Fight Back Friday - School Communities Across the City to Participate, UFT Delegates Serenaded at DA

Fight Back Friday at the UFT Delegate Assembly

I know I've been haranguing you about the importance of getting your school involved in Fight Back Friday. I was part of a coalition of groups supporting FBF at yesterday's Delegate Assembly.

I tried to tell the delegates that a consistent monthly action in front of their schools would have a bigger impact than the mostly uncovered May 12 rally. But rallies are easy. Go, march, go home and forget about it.

Organizing at the school level is hard. Some of FBF supporters have reached out to neighboring schools and are now working in tandem. Imagine a bunch of elementary schools along with the local middle schools affecting an entire neighborhood! The UFT says it wants this to happen but is not actively supporting FBF.


Many of the participants in this action are new to the action at the DA, which was poorly attended. Many of them are young idealistic teachers who haven't yet been featured on the front page of the NY Times - maybe because they actually support teacher rights and oppose the use of high stakes tests to measure teacher performance.

Serenading UFT Delegates as they depart Delegate Assembly
At the end of the meeting, the group serenaded the departing delegates, urging them, most of them Unity Caucus, to join in union solidarity songs. Few did. They seemed embarrassed.

Here is a brief video I shot of the singing (we will not be appearing on American Idol) followed by the FBF press release. Link here to watch directly on you tube: http://youtu.be/EkXNf_Ff6aE

Date:  Friday, May 20, 2011     

Contact:

Sam Coleman, Educator, PS 24K, NYCORE/GEM:  646-354-9362

Lisa Donlan, Parent, President CEC1:  917-848-587

Yelena Siwinski, Educator, PS 193K, ICE: (917) 628-3588

School Communities Across the City to Participate in Fight Back Friday

Bloomberg and the DOE must stop wasting our money and start prioritizing public education:  No school-based budget cuts and no educator lay-offs!

On Friday May 20th, school communities across the city will take differentiated actions to protest Mayor Bloomberg's destructive education policies, including his latest budget announcement that includes the elimination of 6,000 teaching positions, 4,700 through lay-offs.  Individual schools will hold rallies, sign postcards directed at City Council representatives, disseminate flyers to spread awareness about where Mr. Bloomberg’s spending priorities lie, and they will wear black to, “take our schools back” as well as stickers proclaiming the Real Reforms our Mayor should be fighting for.

$350 Million dollars is needed to prevent educator lay-offs and prevent disastrous consequences for our children including increased class sizes and loss of programming.  Mayor Bloomberg’s budget allocates $700 million for charter schools, $542 million in new technology, and hundreds of millions on testing. Parents, educators, children, and community members stand united in demanding our City Council reject the Mayor’s budget and call on Mr. Bloomberg to stop wasting our money and start to prioritize public education and local community public schools.

Fight Back Fridays began last June when school communities united to fight proposed budget cuts, lay-offs and other disastrous educational policies.  This year, Fight Back Fridays have continued throughout the city.  To visit a school community that is participating in a Fight Back Friday or for more information, please contact the parents and educators listed in this release.

Some Fight Back Friday participants include:
PS 261, Brooklyn, PS 321 Brooklyn, Sunset Park High School Brooklyn, PS 306, Queens, PS 69 Queens, PS 503, Brooklyn, Facing History School, Manhattan, International School for Liberal Arts, Lehman High School, Bronx, PS 368, Bronx, PS 230, Brooklyn, Paul Robeson High School, Brooklyn, PS 24, Brooklyn. MS 136, Brooklyn, PS 193, Brooklyn, Bushwick School for Social Justice, Academy for Urban Planning, PS 157, Brooklyn, Green School, Brooklyn, PS 123, Manhattan, Frederick Douglass Academy 5, Bronx, El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice, Brooklyn, PS 15, Brooklyn, East Brooklyn Community High School in Canarsie, PAIHS, Queens, Neighborhood School, Manhattan, Childrens' Workshop School, Manhattan, James Baldwin School, Manhattan, Humanitites Prep, Manhattan, Lyons High School, Brooklyn, FDR High School, Brooklyn, Goldstien High School, Brooklyn, Jamaica High School, Queens, Bronx international HS, Morris campus, High School for Excellence, Morris campus, Alfred E Smith High School, Bronx Families, teachers, and school staff are also meeting in front of PS 10 in Brooklyn and will march along 7th avenue to join PS 295, MS 88, and New Voices respectively.

Endorsers include: Grassroots Education Movement (GEM), Teachers Unite (TU), People Power Movement (PPM), Teachers for a Just Contract (TJC), New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCORE), Concerned Advocates for Public Education (CAPE), Independent Community of Educators (ICE)

Additional Contacts:

Mark Torres, Educator, Frederick Douglass Academy 5, Bronx, People Power Movement, 646-696-8485

Emily Giles, Educator, Bronx International High School, Teachers Unite, 917-575-2936

Julie Cavanagh, Dennis Walcott, Mona Davids, Pedro Noguera on panel: Charter School Forum on Saturday, May 21 9-12, RSVP TODAY! Reply

Here is an unusual opportunity to see/hear many of the NYC charter school "deciders" in one place at one time.

PLEASE NOTE -- that you must RSVP for this event by today, Thursday, May 19th (see bottom of notice).  Please pass this one to people you think would be interested in attending.

Susan

The Community Board 12, M-Youth and Education Committee

Invite You to:

  “Our Children, Our Choices:

An Informative Discussion on Public and Charter Schools Options”

Distinguished Invited Speakers Include:

Susan Miller Barker

Interim Executive Director
at the SUNY Charter Schools Institute

Julie Cavanaugh

Director

“The Inconvenient Truth About Waiting For Superman”

Mona Davids

Executive Director

New York Charter Parents Association

James Merriman, Esq.

CEO

NYC Charter Schools Center

Pedro Noguera, Ph.D.

Executive Director

Metropolitan Center for Urban Education
 New York University

Dennis Walcott

Chancellor

New York City Department of Education

Saturday, May 21, 2011

9:00AM to 12:00PM  

Registration starts at 8:30AM 

Russ Barrie Pavilion 1150 St. Nicholas Ave (Near 168 Street) Main Floor

New York, NY 10033  

Lite Breakfast will be served.

RSVP by Thursday, May 19, 2011 by calling Community Board 12  (212) 568-8500 or via email at: fe.florimon@jjay.cuny.edu

Jeremy Sawyer Reviews GEM Film

http://socialistworker.org/2011/05/18/premiere-of-a-movement

The premiere of a movement

Jeremy Sawyer reviews a new film produced by the Grassroots Education Movement in New York City in response to the anti-teacher documentary Waiting for "Superman".

May 18, 2011

Students, teachers and parents join a flashmob protest outside a New York City screening of Waiting for "Superman"

SICK AND tired of Waiting for "Superman"? Despair no more. The hero is us.

This is the inspiring message of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman, a film created by the everyday superheroes of the Grassroots Education Movement (GEM), a New York City coalition that mobilizes against policies that underfund, undermine and privatize our public school system.

In a play on the title of the documentary on the environmental crisis by Al Gore and director Davis Guggenheim, the film explores a series of "inconvenient truths" that expose and debunk the myths of corporate education "reform." In the starring role is a movement of teachers, parents and students calling for genuinely progressive reforms that can truly make a difference in the lives of children and communities.

In September 2010, Guggenheim, having won the praise for his film made with Gore, lent his voice to the Hallelujah chorus of corporate reform with Waiting For "Superman", a misleading documentary that views American public education through the lens of some of the nation's most powerful figures and institutions.

That film touted corporate reformers as education "experts"--and painted teachers, tenure and the unions that protect them as the enemy. The film completely ignored the effects of broader social problems, such as poverty and racism, while pointing to charter schools and privatization as magic solutions. Though Guggenheim's An Inconvenient Truth offered some criticism of the role of corporations in destroying the environment, Waiting For "Superman" enthusiastically promotes destructive corporate policies in the realm of education.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Attend the premiere screening of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman, as well as a panel discussion featuring author Diane Ravitch, on May 19 at 6 p.m. at Riverside Church (enter at 91 Claremont Ave.) in Harlem. The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. To attend, RSVP to the film's website.

For information on screenings, visit theInconvenient Truth website or e-mailgemnyc@gmail.com.

While the corporate media showered Waiting For "Superman" with publicity, many teachers, parents and activists were outraged by its teacher bashing and phony solutions, including some (like yours truly) who donned red capes to protest the film's opening at New York movie theaters.

But many others suffered through the film in silence and may have emerged demoralized about themselves, their public schools and their communities. If Superman isn't coming, are charter schools and a hostile corporate takeover of public education the only hope? The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman responds: You are not alone. Together, we can fight for real reforms.

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

THE OPENING minutes of the film are breathtaking as we are thrust into the middle of the battle for public education now raging in New York City. We are taken inside massive community protests from high schools to the city's Department of Education (DOE) headquarters in the January chill.

We see and feel the frustration with the DOE's undemocratic education policies, as well as landmark moments in the past year of the grassroots struggle for real reform in New York. We get the sense that taking on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's dictatorial control over New York schools--as well as and corporate school deformers around the country--will require a growing movement for true democracy and justice in our schools, communities and society.

REVIEW: MOVIES

The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman, written and directed by New York City public school teachers and parents, narrated by Julie Cavanagh, Brian Jones and Darren Marelli, produced by Mollie Bruhn, Julie Cavanagh, Lisa Donlan, Darren Marelli and Norm Scott.

The handful of images of teachers in Guggenheim'sWaiting For "Superman" consist largely of caricatures from The Simpsons and School of Rock. If Guggenheim had trouble locating actual teachers to speak to, he will find them in The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman. Far from standing in the way of reform, these teachers are fighting together with parents and students on the front lines of the struggle for quality public education.

The film's friendly guides are Brian Jones and Julie Cavanagh, New York teachers with 20 years of collective experience and the down-to-earth charisma that comes from hours mentoring children, working with parents and joking with colleagues.

In the world of Waiting For "Superman", people like Cavanagh--an experienced teacher at a successful public school in a Brooklyn housing project--are not supposed to exist. As a dedicated activist who teamed with her school community to fight to protect her students' special needs services from an invading charter school, she is a monkey wrench in the charter operators' plans to infiltrate public schools.

These are teachers we can relate to. Jones, who comes from a family of teachers, tells humorous stories of his frustrating, yet exhilarating, early years of teaching. How different he seems from the suits and data-crunchers who run our schools--people seemingly bent on causing chaos and dislocation in the daily experience of teachers, parents and students.

Eschewing the corporate talking heads that permeate Waiting For Superman, Jones explains, "We wanted to explore the truth about education reform, so we did something shocking: we spoke with parents and educators." Their voices reveal uncomfortable realities that the deformers try mightily to sweep under the carpet.

While Waiting For "Superman" laments the fact that The Man of Steel can't save public education, the cast of "experts" promoted in Guggenheim's film is more akin to the Legion of Doom, the comic book super-villains.

These self-anointed saviors--who generally have little or zero experience in education--scapegoat teachers and transform children into data points. They promote the same unregulated business model that "took this country to the brink of Armageddon in 2008," in the words of Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union.

Refreshingly, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman takes a hard look at the zealots, billionaires and educational "entrepreneurs" who want the keys to our schools. From former Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, to Bill Gates, to Harlem Children's Zone CEO Geoffrey Canada, the film exposes some serious political and personal nastiness.

While their machinations may enrich themselves and the powerful interests for which they speak, they leave our children and communities bankrupt. The film has a brilliant idea: why not invest in proven educational reforms, such as smaller class sizes and experienced teachers?

Chills ran down my spine when the film juxtaposed images of flood-ravaged New Orleans with infamous statement of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who said that Hurricane Katrina was "the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans." Although I already knew the answer, I still found myself asking, "Is this seriously what they want for our education system?"

Interestingly, the film explores the lesser-known origins of charter schools as centers of innovation that were started by educators and communities in search of alternative educational services and options for students who needed them. Mona Davids, of the New York City Charter Parents Association, relates how control of charters has been hijacked by corporate interests, in stark opposition to the original idea.

A great strength of the film is the rarely heard voices of current and former charter school parents who expose how charters serve a completely different population than public schools. Charter schools have fewer English language learners, fewer children with special needs and far fewer children who live in poverty. Many of these parents decided to leave their charter schools once they found they had no voice in school decision-making.

Despite the selective nature of charter schools, the film points to a Stanford University study showing that only 17 percent of charters perform better than their neighboring public schools, 46 percent perform equally, and 37 percent of charters perform worse. This damning evidence of charter schools' inferiority is conspicuously absent from Guggenheim's film.

As a school psychologist in Brooklyn who works with children with a variety of disabilities and special education needs, it was gut-wrenching for me to hear the story of Lydia Bellehcene, a parent and Community Education Council member whose child's charter school lost its psychologist and social worker. Bellehcene's child did not receive mandated special services for a year and a half.

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

THE INCONVENIENT Truth Behind Waiting For Superman also stands unapologetically in defense of unions and the due process rights known as tenure.

And why shouldn't it? Countries with successful education systems are overwhelmingly unionized. While Waiting For "Superman" sounds the alarm about the U.S. falling behind countries like Finland in education (which equals "competitiveness" in the terms of Corporate America), it never investigates what makes schools in other countries successful.

Thank GEM for making a real documentary. We learn that Finland's teachers are 98 percent unionized. Their unions fight to keep class sizes low and make sure a rich curriculum--rather than high-stakes testing--drives learning. Furthermore, only 4.3 percent of Finnish children live below the poverty line, while an outrageous 23.4 percent of American children suffer this fate, many without health care or adequate housing. Instead of bashing teachers' unions, shouldn't real reforms give a good bashing to the poverty and neglect of our inner-city neighborhoods?

GEM's film provides the historical context that Waiting For Superman lacks, placing the attacks on teachers in the context of the 30-year offensive against unionized workers.

John Bettis, a parent and member of Concerned Advocates for Public Education (CAPE), poignantly describes a world without teachers' unions: "We would have a teaching staff, young, inexperienced, shuffling from job to job, unable to advocate children for fear of losing their job. That's the fantasy world for the privatizers." What should our unions be fighting for? You simply have to watch the film to see an amazing speech by a young teacher who wants to see his union transformed.

The filmmakers don't pretend to have all the answers, but they'd like to begin with the corporate reformers' demand for their own children (who don't attend public schools): adequate resources. Leonie Haimson, director of the organization Class Size Matters, scoffs at reformers' claims that funding doesn't matter. Yeah, is that why the elite reformers pay $30,000-plus per year for their kids' elementary school tuition?

Significantly smaller class sizes would please kindergarten teacher Mollie Bruhn, who has seen her class go from 16 to 26 students in recent years, with the time for individual attention and connection with each student dropping drastically. More teaching and less testing would be another sane demand.

The film ingeniously brings home the connection between real reform and pedagogy through vivid examples of culturally innovative curriculums being carried out by--that's right--public school communities. Measure that, test manufacturers!

The appeal of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman comes not from a Hollywood-sized budget, but from teacher and parent-sized hearts. At 65 minutes, it's the perfect length to watch with friends, family and colleagues, and is guaranteed to provoke discussion afterward.

The film is a call to arms for all those who want to win a world-class education for every student. It asserts that we must stop bailing out the rich and start bailing out people, schools and communities. We will need teachers, parents, and students standing together to make this a reality. Be careful, as the film may just inspire you to join this struggle and not look back. To quote a song from the film: "Are you waiting for the savior? Wake up--the hero is you."

Let's Kill Public Schools

Albany Superintendent Ray Colucciello said the mailings show voters that some charter operators would stoop to a clandestine attack just to harm the public schools. He said that it will make it harder to have collaboration with charter schools in the future.

See the article I posted on Norms Notes (Despicable charter industry tactics in Albany - Mailings encouraged voters to reject public school district budget) about how the charter schools in Albany are urging voters to reject the public school budget which will leave the schools bereft but not affect the charters. 

With every day we can see how the Warren Minor semi-facetious post comparing the ed deform scheme to destroy public education is similar to the Producers really makes sense.

You can follow it here:

Don't You Get It? Their Aim is to Make Public Schools So Awful for Teachers They Will Have no Choice But to Teach in a Charter

Well, actually, that's only one aspect of the ed deform plan. Getting rid of most of the public school system and any remnant of teacher unions is the main goal. Today's events in Albany are the sign of the flood. But in the meantime, with such a high turnover rate in charters, the best way to provide charter fodder is to make teaching in public schools awful.

Now they've been trying lots of ways to accomplish their aims. But the other day I had an epiphany while reading Myron Miner on the Chicago Public Schools and Producerism. at his blog, Last Stand for Children First.

Older/Experienced Teacher's Greed Deny Students Books and Computers While Using Classroom as Construction Zone Endangers Student Lives

That might have been the headline we might have seen in the NY Post. Or the Wall Street Journal. Or on Fox. Clearly, the NY Times' Fernanda Santos got it wrong today when it featured a 63 year-old teacher with 39 years of experience, painting him as possibly idealistic and dedicated to the children.

The school covers the cost of the mural, which includes overtime pay for certain teachers; one of them must come in early or stay late to monitor and guide the students at work.“I could buy more books, more computers, but the money is better spent this way,” said the principal, Janice Geary. “Our kids aren’t exposed to a lot of the things privileged kids are. We’re giving them an experience they would never have had.” Mr. Buxton’s classroom looks like a construction zone. There’s a drill on his table, a jigsaw in a cabinet out back, a level on the floor and sketches on the walls.

They actually had to pay teachers when they could get young TFA people who would serve for free? Really, let's get with the program, gang. This guy is costing the city a hundred grand a year. You can practically get 2 and a half Educators for Excellence teachers (is Charlie Sheen available?) for him. Art, shmart. Obviously, Santos is making amends for her puff piece on E4E recently (Education Notes: Samantha Sherwood, Another TFA/E4E Sob Story in ....). Not a bad job but she still owes - like when people like Sam Coleman, Lisa Campbell or Julie Cavanagh get a front page feature as idealistic young teachers who support teacher rights with a link to GEM all will be forgiven.

NYC Educator Gives Thanks to the UFT

Really, what can you say about the UFT/AFT/Unity Caucus? If you've been reading my posts (Reggie Landau Faces Student Protest Over Treatment of Teacher (Chapter Leader) about the chapter leader at IS 216 who is among a few of them the principal has gone after, I am hearing the UFT seems as much concerned with who is speaking to me as with going after the principal. Funny how many people from this school over the years have come to be because the UFT has been so inept. But what can I do other than publicize this. Given that this guy has been running rampant for so many years, the fact that only one article has been written in the NY Teacher is astounding.

I will spend more time on the UFT's refusal to tie cases like this attack on the lifeblood of the UFT - see Peter Lamphere and others - to the LIFO fight.

We celebrate today's Delegate Assembly with this post from NYC Educator who pretty much sums it all up. I will be heading over there for to hear today's line being tossed out and the overwhelming majority of Unity Caucus members eat it up.

Thank You Sir. May I Have Another?

Over and over, we lie down with dogs, and marvel at the ensuing fleas. We invite Bill Gates to investigate what makes teachers "effective." He comes in and tests cameras in classrooms, because everyone knows those fowl teachers cannot be trusted unless you monitor them every second. We invite him to speak at our convention, and the following week he attacks the wastefulness of those bloated teacher pensions, wondering aloud why we can't eat cat food like other elderly folk who aren't Bill Gates.

We endorse mayoral control, because who knows how bad it can be, and besides this Bloomberg fellow goes to baseball games with Randi Weingarten. He must be OK. Then after it turns out to be an unmitigated disaster, we make a list of improvements we'd like before we'll accept its renewal. When we don't get them, we support its renewal anyway.

We allow them to get rid of seniority transfers, and give power to principals to have absolute veto over incoming teachers. We design an open market that allows anyone to transfer anywhere, as long as principals think it's OK. Who woulda thunk that principals preferred malleable new teachers at half salary to grizzled old opinionated veterans? After all, just because those are the only people that get hired in the suburbs, why should it apply to us? And when thousands of teachers end up rotting in the Absent Teacher Reserve, demoralized and demonized, we are shocked, and state because more teachers transferred in the new program than the old, it is an unmitigated success.


We make a deal to reduce class size. The deal is so full of holes a tank could drive through it, but we declare victory anyway. When class sizes go up anyway, despite our deal and almost a billion dollars in CFE funds, we wonder how it could've happened.

Finally, we make a deal to allow value-added be part of teacher evaluations. Sure, it has no validity, but everybody's doing it, so where's the problem? We cleverly allow it to be only 20% of our evaluation, while other states are making it 50, and declare victory yet again. When the state passes a law allowing it to be double, we say, gee, how the heck did that happen? And Governor Cuomo, our good bud, is gonna do a Race to the Top and withhold money if we choose to exercise our option to negotiate, and turn down whatever abysmal offer Tweed comes up with.

Gee, how could this be happening? I thought we'd had it all taken care of.

A commenter added the small schools story, which we in ICE started raising questions about as far back as 2005 only to be accused of being anti-small schools when in fact we were issuing warnings about what was to ensue, to deaf ears at the UFT I might add. Leo Casey even recently brought this up in relation to our critiques of charters which he defends if done "right." I have it all on tape and one day I'll take some time to put Leo's presentation together (which we will probably hear again on Sat. night at the film showing.)

Two years ago when the DoE decided to use Teacher's Data Report in grades 3-8, the union said why not.  At every chapter leader meeting, the D.R.s told the chapter leaders to tell teachers that "it's okay" to use as an evaluative tool of their students' progress.  In fact, they showed a video on the how to handle administration if there use the TDR abusively against a teacher.  Now they want to publicize the teachers' TDR, knowing that it is fraught with errors and inaccuracies.  Yet, every teacher mentioned that if it happened in California, publicizing those reports, where one teacher committed suicide, it will happen in NY.  Why the heck are we in court again? 

In 2002, large high schools, especially in the Bronx, were being broken into boutique/theme high schools.  H.S. teachers complained that these small schools would not bring about the a higher rate of graduation because those schools would be dealing with the same population of students and the solution was to help the large, comprehensive high schools with more fundings, resources (more CBO, more attendance teachers, social workers, etc), not close them.  Small schools got the creme of the crop, poor academic, special needs, and behavior difficult students were deflected from the theme schools arnd were placed in already overcrowding high schools.  The results were poor performance, low graduation rate, abysmal attendance rate, high incident reports; DoE's solution is to close the school.  Second result, ATR pool is drowning with senior teachers that no theme schools want because of the new "Fair Funding - Children First" budget, which Randi did not fight against.

I truly feel that teachers, not only got paddled hard, but they stuck it in good and hard, gave a strong twist, and asked us ,"how much do you like this?" because we continue to ask for it constantly. Ouch!

Fightback Friday is Coming as Schools Across the City Stage Local Protests Against Bloomberg’s Budget Cuts

Friday, May 20th is Fight Back Friday! School communities across the city are uniting to fight budget cuts and lay-offs locally. If you are interested in sponsoring a Fight Back Friday, to sign on and receive a tool-kit, or if you want more information please email peter.lamphere@gmail.com.

At the risk of repeating myself, I know many of you participated in the rally on May 12 but may be ignoring the opportunity to join in Fight Back Friday events where schools citywide take independent action around their schools. Frankly, I feel these actions over time will have a bigger impact than rallies like the May 12 event (how much coverage did it get? What do you think the impact was?) One of the reasons FBFs are worth doing is that over time they pressure the UFT from below. But it also builds links (that have been missing) with the local community. Imagine all 1600 schools building these links to fight the budget cuts and layoffs?

A FBF toolkit has been produced and the organizers will send you one. This FBF too soon for you? Start organizing for June 10. Too soon? Come to the GEM meeting May 23 to think about expanding next year.

You can follow Fight Back Friday events on the FBF blog maintained by our pal at John Dewey HS.
http://fightbackfridays.blogspot.com/. You know, this factoid reminds me of why, despite how bleak things look, I am optimistic. The level of cooperation between the various groups and individuals has been unprecedented.

Here is the latest FBF flier that can be cut down the middle to double your fun.

 

 A message from Sam Coleman (GEM/NYCORE).

Hi all,

Just a reminder. This Friday is a city wide Fight Back Friday. Staff, students and parents all over the city will be dressing in black, wearing stickers, getting post-cards signed and having pickets at their schools.

Wear black, take our schools back!! from the corporate takeover and purposeful underfunding of our cities schools.

-If we add a small tax surcharge for those households with over $175,000 in income we would completely eliminate the need for any lay-offs.
-Hundred of millions is spent on testing!!
-Half a billion will be spent next year on technology infrastructure, much of that given in contracts to private companies with ties back to Tweed and the State Ed. department.

Get your colleagues and school community to wear black, send in pictures, or let us know your school is participating. The more participating schools, the more press we get, the more we can pressure our council members to vote down the mayor's insane budget!!!

Email sam@nycore.org for an email copy of the tool-kit with stickers, fliers to advertise your action, post-cards to the city council you can have people sign.

Its easy and fun!!!!

Sam, for the fight back friday committee

Here is one school's call - Lyons Community School based at the old IS 49 building in Williamsburg, a short distance from where I taught (our school used to feed into it).

Schools Across the City Stage Local Protests Against Bloomberg’s Budget Cuts

This Friday the 20th is being called “Fight Back Friday,” a day in which schools across the city will express their opposition to Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed layoffs.

Activist teacher groups such as New York Coalition of Radical Educators (NYCoRE, Grassroots Education Movement (GEM), and Teacher’s Unite have helped organize the event (the UFT unfortunately has not helped organize the event). Every participating school (30-50 are expected to participate) will stage demonstrations of their own determination, with the baseline factor that all teachers will be wearing black.

At Lyons Community School, a low-income public school in Williamsburg, teachers will take to the streets, reaching out to community members in an effort to halt the proposed budget cuts.

Teachers at Lyons Community School have mobilized significantly around the proposed cuts. Teachers have created t-shirts, posters, fliers, and postcards that urge action against the cuts and provide information to the community about how to fight back.

This Friday, Lyons Community School teachers will take to the streets right outside of the school with creative artwork and posters, talking to community members, distributing information packets, and getting postcards signed.

Contact:
Joshua Sol Lewis, ESL Teacher
347 406 1156

All fliers are available, including stickers to hand out in both English and Spanish.
Email me if interested: normsco@gmail.com

Press Release 5/15: Film Response to "Waiting for Superman", "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman", Premieres this Week 5/19 @ The Riverside Church, NY, NY

NOTE:
As of May 17, 725 seats already reserved. So act fast if you want to be guaranteed a seat. There will be some standing room as the South Hall is larger.

Press Release

Date:  May 15, 2011     

Contact:

Lisa Donlan, Parent and President CEC1:  917-848-5873

Julie Cavanagh, Teacher PS 15, GEM/CAPE: 917-836-6465

Brian Jones, Teacher PS 30, GEM: 646-554-8592

The Grassroots Education Movement Releases Film in Response to Waiting for "Superman"

Premiere Screening: The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For "Superman"

This month, The Grassroots Education Movement will present a new documentary, written and directed by New York City public school teachers and parents, created in response to Davis Guggenheim’s highly misleading film. Waiting for "Superman" would have audiences believe that free-market competition, standardized tests, destroying teacher unions, and the proliferation of charter schools are just what this country needs to create great public schools.

The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For "Superman" highlights the real-life experiences of public school parents, students and educators to show how these so-called reforms are actually hurting public education. The film discusses the kinds of real reform – inside schools and in our society as a whole  –  that we urgently need to genuinely transform education in this country.

Harlem Premiere Features Special Guest, Diane Ravitch

The official premiere of GEM's film will take place at the South Hall of The Riverside Church (enter at 91 Claremont Ave ) in Harlem on May 19th from 6 to 10 pm. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Mission and Social Justice Commission of The Riverside Church. Education historian Diane Ravitch will be our honored guest. The evening will include a panel featuring NYC parent Khem Irby, NYC public school teacher Brian Jones, and a NYC public school student, as well as Dr. Ravitch.

Seating at the premiere is limited. Reserve your seat online here:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGJXN2V2NHBnVk1GOVFVYnZfSnp4cFE6MQ

Press can also request a seat directly by emailing: juliereed15@hotmail.com.

For more information about the film, visit: 

www.waitingforsupermantruth.org.

Watch a "sneak peak" of the film online here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iMROy6VATs

For a review/press copy of the DVD, contact Brian Jones: 646-554-8592

Our unions and schools are under attack : Join the fight to defend public education-Next GEM Meeting: Monday May 23

I know a lot of people felt good about the May 12 rally. I did too. But the real work of working for Real Reform goes on in groups that are organizing at the grassroots level. At the rally I saw some of the fruits of that organizing, meeting new and old gen activists. You see, it is not about showing up at events but getting down to work. Some of the great work all the activist groups are doing together has focused on the series of Fight Back Fridays where your school gets to organize and educate the local community. Imagine of this were happening in 1500 schools?

This Monday GEM will meet to review some of the work over the past year. The film was only part of the work - and it is pretty amazing that we did that massive project while continuing to meet every month, work with parent groups all over the city, attend most PEP meetings, build alliances with the other activist groups, etc. By the way, as of last night we had 725 reservations for the premiere. Still room for 800 with 2 days left. Don't get left out of this gala event.

Our unions and schools are under attack
Join the fight to defend public education

Bring your ideas to a meeting and a strategic discussion with the Grassroots Education Movement (GEM)

Monday May 23 4:30 p.m.
CUNY Graduate Center 34th Street and 5th Ave Room 5414
Bring Picture ID

All across the United States, from Florida to Wisconsin to California to New York, schools face severe budget cuts, teacher unions face vicious attacks, standardized testing broadens and intensifies and the privatization of our public education system continues in the name of "reform".  But groups like the Grassroots Education Movement have been organizing to fight against these attacks and for a positive vision of what education should look like.  At this meeting, we are going to take a look back at an exciting year of activism, and make plans for an even more exciting year, and we want your input.

Check out our blog at http://gemnyc.org/

Other upcoming GEM events:

May 19 The premiere of the Inconvenient Truth Behind the Waiting for Superman at Riverside Church, including special guest Diane Ravitch.  http://gemnyc.org/2011/04/19/inconvenient-truth-premiere-riverside-church-may-19th-6pm/   Due to increased demand, 200 more seats have just been added.  Make your reservation now!  https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGJXN2V2NHBnVk1GOVFVYnZfSnp4cFE6MQ

May 20 Fight Back Friday!  Organize an action at your school against the layoffs and budget cuts. http://gemnyc.org/2011/05/09/next-fight-back-friday-is-may-20th/

May 21 Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman screening at the 6th Street Community Center, 636 East 6th St. (between Ave B and C). The post screening panel will include GEM's Julie Cavanagh, Sam Anderson of Black New Yorkers for Educational Excellence, the UFT's Leo Casey and Stanley Aronowitz of the CUNY Grad Center.

Don't You Get It? Their Aim is to Make Public Schools So Awful for Teachers They Will Have no Choice But to Teach in a Charter

Well, actually, that's only one aspect of the ed deform plan. Getting rid of most of the public school system and any remnant of teacher unions is the main goal. Today's events in Albany are the sign of the flood. But in the meantime, with such a high turnover rate in charters, the best way to provide charter fodder is to make teaching in public schools awful.

Now they've been trying lots of ways to accomplish their aims. But the other day I had an epiphany while reading Myron Miner on the Chicago Public Schools and Producerism. at his blog, Last Stand for Children First.

 

How dumb have I been. Of course! Minor points out that these guys are just versions of Max Bialystock who in Mel Brooks' The Producers comes to the fundamental understanding that if you raise lots of money for a Broadway play that you spend little on while making sure it bombs, you can walk away with the bundle. Brilliant! And as Minor points out, that is exactly what is happening in the public schools. Make 'em so bad that no one wants to go or teach there and walk away with a bundle for all your privatizing friends. 

Thus, when I hear people bewail WalBlackBloomKlein over some of the dumbest decision making ever seen, I admonish them to think MAX and his scheme! They have no intention of improving the schools and in fact are demolishing public ed as an institution so they and their pals can take the money and run,

Ed Deformers are anything but dumb. They actually have a plan that over a quarter century they are executing perfectly.

How long before we see a chorus line led by Dennis Walcott at PEP meetings singing "Springtime for Bloomberg and the Upper East Side."

Regents Does Double Dirty Deed

Where do you start? The corrupt(ed) NY State Board of Regents picks charter school slug John King to replace former slug David Whatshisname who replaced Dickie Boy Mills. All pathetic weak-kneed examples of political shills. And they conitnue the attack on teachers with the testing, testing, testing to evaluate you. Maybe Merryl Tisch should have to pass a veracity test to remain in her job. (See my post yesterday: Dishonor Among Thieves: Merryl Tisch Wrote Letter For Cuomo That He Ostensibly Wrote to Her

OK, I know there have been calls (An Open Letter to the Anti-Corporate Reform Community) to stop the name-calling and present reasoned arguments, which I am not capable of when frothing at the mouth like our friend to the right.

But thankfully, there is Leonie:

The NY Times article ends with:
In a letter to Ms. Tisch on Friday, Mr. Cuomo wrote, “We must not squander the opportunity to set the right course and make New York a leader in evaluating performance in our education system.”  


Leonie Haimson responds

http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2011/05/will-regents-allow-ideology-trump.html  - includes link to letter from experts


And for good measure she goes after Checker Finn:

Here is where I give Chester Finn, Fordham, Brookings and Center for American Progress a piece of my mind.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leonie-haimson/class-bias-class-size-and_b_862269.html

Also see Reality Based Educator:

Teacher Evaluation Changes

 And Accountable Talk:

The Value Added Lie

I can't stomach this crap anymore. I'm going back to blogging about swine like Reginald Landau and the role, or lack of, the UFT has played over the 6 years I have been hearing horror stories. 

Reggie Landau Faces Student Protest Over Treatment of Teacher (Chapter Leader)

The UFT should fight the LIFO battle using this story as an example. Run this as commercials instead of those insipid things.

In the world of the NYCDOE, a principal can be a serial killer and maintain the support of Tweed. I've been hearing Reggie Landau, principal of IS 216Q horror stories for years. He in particular goes after chapter leaders. On March 12, 2011 I posted:

Reginald Landau, Jr. - Triple Principal From Hell

Principal burns down his office through use of illegal hot plate. Tweed still supports him. This guy should be on the poster for why we need to keep LIFO. And charges of anti-semitism too.

I've been hearing horror stories about Reggie for years. His dad was a Superintendent in Queens in the district days. My friend worked for him when he was a principal and had good things to say. So, while Dad Landau had a decent rep his son, who one person at the school claimed went from para to Leadership Academy, is a horror story. I have other stuff from other teachers but here is just one:

Read more from Mar. 12

Link to NY Teacher article: Queens principal burns office, staff | United Federation of Teachers

Rachel Montagano

Today I received this message from someone involved:

This is in relation to your coverage on 3/12.  Big things at MS216.  We could really use some energy in the blogging world.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=767407175&ref=ts#!/pages/Help-Bring-BACK-MsMontagano/183767171676289

Students are using Facebook to organize a campaign to bring back Ms. Montagano. One student wrote: 

Ms.Montagano is honestly one of the best teachers i have ever had. She was respected by everyone and i just don't understand how you have the nerve to do such a thing to her. Everyone misses her, especially us, the students :( We want her back!! :'(

 I asked for more info:

Ms. Montagano has been a teacher in Queens since 1999. Receiving her BA from Hofstra in 1999. She taught 8th grade social studies for 4 years at IS5 with glowing reports from the administration. She also graduated from Queens College receiving her first masters degree in Urban Studies. She then took a job as a literary coach. She was interviewed at 65 Court St. directly by the DOE. The 5 year teaching requirement and English language arts license requirement were waived and she was given the literacy coach job at Halsey Middle School in Rego Park. The position was a newly created position in the DOE. It was difficult, but she did well. Raising reading scores, and receiving glowing reports from administrators at Halsey. As a literacy coach she met another fellow literacy coach from MS 216 named Daphne Van Dorne.

Daphne and Rachel developed a professional relationship as well as a friendly relationship. Daphne suggested Rachel consider coming to MS 216 as she was being promoted to assistant principal under a new principal from the leadership academy named Reggie Landau. Rachel was interviewed and given the job by Reggie Landau. She accepted. While at MS216 for the next 4 years as a literacy coach she was praised by the principal and Van Dorne who was now the AP. At this time Rachel she also wrote curriculum for the DOE. Was an intregal part of the state exam grading, and graduated from Touro College w/honors...receiving her administrators license and masters degree. She also assisted Van Dorne with her C30 questions to go from IAP to an appointed assistant principal. She also helped bring several teachers on board at MS216.

Around May 2008 some teachers began to question the administration about the work-load. They came to Rachel and she expressed the concerns to the AP. At the same time a school in Deer Park Long Island began to pursue Rachel for an AP position. Shortly after that Rachel was told she would no longer have the literacy coach position due to her being out of license. She tried to fight it, but could not keep the literacy coach job. There were heated discussions as Rachel had developed a tremendous amount of curriculum and work that she felt was her work and not be used without her permission. The UFT then explained to her that because of her seniority in that building he had to keep her in the building as a teacher. He assigned her as a social studies teacher.

In the fall of 2009 the principal was on his 4th UFT Chapter leader. Two had retired, and he busted one up...so the teacher refused the UFT Chapter leader position as his menu item. The new UFT leader filed a grievance over assigned prep. periods. The principal began an attach on the UFT Chapter Leader. The VP of Middle Schools and District Rep went to see the principal. He slammed the door in their face. NY Teacher slammed him in an article as nothing more than an unqualified leadership academy graduate who has a father in a high place. The rest is history.

The grievance went thru and eventually the teachers won with Rachel as the head grievant. The UFT then suggested Rachel become the Chapter Leader due to her strenghts. She has been under a daily assault from the minute she signed the grievance. She has held him accountable or tried to for all his wrong doing. His SLT procedures were out of compliance and he tries to intentionally keep her out of required safety meetings. She attended a PTA meeting once becoming the UFT Chapter Leader and he tried to ge the parents to keep teachers from the PTA meetings. She was recently served with 3020 A papers. Since December he has done this to 3 tenured teachers. As well as "play games" with several other teachers.

He seems to have really lost it after the NY Teacher article about him burning up his office came out. Anita Saunders is the superintendent and seems to offer little resolution.

There is so much more to this....but this is a blurb. If you want more....we talk via phone...or just keep e-mailing me.

Question: Did Jeffrey Dahmer graduate from The Leadership Academy?

-------------------------------
Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on right for news bits.

GEM Film Response to Waiting for Superman Premiere Thursday Gets More Space, Another Screening on May 21

The response to our film, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman, has been overwhelming, with requests coming in from all over the nation and Canada too. My job is to process the incoming emails. Some of the statements from educators and parents thanking us for making this film have been very moving - I will share a bunch at some point. What is clear is that the attack on public education, teachers and their unions, with Waiting for Superman piling on, has resonated with people —as has the fact that we undertook this project (we gave up Waiting for Michael Moore) on our own with no finances and little film making experience.

We've been mailing out DVDs to reviewers. Education reporter Beatriz Rey in Brazil who writes for their equivalent of Education Week wrote an excellent review of the film on her blog.  She has some legitimate criticisms which we agree with - but we just couldn't flesh out every aspect of the debate, keep the film around an hour and finish in a reasonable time. We hope to do follow-up films, as we are now hooked.

The always amazing Susan Ohanian, who just may be the first person to take on the ed deformers way back, saw an early version of the film and wrote: I've seen the film The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman and I recommend it.


Hundreds of seats added
The original 500 seats were booking up so fast, Riverside Church (490 Riverside Drive & 122 St.- entrance on Cleremont Ave.) added another hundred. By Friday afternoon when we did a walk-through we were well over 500. Then they moved us upstairs to a bigger space that holds 800.

So if you were worried about getting a seat, there is still time. Here is the announcement GEM posted on Facebook:

We are looking forward to seeing you on May 19th at the première of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman at Riverside Church. In order to guarantee a seat, please make a reservation for yourself and the others in your party by going to this link:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGJXN2V2NHBnVk1GOVFVYnZfSnp4cFE6MQ

Another screening on May 21
If you can't the premiere, we will have 3 videographers taping. But you can also see the movie next Saturday night, May 21, at 7pm at a Socialist Party screening on the Lower East Side. The post screening panel will include GEM's Julie Cavanagh, Sam Anderson of Black New Yorkers for Educational Excellence, the UFT's Leo Casey and Stanley Aronowitz of the CUNY Grad Center. All but Aronowitz are in the film.