clear that she considers our school building hers already. Such arrogance and disrespect to our democratic processes! The public hearing is not until November 1^st and the PEP will not vote on it until Nov. 8^th. At least they could wait until their proposal has been rubberstamped.

You are very much invited to report about this disgusting handover of our public school to this woman. Our goal is to keep this woman out of our historic campus.

(All the while they starve our schools to death so they can claim that we are failing and offer her even more space once she is inside. We have not had a librarian on staff for 3 years)

Our announced agenda is: Fighting for a quality education for ALL of our students. 

We oppose the setting up of separate and unequal schools within schools.

We worry that our students will be made into 2^nd class members of our campus. We worry that Harlem Success will squeeze out our schools in the coming years as the DOE letter to parents already states that only “CURRENT” students will not be impacted by the co-location.

We know that our schools will have no room to grow.

We are outraged that Success Academy is allocated 27 full size classrooms when none of our schools has more than 16 or 18.

We have one big message for Bloomberg and Moskowitz: This is OUR school, you NEVER asked us about this which is why WE DON’T APPROVE!

We find it outrageous that the vast majority of parents and students are completely held in the dark about this proposal.

Non English speaking parents have no way to get information about the public hearing as the DOE only hands out English versions that need lawyers to be understood.

We are appalled by the undemocratic manner of how the DOE tries to push this proposal through. Our voices should count more than the private connection between Bloomberg and Moskowitz!

We don’t approve that they try to take out the PUBLIC from public education.

We don’t approve that they make parents play lottery for school seats.

We don’t approve that our schools are being denied a chance to ever grow.

We don’t “counsel out” problem student who might bring down our test scores.

We work with ALL the students and we are proud of it!

The community of teachers, parents, and students is enraged that the DOE intends to put an elementary charter school, led by Eva Moskowitz, into the Washington Irving High School campus. 

We know that it is a bad fit for a school that is predominantly filled with high school students and fear that the loss of 3 floors, 27 full sized classrooms, and numerous support rooms will take away resources, space and opportunities from our students. 

We also fear that some of the famous Barry Faulkner Murals will fall victim to the construction of a new cafeteria and that some of the scenes that feature tasteful nudity, and scenes of historic battles, might be censored to make them “1st grade friendly”. 

We will speak out in strong opposition to the DOE proposal at the rally and press conference.

Austerity Education: The Angry Adjunct

http://angryadjunct.tumblr.com/post/34184822722/austerityed

Washington Irving Campus Acts Up Against Eva Moskowitz Invasion

Evil has been given a reported 27 rooms in the school, prime real estate located in the heart of Gramercy Park, the most outrageous land grab since the railroad barons.

UPDATE:

Press Release Subject: Opposition to Eva Moskowitz’ Elementary School Co-Location at Washington Irving High School Campus, 40 Irving Place, Manhattan, Union Square.

Parent & Teacher Rally &

Press Conference

Thursday, Oct. 25^th, 2012

5pm, Main Entrance Stairs 

(before the start of Parent Teacher Conferences)

Public Hearing: Nov. 1, 6PM -

Anti Moskowitz Co-location Rally at Washington Irving
October 18, 2012

Video at: http://vimeo.com/m/51866144

We made this happen today! Against all odds (a beaten down rest staff of the phasing out original school, 2 brand new schools with hardly any union structure and 2 other fairly new schools) we united the campus in opposition to this handover of public space to a private buddy of the mayor. 72 members of our community came out! Our UFT Manhattan Borough office is standing behind us full force and the administrations from inside were rooting for us as well! We had a constructive dialogue with all the Principals last week and they understand that we fight for our schools, the schools they lead.

Below, some excerpts of rally speeches:

Together WE are the leaders of this movement!

We have a voice and we will be heard!

Today, we put Bloomberg and Moskowitz on notice!


We don’t want Eva Moskowitz inside our campus!

We don’t welcome bullies!


She makes parents play lottery for seats in her schools.

We have advice for her! CO-LOCATE to Vegas if you like to gamble!


We fight for a quality education for ALL students!

We work with ELL students, we work with poor students, we work with hungry students, we work with homeless students, we work with special ed students.

We don’t get rid of them because they might score low on tests!

We love our students! (heart signs up!)


An elementary school inside our campus is a bad fit!

OUR Barry Faulkner murals might have to go for her new cafeteria.


Faulkner’s Murals grace the walls of the National Archives in DC!

Eva, don’t even think about putting your hands on our murals.


This is public art!

We fight for Public education!

Keep the the public in public education!

We are the public!

We are what democracy looks like!


Bloomberg wants to give three floors of our school to his friend?

We don’t approve!


Whose schools? OUR Schools!


Mayor Bloomberg ONE TWO THREE. GO away and let us BE!


Bloomberg & Moskowitz want to turn education into a business. Their bottom line is: Profits!

Our bottom line is: Quality education for ALL students.


We are fighting an uphill battle

but we fight it with dignity and pride!

And we know that what we do is right by our students. Thats the only thing that matters.


This is a fight Good vs EVA!

Handing over schools to rich buddies is NOT the answer!

Closing Schools is not the answer.

Funding our schools is the answer!

The only one who used our library in the last 3 years was Bloomberg. He gave a press conference. We have not had a librarian for 3 years for our students!

That’s whats going on here!


Separate and Unequal? Charter Schools.

Quality Education for ALL? Public Schools!

This is the civil rights issue of our time!


We won’t back down!

fighting for our student

fighting for our schools.


They thought we wouldn’t care. Boy are they wrong. We care every day! We are teachers, that’s what we do!

Press Release:

Thursday, Oct. 18^th, 2012

7:20 am,  Main Entrance Stairs

The community of teachers, parents, and students is enraged that the DOE intends to put an elementary charter school, led by Eva Moskowitz, into the Washington Irving High School campus. 

They believe that it is a bad fit for a school that is predominantly filled with high school students and fear that the loss of 3 floors, 27 full sized classrooms, and numerous support rooms will take away resources, space and opportunities from their students. 

They also fear that some of the famous Barry Faulkner Murals will fall victim to the construction of a new cafeteria and that some of the scenes that feature tasteful nudity, and scenes of  historic battles, might be censored to make them “1st grade friendly”. 

They will speak out in strong opposition to the DOE proposal at the rally and press conference.

Their announced agenda is: Fighting for a quality education for ALL of their students. 

Education is not a lottery. Those who want to play lottery with other people's children should co-locate into a casino in Vegas.

Measure For Measure by Rob Rendo

Echos of Munch's The Scream, which kids will be emulating after their 215th testing day of the year.

Cartoon by Robert Rendo.

Robert Rendo gives free and permanent license to anyone who wishes to use this image in their literature, tweets, websites, blogs, etc. to fight the corporate education reform agenda and to restore public education to educators and cognitive scientists who are maintaining the same fight. While Robert Rendo retains copyright, he encourages everyone to use the free permanent license to utilize the image as advocacy. The sole condition for usage is that the name "Robert Rendo" is credited for the illustration. This notice of free licensure can be used as well and is equally encouraged. If image obtainment is a problem for the reader, please e-mail Robert Rendo at artwork88@aol.com, and he will e-mail the image in any file format the user requests.

Munch responding to high stakes testing

Weingarten Negotiates Another Sell-Out in Newark, NEW Caucus Says "VOTE NO"

From David Bellel c. 2009 - Obviously needs updating

If Randi were involved as she would have been with the old CTU leadership she would have them jump at the money and never mention class size again. Only one city was smart enough to keep Randi away from contract negotiations: Chicago. Did you notice how the Chicago teachers TURNED DOWN the offered bribe of more pay without setting conditions? --Ed Notes

Keep them voting till they get it right. Where Weingarten treads, catastrophe follows. ---Michael Fiorillo comment on Newark Contract at Perdido Street School

It's true - she's done more damage to public school education and teachers than a lot of ed deformers. Mayoral control, merit pay, the TDR's, "fair funding" for schools that gives incentives for administrators to get rid of veteran teachers, buying into the "Bad Teacher" frame - the list goes on, but those are some of the major catastrophes brought about by Weingarten and her merry minions. Newark teachers would be wise to reject this contract, not only for their own good, but for the good of all teachers in NJ. ---reality-based educator reply to Fiorillo

I hope you got to read my post on Saturday: Weingarten Praises Newark Merit Pay Scheme: NEW Caucus Calls for NO Vote.
And if you're a photoshop person and want to take a shot at updating the poster, go ahead. (Obviously Chicago should be removed. )

Only one city was smart enough to keep Randi away from contract negotiations: Chicago. Did you notice how they TURNED DOWN the offered bribe of more pay without setting conditions? If Randi were involved as she would have been with the old CTU leadership she would have them jump at the money and never mention class size again.

Randi uses the old bait and switch
Bribe teachers with enough money to get them to give it all away. Randi perfected this in NYC in the 2005 contract so Bloomberg could brag about the enormous raises he gave teachers right as Randi was giving him the tools to go after teachers making the most money. She followed this act in Washington DC with Michelle Rhee, then Baltimore and Detroit. There's a whole list of dominoes.

The great blogger, Jersey Jazzman commented in this post (It's NOT Just Newark's Contract)

When Christie went on TV a while ago, bad-mouthing teachers and their unions, no representative of NJEA was invited to give a response. The only teachers union representative present was Randi Weingarten of AFT. Again, I have nothing but respect for Randi, who I think does a fine job representing teacher concerns in the media. But let's be honest: Chris Christie has a different relationship with AFT than he does with NJEA. To all my friends and readers in AFT, understand this is not a criticism of you; it's simply a truth.

Reality-Based Educator and others commented that Christie WANTED Weingarten involved and he got what he wanted. 

RBE at Perdido has a great post today touching on the Weingarten history of nation-wide sell-outs following her act here in New York.

Randi Weingarten - the reform-friendly labor leader beloved by Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee and DFER Joe Williams - is the union leader who helped negotiate both versions of the Baltimore contract and worked very hard to get that second one passed. Where is Randi standing up for the 60% of Baltimore teachers getting "u-rated" and put on the list to be fired? I'll tell you where she is - she's nowhere to be found in Baltimore and is rather lurking around in New Jersey where she's doing the reformers' work on this Newark contract.

Read his entire piece here.

NYC Educator also hit the nail on the head

Teacher Union Prez Auditions for NY Post Editorial Board

Here is an excerpt:

Joseph Del Grosso, head of the Newark Teachers Union, is endorsing a new contract that entails merit pay, value-added measures, and which is "secretive about financial details," though we know it hinges on $100 mill in Facebook bucks, which we don't know to be renewable.

Del Grosso is portrayed in the article as someone who's moved from a young firebrand to someone with a completely different position-- heroic by the writer's highly uninformed point of view, but questionable at best by mine. More disturbing, perhaps, is this quote:

“The teachers who come in early and stay late, and take the job seriously, are offended by the teachers who don’t,” he says. “They are the silent majority, and I think they will overwhelmingly vote for a contract that involves them in their own destiny.”

Can you imagine the things these offended teachers must be saying?

That damn Ms. Smith, always going home to look after her baby!

I hate Mr. White. Who the hell does he think he is, running to his second job at the carwash at 2:30 every day?

A member of NEW Caucus (sister to MORE and CORE) came to our Chicago Lessons session on Saturday and asked for help in publicizing their fight against this contract. They spent a whole day taking apart the contract. I posted it at Norm's Notes: What Newark Teachers Can Expect From Their New Contract.

Here is the latest email they sent out with some links I added:

The fight in Newark has just gotten sharper as the Newark Teachers Union and Newark Public Schools finally agreed on how best to sell out teachers and students.  Between the local leadership and national AFT leadership (Weingarten has been negotiating "for us" for a year now), years of hard fought gains are being taken away.  The Newark Education Workers Caucus (NEW Caucus) has been working hard over the last few days organizing angry teachers to vote no and begin organizing against this attack.  So has the AFT - calling teachers over the weekend and scaring them into voting for the contract.  While many are infuriated at this contract and are now aware that the local and national union leadership doesn't represent their interests, what we do between now and October 29th (the vote) will determine whether or not we create a fighting caucus that could give political leadership and move many teachers to the left to fight back or allow teachers to become cynical and accept this horrible deal.  

Attached:

1. Current contract proposal (just use your reader to rotate it)- email normsco@gmail.com

2. The NEW Caucus evaluation of it (we locked ourselves in a room for 7 1/2 hours yesterday putting this together - still a work in progress)

[I posted this at Norms Notes: Newark: What This PROPOSED Contract Means For Education Workers and Students].

3. Our October issue of NEW VIEWS - [SEE MY POST FROM SATURDAY- Weingarten Praises Newark Merit Pay Scheme: NEW Caucus Calls for NO Vote]

and here is our old contract 2009-2010 http://www.ntuaft.com/2009-2010_Teacher-Clerk_Contract.pdf

This tuesday, the union will have a general membership meeting where they will "highlight" the contract and try to talk members into voting for it.  If anyone is in the New York/New Jersey region this Tuesday and would like to help us distribute literature to the membership, please join us at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) at 3pm (starts at 4).  If anyone needs directions, you can email me at almoussab@gmail.com or newarkeducationworkerscaucus@gmail.com.  I will try to provide updates as this struggle continues.