Steiner Declares Dewey Dead

Yes, I attacked David Steiner the day he was appointed by Merryl Tisch. I was criticized for not giving the guy a chance. My response was that I did not need to know a thing about him. I knew who chose him and that was enough. We live in the DiMedici era where patrons determine everything and scholars owe allegiance to their patrons, not to the truth or a moral vision.

Excerpt from Gary Anderson at HufPo

Steiner's vision for school reform draws on a corporate model. I recently spoke on a panel on Long Island in which Dr. Steiner was the respondent. I lamented that it had become impolitic to mention John Dewey's name in public, so under attack were educators and Dewey's notions of democratic and experiential education. I expected and received the standard response that giving urban kids any thing other than a skills-oriented, high stakes accountability-driven education was to undermine their future. What I wasn't prepared for was his assertion that Dewey, late in life, recanted all of his life's work. With the wave of his hand, he dismissed the most important educational philosopher of the 20th century. This kind of thinking, even by credible academics, is responsible for hollowing out our public schools of creativity, critical thinking, and grounding in the richness of students' experiences and local communities.

Some of this notion that inner-city kids need a more "skills-based" approach was attributed to Lisa Delpit's critique in, Other People's Children, of largely white, progressive teachers who failed to understand the scaffolding of skills needed before providing poor children with progressive teaching methods. This has often been translated into the "back to basics" notion promoted by conservatives like The Fordham Institutes' David Whitman. In his book, Sweating the Small Stuff, he argues that poor kids need paternalistic, boot camp schools that protect them from the pathologies of their surrounding communities. But Delpit was clear that this was not what she meant, when she wrote,

Students need technical skills to open doors, but they need to think critically and creatively to participate in meaningful and potentially liberating work inside those doors. Let there be no doubt: a "skilled" minority person who is not also capable of critical analysis becomes the trainable, low-level functionary of the dominant society, simply the grease that keeps the institutions that orchestrate his or her oppression running smoothly. (Delpit, 1995, p. 19)

This was another of Dewey's ideas that is apparently no longer valid: the notion that schools prepare students for citizenship and participation in a vital and equitable democracy. There is nothing wrong with cross-sector borrowing of ideas, but as long as educators continue to indiscriminately borrow leftover ideas from the corporate closet, they will fail to provide poor and working class students with the rich, motivating, and critical education they have a right to.

But Cathleen Black is not even part of this conversation. Under a chancellor with no particular loyalty to public schools, no understanding of education, and no public vetting, the largest public school system in the country and thousands of low-income students of color may be placed at even greater risk.

READ THE ENTIRE ANDERSON PIECE

Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/

NY Mets Were Set to Choose Black as General Manager

Ed Notes has learned that the NY Mets were set to appoint Cathie Black as their new general manager instead of Sandy Alderson a few weeks ago but Mike Bloomberg, having already decided to kick Joel Klein to the Rupert Murdoch curb (where Klein is predicted to last about a year before claiming he wants to go back into education destruction), intervened.

A spokesperson for the Wilpon family would not speak on the record but endorsed Bloomberg's vision of corporate manager not needing to know anything about the area they are managing.

"Look at our results over the past few years," he said. "Worse than the results of the school system. And with people supposedly having baseball knowledge. So we decided to hire Cathie Black to reverse the fortunes of the Mets but Bloomberg said she knew even less about public schools and education than baseball and he needed someone to chop the school system down into little morsels and that could best be accomplished by someone who knew nothing about what she was chopping. Too bad. We could really use a 50% cut in the Mets payroll."

In other news, Rupert Murdoch has announced that for the brief time Joel Klein will spend at the News Corp, he expects Klein to reorganize whatever division he heads at least once a month with the goal of breaking the Guiness Book of World Records for reorganizations, a record currently held by Klein himself.

Calls to action for teachers -

There are increasing calls for to take action. The overwhelming majority of teachers have been missing in action as the assault continues with the Cathie Black appointment. What will it take? Maybe experiencing Cathie Black's upcoming assault on teacher seniority. Do you think Black and Bloom have any intention of laying off teachers based on last in? Watch the assault with Cuomo as their ally arguing that by they can get twice as many teachers by getting rid of teachers who make more money - especially ATRs. Some think the union will hold the line. Do you? What if B&B ignore all the rules and dare the UFT to do something about it? Would the UFT strike? You  know they won't. So it's off to court while thousands wait without pay checks. Outside the realm of possibility?

Think about it and Heed these calls:

Susan Ohanian speech to NCTE convention, Nov. 20, 2010

I read Susan's speech last night, soon after hearing of the sham going down with Shael and Cathie.

Susan Ohanian is one of the earliest handful of people who battled the ed deformers when they were still in diapers in the 90's. (Go to her website and subscribe to her daily posts and also buy every book she ever wrote.)

Here is her speech to the National Council of Teachers of English, an org that Susan has been critical of for cowtowing to the ed deformers.

Teachers - heed this call to action. As you see every day, the UFT/AFT is in bed with the deformers.
I know the fear out there but think of joining The Resistance within and without the UFT. Also read Arjun's poem below. There's a similar theme when he says:

But truth be told, it's all of us,
Together, who're to blame.

Excerpts from Susan's speech:

In Homegrown Democrat, Garrison Keillor warns, "When you wage war on the public schools, you're attacking the mortar that holds the community together. You're not a conservative, you're a vandal."
-------
Teachers, You Need to Know This

Contempt for teachers
Is deliberate, cerebral, planned, purposeful--
Part of education in the Global Economy.
--Susan Ohanian, When Childhood Collides with NCLB

As Richard Allington observed in Big Brother and the National Reading Curriculum, "What seems to be under way is an attempt to portray teaching as a blue-collar job: No special skills are needed. Heck, even intellectual capacity doesn't really matter! Teacher education is portrayed as unnecessary--and even damaging."
---------
Bill Gates and Arne Duncan & Barack Obama and the Business Roundtable are systematically destroying the profession of teaching, and our professional organization must help us stand up for who we are.

Duncan and Gates are wrong: The 'best and the brightest' are not the people we need in our schools: We need the savvy, rock steady, dependable, loving, forgiving people who have an enormous capacity for wait time and the psychological equilibrium to be able to enter the classroom every day not holding a grudge for what happened the day before.

Lest you doubt the triage metaphor, consider Vicki Phillips' recent remarks to the National PTA. Phillips is the Education Director for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

So we know master's degrees have almost no value.
We know certifications don't make a difference.
We know that after three years, seniority doesn’t really matter . . . After year three, teachers usually don't get significantly better or worse.

Consider how Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's remarks echo those of the Gates Foundation officer.

Here's the entire must read speech which was  posted at:  

http://susanohanian.org/show_commentary.php?id=865

Chris Hedge's article on Truthdig (thanks to Karen for the tip)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Power and the Tiny Acts of Rebellion
There is no hope left for achieving significant reform or restoring our democracy through established mechanisms of power. We must take to the streets, armed with the tiny acts of truth and kindness that throughout history have exposed the oppressor’s cruelty.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/power_and_the_tiny_acts_of_rebellion_20101122/



South Bronx School has an idea (see my comment):
How To Beat Unity And The UFT

Another great poem from Arjun Sanah and his commentary:

Even though his own board voted against granting Cathie Black the waiver (needed for her lack of any education credentials -- not to speak of teaching experience) and against Steiner's suggested face-saving compromise, NY State Education Commissioner David Steiner has caved in, from our viewpoint, and agreed, as expected, to that compromise.

Knowing Bloomberg, this will be a farcical whitewash. All the power will reside in Ms.Black's and ultimately Bloomberg's hands.

But that is what the union agreed to when it backed myoral control.

Now, if the system crashes even further, or is purposely dismembered, as has been taking place, we can blame the mayor. But where does that leave the teachers and their students? And you know that the dismemberment will be portrayed as a heroic success, by almost all the politicians and media (from Obama to John Boehner at the national level, and from the Times to the Post locally).

Why would a union (and its members) participate actively in union busting? What is the rationale? I'm sure they have one. But it's beyond simple folks like me.

Ultimately, we, the teachers, are responsible for this. We spoke with our votes at each step.

The carrot and the stick succeeded.  And it will again.

Forever on the defensive. Forever facilitating the obscene by invoking fear of even greater obscenities.

"Be thankful it wasn't Rhee. And look, we won. Bloomberg backed down. Now she knows she will have to work with us."

Let's pray that sense will ultimately prevail. But one is less and less hopeful.

So was my own country of birth conquered and colonized, by wave after wave of invaders, from the Arya to the Afghans and Turko-Mongols to the British, even as most of our great landlord-kings (the Rajahs and Maharajahs and later the Nawabs and Sultans) collaborated. 

How Many Feel the Shame?

Alas, our Steiner's true to form,
He'd rather bend than stand.
Our union will follow suit.
What's hard to understand?

When teachers and all workers see
That they must act together,
Only then, will they break free
From whip and binding tether.

But if they only fear the whip
And run towards the carrot
That's dangled just in front of them,
They too, must orders parrot.

So if they're told to teach, within
A term, what should take three,
They'll grumble, but they'll follow suit,
And expert speedsters be.

And if the kids must sit in groups
And gab, in grade eleven,
Then that is what they'll have them do,
And make believe it's heaven.

And if our Cosmo Cathie tells
Our women what to wear,
That outfits must be sexy, smart,
They'll hardly shed a tear.

And if she says to men, "You must
Wear shorts and matching tie!"
Then those resisting will be told,
"Why must you question why?"

And even if we're ordered to
Dance naked, spouting verse,
We'll do as told. Our union heads
Will hint at orders worse!

The nations that were colonized
Had hierarchies in place,
And all the newest rulers did
Was grab the highest place.

Violence and fear were used,
As they had always been.
Each rung below was used to it,
And workers toiled unseen.

Some use the whip, while others use
The carrot (color, green).
But both have equal ends in mind:
Your slavery, obscene.

The revolutions come and go,
And yet, all stays the same.
And there are those who think that's fit,
While others feel the shame.

This day is called "Black Friday"
By the merchants. That's because
The ones who're in the red can use
This day for profit's cause.

But we will call it this because,
We've got, today, Ms. Black,
Because of David Steiner, weak,
Who's made this Friday black.

So those who still may persevere,
In struggle will recall
In years to come, this day of shame,
And Steiner, "scoundrel" call.

But truth be told, it's all of us,
Together, who're to blame.
Some work so hard, for long decades,
And never douse the flame.

But few can see, that work alone
Can never do the job.
Together, we must set things right,
Or yield to waiting mob.

Arjun Janah
2010 November 26th, Friday.
Brooklyn

NYC Parent Activist Lisa Donlan Featured on NY TImes Article on Cathie Black

November 26, 2010

Wow! Is the NY Times beginning to get it or what? When the first sentence of an article (Discontent With Mayor at Heart of School Uproar) about the resistance to the Cathie Black nomination in today's paper by Elissa Gutman quotes Lisa Donlan, you know BloomBlackKlein are wearing out their welcome as arbiters of the NYC school system.

Now for those of you who don't know Lisa, she has been one of the leading voices out there battling Mayoral control, the DOE and charter school invasions on the Lower East Side, where she is president of Community Education Council (CEC) 1. The CEC's are the sort of powerless replacements for the 32 old district community school boards which served students from grades k-8. There are separate councils for high schools and special ed.

Lisa Donlan leading the Real Reformers at the Nov. PEP

Many of the most people involved at these councils have met and become active through the NYCEducationNews listserve started by Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters. By the way, if you had an idiot relative try to tell you at Thanksgiving dinner that class size is only about teacher unions trying to create jobs and has nothing to do with learning, send them to the research on Leonie's site.

It was this group of activists that held the press conference last Monday at State Ed Commissioner David Steiner's apartment. You can see this entire group of amazing parent activists in action in the video I put together of the press conference, a video that is a must see if you want to get a sense of what is underlying the increasing resistance to Black and Bloom. I'm including that video below - only 5 minutes but well worth your time. My favorite part: when Lisa thanks Bloomberg for the appointment of Black "for putting the final nail in the coffin of mayoral control," followed by CEC3 President Noah Gotbaum's "Mayoral control is out of control."

Lisa has been a major ally of the corresponding teacher activists and has become a very good personal friend. Her defense of the kind of schools she and others helped advocate for on the Lower East Side in District 1 over the decade BEFORE BloomKlein took over is eloquent. I have a great unpublished video interview I did with her a year and a half ago talking about those years - where District 1 schools were diversified and parents did have school choice, a demonstration that public schools could be given choice within the public school system but that system was intentionally destroyed by BloomKlein so as to make it look like privatized charters were the only option - their version of The Shock Doctrine.

I haven't put it up because whenever I try to edit it into 10 minutes to fit on you tube I find there is little I can cut. I may just put up the entire interview on Vimeo as one of the best arguments against charters and mayoral control. I would have hoped that the Times would address this issue Lisa has raised repeatedly.

Lisa is famous for the puppet show she did with Jane Hirschmann at the historic Jan. 26, 2010 PEP meeting at Brooklyn Tech. She is also a charter member of the Real Reformers.

Here is the link to the press conference on Monday if it plays too slow in this window.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSQ-kZS6fOI

Are Tests Biased Against Students Who Don’t Give A Shit? (Video)

http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/2010/09/03/are-tests-biased-against-students-who-dont-give-a-shit-video/

Thanks to Bob Godfried. 

Educators 4 Excellence Make an Offer You Can't Refuse: Get Your School a Free Happy Hour

How nice of Evan and Sydney, who left teaching, to take money out of their pockets and offer you all a nice school party. And WOW! Become an E4E school capitano. Get all your colleagues to call for pay based on your students' test scores and get them to back Black&Bloom when they lay off thousands of teachers to keep the newest/cheapest ones and get rid of those high priced senior teachers. What they are not telling you is that their happy hours are like those free trips to resorts where they lock you in a room for hours and you have to listen to the schpiel.

Dear E4E Members and Supporters, Happy Turkey Day! Enjoy the much-deserved time off! But before you doze off into your food coma...check out this week's latest in education! Learn:   The drama over NYC's next schools chancellor took another turn last night. Although David Steiner, the New York State Education Commissioner, has final say in deciding whether or not Cathie Black receives the necessary waiver, four out of the eight members on his advisory panel recommended to not grant this waiver. Two others voted in favor of granting the waiver and the remaining two members voted to not grant it at this time. The Wall Street Journal covers this story and Commissioner Steiner's possible compromise of co-chancellors. The New York Times reports that Mayor Bloomberg announced initial plans to cut 10,000 teachers and other city employees to balance the budget over the next two years. Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education, gave a speech (pdf) at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) forum, explaining that schools will need to make hard choices in the future. Schools will need to think differently about things like, "seat time, class size, and teacher pay scales."  Rick Hess explains his amazement with this speech in his Education Week Blog. Arne Duncan also gave a powerful interview with the Wall Street Journal's Rebecca Blumenstein about how to fix America's education system.  The New York Times covers the difficulty that some failing schools are having in turning around their achievement because of decreasing enrollments in a profile of Paderewski Elementary School in Chicago. Network: Want E4E to Throw a FREE Happy Hour For Your School?!?! E-mail Ryan Black, our Outreach Director, at rblack@educators4excellence.org with your name, the name and location of your school, and approximately how many staff members and we'll set it up! Take Action:  Tell your friends and colleagues about E4E to make sure the voices of all teachers are being heard and the needs of our students are being put first! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! Apply to become an E4E School Captain! Share E4E with your school! We are looking for a group of motivated individuals who are interested in becoming E4E School Captains! As a School Captain, you will have the opportunity to host E4E-sponsored events for your school, get your friends and colleagues involved, and have the chance to tie policy together with practice within your own school!  All our best, Evan and Sydney E4E Co-Founders

DC Election Update from Candi

Parker's Last Acts Of Desperation - Happy Thanksgiving!

6 Days To WTU Run-off Election- Didn't get a ballot call 1-800-273-0726 to get a duplicate.

Featuring Candi Peterson, blogger in residence and WTU Candidate for General Vice President/Saunders slate

In the first Washington Teachers Union (WTU) election, two out of three teachers voted against WTU "holdover" President George Parker whose constitutional term ended June 30, 2010. Since those results were tallied, the Liz Davis/Emily Washington slate and Chris and Ben Bergfalk slate solidly endorsed the Nathan Saunders slate of which I am a part. Parker’s loss to Saunders has brought out the worst in him. On the final leg of the WTU race, Parker's last acts of desperation reveal an underbelly of petulance, lies, small minded mean spiritedness and pure hate.  MORE

There's still hope for Klein to be taken out of Tweed with his coat over his head

You know I predicted early in Joel Klein's tenure that one day he and his pals would be removed from Tweed with their coats over their heads. I also predicted that the school systems of Kabul and Baghdad would recover sooner than the NYC system after Klein's tenure. One out of two ain't bad. But I still have hope on that "coat over the head" thingie with the news that Rupert, Klein's new boss, has bought a technology firm that Klein had pushed very rigorously as Chancellor. 


AFTERBURN

Murdoch buys education technology company

By Valerie Strauss

[Disclosure: Kaplan Inc. is a for-profit education subsidiary of The Washington Post Co., which publishes The Washington Post, my employer.]
This didn't take long: Joel Klein announces Nov. 9 that at year’s end he will resign as York City’s Schools chancellor to become executive vice president at Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Yesterday, the company announced that it was buying a technology company with big financial ties to the New York City school system.
Continue reading this post »
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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/

Ahhhh, I Love the Smell of a Third Term in the Morning

While many were disconcerted when Mayor Mike bought himself a third term, I was exhilarated, knowing full well the third time is not a charm, even predicting (I know it's somewhere buried in the 2800 posts on this blog) that it would all come crashing down around his ears. The arrogance of power only leads these characters to be more hubristic - and so it comes to pass.

Here is NY Mag take on tonight's events. Go join the fray by leaving a comment. Or two. But not 3 because as we are seeing, the third time is not a charm.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/11/cathie_black.html

No Good Options for Mayor Bloomberg After Cathie Black Is Rejected

• 11/23/10 at 6:30 PM
• Comment 10Comment 10Comments

Photo: Joe Kohen/WireImage

A big, rare loss for Michael Bloomberg this afternoon: The state education commissioner has conditionally rejected the mayor’s choice for city schools chancellor, Cathie Black. David Steiner may have simply been underwhelmed by Black’s publishing-industry résumé; his advisory panel, which voted against granting the necessary waiver, appears to have been embarrassed by having been portrayed in news stories as Bloomberg toadies.
Steiner is giving Bloomberg an out, however, saying he’d accept Black if she hires a top assistant who actually knows something about education. The next move is Bloomberg’s, and none of them are easy. He could elevate one of the “pedagogical experts” he says Black would have leaned on anyway — but that would essentially admit that Black is a figurehead and not the “visionary” Bloomberg had touted. He could refuse to install a No. 2 who’s a real educator and have Steiner reject Black, leaving the school system rudderless — not likely. Bloomberg could withdraw Black’s application and admit defeat — even less likely. Or Black could back out, saving some face but leaving the mayor to start over. My wagering, however, is that Bloomberg, through intermediaries, spends the next several days trying to get Steiner to change his mind or put some time limit on the Black-helper. And if Steiner doesn’t budge, Joel Klein may need to ask Rupert Murdoch for an extension on that new job.

And Paul Moore from Miami chipped in:

All hail Leonie & Company! Feels good doesn't it? You beat one of the biggest of the oligarchs. Bloomberg looks especially small right now, no pun intended, and he'll never quite be the same again. Can't you just hear him, "Why can't Cathie be Chancellor, she's got the qualification for the job, she's my friend. Oh, they're all stupid Nazis, no they're all stupid Soviets, don't they know I got Meg Whitman elected Governor of California?"

Let's see, Michelle Rhee is jobless, Joel Klein is going to work for Rupert Murdoch, Bloomberg is beaten, Bill Gates is foaming at the mouth about teachers seniority rights, salaries and pensions, the Walton family will open their stores on Thanksgiving in desperation, no one went to see "Waiting For Superman", and Eli Broad's got one foot in the grave. To borrow a phrase from the great George Peppard and tweak it a bit, "I love it when a plan falls apart."

Paul A. Moore

P.S. Hey Michael Mulgrew, you seemed a little timid on this one. Time to step up, time to lead brother.

Update 5:20 PM from Gotham: The panel has voted to deny Cathie Black a waiver. Two members voted in favor, but four voted against it and two voted “not at this time.”

Dispatch from Gotham Schools

Incoming comments:

These people have no shame 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/nyregion/24waiver.html?hp  - just came over the NY Times website - they may have voted no but check this out

Steiner said he would grant the waiver if Bloomberg appoints a deputy (Chief) with ed experience.
Don't celebrate yet.

The union's track record with politicians is so good, that if they bought a funeral home, people would stop dying.
Makes all those COPE dollars seem worth it don't you think?
City Council Member Domenic Recchia, a Brooklyn Democrat and chairman of the council's finance committee, said he believes Mr. Steiner should grant the waiver. "The DOE is a huge agency and needs a good manager. It needs someone who can take the lead and say, 'We're going to make changes,'" Mr. Recchia said.  


I just saw Bloomberg on the news from some news conference (don't know when) where he described Joel Klein's chancellorship as having been the first seven innings and now Cathie Black is coming in as the "perfect closer."

Pardon my French here, but WTF? What the hell does that mean, a "closer"? If education is nothing more than a game, the analogy is horrifying. If we're entering the eighth inning with only two to go, what on earth happens after the ninth inning? Game over? I totally don't get the implication -- is it supposed to be that Joel has solved ALL our education problems for the coming three or four decades, but we just need a closer to mop things up?

Or could it be the ultimate Freudian slip -- that what he really means is that Cathie would be the ultimate school closer?

Every time I think the Mayor simply can't possibly be any more imperious and condescending, he goes out and proves to me that he still hasn't found his limit. I would say appalling, but even that word doesn't come anywhere near describing that man's attitude and behavior.

Steve Koss
 

Video and Stories on Press Conference at Steiner Residence Opposing Black Waiver

On November 22, 2010, a group of parent leaders and activists in NYC delivered over 12,000 signatures to David Steiner's residence protesting the appointment of Cathie Black as Chancellor. Steiner convened a panel to make the judgement, a panel tainted by ties to Bloomberg.

There was lots of coverage with all the press corps showing up. I covered the press conference and have 2 videos. Here is the 5 minute edited version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSQ-kZS6fOI



And a full 15 minute version at vimeo: http://vimeo.com/17116652

Looks Like Bill DeBlasio's Spine Is Missing Too

http://www.indypendent.org/2010/11/21/charter-schools-flex-muscles-cathie-black

Pretty sad when a Fox News morning show host is more tenacious about querying a charter school spokesperson than our Public Advocate.

Impartiality of Panel Screening Cathie Black Called into Question

http://www.dnainfo.com/20101122/manhattan/independence-of-cathie-black-waiver-panel-called-into-question-by-groups

The Coalition for Public Education (CPE/CEP) (Brooklyn Chapter) will sponsor a press conference on the steps of the NYC Department of Education. 

Where:  Tweed Building, 52 Chambers St. in Manhattan

When:  Tuesday, November 23, at 4:00 pm

This gathering is to protest and denounce the fake panel set up by the NYS Education Department Commissioner, David Steiner to approve of the waiver.  This waiver would allow Mike Bloomberg to appoint Cathy Black as Chancellor.  Ms. Cathy Black is NOT QUALIFIED to be our Chancellor.

Every one’s support is welcome, for more information; contact Rodney Deas  (718-237-1928)
 

LOTS MORE BELOW THE FOLD

Ed Notes Exclusive: Bloomberg Fallback Position if Black Waiver Fails

Ed Notes has learned that Mayor Bloomberg, worried about the public outcry over the Unchattie Cathie Black nomination, has a strong alternate waiting in the wings: his next door neighbor's dog Bosco.

Numerous academics were quick to praise the mayor's choice. "I know Bosco well and in many ways she has more educational qualities than Black, having attended doggie obedience school within the last 2 years."

"This is a feminist issue after all," said Oprah, Woopie Goldberg and Gloria Steinem in a joint statement praising the choice of the 5 year old bitch.


Afterburn 

See all the job openings at Harlem Village Academies

Paul Moore on Unchattie Cathie and More

Another stunning piece posted on the NYCEdNews listserve by Miami teacher Paul Moore who always goes deep. See Afterburn below for my comments and some other interesting links.

It's another Sunday night. Soon to rest, for tomorrow morning it's back to a real classroom and real students, 18-year-old Black and Latino youth, living in the real world. Been doing pretty much the same thing for 27-years which is one of the many things that differentiate me from Cathy Black and Joel Klein before her as Michael Bloomberg's Valet of Public Schools.

In the real world where I and my flesh and blood students live things are crazy. The word always on the tip of my tongue is absurd. Seems like we're all caught in an Edward Albee play. It's theater of the absurd. How else to explain Cathy Black running the NYCPS?

The global economy's death is at the root of it all. Yeah, the global economy died in the fall of 2008. It was in all the papers. Close observers of the economy know that now the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan, the governments United States, the European Union, Japan, the governments of the developing countries lead by China are now propping up the corpse by way of something they call "extend and pretend".

A good example of how this works came this week in the case of Ireland. For days the Irish government declared categorically that it needed no bailout. Right up to the moment they admitted an infusion of billions from the IMF and the EU was a matter of survival. Same thing happened to Greece. Soon Portugal, and Italy, and Spain will dance the same Kabuki dance. Eventually California will be dancing with the dead stars as reality washes up on the shores of the United States.

The overriding problem my students and I face is that we live in this corpse. We all do. Description of it is beyond me so I refer you to persons of greater literary skill. Check out the writing of Joe Bagaent http://www.joebageant.com/ and James Howard Kunstler http://www.kunstler.com/index.php

We're extending and pretending to beat the band down here in Florida. We gave the Irish government a run for their money this week. The Florida Department of Education hauled out all the bells and whistles to announce a dramatic rise in the state's graduation rate. There was an orgy of bureaucratic back patting. If only we could actually live in their made up fantasy world. (New Yorkers can relate if they have any familiarity with the NYCPS' credit recovery program.)

About three years ago the Florida Legislature made the graduation rate a factor in a school's FCAT grade. It was then that real students began disappearing from my real classroom and the real Miami-Dade Public Schools. They were all at-risk students and they no longer existed for the purpose of calculating the high school graduation rate in Florida.

Tomorrow in my real classroom, my real students and I will spend another day wondering when our world and the pretend world will collide and what the explosion will mean for us.

Until the real sun comes up,
Paul A. Moore 

AFTERBURN

Press conference at Steiner's Apartment, Monday November 22 at 3:45 and CAPE's letter to Steiner

Here are people with spines. From Leonie Haimson

Please come and bring  your kids!  We will be delivering over 12,000 petition signatures and thousands of comments to Commissioner Steiner, from parents and other concerned New Yorkers, about why he should deny a waiver to Cathie Black as NYC Schools Chancellor.

When: Monday, November 22 at 3:45 PM

Where: In front of Commissioner Steiner’s apartment at 200 E 87th St (between 2^nd and 3^rd Ave.) (Map here.)

The waiver will be considered by an advisory panel headed up by Susan Furhman, head of Teacher’s College, at a closed meeting on Tuesday.

More info about this in the NY Times here: Panel on Pick for Schools Has Close Ties to Bloomberg

If you would like to let this advisory panel know how you feel about the waiver, you should feel free to email Dr. Furhman at SusanF@tc.columbia.edu

Thanks, and pass this message on to others who care about the future of our schools,

CAPE writes to Steiner

It's still called the Department of EDUCATION isn't it?

Hon. David Steiner
Commissioner of Education
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12234

Dear Commissioner Steiner:

CAPE, Concerned Advocates for Public Education is an advocacy organization representative of the parents and educators at PS 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn, an elementary school that is outperforming 95% of all elementary schools in New York City.  Ours in one of the first groups of its kind that bridges the divide between parents and educators for the purposes of accessing their united voice to inform and influence education policy, of which they are the true stakeholders, but are all too often ignored. 

CAPE strongly opposes the appointment of Cathleen Black as the Chancellor of New York City’s public education system.  Not only was this nomination made hastily and in secret by a Mayor who has ignored our voices over the last eight years; she is unqualified for the job.  Mayoral Control has been a destructive force here in New York City.  It has been a gateway for a privileged few to gain access to our children’s schools often molding them in an image that they would not accept for their own children.  It is time to bring democracy back to the governance of our schools here in New York City.  Mayoral Control was not meant to be a dictatorship, there was and is an expectation that any elected official would be responsive to the communities they serve.

We have no illusions that the appointment of someone with zero experience or credentials in education is anything but another step in an agenda to undermine public education.  We demand a qualified chancellor with a record of service to public education that can be publically judged. The law requires it. And our children deserve it.

Respectfully yours,
Concerned Advocates for Public Education
Parents and Educators Working Together to Protect and Preserve Public Education

Ed Notes Exclusive: Break In at UFT Headquarters

Anyone with information leading to the recovery of Michael Mulgrew's spine, please notify the UFT ASAP

Insider sources at the UFT have informed Ed Notes that an unknown party broke into UFT headquarters. So far the only item that has been known to be taken is UFT President Michael Mulgrew's spine.

While there has been some suspicion that something was amiss from the day Mulgrew took office, the clincher came with this item in the NY Times:

...Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, the city teachers’ union, said, “All of these people have heavy-duty backgrounds and success in education, so obviously David Steiner is clearly looking at this from the educational side, as he should be.” 
- NY Times, Nov. 19, 2010 - Panel on Pick for Schools Has Close Ties to Bloomberg

The reporters from the Times, having analyzed the panel and interviewed numerous people who raised issues with the members of the Steiner panel to review Cathie Black's waiver, were so incredulous at Mulgrew's comment, one of the lone voices in the article supporting the panel, they immediately called 911 suspecting something was amiss.

An all-points bulletin has been issued in an attempt to recover Mulgrew's spine. This may turn out to be a wild goose chase as some doubt there ever was a breakin in the first place.

Inside UFT sources claim that former UFT president took Mulgrew's spine and other parts of Mulgrew's anatomy when she left to go to the AFT, along with and her stapler.


Excerpts from the NY Times article:

New York State’s top education official on Friday named an advisory panel of eight experts, at least half of them with strong connections to the Bloomberg administration, to help him decide whether to approve Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s controversial choice to run the city’s school system.

Three panelists selected by David M. Steiner, the state education commissioner, worked as senior officials at the city’s Department of Education.

One of those three now works at a foundation that was, for many years, the vehicle for Mr. Bloomberg’s personal charitable donations.

A fourth panelist is the head of a museum that has received almost half a million dollars from Mr. Bloomberg in donations since he took office. 

Three panelists are in charge of sizable urban school districts: Andrés A. Alonso, the chief executive of the Baltimore school system and a former deputy chancellor under Mr. Klein; Jean-Claude Brizard, the superintendent in Rochester and a New York City native who has been a teacher and principal and was a top aide to Mr. Klein; 

The other panelists are: Ronald F. Ferguson, a Harvard economist who focuses on the achievement gap between minority students and white students; Kenneth G. Slentz, a top aide to Mr. Steiner at the State Education Department; Louise Mirrer, president and chief executive of the New-York Historical Society, which has received regular donations from Mr. Bloomberg, and a former top official at the City University of New York; and Michele Cahill, a vice president at the Carnegie Corporation of New York and a former senior educational policy adviser to Mr. Klein. 

 Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, a Brooklyn Democrat who has long been critical of Mr. Bloomberg’s education policies, questioned the panel’s makeup, saying, “It appears that the deck has been stacked in favor of granting the waiver in a manner that will further undermine public confidence in the appointment of Ms. Black.” 

So kiddies, let's review the panel: Brizzard, Alonso and Cahill all worked for Klein, plus Louise Mirrer who heads a museum receiving donations from Bloomberg.  Hmmm. Let's do the math. 4 is half of 8 and that makes - gee, only one more and Unchatty Cathie gets her waiver.

And let's review Mulgrew's comment:
“All of these people have heavy-duty backgrounds and success in education, so obviously David Steiner is clearly looking at this from the educational side, as he should be.” 


The clincher that Mulgrew was missing something was his classification of Michelle Cahill as "having a heavy-duty background and success in education". The Times piece has this to say:

As one of Mr. Klein’s most trusted aides from 2002 to 2006, she played a crucial role in reorganizing the school system and developing new schools, and was the driving force behind new programs for students most at risk of dropping out. But in 2004, she was denied a state waiver to serve as deputy chancellor, because while she had a dozen years of teaching experience and a master’s degree in urban affairs, she lacked traditional education supervisory credentials. 

Cahill was the much maligned agent of Klein's first deputy chancellor, Diane Lam, and was much vilified by many teachers over her rigid micro-management policies of force feeding the workshop model.

Ed Notes Exclusive: First Cathie Black Interview - How She Will Save the NYC School System From the Mismanagement of Joel Klein

Black proposes turning ARIS data into a giant betting parlor

The call came in the middle of the night.

"Norm? Cathie here. Cathie Black. I saw the video of that loser Joel clinging desperately to you, hoping a share of your popularity would rub off on him. Things are not going so well on this end and I want some of that magic too so I decided Ed Notes would be the best forum for my first interview."

"Wow, thanks Cathie. I'm up for a hug anytime you want. Should I come over now?"

"This is not about that, you idiot. Don't you know I am a leading feminist and a pal of Gloria Steinem and she would cut your....never mind."

"We missed you at the Gotham Schools party the other night. Everyone was hoping you would come."

"Never heard of Gotham whatchamacallit. Let's get down to business. I want to share with you my plan for solving the fiscal crisis facing the NY schools by raising a billion extra dollars every year."

I was impressed with her no nonsense approach. I had heard about her fiscal skills and was about to ask her to come over and fix my personal budget. But she went on without giving me a chance to get a word in.

"Look," she said. "We are faced with a major crisis, right?"

"Yes," I said.

"Don't interrupt me, you fool. The Lord Mayor announced 6000 cuts in teachers. Between you and me he's a wus. I'm going to cut double that amount. Then I'm going to trash that entire bunch of clowns who have been criticizing me by raising enormous amounts of money earmarked for the school system."

"How can you do that in the midst of this crisis," I asked, with some trepidation?

"Credit default swaps," she smirked, "and derivatives."

"Huh?"

"It's quite simple. We have all this data out there. We know it is all a scam to get rid of high salaried teachers, lower the pay of those left, close schools and replace them with charters and dump kids who can't come up with high enough numbers. And we know this data has nothing to do with the kids or education at all but to force our elite ideology down the throats of the commoners. The scam that it's about children first had been working until that schmuck Joel screwed up the test data this summer. I'm sorry Mike dumped him before the high school grad rate scandals hit so I could take it over real clean, but we'll filter out information on how it was all slimy Joel's fault."

She went on. "Maintaining these data systems like ARIS is expensive."

"You're going to get rid of ARIS," I said? "They will carry you in the streets."

"No, stupid. I need lots of money to expand ARIS a thousandfold by installing it in every child's home. All a parent or child has to do to get us to call the cops on a teacher whose value-added score drops is to press the big red button on the console."

"But how will they know..."

"A teacher's index score will not only be based on a test once a year but include every piece of data about a teacher, including my special interest, what they wear each day to school. Students will rate their dress each day and we will get instant feedback. I'm especially concerned that they don't wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row, which in my book is grounds for instant dismissal, tenure be damned. Imagine we can't fire people for such basic violations of common core standards of dress."

I tried to say something but the phone cord was strangling me. This Cathie woman has Superman power.

She continued, "So why not make better use of the data? I am proposing a system that will allow institutions and individuals to place bets on the chances of schools staying open or closing. We will also have an over-under on school closings and you will be able to use hedge funds to cover yourself both ways. We can even take bets on which schools charters will choose to co-locate in and on the timetable for the local public school to be entirely wiped out. How about placing a bet on the exact percentage number we will trump up to declare a school underutilized?"

"You ARE brilliant. Now I see why you got the job. But doesn't that allow the trumper uppers a leeway to bet on their own numbers?" I said.

"Stupid face, that's how we are paying them - they can make a lot of money, none of it on our heads, by placing bets on the very schools they are closing. Just the way they do it in the stock market. That's why I am such a legendary manager."

I was impressed already but wowed as she went on.

"The real money will be betting on the predicted results on each individual teacher's value-added score - think, you can bet on whether a teacher will go up or down or stay the same, with follow-up bets on how long it takes for the low scoring teachers to be disappeared from the system. That's 70,000 - er - 50,000 teachers to bet on."

"Didn't you say you were only going to double Bloomberg's 6000 cuts? Tha's only 12 not 20 thousand."

"Hah, dickface, that's only for public consumption through press dummies like you."

I could see the money rolling in already. "How will you raise test scores?"

"Easy. Teachers will get their choice of a Burberry coat if they come in with a high VA score."

"With all that money, I expect you will be using it to reduce some class sizes," I ventured.

"Why is there a problem with class size? My kids never had a problem and I don't see why that issue should even come up. Besides, didn't you read Bill Gates' orders for us not to reduce class size?"

"Well I am certainly impressed," I said. I gingerly asked, "People are saying that you were being kicked upstairs at Hearst and that this position is a fallback..."

"How do you think Joel got the job," she hissed. "They had already dumped him at Bertelsman when Mike bailed him out. That's why people like Mike and I hang out together and are so tight, especially when we are all in St. Barts. But it was always clear that Joel did not belong in this crowd. I knew something was wrong but had to read on your blog that he was born in the projects and was the son of a postal worker. Union worker, I bet. Ick! By the way, what did Joel whisper in your ear when he hugged you?"

I hesitated. Joel had sworn me to secrecy. But I couldn't hold back. "He said that he left so many poison pills buried in the system that the bitch would go down in flames. And he couldn't wait to see the reaction to you going to black neighborhood churches every Sunday like he did."

"You've got to be joking," Black said. "Another schmuck move by Joel, actually thinking he had to try to win some people over to his 'this is the civil rights issue of our time' bullshit. Mike told me none of that crap for me. I never have to see one parent or deal with anyone if I don't want. He is covering all bases by buying up all the media, except that pesky NY Times that has been on my case.

"But I'm not worried. Mike's money will take care of them, my little lovely. And their little dog too.  Oh, and if you ever try to hug me, you'll get a spiked heel up your ass."

Eva Invasion: Commentary and Video of CEC3 Meeting at PS 165M

The PS 165 community has geared up for a fight. GEM has met with them and is offering any assistance. Here is the video Angel Gonzalez shot at the CEC meeting the other night.

Watch video at:  GEM

Nov. 17, 2010 - Upper West Side, Manhattan - After serving the community for over 100 years, our space and programs are being threatened. Eva Moskowitz' wants a new private HSA Charter School to co-locate in the PS/MS 165/Mott Hall 2 Campus and over time phase out these three outstanding public schools. 

"P.S./M.S. 165 is renowned for its model Dual Language program, Gifted and Talented Program, and programs for students with special needs. It has a long history of community enrichment. It is not a failing school. Yet, a charter school without this long history of success wants to deprive P.S./M.S. 165 and Mott Hall II of space and resources in order to implement their own programming." 

The school's community rapidly mobilized and loudly opposed the Moskowitz Charter at their Community Education Council - CEC3.

A crowd of over 500, of diverse nationalities, packed the auditorium to express their outrage and chanted: 

"NO to the Eva Moskowitz' Private Charter School Invasion!

NO to a reduced school zone which would bring fewer students to PS 165 and allow the Dept of Education to free up classrooms for private charter expansion."

From Noah Gotbaum, chair of CEC3
All,

Terrific meeting Wednesday night. Thanks to the wonderful PS 165 and Mott Hall II communities for hosting, and for all who participated. Over 700 people in attendance, 100+ speakers, and a strong message of unity to the DOE from our D3 schools, teachers and especially parents that we want the DOE to support and invest in our current schools and kids; and that we neither need nor want a new Upper West Success charter.

Also some excellent feedback for the DOE and the CEC on zoning preferences including a desire for a near term limited re-zoning focused on a zone for 452. We will try to move quickly on this including potentially a formal public hearing on December 2, in an effort to lock things down on a limited basis prior to the end of the year. We would then likely revisit the issue on a broader scale as and when the DOE decides to provide us with adequate information, transparency and the outlines of a plan on how they will provide spaces for all of our D3 kids and schools in the near and longer term.

Along these lines, and as per the attached article below from today’s New York Times City Blog, the DOE now appears to be looking to move Upper West Success into the Brandeis campus rather than into 165 or 145. It is not clear how suddenly the DOE is able to make this space available at Brandeis for Ms. Moscowitz when we were told by the DOE all of last year, and then as recently as our last CEC meeting in October 20th, that the Brandeis space is not “underutilized” as it will be required to support the four growing high schools in the building. Much more to come on a district-wide response to this Upper West Success issue, in the next few days.

Please note that there won’t be a joint Rezoning/Overcrowding Committee meeting tomorrow Friday am, but instead we will plan one for this coming Tuesday evening 11/23 with details to follow.

Please also remember that we need a strong turnout in support of a large new school at the City Council’s Riverside Center hearing on the project this Tuesday morning, 11/23 at 9:30! Also check our web site www.cec3.org for other upcoming meetings.

Lastly, many have enquired regarding the link to the petition asking the State Education Commissioner to deny a waiver for non-educators that would allow Cathie Black, the Chancellor designee, to take up her position. The link to the petition - which now has over 10,000 signatures - is http://www.petitiononline.com/DenyWaiv/ Please consider signing on.

All best,

Noah

Noah E. Gotbaum

President, Community District Education Council 3 (CEC3)

154 West 93rd Street, Room 204

New York, New York 10025

212 678 2789 office

ngotbaum@cec3.org

www.cec3.org


http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/new-home-for-upper-west-side-charter-school/?scp=1&sq=Upper%20West%20Success&st=cse

PEP Video Highlights

How do we go to teachers and say you need a masters degree and we’re going to ignore the fact that a masters degree is needed for chancellor and most important how do we go to a student in the sytem to study and work hard and pour their heart and soul into their education and build a record of accomplishment and when the big jobs come up if you don’t go to the right cocktail party you’re not going to be considered….I’ve been her 3 years and sometimes this feels like a front seat on a show called “The Death of Democracy.”…every day we get a little bit stronger---- PATRICK SULLIVAN




Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/

UFT Delegate Assembly Craps out on Black Waiver, Unity Frays at the Edges

Just back from taking my wide out to a fancy brunch - at Costco. We must have hit the clam dip booth 10 times. If I can break through the heartburn I have a report from yesterday's UFT Delegate Assembly.

It was nice to see a bunch of Jim Callaghan supporters out in front of 52 Broadway yesterday with signs and a leaflet. I hope people took note.

You really have to sit through a UFT Delegate Assembly and listen carefully to get an insight to the thinking that goes on at the top levels of the union. Over the past few years I have never had the patience to put up with it and focused more on socializing and organizing. But this time I went upstairs to watch on the TV monitors in the hallway - they no longer allow visitors to even set foot in the hall and if they could get away with stopping me they would keep me off the 2nd floor too - but I just tell them to call the cops to have me removed and they shut up.

You know I'm not a hater but I get closest when dealing with Unity hacks because my dues pays these fuckers. I can do a post or two on some recent encounters but there are more important issues. Like how will the leadership figure out a way to try to make it look like they don't like the Black appointment while in fact doing nothing to make it look to the ed deformers, who they really care about, that they're OK with it - wink, wink.

So there was a reso we handed out calling on the UFT to oppose the Black waiver. This reso was based on Black's involvement with Coca Cola and anti-labor practices which have been condemned and I urge you to read it: Resolution for UFT DA: Reject Waiver and Black.

But it never got to the floor. The UFT had its own reso, which when I read it I smacked myself in the head so hard I had temporary amnesia with side effects- like, while Mulgarten was talking on the TV screen he morphed into Randi, who in another deja view moment showed up as the mystery guest at the Gotham School fundraiser a few hours later. They were hoping for Cathie Black but ended up with Randi.

Mulgrew tolds us how he met Black. "She has nice shoes." Hmmm, Mulgrew have a foot fetish? Well, not to worry, he will end up licking her boots at some point. Wait 'till we see 10,000 less teachers and 52 Broadway becomes the incredible shrinking building.


The Whereases start out saying all sorts of good stuff. Like the Chancellor "should have a full and thorough understanding of teaching and learning" blah, blah, blah. Then they shift into the usual obfuscation/waffling tone about NY State Law on chancellor qualifications and the waiver law and the role of the State Ed Commissioner. Then it goes on to talk about the secretive process that Bloomberg engaged in as he tried to thwart the intent of the mayoral control law - which by the way we all told them when they supported the renewal last year he would do anyway. Ho, hum. Then comes the part about State Ed Comm chairman David Steiner, who Mulgrew seems to have a man crush on, "has announced the formation of an independent panel, including educators (my bold), to evaluate the request for a waiver...."

So you see, kiddies, they have actual educators so not to worry. So here comes the kicker:

be it RESOLVED, that the UFT support the process established by [Steiner] as a credible and fair procedure for deciding on the request for a waiver from qualifications for chancellor...promulgated in state education law.

But, but, but - after all you said you are also saying you would go along with Black if they so decide. You could hear the sound of teeth grinding all over the place.

So, there was no real debate as the Unity leadership decided to amend their own reso with Leo Ugh! Casey leading the charge. This 3 part piece of crap calls for, among other things, changing the law in the future to include a nationwide search for a chancellor - sort of like looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

So then it gets interesting. Dave Pecoraro, a long-time Unity parrot at DA's is also chapter leader at the soon to close Beach Channel HS in Rockaway. Dave may be a Unity parrot but he is not a hack. He is a passionate chapter leader and fighter against the school closing and he and ICE's James Eterno built somewhat of an alliance last year as leaders of the 2 large Queens high schools targeted for closing. And the 2 schools the UFT sold out by making a deal with the DOE to allow new schools to open and help kill the incoming freshman classes. Dave was in action at Monday night's meeting with the Queens HS Supt which I taped. A lot of people in the opposition and even in Unity don't like Dave but he's grown on me.

So, he gets up and does something Unity people never do. He adds to their reso: The UFT will oppose the waiver for Black if she does not personally visit every single school on the DOE's list of schools targeted for possible closing. He argues that since she is new to the scene she should these schools first hand. Not radical but interesting. Of course they vote this down.

So far there has not been a person who spoke up and opposed the reso and low and behold a Unity guy gets up and says he is against. Why? Well, he says with some degree of passion, they have closed over 100 schools and what's the point of the whole thing if you turn down Dave's amendment? This is Unity and a sign the waffles and obfuscations on school closings and charter school invasions are wearing the Unity rank and file at the edges.

Mulgrew: There's only one name I don't want to hear. I didn't say it. She doesn't need a waiver.
At least it's not Rhee -  and Unity people go around repeating it
 

But not to worry. You've been hearing the Unity Klones whispering the R word, while shaking. We could get Rheeeee if Black fails. Oooooooh! We scared. Mulgrew goes all cute. "There are some people who don't even need a waiver. I won't mention her name." The whole place goes weak at the knees at the thought of Rhee, who was just run out of DC on a rail, one of the key reasons being that the Black community was outraged at Rhee's slights, some even bringing up the race issue - some historical antagonisms between Koreans and Blacks - remember the Brooklyn Korean grocery incident when Dinkins was mayor. Maybe that's why he endorsed Black - fear of Rhee. But the idea of Rhee coming in here as the big bad wolf is unlikely. But also the fact that the UFT leadership fears her so is a sign of their weakness.

Can't you just see people all over using the coming of Rhee as a threat to get what they want? Take a cut in salary of Rhee is coming.


Mulgrew on Value-added
"If we lose the case and the scores are publicized, we have to be out there to support them."

At this point I was sorry I didn't bring a nail gun to shoot myself through the ear.

------------
Afterburn
Then it was off to the Gotham School party with Eva, hubbie Eric and loads of charter school slugs. And Randi too. Report coming - once I extract that nail.

Resolution for UFT DA: Reject Waiver and Black

An attempt will be made to place this resolution on the floor at today's Delegate Assembly. Watch the Unity top-level machine sweat this one out. If the delegates were allowed to have their way, even the Unity rank and file are getting restless. But maybe, the leadership sees which way the wind is blowing and will go along. Ed Notes will be there covering.

WHEREAS, Cathie Black has served for nearly seventeen years on the board of Coca Cola, during which time the company has aggressively marketed its unhealthy drinks to children here and abroad, and contributed to the epidemic of childhood obesity, as revealed in today’s NY Times;

WHEREAS, over this period, Coca Cola has also been allegedly involved in death squads who targeted labor organizers in Central and South America, leading to two shareholder resolutions sponsored by the NYC Comptroller, calling for an independent investigation to discover whether  Coca-Cola colluded in anti-union violence in Columbia;

WHEREAS, on April 9, 2005, NYSUT, the parent body of the UFT passed a resolution that included the following clauses;

WHEREAS, more than 3,000 trade unionists have been assassinated in Colombia since 1990; and 

WHEREAS, both NYSUT and the AFT are on record as denouncing what the AFT Executive Counsel has called "the persistent violence against teachers and other working people in Colombia", noting "…that trade unionists continue to be the targets of threats, physical intimidation, displacement and even assassination."; 

WHEREAS, the Coca-Cola Company and its Colombian bottlers are being sued in the United States under the Alien Claims Tort Act for having "contracted with or otherwise directed paramilitary security forces that used extreme violence and murdered, tortured, and unlawfully detained or otherwise silenced trade union leaders."; 

WHEREAS, a fact-finding delegation of labor, educator and student representatives including members of AFT, AFSCME/CSEA and CWA concluded, based on a 10-day trip to Colombia in January of 2004, that Coca-Cola is complicit in human rights abuses in Colombia" and that its "complicity is deepened by its repeated pattern of bringing criminal charges against union activists who have spoken out about the company's collusion with the paramilitaries."; 

WHEREAS, the Proxy Committees of the New York City Employees' Retirement System and the New York City Teachers' Retirement System, holders of 5,257.217 shares of Coca-Cola Company common stock with an estimated market value of $209,132,092, resolved on October 6, 2004 to submit a shareholder proposal at Coca-Cola's next annual meeting asking that Coca-Cola sponsor an independent investigation of allegations against the company, said investigation to include representatives from U.S and Colombian human rights organizations; 

WHEREAS, NYSUT voted in 2005 to refrain from serving or selling Coca-Cola products at its offices or at any venue for its events, meetings, conferences and conventions until the allegations have been investigated; 

BE IT RESOLVED that the United Federation of Teachers will urge Commissioner Steiner to deny a waiver to Cathie Black; based on her lack of educational qualifications, as well as the facts mentioned above.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the UFT will recommend to the Mayor to withdraw Ms. Black’s nomination, and embark on a full and public search to identify an individual with the full educational qualifications and experience to lead the nation’s largest public school system into the future.

Sources for above info:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://killercoke.org/nysutcokeres.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/nyregion/17coke.html?_r=1&hpw&pagewanted=all