Inside Report: The Agony and The Agony

My fellow patient

Minutes before operation, July 19

Monday July 25, 8AM

I figured I would peck out an update before heading off to the doctor.

If you don't know, I had a bike malfunction on Thurs July 14 mangling my right wrist so badly I needed an operation with plate, etc. In brief, spent day in emerg room at Penninsula Hospital, was admitted overnight for operation next day - Friday July 15 at 1pm but got bumped from OR minutes before, got sent home till Tues with splint but without setting wrist - too unstable- but with lots of Percacet pain killer. Immediately called hand surgeon I had seen the last time I fell off my bike and broke stuff 8 years ago and made apptmt for monday July 18. Resplinted me for comfort till operation next day - July 19. They loaded me wth morphine etc all night at my request.  Out of hospital Weds. - pain, discomfort, blech. Thursday was worst day due to reaction to meds. Since then slow improvement.

I haven't been total recluse. Got out both Saturday eves. July 16 to Rockaway Theatre Co great production of Annie Get Your Gun which I managed to tape by setting up tripod. This past Saturday got to go out with college pals visiting from Washington - one couple were supposed to be our house guests but opted for hotel in city rather than listen to me whimper for 4 days. Another local couple have an apartment in Williamsburg (where 2 of the guys grew up - talk about culture shock) and we ate Italian on N.6th and Berry a few blocks from where I spent my last assignment in District 14. When we left reataurant at 9:30 the streets were packed. Really an astounding scene if you knew the area just 15 years ago.

Gotta go get ready to go to doctor. Check this out. I haven't yet but see what you can glean about what uft is not telling.

Info to principals on new atr agreement - video format

http://learningtimes.adobeconnect.com/atr2011

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.

"No Excuses" Bill Gates Makes Excuses for His Ed Deform Failures

Do I need to remind you of the rousing reception our own 800 plus Unity Caucus delegates to the AFT convention last year in Seattle gave Bill Gates while booing and hooting at the people who walked out?

• THE WEEKEND INTERVIEW
• JULY 23, 2011

Was the $5 Billion Worth It?

A decade into his record-breaking education philanthropy, Bill Gates talks teachers, charters—and regrets.

http://on.wsj.com/nKjGSO

NYC Teacher and former GEM activist Seung Ok comments

It's interesting how Gates seems to give every excuse in the book for why he "failed" to drastically improve academic achievement despite the time and money spent on his mission.

His first excuse is that compared to the cumulative 600 billion dollars in government spending on public schools, he only had 5 billion to spend. Of course, he is talking as if that 5 billion was equally scattered among all the public schools in the United States. We know that his small school models had enough funding and opportunity to test whether his experiment would work, which by his own admission, did not meet his standards.

Then he and the writer of the article suggest that it was the powerful teacher unions that thwarted the success of Gates foundation initiatives. But later on, even Gates admits there seems to be no correlation between student achievement and the strength of unions in particular states. Although suprisingly, the two states he mentioned as being strong union states, Massachusetts and New York, are ranked # 2 and #5, respectively by NAEP results in student performance.

If it sounds like a man who is grabbing at straws, he is. He admits as much when talking about measuring teacher effectiveness. I was slightly embarassed for him, when he mentioned the movie, "To Sir, With Love" as an inspiration for his new initiative in taping teachers in real classroom settings. You don't see the president of the United States saying," I watched the movie Saving Private Ryan", and then proceed to discuss how the war in Afganistan can be won. What presidents usually do is to talk with military experts, diplomatic advisers, academics, political advisers, etc.

But not this guy - he wants to watch hours and hours of tape on military engagements in the mountains of Afganistan and write a report on how soldier effectiveness can be rated. The thing is, if he were really a scientist, I'd say fine - but he isn't one really. What he is - is a businessman. Unfortunately, what business knows about computer chips and factory output doesn't translate into the complex lives of human beings.

So what is Gates thinking, that through extensive studying he can produce a script? If student A yawns, then teacher Does B, then student A goes to Harvard. Certainly teachers know there are a variety of ways to redirect a students attention back to a lesson. But we also know, that no single method may work on the same student on successive days. We also know that there are a thousand other factors affecting a student's attention span - hunger, problems at home, lack of glasses, ADD, abuse, neglect, peer pressure, depression, anxiety, illness, etc. - most things things that the video camera will unlikely catch.

But teachers welcome any new insight into practices that may make our jobs easier. If our students perform well, they are happier, and are nicer to us. It may be hard for Gates to accept, but most teachers - for some inane reason - do measure their happiness at their jobs by the performance of their students. This is why areas with low academic performance are also known as hard-to-staff districts. Unfortunately, the teachers who are dedicated enough to stay, are punished by the likes of Gates and Bloomberg with ridicule and closure.

And as far as KIPP charter schools being an inspiration - maybe Gates should put on the scientist cap for a second and try to figure out what is the X factor - the "independent variable" - the one thing that is different from the control group (public schools). Well, any budding scientist knows that conclusions are invalid when there is more than one difference between the two groups. Now we know that charter schools have a self selected sample of students with motivated and involved parents. We also know they "engourage" students they deem disruptive or having learning disabilities to transfer to public schools. Even though most charter schools have non-unionized teachers - is seems that watching these teachers is as unilluminating to Gates as watching Sidney Potier's character in To Sir, With Love.

So please, Mr. Gates, get out your popcorn and your notepad and please do write up a lab report for the rest of us. And a personal pedagogical request - I've always been stumped by the appearance of doodling that occurs on desks - especially in the back rows. I'm very interested in knowing whether they tend to occur in the beginning, middle, or end of the period. Thank you.

Tea Party Group Admits It Wants to "Shut Down Public Schools" - Unions Must Educate, Organize and Mobilize to Fight Back Instead of Compromising With Ed Deformers

“We think public schools should go away,’’ says Teri Adams, the head of the Independence Hall Tea Party and a leading advocate — both in New Jersey and Pennsylvania — of passage of school voucher bills...Our ultimate goal is to shut down public schools and have private schools only, eventually returning responsibility for payment to parents and private charities. It’s going to happen piecemeal and not overnight. It took us years to get into this mess and it’s going to take years to get out of it.”

Also read WSJ where Bill Gates admits he prefers vouchers but the political climate isn't right.  WSJ.com: http://on.wsj.com/nKjGSO

Where to start on this one when you are talking to the choir? People have to start ignoring the rhetoric from the ed deformers. Above is the intent of the privatizers ala Milton Friedman economics and the small government movement, with teacher unions being the major target. The idea that the way to fight back in this war is by focusing on organizing charter school teachers and trying to legislate limits on charters (pretty much the UFT approach) is farcical. Sure, organize charter school teachers (into thousands of separate contracts that can at most close down one school and easily be broken) but also educate them about the charter school ultimate threat and intent. The reason our movie is getting such a response is because so many people are seeing it as one of the most effective pieces in the fight back. And it is effective because it comes from the rank and file and didn't push the official union half-measure response line.

Charter schools are the trojan horse. And we in GEM take them head on in the movie and in our pamphlet "The Truth About Charters." Thus, let's start challenging those who say they favor choice and charters but no co-locos because that battle is ultimately a sham to cover up what is really going on. While I was not opposed to the NAACP-UFT law suit the loss was expected (last year they settled before they could lose - a loser of a settlement anyway.) But, hey, it gave slime bucket Marc Sternberg a chance to have a party.

So I'm a hard ass on UFT/AFT/NEA compromises by mouthing support for so many aspects of ed deform. And charters are the cutting edge of the assault. The idea of charter schools may be noble but we can't separate the theoretical intent of charter schools from the reality of the outcomes.
The "I believe in choice" argument has been misused. I believe in choice - when it comes to cars or corn flakes. But not when it comes to public institutions like a neighborhood school. The choice offer is being rejected by wealthy suburbs for a good reason. "Choice" becomes a dangerous concept when the result is a form of apartheid.

MUST READ at Seattle Education:   

Danny Weil on the Neo Liberal Language of Ed Reform
Weil links to this ed deform double speak video with the following description:

The idea of working to close the so-called "achievement gap" in education is very similar to the concept of "greenwash" in environmentalism.

Greenwash is the term used to refer to propaganda deliberately used by polluters to cover up what they are really doing. A typical example would be the plant-a-tree days that are funded by big oil and auto companies. Obviously, no amount of tree planting will ever undo their damage, yet the public relations people know that greenwash is a great way to protect their profits from costly calls for more government regulation: it distracts people from real causes. It encourages people to "take personal responsibility" rather than blame corporations who are made to look like leaders of environmentalism.

Similarly, when we look at education, we find that its new mission around the globe has, ever since NCLB, become "closing the achievement gap," that is, leaving no child left behind. I call this "gapwash" because it covers up the real problem of the ever-widening gap between the rich and poor, a gap which was caused by globalization and technology which together have dealt a death blow to the "decent jobs" of yesteryear's working class and given rise a new super-class of billionaires. "Closing the gap" gives educators a feel- good mission of raising test scores and graduation rates as it preserves the illusion that they are actually doing something to raise children out of poverty.
~ continued at http://forpublicschool.wikispaces.com/Achievement+Gap

See it directly on you tube: http://youtu.be/4FOmnG721qo



Below, read the truth instead of the eduwashers.

Tea Party Group Admits It Wants to "Shut Down Public Schools"

http://www.truth-out.org/tea-party-group-admits-it-wants-shut-down-public-schools/1310493891

Tuesday 12 July 2011

by: Zaid Jilani, ThinkProgress | Report

As ThinkProgress has documented, a tightly-knit group of right-wing Political Action Committees (PACs) and corporate foundations have unleashed an assault on public education, pushing school voucher schemes nationwide that would funnel taxpayer dollars away from public schools and toward private schools instead. In doing so, many of these voucher advocates claim they simply want to expand school choice and improve the quality of education for all.

Yet one group that has been influential in the school voucher push — the Independence Hall Tea Party, which has run a major PAC that operates in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania — is finally admitting that its true goal is to abolish public education.

In a series of e-mails and interviews, Teri Adams, the president of the Independence Hall Tea Party Association, explains that her organization is involved in its voucher advocacy because it believes “public schools should go away.” Adams said that their ultimate goal is to “shut down public schools and have private schools only“:

“We think public schools should go away,’’ says Teri Adams, the head of the Independence Hall Tea Party and a leading advocate — both in New Jersey and Pennsylvania — of passage of school voucher bills. The tea party operates in those two states and Delaware. They should “go away,” she says, because “they are hurting our children.’’ [...] Adams says the current voucher program “discriminates” against wealthier students by providing public subsidies only to inner-city children in allegedly failing schools. Her group’s e-mails pushing vouchers caught the attention of James Kovalcin of South Brunswick, a retired public school teacher who asked Adams for clarification. She responded via email: “Our ultimate goal is to shut down public schools and have private schools only, eventually returning responsibility for payment to parents and private charities. It’s going to happen piecemeal and not overnight. It took us years to get into this mess and it’s going to take years to get out of it.”

“It’s refreshing to see a vouchers promoter who is honest about her real intent — to destroy public education,” responded Julia Rubin, a spokeswoman for Save Our Schools, a New Jersey organization that is opposing the voucher push in the state. “Fortunately, most New Jersey residents understand how devastating vouchers would be for our excellent public schools.” (HT: @DianeRavitch)

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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.

TOMORROW BEAT THE HEAT WITH GEM'S HOT MOVIE - JULY 24 - RESISTANCE CINEMA Presents "THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH BEHIND WAITING FOR SUPERMAN"

But as the title of the film's central theme song says "The Hero Is You". That is, there is no superman coming to save us. It's up to the people watching the film who care about the fate of  public education to get active, organize, and engage in one of the key struggles of our times.   

Russell Branca is organizing the event. The film's co-narrator Brian Jones will be representing the film.

Everyone loves this shot of Michael Fiorillo in the film

Here is a link to the webpage for the July 24th screening.
http://russellbranca.com/AriaAperta/Projects/TRUTHSUPERMANDETAILS.html

RESISTANCE CINEMA
Presents

"THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH
BEHIND
WAITING FOR SUPERMAN" 
Real Reform Studios and A Grassroots Education Movement Production, produced, directed, filmed and edited by Julie Cavanagh (teacher), Darren Marelli (school social worker), Norm Scott (retired teacher), Mollie Bruhn (teacher), and Lisa Donlan (parent). narrated by Julie Cavanagh, Brian Jones, & Daren Marelli,
(2011,  66 min)


WHEN:  Sunday July 24, 2011  1:15 pm
WHERE:  Community Church NY Gallery Room 28 East 35th st. btwn Park and Madison Aves.
ADMISSION:  Free, donations appreciated
SPECIAL GUEST: There will be a post screening Q&A with the filmmakers

WEB VERSION WITH PHOTOS CLICK HERE             RC SUMMER 2011 SCHEDULE   

In 2010 writer and director Davis Guggenheim, the director of the influential "An Inconvenient Truth",  featuring Al Gore, turned his attention to the issue of public education in America and produced the film "Waiting For Superman". The film was widely acclaimed in the mainstream press, praised lavishly by the White House and Education Secretary Arne Duncan,  and, particularly with its sympathetic portrait of Charter schools, met with much enthusiasm from those in the corporate driven "education reform movement".

The response from many teachers, parents, and students was another matter. For them, it was a salvo against the public education system with the long view of eventually privatizing it, an attack on the Teacher's Union as a central obstacle blocking reform, and the inevitable acceptance of standardized testing as the essential measure of accountability.

In "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For Superman" a group of New York City teachers and parents came together not only to counter claims made in the film that they have found inaccurate, but to offer a powerful rebuttal to the film's philosophy. Or as they say on the film's website :

"We reject "Waiting for Superman" and the privatization of PUBLIC Education by hedge fund millionaires and corporate interests.  PUBLIC Education is not for sale!"

TITBWFS begins intensely with an opening scene of NYC students angrily chanting against the Department Of Education (DOE).  While the intensity undergoes various permutations and variations throughout the film, it never really lets up.  This is an impassioned film that takes place in a city that has seen an intense struggle in the public education policy. When Mayor Michael Bloomberg took control of city schools in 2002 and appointed Joel Klein as Schools Chancellor the battles began but when he appointed Cathie Black, a highly successful corporate CEO in the publishing business but with no connection or experience in education as his replacement in 2010, the uproar and lines of resistance were ferocious. She lasted just 95 days as her problems with parents, teachers, and students seemed overwhelming and irresolvable.

This is the emotional cauldron in which the film takes place. While NYC teachers Brian Jones and Julie Cavanagh are the central protagonists, an ample platform is given to parents, students, and teachers, to address the top down corporate CEO model of organizing education verses a participatory approach integrating parents and community. They take on the issues surrounding Charter Schools, teachers and tenure, standardized high stake testing, the closing rather than improving of public schools that are doing poorly, the co-location of Charters with public schools creating competition for space between the two, and other consequences.

The film has its villains both local and national; Mayor Bloomberg, Joel Klein, Cathie Black, the head of Harlem Children's Zone Goeffrey Canada, Michelle Rhee the ex-head of public schools on Washington D.C.  who was eventually rejected by D.C. voters, President Obama and Arne Duncan who both enthusiastically embrace the charters, and the various billionaires who lobby Washington and have invested fortunes in bringing a far right ideological agenda into the education debate.

Diane Ravitch, the ex Under Secretary of Education who once supported the Charter school movement but who now is one of its most ardent critics, is heralded as one of the film's heroes, along with Karen Lewis of the Chicago UFT, Sam Anderson a NYC teacher and education activist, or parent Leonie Haimson. But as the title of the film's central theme song says "The Hero Is You". That is, there is no superman coming to save us. It's up to the people watching the film who care about the fate of  public education to get active, organize, and engage in one of the key struggles of our times.  

The hero is you
Since our mantra is Educate, Organize, Mobilize, I would say our film is accomplishing all of the above.Russell took the initiative on this on his own. I remember at the first production meeting last August, this "hero is you" theme was hammered out and Julie's husband Glenn wrote the perfect song.

We got a check for almost $300 from last week's Albuquerque (try spelling that on pain killers) screening from the awesome Francesca Blueher. See her wonderful emails from last week: Albuquerque screening of "The Inconvenient Truth B...

One aspect is that after people see screenings they want copies to set up their own events. We have nothing to do with these screenings. They are all happening spontaneously. So far the only disapppintment to me is that here at home base in NYC the percentage of teachers who even know about the film is small. By the end of next school year I would hope most NYC teachers will have seen the film. But that is up to people out there - like you guys who read this blog. You can even invite me as a guest for a lunchtime or after school film session. I promise to be off the pain killers - jeez, typing with my left hand only is so tedious.

We are trying to keep world-wide screenings updated on our film site: http://www.waitingforsupermantruth.org/ but it has been hard. Interesting how many colleges are requesting the film. One prof from England wants to put it up on their faculty network. Lots of union leaders and officials and even school board and Superintendents are asking.


By the way, feel free to donate to help us in this massive distribution effort - we are almost done with 4000 dvds and may need to order more. The mailing process is costing a bundle. We especially want to get the film shown to as many NYC teachers as possible. GEM doesn't have a bank account yet so I've donated the Ed Notes corporate account - yeah, I'm the CEO. Or is it OEC? Or EEEEIOO? I love this pain killer. Anyway, send us some love:


Make checks out to:

Ed Notes, Inc.
518 Beach 134 St.
Rockaway Park, NY 11694

PAY PAL

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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.

Join Marc Sternberg and Tweedies in Happy Hour celebrating their court victory tonight over the thousands of NYC parents, teachers and students who begged them not to close their schools and/or squeeze their students out through damaging charter-co-locations

UPDATED (again): Saturday,July 23, 9am - Did they notice the guy with one arm and a video camera up his nose?
Alas, twas not me.

Here is a report:
TheRadioRahimShow catches up with DOE Deputy Chancellor Marc Sternberg at a happy hour he hosted on Friday, July 22, 2011, to "honor this important moment for New York City's public school families! Please forward - all are welcome!"

We made ourselves welcome, and asked Mr. Sternberg why he thinks closing 22 struggling public schools and squeezing charter schools into 15 more is a cause to celebrate.

More info at: http://gothamschools.org/2011/07/22/top-doe-official-proposes-happy-hour-to-c...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx-UHgJYWWI

Michael Best - at his Worst

This item pulled me out of my funk over my operation on Tuesday for my severely broken wrist. Wish I could go and tape. Hope somebody does. I find Sternberg one of the typically arrogant Tweed POS. Has real John White potential. Find your favorite Tweedie on the recipient list:

This came in from Leonie:

Marc Sternberg and company celebrating their court victory tonight over the thousands of NYC parents, teachers and students who begged them not to close their schools and/or squeeze their students out through damaging charter-co-locations.
He phrases it as "an important moment for New York City's public school families! Please forward - all are welcome!"  But it was instead an important moment for arrogant and heedless Tweed educrats.
Apparently Tribeca Tavern is the venue, at 5 PM at 247 West Broadway, in case others want to go and share in the merriment.

-----Original Appointment-----
From: Sternberg Marc
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2011 12:52 PM
To: Sternberg Marc; &DPP All Staff; Best Michael (Legal Services); Grimm Kathleen; Suransky Shael; Thompson Saskia; Greenberger Sharon; Conforme Veronica; Gibson Dorita; Rodriguez Laura; Weiner David; Thomases Joshua; Bell-Ellwanger Jennifer; Tyack Justin; McNally Courtney; Stuart Rosemary; Chase Johannah; Buher Andrew; Tragale Michael; Guinan Elizabeth; Gawkoski Krista; Friedman Anna; Vasiliou George; Weiss Emily; Lopatin Adina; Thompson Ashleigh (Nikki); Connelly Katherine; Ulevitch Anne; Wang Candace; Pimentel Chad; Pancholy Ritu; Chan Annabelle; Singer Robin F.; Greenfield Robin; Jackson-Chase Courtenaye; Feijoo Laura; Conyers Donald; Kleinhandler Sarah; Shear Jeffrey; Taratko Thomas; Khan Rana; Fetter Sarah; Sobelman Jenny; Speiller Lenny; Okezie Nnennaya; Morgan Barbara; Mittenthal Matthew; Ravitz Natalie; Thomas Francis; Miller Deidrea; Brack Ryan; Teitel Rachael; Konstan Elayna; Orzo Anthony; Rampersant Mark; Allen Keishea; Hall Ojeda; Kurzweil Martin; DSouza Simone; Ashton Eric; Feinberg Rachel; Becker Lawrence; Brodsky David; VanderVeen Arthur; Gillett Stacey; Cannon Joanna; Brawer Sandy; Marlin Carrie; Ades Emily; Crane Stephanie; ; Kulig Antoinette; Argudo Theresa; Billington Louise; Greats Chantell; Moore Alma; Chasan Rebecca; Jackson-Thomas Dawn

Subject: Happy Hour!
When: Friday, July 22, 2011 5:00 PM-7:00 PM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
Where: Tribeca Tavern, 247 West Broadway
Last night:
New York Supreme Court Justice Paul Feinman denied the UFT and NAACP's request for a preliminary injunction preventing the Department of Education from moving forward to close 22 failing schools and co-locate 15 public charter schools in DOE buildings.  The judge's ruling allows the DOE to move forward with the closings and co-locations.
Tonight:
Come join us for a drink to honor this important moment for New York City's public school families! Please forward - all are welcome!

Riveting Video: Jeff Kaufman Blows the Lid off Tenure Denial Scandal at Aspirations HS and UFT Bureaucrats' Attempt to Deflect Their Do-Nothing Policies by Blaming Kaufman

UFT Foils While Tenure Burns: A Case Study in DOE and UFT Perfidy

On July 12,  I interviewed Jeff Kaufman, one of the most knowledgeable union people I know. Whenever someone with a union problem contacts me I often send them to Jeff or James Eterno rather than the UFT. To say Jeff has a contentious relationship with the UFT/Unity Caucus leadership would be a gross underestimation. They despise him even more than they do me after his 3-year stint on the UFT Exec Board representing the Independent Community of Educators (ICE) where he regularly took apart the phony Randi Weingarten agenda.

In this riveting video Jeff takes us step by step through the process of how all 8 teachers at his school who were up for tenure had their time extended and now face the prospect of having to wait for a 5th year. The lies and perfidy of just resigned principal Matt Malloy (who often referred to these Teach for America young women as "Matt's Harem") and Superintendent Amy Horowitz who did zero supervision of Malloy while he did no observations and pushed almost all the administration burdens of running a new school onto these young and inexperienced teachers.

And then there are the UFT bureaucrats - VPHS Leo Casey and District Rep Charley Turner (one of the all time sleazeballs who even outranks Washington Sanchez in that category)  who instead of providing assistance to the teachers, attempted to use this as a way to undermine Jeff with his colleagues -a long-time tactic of Unity Caucus with people who oppose their policies.



Direct Vimeo link: http://vimeo.com/26575544

The video is mostly focused on the actions of the principal but it is a microcosm of not only what went on in so many schools but of the helpless reaction to this crisis by the UFT leadership. Jeff wrote a companion piece on the ICE blog July 16 focusing on the UFT and the tenure story.

UFT Fiddles While Large Numbers of Probationers Are Denied Tenure

Here is an excerpt but go read it all:

A note on tenure…

We have explained before, in this blog, what tenure is and what it isn't. Briefly stated the law defines tenure as that period of time, usually 3 years, where a teacher has performed satisfactorily. Tenure fundamentally changes the employment rights of a teacher from being an "at-will" employee while under probation and fired for any or no reason at all to one that is entitled to a due process hearing where the DOE must prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the teacher should be fired before an arbitrator.

Education Law 3012 provides, in relevant part: "At the expiration of the probationary term…, the superintendent of schools shall make a written report to the board of education …recommending for appointment on tenure those persons who have been found competent, efficient and satisfactory, consistent with any applicable rules of the board of regents adopted pursuant to section three thousand twelve-b of this article. ...Each person who is not to be recommended for appointment on tenure, shall be so notified by the superintendent of schools in writing not later than sixty days immediately preceding the expiration of his probationary period."

The statute provides that tenure decisions must be made solely on a teacher's competence, efficiency and satisfactory service. The part of the statute which refers to State Regulations only refers to the new, 4 part, evaluation system, effective September 2011 which make no mention of probation or tenure at all.

So why is the UFT so conspicuously absent in the face of such a radical change in working conditions for so many teachers? Perhaps, their lawyers believe that since tenure is not a subject of bargaining there is legally little they can do. While, admittedly, legal avenues are limited although there are actions that can be brought if the Union knew or cared about its members.

Now, we must wait for a FOIL request to be filled (they can take months or even years) and teachers who have provided competent, efficient and satisfactory service must serve additional probation time or be terminated.

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

Kaufman on E4E

I put up a separate excerpt of the video the other day where Jeff focused on the E4E people in his school and the contradiction between their support for that organization and what happened to them. In that short video Jeff points out how E4E is anti-union:  ICE's Jeff Kaufman Dissects Educators 4 Excellence and Judges Them "Antiunion" -

UFB- A Left Handed Rant

FORE

So at this time I was supposed to be under the influence having my wrist - which looks like it has a golf ball embedded in it - and feels even worse than that - repaired. Yell FORE if you see my wrist coming at you.

Everything is a GO they say.   Until it isn't. Now I'm GONE - back home with no repair yet but with a  giant cast on my arm big enough to plaster an entire wall.

Just as I thought they were coming to get me for surgery they tell me there's an OR emergency and we can't do it today. How about Tuesday? But the good news is you can go home with the monster cast and have the operation done as an outpatient freak'n 4 days later. WTF. When I asked yesterday if i could go home after 8 hours in the ER they told me all kinds of reasons why not. Today it's YES YOU CAN. Anybody thinking it was about a night of medicare payment? I had a nice rest anyway and met some wonderful hospital workers who treated me royally. And a few nifty docs too. But of course they didn't let me get at any of that joyous hospital food in prep for my phantom surgery.

There goes all sorts of plans including most likely the SOS march in DC though I will still hold out some hope when I go see a hand specialist Monday AM who I may opt to use to do the surgery - he's associated with the hospital my wife used to work at.

Speaking of which - she dropped off the Percestat prescription, made me a sandwich and ran off to play majohng which  was supposed to be played at my house with 8 women but got moved due to my accident. "I'll pick it up on the way home after the game," she said as  I lay writhing in agony. "You have to pay some penalty for being such a dumb cluck."

Who needs Percestat when you can gulp half a jar of Advil?

Well, I think I need tooooo taaaaake a nappppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp......

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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.

Live blogging from surgery

Friday july 15
Well, not exactly live blogging which is hard to do under general anathesia.

I went for little bike ride yesterday. Had a slight accident. Now I know the diff between ulna and radius since both are broken on right wrist. Surgery in an hour.

This is the 2nd bike accident with broken bones. And the last as biking retirement looms at the insistance of spouse.

So you may not be getting updates with the usual freq for quite a while. I'm just going to order a batch of cigars and puff the summer away. Big problem looming. Who's going to cut my meat?

Btw- anyone want a bike?

Cheers,
Norm Scott

Education Notes
ednotesonline.blogspot.com

Grassroots Education Movement
gemnyc.org

Education columnist, The Wave

Robotics blog
normsrobotics.blogspot.com

Sent from my BlackBerry

Chicago Hopes (We're Gone)

Why I went to Chicago

My role in all this ed stuff is support. Support for the newer generation of teacher activists along with the older gen people who are still out there battling. I'm looking forward to today's New Teacher Underground first session - see sidebar.

It was certainly nice to meet all the new and older gen people in Chicago from around the nation and Canada and Mexico. Here are a few more pictures from the Chicago National Conference to Defend Public Education.

The top one was taken on our long march over to a bar after the conference ended on July 6. We stopped at the monument to the Haymarket riot/massacre, an important event in labor history. The group is made up of NYC and Chicago (CORE) teachers.

In the center bottom is Kristine Mayle who a short time ago was teaching a special ed class in Chicago and is now the chief financial officer of the Chicago Teachers Union - a core CORE member. It's the third time I've met Kristine and she is a model for young activism.

Next to her is GEM/CAPE's Julie Cavanagh an up and coming leader in the battle to defend public education and a major mover (and co-narrator) of the GEM film "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman." Julie will venture into UFT issues for the first time as the new chapter leader of PS 15. Upper left is Kelly Wolcott, a chapter leader in Brooklyn and a Teachers Unite activist who I met for the first time at the conference - another amazing young teacher who is already having an impact. And of course GEM pals Gloria Brandman (top center) and Lisa North (bottom next to me). The lady on the upper right is a 12 year Chi teacher who I spoke to later at the bar. I'm not sure about the lower right identity.

NYC and Chicago meet at Haymarket Monument

Before

After a few

Recovery strategy

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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.

UFT Provides Buses for SOS in Washington

Click above for info

It is time to start focusing on the big 4 day Save Our Schools event in Washington starting in two weeks. You can go for the workshops/events - GEM is doing one on Thursday afternoon (July 28) and film is shown the night of Friday July 29 - or just go down for Saturday July 30. There's even a bloggers meet-up on Friday night.

The UFT is prepared to offer both options and they have asked Yelena Siwinski to coordinate the project  – she asked Mulgrew at the June DA about the buses and to his credit he responded positively. But the buses are only available of they can be filled.

No matter how you get there, GEM would love to have you march with them. The meet-up spot on Saturday is currently (re-check my side panel for updates) at 10:30 at Freedom Plaza, 14th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. A bunch of GEMers are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bethesda, the SOS HQ from July 27-July 31.

We are proud that Susan Ohanian and Washington State parent activist and button-lady supreme Juanita Doyon are marching with GEM. Juanita has already sent me a box of button to bring down for her. Some really good ones.

From Yelena Siwinski

The UFT will be providing 1 or 2 buses to the Save our Schools March in Washington, D.C.  We need 50 people to fill each bus.  The 2 travel options would be:     

1. Bus leaves New York around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 27th and returns Sunday, July 31st. This will allow participants to attend the activism workshops which will be given at American University all day, Thursday, July 28th and Friday, July 29th and on Sunday morning, July 31st.  There will also be keynote addresses given by Jonathan Kozol and Diane Ravitch and a viewing of the film, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman. 

2. Bus leaves early Saturday, July 30th and arrives in Washington by 10:30 a.m. in time for speakers, performances and musicians.  The actual march begins at 1:30 p.m. and the bus will leave when it is finished.

If you need further information about the conference, accommodations and the march the SOS link is:  http://www.saveourschoolsmarch.org/

To reserve your seat either click on the link below or email Yelena Siwinski at ysiwinski@uft.org by Tuesday, July 19th to indicate your preference.  In your email please include your name, number of people you are reserving seats for, cell phone, email, and the borough you will be coming from so that we can determine the most convenient location for our departure and return.

Reservation link:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/gform?key=tRwzmU4yXHK3SBCG2B8w3WQ#edit

Thanks for your support and your willingness to take action to save public education in America!

ICE's Jeff Kaufman Dissects Educators 4 Excellence and Judges Them "Antiunion"

I interviewed Jeff Kaufman, chapter leader of Aspirations HS in Brooklyn,  on July 12 for almost an hour about the tenure situation at his school which has been featured in 2 items in the press (Daily News and Gotham Schools). At the end of the interview I asked him about his relationship to the E4E teachers in the school since he is such a strong advocate of teacher rights. Jeff' describes his interaction with them, including how he resolved a grievance one of them filed. He points to how he judges them anti-union.



http://youtu.be/rcjxpVACmpU

Check out The Reflective Educator take on E4E

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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.

Jonah Edelman Caught With His Pants Down

OMG, the wires are buzzing with the ed deform gaffe made by Jonah Edelman at the Aspen Festival of Ed Deform where he bragged about manipulating Teacher Unions. Below are the links - go forth and vomit - or rejoice in the Rupert Murdoch-like scandal. Where do we start? Kudos to Ohanian, Schmidt and Klonsky. I just kept cut'n n past'n. The video is playing all over the place. Here it is at Queens Teacher:

How To Take Down a Teachers Union

 

Oh, so many more goodies. How about the Illinois Teacher Union conspiring to leave the Chicago TU isolated? Edelman brags that the CTU can never strike because they would need 75% of the vote, which they will never get. Hmmm. Keep up the ed deform work of chopping at teachers and ya never know. I just read that the UFT's first strike was illegal and also had about 2-3000 teachers out but managed to disrupt the schools to such an extent they won. Wouldn't it be nice to see Rahm rammed? Ya never know.
By the way, note how Edelman mentions that there was push back in the Chicago TU at Pres. Karen Lewis and the leadership responded. (Boy did I hear stories in Chicago last week but I'd have to kill all of you if I tell). Try that with Unity Caucus here in the UFT in NYC and see the response.
Come on now, don't you find it hard to believe that Randi didn't have her hand somewhere in this?

Ohanian Comment: Look what happens when I go out of town for two days. Valerie Strauss covered this story at Washington Post, though she provides a broken link to the video, which was taken off the Internet. Ha. Fred Klonsky had already captured it. Kudos to Fred. His readers/ reactions to "The Apology" reveal great anger. And rightfully so.

I've been covering Edelman and Stand for Children for several years. Put it into a 'search on this site.

Read Substance coverage.

Read what Susan Barrett wrote on on Parents Across America about why she stepped down as a volunteer

Put "Stand for Children" into a search at Schools Matter but start with this great metaphor: The Whale Coughs Up Jonah to Do Damage Control.

This is a tempest in a teapot (though it may be personally damaging to Jonah. The real point here is that we must remain vigilant and not be satisfied with the 15-minute scandal. There are a few of us staying the course, trying to present analysis along with headlines. He, enjoy the tempest, but stick around for the fight.


'Stand for Children' leader insists he's not a union busting kind of guy... Jonah Edelman 'apologizes' to just about everybody for Aspen Institute remarks

From Schools Matter:

The Whale Coughs Up Jonah to Do Damage Control.

Back Row: A-Hole Edelman Staring Into Space

Photo by George Schmidt for Substance News (Jonah the Day He Got Made and Swallowed)

The Oligarchs' lawyers were up late last night spinning a line of contrition for the arrogant a-hole, Jonah Edelman, after his 14 minutes of fame that was publicized days ago by George Schmidt at Substance News in Chicago and Susan Ohanian and later picked up by Fred Klonsky.  Here is one example of, first, Jonah today, and, second, Jonah a few days ago, as the Prince of Neoliberal Arrogance said what he really meant: MORE


More from Susan Ohanian:

Jonah Edelman on outfoxing teachers’ unions: Transcribed remark

Note: As Substance has reported in considerable detail. . . for months, Stand for Children is:

a front group for the wealthiest people in the USA, the same people who are pushing the privatization agenda to wreck public schools, vilify teachers, and privatize the public's wealth, adding to the personal wealth of men like James Crown (and his family), Kenneth Griffin (and his entities), and Chicago's infamous Pritzker tribe of billionaires.

Also Note: The video of Edelman's talk--and his attempt at an apology--are here

by Caroline Grannan for Parents Across America

Jonah Edelman, son of revered children’s advocate Marian Wright Edelman, leads the organization Stand for Children, which began as a grassroots children’s advocacy organization in Portland, OR, but has evolved into a billionaire-funded operation moving into other states to support corporate education reform. Edelman spoke on a panel at the recent Aspen Ideas Festival (June 27-July 3, 2011) about how Stand for Children maneuvered in Illinois to get the state’s teachers’ unions to support legislation that severely curtailed their rights and their members’ job security. Edelman declares that the defeat for Illinois teachers’ unions will weaken teachers’ unions in other states.

I transcribed the key 14-plus minutes of Edelman’s talk. I’ve omitted minor asides, indicated with ellipses.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Now Edelman Apologizes
George Schmidt & Jonah Edelman
Substance
2011-07-10
http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1011

Listen to the speech in which Stand for Children's Jonah Edelman brags about how clever they were. Then read his apology. Not so clever now. Enjoy the tempest. Stick around for the fight.

The union-busting billionaires behind phony 'grass roots' groups like Stand for Children and Advance Illinois have emerged from the shadows... Complete transcript of the remarks of Ross Wiener, James Crown and Jonah Edelman at the Aspen Institute

Substance By George N. Schmidt - July 12th, 2011

Aspen Ideas Festival
2011-07-12
http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1012


Fred Klonsky is also all over the story.

If you sit at the table with dogs, don’t complain when you get up with fleas.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement from the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the Illinois Education Association, and the Chicago Teachers Union, regarding the comments by Stand for Children’s CEO, Jonah Edelman, recorded at the Aspen Ideas Festival.
For more information on this story, go to: http://bit.ly/nsijKz July 12, 2011 -
We were disappointed to hear the views of Stand for Children’s leader and his own assessment of his organization’s involvement in Illinois politics. We heard a lot from Jonah Edelman about power in politics, power over unions and management power over teachers. Sadly, we didn’t hear anything in that hour-long session about improving education. Frankly, Edelman was never actively engaged in that collaborative process. By falsely claiming to have manipulated people engaged in honest negotiations, Stand for Children’s leader jeopardizes the ability of education stakeholders to work collaboratively in the future. That can make it harder to improve education quality for children. That’s wrong. What’s worse is that these false claims clearly show an organizational agenda that has nothing to do with helping kids learn. Jonah Edelman’s mischaracterization of the SB7 negotiations will not change our commitment to do what is right for kids and to make sure the adults are treated fairly. However, his openness about Stand for Children’s tactics and agenda will make it very difficult for any education advocate or politician to interact with the organization in the future.

That it? That’s their statement?
According to the joint statement of the IEA, the IFT and the CTU, Stand for Children is an organization that has an agenda that has nothing to do with helping kids learn.
As the kids say, “duh.”
So what the hell were our union leaders doing sitting at the table with them and Advance Illinois, another corporate group who has an agenda that has nothing to do with helping kids learn, to negotiate a school reform bill?
Oh, and please. When do we get to put to rest the I’m for the kids argument?
In Jonah Edelman’s lengthy apology, he claimed he was for the kids.
Every stupid policy, program and organizational agenda is there for the kids.
Many of us were appalled at Edelman’s arrogance and boastfulness.
But  the union leaders go beyond that and say Edelman mischaracterized the collaborative process that led to Senate Bill 7. They say he lied.
But then the statement from the Illinois union leadership also criticizes Edelman for being too truthful. They say that his openness about SFC’s agenda and tactics will hurt their future work together.
Hey, guys. Pick one story and stick with it.
As for me, I thank Jonah for his openness.
Maybe the next time the IEA leadership argues their sit-at-the-table strategy, members will ask, “Don’t you guys ever learn? Not this again.”

Jonah story makes it to the Washington Post.

July 11, 2011

by Fred Klonsky

Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post dedicated her column to the Edelman story today.

It’s not often that we hear education reformers bragging in public about how they got the better of a teacher’s union.

The reason the video is worth watching is because the details behind the campaign are fascinating and reveal how some modern school reformers work politically behind the scenes.

The video of the panel was posted by Fred Klonsky on his blog, giving it enough visibility to prompt Edelman to send to Klonsky a remarkable apology in which he says he was sorry that he sounded so arrogant.

Jonah may say he’s sorry, but what about the Walton Foundation and Bill Gates?

July 11, 2011

by Fred Klonsky

Parents Across America posted this article by Susan Barrett, former leader of Jonah Edelman’s Stand For Children in Portland.

I recently stepped down as a volunteer co-leader of a Stand for Children (SFC) team in Portland Oregon, the headquarters of this organization.  Being a SFC member has meant fighting for the needs of children and better public schools for all students in this state (see this pdf.) However, things have started changing here in Oregon, and I worry that SFC is headed down the path that disaffected parents, like me, identify as the corporate reform movement.

I was prompted to write this piece for a couple of reasons: One, I have seen characterizations of SFC as one of the “astroturf” organizations that have recently sprouted up like weeds, generated by the fortunes of billionaires and hedge fund managers to push their particular preference for implementing business strategies in education, attacking teachers and their unions, and promoting privatization. SFC is not astroturf, and that can make them perhaps more deceptive if we are not paying attention.

Read the entire post here.

IEA leadership response to Edelman: “Don’t look at us.”

July 11, 2011

by Fred Klonsky

The IEA leadership that appears to have been snookered or worse by Stand For Children’s Jonah Edelman has responded to the video and the Edelman apology to this blog’s readers.

Despite building the state’s largest political war chest and suggesting his organization had the power to “potentially jam this proposal down [the education unions’] throats,” SfC failed to get its bill passed. Instead, SfC was forced to collaborate with a coalition of education employee unions, lawmakers, school administrators and other education stakeholders who had been working together for years, on comprehensive reform package that puts students first. Senate Bill 7 (SB7), the bill that emerged from the talks, differed greatly from the SfC proposal: It maintained the right to strike, due process rights (tenure) and retained seniority as a component in personnel decisions. The bill passed with the overwhelming support of both political parties and cited as a model for reform.

Once you strip away the arrogant tone of Edelman’s presentation, “If it can happen in Illinois, it can happen anywhere,” it is clear that Edelman got the IEA leadership to agree to exactly what Edelman wanted, either through incompetence or connivance.

I say connivance on the IEA though not the CTU. I use this last item from Klonsky to remind you that I still compare many of our teacher unions with the exception of the very few to Vichy.

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Eva Moskowitz Indoctrination Tactics Exposed

I wanted to redo this video I shot at an HSA bund rally in March 2009 before commenting on Michael Winerip's stripping away of the Moskowitz game in yesterday's NY Times. I've been re-editing it. And looking for the rest of the footage I shot which was really revealing of the power and money behind the charter school movement. But so far I can't find it.

At any rate. SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL did a number on Eva by parsing Weinrip's article so I don't have to repeat it.

Read

The True Eva Moskowitz
Watch this video and you will get an idea of the utmost and sometimes scary indoctrination.




http://youtu.be/Gzhqr3KSWhw

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.

Clarence Taylor's Reds at the Blackboard - a History of the NYC Teachers Union

I've been reading Clarence Taylor's new book along with Marjorie Murphy's Blackboard Unions a basic history of teacher unions from 1900-1980. These are both must-read books for any union activist. Taken together, these books present a shocking account of what our union brothers and sisters mostly sisters in the early days) went through during the WWI and post WWII red scares, along with the attacks on teachers and other public workers during the depression - and surprise - Roosevelt wasn't on our side. These books are really must-reads to put into context the current attacks taking place on teachers. How interesting to read of the hundreds of NYC teachers fired in the 1950's - some acclaimed teachers - for their political activity alone.

The TU was so weakened by the attacks (and mistakes it made) that when the UFT was formed out of the Teachers Gild (what a lesson on how this group functioned - it explains a lot about how the UFT works today) and the High School Teachers Association, the TU lost to the UFT in the bargaining election. TU later evolved into Teachers Action Caucus in 1968 to become the official opposition to Unity and around 1990 merged with New Directions to form the current New Action  - there's a lot of history in the background behind the New Action sell-out to Unity in 2003. I was telling this story yesterday to some of the young teachers in the New Teacher Underground and they were eating it up.

I've been waiting for the Taylor book for years. I've known his twin brother Larry, just retired chapter leader of Art and Design HS (David Pakter's Chapter leader for reference) for years through union activism (Larry is one of the best people I've met in the union) but only met Clarence last summer at a forum on the 1968 strike.

Weds night I and a bunch of GEM/ICEers are going over to this book party. ICE will be sponsoring a future study group on both the Taylor and Murphy books.


July 13th, 2011 7:30 PM

BOOK PARTY / FORUM

Reds at the Blackboard

Communism, Civil Rights and the New York City Teachers Union

Clarence Taylor

The New York City Teachers Union shares a deep history with the American left, having participated in some of its most explosive battles. Established in 1916, the union maintained an early, unofficial partnership with the American Communist Party, winning key union positions and advocating a number of Party goals. Clarence Taylor recounts this pivotal relationship and the backlash it created, as the union threw its support behind controversial policies and rights movements. Taylor's research reaffirms the party's close ties with the union—yet it also makes clear that the organization was anything but a puppet of Communist power.

Reds at the Blackboard showcases the rise of a unique type of unionism that would later dominate the organizational efforts behind civil rights, academic freedom, and the empowerment of blacks and Latinos. Through its affiliation with the Communist Party, the union pioneered what would later become social movement unionism, solidifying ties with labor groups, black and Latino parents, and civil rights organizations to acquire greater school and community resources. It also militantly fought to improve working conditions for teachers while championing broader social concerns. For the first time, Taylor reveals the union's early growth and the somewhat illegal attempts by the Board of Education to eradicate the group. He describes how the infamous Red Squad and other undercover agents worked with the board to bring down the union and how the union and its opponents wrestled with charges of anti-Semitism.

Clarence Taylor is professor of history and black and Hispanic studies at Baruch College and professor of history at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He has written or edited several books, including The Black Churches of Brooklyn and Knocking at Our Own Door: Milton A. Galamison and the Struggle to Integrate New York City Schools.

Please Forward Widely
The Brecht Forum
451 West Street (Between Bank and Bethune)
212-242-4201
Register here: www.brechtforum.org

Wednesday, July 13

7:30 pm

BOOK PARTY / FORUM

Reds at the Blackboard

Communism, Civil Rights and the New York City Teachers Union

Clarence Taylor

The New York City Teachers Union shares a deep history with the American left, having participated in some of its most explosive battles. Established in 1916, the union maintained an early,...

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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.

The Antidote to Ed Deform: New Teacher Underground - CORRECT LOCATION

CORRECT LOCATION:

AN INCORRECT LOCATION HAS BEEN FOUND CIRCULATING ON SEVERAL LISTS FOR OVER 30 DAYS.  THE SESSIONS BEGIN TOMORROW.  PLEASE HELP SPREAD WORD.

5:00-7:00pm Thursdays starting July 14 at
Lolita Bar, 266 Broome Street at Allen St., one block south of Delancey
B/D to Grand, F to Delancey, J/M/Z to Essex; map <http://ow.ly/5D79e >
(There is no such bar on Grand St.)

Some of the organizers of this summer weekly series have been working with us and I feel honored to have been asked to assist with some video interviews and even speak at one of the events. I met with one of the oganizers last week and we talked about doing a short film piece. I will be at Lolita Bar this Thursday at 5pm for the first session. You can email them at: newteacherunderground@gmail.com.

July 14th: What it Means to be a Teacher in New York City Right Now
Developing a people’s history of the New York City public schools

New Teacher Underground (from NYCORE web site)

Sponsored by the new teacher/alt cert action group of NYCoRE, the New Teacher Underground is a social space for new and alternatively certified teachers to find support and dissect the current realities of education in New York City.

We will be meeting every Thursday all summer long. While we hope to target the needs of newer teachers, with a particular focus on those in alternative certification programs, all are welcome to join us.

5:00-7:00pm Thursdays starting July 14 at
Lolita Bar, 266 Broome Street at Allen St., one block south of Delancey
B/D to Grand, F to Delancey, J/M/Z to Essex; map <http://ow.ly/5D79e

Please forward this email to anyone who might be interested, and feel free to contact us at newteacherunderground@gmail.com.

July 14th: What it Means to be a Teacher in New York City Right Now
Developing a people’s history of the New York City public schools

July 21st: Privilege, Power and Public Schools
Unpacking the concept of the “achievement gap” by addressing privilege and power in our school system and in our classrooms
July 28th: The Meaning of Alternative Certification
What are the histories of Teach for America and the New York City Teaching Fellows programs? What role do they play in today’s education climate?
August 4th: Welcome to Teaching
Understanding mayoral control, high-stakes testing, privatization and other top-down policies that impact our classrooms
August 11th: Your Union and Social Justice Unionism
What do teacher protections like tenure and contracts mean for us and for our students? How does the UFT organize us and what more should it do?
August 18th: The so-called “No Excuses” Classroom
…and other educational jargon in your teacher training reading material. What do “accountability” and “data” really mean to our work?
August 25th: Anti-Racist Classrooms & Anti-Racist Curriculum
How to circumvent institutional racism in schools and develop culturally relevant curriculum that connects students to the world outside the classroom
September 1st: First Days…
How can you really prepare? What is most important? What strengths will you bring to the classroom? What is your teaching core?