Lisa Donlan Comments on Tweed Inability to Manage Schools: Is it Centralized Mayoral Control?

No checks, no balances, no levers of power except for the mayor, his chancellor and the principals. The next Mayor had better tread carefully- the public school system is land mined w/ a dozen years of structural changes contradictory and uneven bad policy, and even worse implementation. --- Parent activist Lisa Donlan

Leonie posted this link: UFT calls off evaluation talks until city addresses rollout issues http://shar.es/h5LFc with this comment:

DOE can do nothing right acc to Mulgrew; many would agree.

You know I don't necessarily buy the "Tweed incompetence" argument, which the UFT often pushes. I think Tweedies are just not interested in making things work in many public schools other than to cover their ass in case something goes wrong.

They are much more focused on their political agenda of pushing privatization schemes. There is a form of intentional neglect, in essence to make many public schools in areas targeted by charters a less appetizing choice. In fact as was pointed out at the PEP meeting last night, much of the gifted and talented policies are set up to drive the most active parents into the arms of charters.

Here, Lisa responded with a focus on the folly of mayoral/centralized control, some form of which we know the UFT will continue to support even after its bogus task force meets for a year and comes up with the recommendations the leadership wanted anyway. Why will the UFT support centralized control? Because they cannot accept the alternative.

Well, think about it- how CAN a highly-centralized ( removed) administration charged w/ overseeing 1750 schools in 1200 buildings w/ 80,000 teachers and more than a million students get anything right when it comes to actual implementation?

Especially when authority is relegated to " empowered" principals of stand-alone schools w/ no supervisors?

How can the administration even know, never mind monitor or supervise, how policy is being implemented?

As we all have seen, the promise of mayoral control = total control in exchange for accountability, revealed itself quite quickly as unfeasible- even impossible.

After centralizing and trying a top-down, one-size-fits-all edict-based administration for 2-3 years, Klein pulled a complete 180 in 2006-07 and implemented a crazy quilt of bureaucracy based on empowered principals (total autocrats) and their virtual hidden bureaucracies (SSO's, now CFN's) w/ essentially no supervision beyond unaudited self -completed compliance check lists and review by not much more than test score.

While principals and their Network Leaders seem to operate in a total vacuum, they still must respond to plenty of top down mandates.

For instance the safety protocols that mandate safety- fire and lock down- drills' (See how that is working out, here: Police were called to an East Harlem school that had conducted a ‘shooter’ lockdown drill. Times and here: http://horanwatch.tumblr.com/

Or the Teacher Evaluation Pilots that schools are implementing willy nilly, whether or not they are in the pilot, and in an "anything goes" unchecked manner, described below by Mulgrew and Mendel.

Or the special education reforms (I was not able to link to the story Ellen posted but I am sure it is an object lesson in the abuse of power by certain principals trying to meet an impossible top down imposed but unfunded mandate that is unmonitored and unsupervised.)

No checks, no balances, no levers of power except for the mayor, his chancellor and the principals. The next Mayor had better tread carefully- the public school system is land mined w/ a dozen years of structural changes contradictory and uneven bad policy, and even worse implementation.

Lisa Donlan

Ed Notes Uncovers Draft of Mulgrew Letter to DOE Never Sent

We regret having tried to fool you into believing we were going to dupe our members into an evaluation system that could not be fair when we endorsed the new evaluation framework which became law. Our internal union elections are coming and we have come to the conclusion that forcing the evaluation system based on bogus student scores and unreliable data will hurt our chances to get re-elected. We are willing to take the heat from the local media as long as we can stay in union office and pull down our salaries and double dipped pensions.

Ed Notes has uncovered the real letter Mulgrew wrote to the DOE but never sent. Eterno at ICE posted what he did send, apparently the wrong version found its way into the envelope:
ICEUFT Blog: MULGREW LETTER ON EVALUATION

		The letter below was sent to the Department of Education by UFT President Michael Mulgrew. It describes the conditions necessary for there to be any future meetings between the UFT and DOE regarding development and implementation for a new evaluation system. Dear Chancellor Walcott, The Department of Education’s demonstrated inability to manage the school system correctly has led us to have serious concerns about getting anything constructive done with you. Two and half years ago the state decided to change this year’s standardized tests to the Common Core standards and since then you have done nothing to create a curriculum based on the Common Core. You have now left teachers in a horrendous situation where they are scrambling to try to get material appropriate for these new tests to teach their children. Additionally we realize we have made an egregious error in ever believing that you would seriously evaluate our teachers in a fair manner. We regret having tried to fool you into believing we were going to dupe our members into an evaluation system that could not be fair when we endorsed the new evaluation framework which became law. Our internal union elections are coming and we have come to the conclusion that forcing the evaluation system based on bogus student scores and unreliable data will hurt our chances to get re-elected. We are willing to take the heat from the local media as long as we can stay in union office and pull down our salaries and double dipped pensions. Given this history, at this time we will only meet with you to discuss a planning and roll-out process for the new evaluation system — in case we ever get to such an agreement. We understand that an evaluation system that will create a constructive practice in each school that will enhance instruction and benefit our over 1.1 million students is a critical opportunity. An evaluation system that will change the culture of our schools is something that the UFT has been working on for over three years. We hope that you will not be party to wasting such an important opportunity. We await your communication to set up such a meeting on the planning and roll-out process for the benefit of our children and our schools. Sincerely, Michael Mulgrew UFT President
		United Federation of Teachers • A Union of Professionals 52 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 • 212.777.7500 • www.uft.org

Also read:

Perdido Street School: On Mulgrew's Evaluation Letter

NYC Educator: DOE and UFT Agree on Apocalypse Plan

Reality Comment:
The election might be playing a role here and we may see some sort of reprieve/stall, etc until sometime in April. Unless there's money on the table. That would give Mulgrew time to let the wounds fade. I do think there is some genuine outrage on the part of the UFT leadership given the way the DOE rolled out - and rolled over people - with that new program on Danielson -- the screams coning out of the school were real and there is still that MORE petition that has now topped 1000 signatures. (You can sign here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/new-uft-evaluation/

PEP Again? Today at Fashion Industries HS, Tweed Gives Charters the Store

 EVAcuate our schools now!

Shit, Tis that season again and later this afternoon I have to drag my ass out of Rockaway where I'm enjoying the pleasures of mold spraying to head over the PEP meeting where every Tom, Dick and Charter will get whatever they want from Tweedies and the PEP. Eva is getting prime real estate school buildings in Grammacy Park and Hell's Kitchen (where I was at a Weds matinee of The Mystery of Edwin Brood yesterday).

Some MOREs are going to be there wearing their red shirts to support whatever effort will be made to fight the Eva paid hordes. 

We know the UFT is not really capable of fighting back on the charter co-loco issue, fighting to keep its own charters open in co-located public schools – Union-Run Charter School In Fight for Survival.

When I read this tweet: 

 jimschachter ‏@jimschachter

Are the problems of the UFT's East NY Charter School proof unions shouldn't run schools? http://www.schoolbook.org/2012/12/19/union-run-charter-school-in-fight-for-survival … @SchoolBook @WNYC

My response was:

Norm Scott ‏@NormScott1

@jimschachter @SchoolBook @WNYC Unions should fight to eliminate charters not run them

But, alas, the UFT/AFT/Randi crew have cast in their lot with charters by running one in a public school building, which pretty much takes that dog out of the big fight, leaving them to provide minor assistance to what turns out to be a losing battle without any big guns to stand up to the charters.

By the way, did you see the latest lying claim from the charters that co-loco schools have more space?

NYC Public School Parents: 

Yes, Virginia, charter school co-locations do indeed cause more overcrowding

 

Well, below are some leaflets MORE has produced for the PEP and  when we speak some

Talking points on charter schools

*They are not public. They are often run by corporations as for-profits.
*They are selective, filtering out low income, special education and ELL students.
Despite the screening, research shows that 80 % of charter schools students perform the same or worse than students in public schools.
Talking points on co-locating schools:

*895 of the system's over 1,700 schools share space with other schools in 328 buildings.
*Co-located schools have competition over access to libraries, gyms and cafeterias. Students face eating lunch as early as 9:45 or as late as 2:00.
*Co-located schools have less access to support services such as social workers or guidance counselors. They have eliminated space for tutoring or for professional development, further hindering their ability to serve special need students.
*Co-locations have been a large part of the PEP agenda over the last year: the DOE made around 100 co-location proposals in 2011 to 2012. --Dep. Chanc. Marc Steinberg.
*Co-locations are a strategy that is now expanding nationally –from Florida, to Louisiana to Texas.

Talking points on how charter schools connect to the co-location strategy:

*Co-locations are the avenue for expanding the growth of charter schools in a tight real estate market.
*The 102 co-located charter schools create the greatest amount of tension around co-locations.
Examples of effects on at schools:
*With co-locations, students in the public schools face glaring inequities when compared to students in co-located charters schools, said the NAACP:
*Students have been barred from using nearby bathrooms, and told to use bathrooms on other floors, causing them to have accidents.
*District school-charter school divisions in a building create separate but unequal cultures:
*Classrooms with peeling paint and aged equipment; and no working Wi-Fi Internet on the other side: new computers, Smart Boards and working air conditions.

*At Alfred E. Smith High School, the Bronx, the Architecture, Engineering and Construction Industries program, part of the Victory Schools charter school network has been scandal ridden: its founder and former chairman faced federal embezzlement charges. In just the 2009 to 2010 school year, the principal and five of fifteen teachers left, along with one-third of its students.
What does MORE advocate instead?

*MORE stands for equitable school funding and more resources to the schools that need them the most.
*MORE says that instead of competition, we should focus on reforms that promise
one free, fair, high-quality and integrated public education system.

E4E - Misuse of Influence at Truman HS: Group With Political Agenda Gains Entry During Professional Development

Explain how pushing an agenda to pressure the UFT into caving on the evaluation issue is PD? Walcott must bear responsibility.

How interesting that E4E is allowed into schools by the DOE officials to push the political agenda pressuring the UFT to give in on ed evaluation. This is a blatant abuse by the DOE. I bet here is a law being violated somewhere here.

Imagine if MORE were allowed to do PD with its political agenda and the howls of protest. It seems there was some pushback but where is the UFT on this issue? When I was invited to speak to teachers, not during official PD but on their own time, there were howls of protest from the Unity chapter leader and push back from the district reps.

Someone at Truman should check the sign-in books and get the names.

I received a request from someone at the school for more info in E4E.
Here is the email with a link

At Monday's PD, we were visited by Educators4Excellence.  For your consideration, it is funded by Bill Gates [see article].  This is an interest group advocating a political agenda.

May 22, 2011
Behind Grass-Roots School Advocacy, Bill Gates 
By SAM DILLON
Bill Gates' foundation pays educators to pose alternatives to union orthodoxies regarding seniority and test scores. 

People at the school want more info on E4E. If you have some stuff to share leave the link in a comment and I'll send the info along.

Karen Lewis Kicks TFA Veep the Creep David Rosenberg's Ass Down the Road

To David Rosenberg, Shanda! Shame on you for such a paranoid rant. If you had nothing of which to be guilty, those words would have rolled off your back.... Karen Lewis

a town like Sandy Hook would laugh at the very idea of a TFA 6 week wonder teaching their kids. 

I kvell at the growing relationship between Karen Lewis and Diane Ravitch. Today Karen, who let me remind everyone, came straight out of a high school chemistry classroom to lead the CTU, comes to Diane's defense over the loose cannon attacks by a TFA slimeball named David Rosenberg -- (not cousin David Rosenberg, thank goodness, who is also my accountant). I wonder of TFA leadership is bummed that the Sandy Hook teachers are AFT and not one of them is a TFA ---and we know why -- a town like Sandy Hook would laugh at the very idea of a 6 week TFA wonder teaching their kids.

You can read the background at Diane's blog: Karen Lewis Reacts to the Kerfuffle

Here is Karen's comment:

Diane, et. al.
I have read these posts (alas I do not do Twitter), and I am struck by the lack of authenticity by the Rosenberg comment. Diane has been at the forefront of the desire to lift up the beleaguered profession of teaching in each and every post. She has drawn the connections between people who wouldn't think of sending their children to public schools and their policies that are destroying the common good. Anyone who doesn't know that in the marrow of their bones, doesn't read her blog.

On the other, the educrats who do not agree with her, read her posts, too so as to keep abreast of her thoughts and are ready to pounce if they see an opening. There might have been a time where "politicizing" tragic events, especially mass shootings was thought to be in poor taste. That has changed with the 24/7 news cycle that continues to focus far too much time and energy on the perpetrator of the massacre than that of our precious victims. Rosenberg's "false outrage" needs to be checked. That same false outrage should show itself when policies his colleagues support kill and disenfranchise children from schools across this nation. We in Chicago have been the victims of their experiments on our children since the current secretary of Education "ran" CPS.

The accolades heaped on a group of education missionaries, (hopefully with beautiful intent on the part of the TFA teachers) cannot go unchallenged. Diane does that. Day in and day out, she champions rank and file educators and the hard work they do. She has a special place in heart for those who see the value of the classroom and not as stepping stone to a more lucrative career or the opportunism of self-promoters like Michelle Rhee who, with her lies about her own classroom experience has catapulted herself into the welcoming arms of those who hate unions, tenure and anything else that provides due process and gives teachers real voice.

To David Rosenberg, Shanda! Shame on you for such a paranoid rant. If you had nothing of which to be guilty, those words would have rolled off your back.

UFT Leaders Show Disdain for Tweedies: We Don't Care About the Money

Indications there will not be a deal by the deadline.

Well, I took another shot at attending a UFT Executive Board meeting tonight in the hope I survive the free dinner. I won't get into which UFT people were saying what but the sense of derision towards Tweedies at the top was rampant.

UFT to Tweed: You know where to find us

Uncaring, incompetent, insane and inane would pretty much cover it. There is no progress on the evaluation deal.

They talked about some DOE implementation of a program called something like Teacher Effective Intensive Network --- that was sprung on teachers by hordes of administrators using Danielson with razor blades and knives inserted. I'm paraphrasing here: If that's how they are going to do this how can we come to any agreement on evaluation when they set up this kind of climate?

All District Reps were directed to send this out:

This is for all non-TEP schools (TEP is Danielson Pilot schools).  If your school is not in the pilot, please let me know if you have groups of people coming into your rooms to observe or to ask you for your lesson plans, etc.  With or without notice.  Please respond to this request as soon as possible.

They seemed pretty pissed and given this was just an Ex bd meeting of loyalists where they don't have to put on a show, it seemed real.

One top Tweedie reminded a UFT honcho that Bloomberg's scary tactic deadline was this Friday. "Your deadline, not ours" was the response.

The message the UFT was giving: "Go to the Post and the News all you want. We don't care if you do. And we don't care about the money." Hard to believe the UFT doesn't worry about bad PR but I've never quite seen this level of fedupness. Is it remotely possible that the UFT has had enough? Hard to believe but they were talking tough tonight.

When Tweed asked if the UFT was going to keep a negotiating team on watch during the vacation, the response was, "Hell No, our people are going on vacation."

Rhee's Smoking Gun: Silent On Michigan Bill Allowing Concealed Weapons Carry In Schools

From South Bronx School

...as most legislators Student First endorsed voted for it.

Asked whether that means the group supports or opposes the concealed-carry expansion, [StudentsFirst spokesperson Ileana] Wachtel said, "We're focused on education reform policies. That's what we do."

Students first indeed.

One group that has taken no position on the legislation is StudentsFirst, the education reform group that was started by former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee and that happens to be active in Michigan politics.
Asked about its stance, StudentsFirst spokeswoman Ileana Wachtel said, "StudentsFirst believes that schools have to be a safe haven for kids. It is incumbent upon our elected officials to ensure that every single child is protected, particularly those under the care and direction of our public schools."
Asked whether that means the group supports or opposes the concealed-carry expansion, Wachtel said, "We're focused on education reform policies. That's what we do."
Although the group takes no public position on the measure, StudentsFirst's allies in Michigan politics have no problem with concealed carry in schools. Indeed, the vast majority of the Michigan legislators whom StudentsFirst recently endorsed voted in favor of the legislation. Of 22 legislators who received election endorsements from StudentsFirst, 14 supported the bill (all of them Republican), one voted against it (a Democrat), and seven others aren't in office.

More at
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/michelle-rhee-michigan-gun-laws_n_2318614.html?1355794943

I really figured this out. Rhee wants guns in the school just in case hubbie Kevin Johnson gets frisky with the young ladies.

Why I Joined Unity Caucus

I gotta be on the side that's going to get me out of this lousy teaching position.... A new chapter leader who recently was recruited to Unity Caucus.

This same person would not support the MORE petition calling for a membership vote on any evaluation deal.

Who does this person now represent?

The people who elected this person or the Unity Caucus masters who hold out the carrot of a possible job in exchange for selling out colleagues?

At the DA last Wednesday, a MORE member was sitting with a group of chapter leaders from one district who were talking about how the MORE resolution made sense. The District Rep turned around and yelled at them that they must vote against it. (That is why the get the chapter leaders from each district to sit toether). About half did.

At a District chapter leader meeting a few days later the District Rep was asked for more info about the MORE reso and the response was, "That's a dissident group. Ignore them."

Here is the raw stuff that shows how Unity controls the teachers.

Robert Rendo Blog: All Images Free

A colleague of mine, Robert Rendo, is a teacher and illustrator and is now offering free license to use images from his blog, which you can now access at 

http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/?view=snapshot

The name of the blog is "The Truth About Education Reform: a Blog of Cartoons . . .  Images with a Voice!"

Users can literally enlarge and grab the image to incorporate into their own literature. All they have to do is click on the image, and it enlarges to be grabbed or saved as a file on the desktop. It's that easy, and all images for the taking.

Robert is encouraging everyone and anyone to fight back against this horrific and undemocratic corporate reform in public education, and he believes in the potent use of imagery, in part, to get one's message across to the public.

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

Robert is a 19 year veteran teacher English Language Arts to low income immigrant populations in the public schools, and he's Nationally Board certified. He is also an award winning editorial illustrator with works in the Society of Illustrators, the American Photography/American Illustration Show, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Sacramento Bee. He has collaborated on projects with Los Angeles Times feature writer Roy Rivenberg and 30 year art director Jerelle Krause of the New York Times. More of his work can be seen at http://altpick.com/rrendo

Rhee Uses Tragedy to Take Her Own Shot

Our children are our most valuable assets ---- Michelle Rhee

For Rhee and her sycophants to call these teachers in Newtown colleagues is not only laughable.... It is vulgar. One of the worst vulgarities I have ever seen. These teachers are career teachers, went into teaching to have a career, a lifetime of education children. Rhee and her ilk stand for everything that is opposite of these.. teachers' belief systems. --- South Bronx School

 What can you say about a person who uses an event as unspeakable as the massacre in Sandy Hook to promote her organization ?-- Raging Horse 

Slimy Michelle Rhee and her slimy Student First didn't miss a beat to jump in on the tragedy. Here is a definition of asset:

A resource with economic value that an individual, corporation or country owns or controls with the expectation that it will provide future benefit.

Enough said.  One more cartoon to indicate how the world views the expression.

Rhee says:

how are we expected to foster an environment in which students can learn, grow, thrive, and set off on positive life-paths when we cannot guarantee basic needs such as their safety?..But events like these also strengthen our resolve to do exactly that -- improve schools for children and thereby improve entire communities.

Oh, EXCUSE ME! What happened to your "no excuses"? You mean kids actually have to feel safe to learn? What about kids living in poverty? Do you think they feel safe? Rhee's organization will not skip a beat talking about how the most important factor is judging teachers based on test scores. The "strengthen our resolve" is code for "we won't stop hounding and vilifying teachers and calling for their scores to be published so they can be further vilified." Student First in Connecticut will still be calling for the teachers at the school to be pilloried in public. Maybe they will exempt the ones who gave their lives for the children.

Read bloggers

• SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL
• (Michelle Rhee Never Misses an Opportunity To Exploit a Tragedy)
• Diane Ravitch (Exploiting a Tragedy) 
• Raginghorseblog (Michelle Rhee Uses Sandy Hook Slaughter to Plug Studentsfirst Organization)
• Jersey Jazzman 

Many bloggers are pointing to the actions of the teacher heroes.
Jersey Jazzman: Do We Remember Heroes For Their Test Scores?

And here's a good piece from a non-teacher who was married to one.

Once the media horror dies down about Soto and her co-workers’ sacrifices, I guarantee you this: public school grade school teachers will go right back to being the despised class. “Union thugs.” “With three-month vacations.” “Teaching kids their ABCs.” All the idiotic, ill-informed, right wing anti-intellectual myths will rev up again as if nothing had happened. And in the meantime the people the Fox pundits despise will go on teaching kids to read and do math and treat each other with respect.

Thank you, teachers

by Chris Clarke

Victoria Soto, age 27, apparently died yesterday while trying to get her students into a safer spot in their classroom at Sandy Hook. She stood between the murderer and her students, and he killed her.
This is Soto right here.
[Updated to add: Andrew Revkin shares more on Soto's colleagues Kaitlin Roig  and Maryrose Kristopik: "Kaitlin Roig locked her students in the bathroom and kept them safe, while Victoria Soto was trying to do the same when she came face-to-face with the gunman and was shot, execution style. Maryrose Kristopik barricaded her music students in a closet, while the gun man fought to get in." Roig and Kristopik survived, thankfully.]
I spent a little time thinking about Soto and her colleagues this morning. I’ve known quite a few grade school teachers over the years. Until 2009, I was married to one. And I realized as I was thinking about Soto that there’s not a single one of those grade school teachers I’ve known, my ex- emphatically included, who I could imagine doing anything but jumping between the gunman and his or her students.

More-

 http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/12/15/thank-you-teachers/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+freethoughtblogs/pharyngula+(FTB:+Pharyngula)

Chicago Teachers Say: Tell the Fat Cats: Get Your Paws Off Our Public Schools

Could you see the UFT putting on an event like this when they themselves are fat cats?

	Defending Our Schools
Click here to RSVP Tell the Fat Cats: Get Your Paws Off Our Public Schools Tuesday Dec. 18 4 pm – 6 pm 125 S. Clark Brief March & Action Click here to RSVP Rich people always seem to think they know best. When it comes to our schools, all their brilliant ideas have only made things worse. Rahm listens to them about the future of our schools, but parents, teachers and students are shut out. The Fat Cats say schools are “underutilized” and should be closed, but they push at the same time to open new charter schools that they control. They cut from students and teachers to save money, but their companies are still taking tax breaks, contracts, and TIFs that broke the budget to begin with. Stand up: Tell them to keep their paws off our schools!

Reform UFT Dues, Hold UFT Leaders Accountable

There are 3500 agency fee UFT members, people who refuse to join the union but must pay dues since NY State is not a right to work state.

That's a surprising number of people willing to give up basic union rights. Imagine if NY were a right to work state.  If you think the right wing won't be coming to NY State at some point pushing right to work laws after their victory in Michigan you are not living in the real world. I know that we will probably not see a Republican legislature but they will probably focus on just the teacher union and might get some good play. Think of appeal to newer teachers of right to work laws when they have to pay the same dues as people making double what they are. Can't you just see the astro turf groups like E4E jumping on that bandwagon?

I'm heading off to the MORE meeting where the basic platform will be addressed and most likely ratified. Last might after the ICE meeting I realized that we have never really addressed the regressive UFT dues structure where everyone pays the same rather than based on salary. I'm going to bring this up today. Maybe there's a good argument for not having a progressive dues structure but I want to hear it.

Worst of all, Unity has managed to make dues increases automatic so the members never get to vote as they used to before Unity changed the constitution so members, not even the Unity stacked DA, don't get to hold the leadership accountable for how much they pay themselves or where they spend the money.

Here is my proposal for the MORE Platform:
End automatic dues increases without member votes and reform the regressive dues structure that penalizes the lowest paid teachers.

Recently on ICE mail, one guy asked how he could resign from the UFT and that caused some controversy since he is an experienced UFT member but just so fed up with Unity he seemed willing to walk away from the union even though he has to pay dues.

My feeling is that the UFT leadership through not allowing members to vote on the eval deal will help lead us down the road to destruction unless there is serious reform at all structural levels of the union.

Video: MORE's Brian Jones, Diana Zavala on Panel with Tweed's Shael Polokaw-Suransky and Pedro Noguera

Below is the raw video of Change the Stakes at Monday's Forum moderated by Juan Gonzalez. There was no press coverage. See MORE's Brian Jones challenge the Deputy Chancellor on a number of grounds. Excuse the choppy video, especially at the beginning as I got there as Brian was speaking.

https://vimeo.com/55505143

Find out what all the excitement is about: MORE General Meeting, Saturday, Dec. 15

December 15th,
12-3pm

224 w 29th St.
betw 7/8ave
14th floor

We will focus on fight back against school closings and charter colocations and projecting our caucus as THE social justice caucus of the UFT, as well as approving parts of our platform and slate for the spring elections.

Join us!

Read more about the threatened closings of neighborhood schools and Gary Rubinstein's analysis of the meaningless of school progress reports.

Read how the Unity caucus voted against democracy at Wednesday's DA, rejecting a proposal to allow members to approve the impending test-based evaluation system..
You can still sign the petition calling for a democratic vote on the deal.

 

 Winter Retreat - En pie de la lucha

Building strong chapters, Building a strong union:
a bottom-up social-justice approach 

Friday, Dec. 28th
10am-4pm
180 LaSalle

Thoughts on Ed Deform and the 68 Strike

There is an interesting discussion over at Gotham, where a Unity slug is trying to brand MORE as some far out left group based on a comment Peter Lamphere made in motivating the MORE/UFT resolution supporting the NAACP suit on the specialized high schools. That the UFT is supporting the reso is interesting given the old historical stand on exams being strictly merit. (See Podair, "The Strike That Changed NY" and the Kahlenberg  Shanker bio).

You can read the background of the discussion at Gotham here.

Below I am responding to "mg" who responded to a clear Unity slug, "Peg".

In an earlier comment I pointed out I was on the picket line in 68 and at the time, as a 2nd year teacher, totally supported the strike. Two years later when I became an activist I began to hear the other sides -- and there were many. But I would still take the position that I would not cross the picket line as group of teachers, led by Teachers Action Caucus (TAC), did over the fact they supported community control. I think that hurt them as an opposition caucus for the next 20 years until they merged with another caucus (New Directions) to form the current New Action. (Many people involved in my caucus at the time (CSW) also had crossed the line and felt some ambiguity over that as time went by.)

Here I make the point that the Abe Levine/UFT line that the strike was only about due process for 19 teachers who the community wanted transferred as opposing the community control is a distortion, especially given that due process is barely breathing today. (When some told Shanker they wanted out he told them to stand firm as the issue was bigger than them. It sure was.)

Here is my earlier comment to Unity slug "Peg" who keeps trying to pin MORE to an anti-68 strike position:

I was on the picket line in 68 but I also saw both sides of the issue and both were wrong. Peter said that the UFT strike in 68 created a break with the black community. There is no one anywhere in NYC who wouldn't agree with that. Even see the Kahlenberg bio of Shanker. Abe Levine distorted the issue when he said the UFT struck only over due process when we all know part of that strike was to kill community control -- whether you agree with comm cont or not, Abe is lying when he made it seem that wasn't a factor.
19 teachers were transferred without due process and the UFT claims it went on strike for 3 months over that issue. Now when due process rights of most NYC teachers are violated every 5 minutes your UFT/Unity caucus leaders lie down like dogs. Have fun defending them.

Here was my last comment where I try to connect the Ford Foundation early version of ed deformers with today's crowd attempting to paint the UFT as the enemy of the black community on education.

Right mg. "Peg" is here to distract people over the UFT refusal to allow a vote on what will be a major change in the contract, as even Leroy Barr said was required. And cold warrior Abe Levine would re-invade Vietnam tomorrow. Here are some thoughts which I will post on Ed Notes so feel free to comment there.

The reso supporting the NAACP position on the specialized HS came out of a great discussion of that issue at a MORE meeting earlier this year. The UFT modified it and there were some back and forth discussions over coming to a joint agreement. So I do want to make this point that Unity and MORE were on basically the same page here and Peter was chosen to motivate it.

I agree that Peter didn't need to go back to 68 in his speech and in fact I don't hold the same exact view he and a portion of the left holds on the strike. (For your info I am a MORE capitalist).

Luckily MORE, unlike Unity Caucus, is a democratic org where we can openly discuss issues (come to our meeting on Saturday to see the difference from Unity).

But since we're in this space, I will chime in with a few thoughts that might make connections between issues like the evaluation and the 68 strike.

I'm part of the conspiracy theory crowd that feels certain forces at the time -- with many of the very same views today's ed deformers hold -- probably the same people -- the "liberal" Ford Foundation at the time -- were out to create a split between the power of the UFT and the black community and they succeeded royally. Note today that their descendents are using different terminology to split the union away by using the charter school wedge. The UFT fell for it then (do you think that working something out about the 19 transfers just might have led to a better outcome?) and has fallen for so much of it now by actually agreeing with so much of the ed deform program makes for an interesting study. They are boxed in and fear treading the delicate line if they take an out and out position opposing charters as destroying the fabric of public education. Luckily MORE can do so and will do so.

(By the way, Shanker and I think Ravitch through the years raised issues related to "Balkanization" of the schools if we allowed community control, which is somewhat ironic in that charters have done just that --- boy, how far has Ravitch come -- I now find myself and others walking a line between supporting public ed but under some level of community control, which is the position I believe MORE is working out -- some subtleties involved here. The UFT on the other hand supports mayoral control, partly as a consequence of the 68 community control issue -- the UFT would rather deal with even a Bloomberg than with 32 separate school boards. Thus any calls for an elected school board as the Chicago Teachers Union is doing will be rejected by the UFT -- not only is the leadership anti-democratic internally, but don't want any real parent say in their own local schools, other than making sure their kids do their homework and join the PTA -- note the silence of the UFT over the weak CEC Bloomberg set up, which I am betting makes the UFT happy).

After 68 the UFT leadership was shunned by so much of the communities they alienated. Randi as a break from the Shanker/Feldman era was able to make inroads and Mulgrew responded to Peter by claiming his man of the year title given by the NAACP.

Now just think of what the Joel Klein crowd have done by raising things as the "civil rights issue of our time." And the Waiting for Superman movie. The very goal was to break down whatever ties that have been built. And the UFT is left backpeddling, having never forgotten the outcomes of the 68 strike, still its fatal weakness. If you could ask Shanker if he would do it again, what do you think he would say?

Charter School Head Merriman Hones Comedy Act

“It’s not the date,” said New York City Charter School Center CEO James Merriman. “It’s the data.”

I like it James. "It's not the date. It's the data." Got a great beat and you can dance the charter/DOE tango to it. Really, James Merriman may be the funniest man in America.

The rejection of teacher evaluation requirements also comes from a sector that has sought greater accountability for teachers, principals and schools. In their letter to school leaders, Merriman and Phillips said standardized evaluation rules are not a good fit for charter schools because the schools are held accountable in other ways.

 Pubic Charter Schools are the future

Excuse me, I have to recover from my laughing fit. James, you have to take this show on the road. Like try Washington State.

“In traditional schools and districts, which may fail students for years without being closed, prescriptive rules about teacher evaluation may be the best policy available,” they wrote. “It is neither necessary nor appropriate for charter schools.”

Of course, James. Charter schools can hire anyone off the street to teach. Why tamper with that? 

At the same time as the State Education Department is publicly pressuring school districts to adopt new teacher evaluations by next month, it’s also quietly demanding that charter schools turn in their teachers’ ratings from last year. Charter school advocates are urging most school leaders to ignore the demand, even though state officials  have said it’s needed in order to fulfill its Race to the Top plan.

The state is not asking charters schools to adopt the same kind of evaluation system that it wants district schools to. Instead, it wants data from each school showing only that the school evaluate teachers on a four-tiered system — and it wants the actual ratings for teachers, too.
Merriman said the state’s demand is unreasonable because many charter schools don’t necessarily evaluate their teachers based on those guidelines.
“They are, in essence, asking charters to manufacture data that they may not have,” Merriman said.

Sure, James. We know all about charter schools manufacturing data.

Leonie said: 

Funny how the pro-charter schools DFER, Students1st & SFER all push for our schools to have adopt this ridiculous teacher eval system; but don’t say a peep about the fact that the charter schools refuse to adopt it.

Facing own teacher eval deadline, charter schools just say no

by Geoff Decker, at 11:58 am

At the same time as the State Education Department is publicly pressuring school districts to adopt new teacher evaluations by next month, it’s also quietly demanding that charter schools turn in their teachers’ ratings from last year.
Charter school advocates are urging most school leaders to ignore the demand, even though state officials  have said it’s needed in order to fulfill its Race to the Top plan. The advocates say the demand would be hard to fulfill and impinges on charter schools’ vaunted autonomy.
The standoff has its roots in the state’s 2010 application for federal Race to the Top funds. In its application to the U.S. Department of Education for funding, New York State said it would require schools to rate teachers according to specific guidelines and would collect ratings for all teachers, even in charter schools.
Some charter schools committed to sharing their teacher ratings at the time in order to receive some of the state’s $700 million in winnings. But two thirds did not — and the state wants their teacher ratings too, according to a series of updated guidance memos that officials have issued over the last 18 months.
City and state charter school advocates have pushed back against the demands throughout that time.
“Both the New York City Charter School Center and the New York Charter Schools Association believe that this reporting requirement does not properly apply to non-Race to the Top charter schools,” Charter Center CEO James Merriman and NYCSA President Bill Phillips wrote in a strongly worded email to school leaders last month. They added, “Ultimately, it is up to you whether you choose to report this data.”
So far, few school leaders have made that choice. By the original submission deadline Nov. 30, just 30 of 184 charter schools in the state had handed over teacher ratings from last year.
The state has extended the deadline for charter schools to Friday, but advocates say that doesn’t change the situation.“It’s not the date,” said New York City Charter School Center CEO James Merriman. “It’s the data.”
The state is not asking charters schools to adopt the same kind of evaluation system that it wants district schools to. Instead, it wants data from each school showing only that the school evaluate teachers on a four-tiered system — and it wants the actual ratings for teachers, too.
Merriman said the state’s demand is unreasonable because many charter schools don’t necessarily evaluate their teachers based on those guidelines.
“They are, in essence, asking charters to manufacture data that they may not have,” Merriman said. “That’s what’s so troubling to us.”
State officials said they believe that charter schools can rate their teachers with the information that they do have, as long as they have some kind of evaluation system.
Several charter school leaders said that move is easier said than done.
“I tried to play around with the [state’s] system, but it’s so different from how we do ours,” said the leader of a Brooklyn charter school. “So the data would be pointless.”
Ken Wagner, an assistant commissioner at the department, said he expected that the request will present challenges for charter schools and that some first-year submissions might not be perfect. He said he would be was less understanding if schools ignore the request entirely and refuse to comply.
“I think we’ve been very clear on our position and the charter folks who disagree have been very clear on their position,” said Wagner, who could not say what the consequences would be for schools that don’t submit ratings.
The state is even having a tough time getting teacher evaluation ratings from the 61 charter schools that are participating in Race to the Top. Five schools in the Achievement First network that have received roughly $275,000 through the grant program did not know they were supposed to turn in the ratings, according to a spokesman for the network.
“We don’t know of a request for teacher evaluations,” said the spokesman, Mel Ochoa. “But we will continue to work hard to fulfill any requests and requirements that come to us for Race to the Top.”
Some schools have withdrawn from the Race to the Top program to escape burdensome requirements like the one about teaching ratings, sources said. In the last year, at least 19 schools have forfeited the grant money.
The rejection of teacher evaluation requirements also comes from a sector that has sought greater accountability for teachers, principals and schools. In their letter to school leaders, Merriman and Phillips said standardized evaluation rules are not a good fit for charter schools because the schools are held accountable in other ways.
“In traditional schools and districts, which may fail students for years without being closed, prescriptive rules about teacher evaluation may be the best policy available,” they wrote. “It is neither necessary nor appropriate for charter schools.”

Nightmare on 8 Mile Road After Randi Negotiated Worst Contract in History

Detroit Public Schools consultants are creating phony negative evaluations of experienced teachers in a “monstrous plot” to fire anyone making too much money and destroy the teacher’s union, according to Superintendent Dr. John Telford. “Some of the stories would make you cry,” Telford said Wednesday on the Charlie Langton Talk Radio 1270 show.

Remember that "great" contract hailed as "ground breaking" Randi helped the Detroit teacher union negotiate a few years ago and ratified in Jan. 2009? Rich Gibson in Substance predicted the death spiral after the contract was negotiated, calling it "The worst contract in the history of school-based bargaining."

Detroit schools in final death spiral?

Rich Gibson - November 27, 2010
The Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT) may be on its last legs. This was a once-proud union that fought like hell, alongside other workers, not only for the school worker force, but for kids. Last year, behind the urgings of the DFT President, Keith Johnson and AFT President Randi Weingarten, the DFT bargained what I think is the worst contract in the history of school-based collective bargaining. 

Read more: http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=1801%C2%A7ion=Article

Substance ran a piece on that contract (http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=1063§ion=Article).

 Detroit is dying a death of a thousand cuts. Still, the cuts add up and will someday become the last breath. With a long history of rebellions and uprisings, that last death could be ugly. With hope in schools evaporating fast, that possibility is greater every day.

 Here is a death spiral article published today.

Teachers, Destroy Unions, Board Calls In FBI

December 12, 2012 10:17 AM

(Photo: WWJ)

DETROIT (WWJ/1270) Detroit Public Schools consultants are creating phony negative evaluations of experienced teachers in a “monstrous plot” to fire anyone making too much money and destroy the teacher’s union, according to Superintendent Dr. John Telford.

“Some of the stories would make you cry,” Telford said Wednesday on the Charlie Langton Talk Radio 1270 show. “There have been teachers who weren’t able to continue their house payments after outside evaluators came in, gave them a 5-10 minute evaluation and 20-30 year veteran teachers have lost their jobs. It’s a real mess.”

While Detroit deals with low student achievement and graduation rates, shuttered buildings and debt, Telford said he has handled hundreds of calls about fired teachers and principals, and had to bring in two pro bono ombudsmen to help handle the outpouring since the state appointed Roy Roberts as the district’s emergency financial manager. “The union’s been trying (to get them reinstated), but Mr. Roberts pretty much pretty put the crown on his head and proclaimed himself the king of Detroit Public Schools,” Telford said.

He added he’s taking Roberts to court Thursday to address many issues, including whether Roberts has the right to make academic decisions as part of his role overseeing  the district’s finances. “The logical answer is they report to me, not to Mr. Roberts, but they are claiming he reports to them,” Telford said.

Tied into this is a unanimous vote by the Detroit Board of Education late Tuesday to request that the FBI look into spending of federal dollars by Roberts, especially money related to federal Title One funding.

These are the latest salvos in the battle Detroit’s elected city and school officials are waging against outside oversight of their beleaguered finances. City officials fought off a state attempt to take over Belle Isle, the city’s largest park, and continue to battle Gov. Rick Snyder’s attempt to have appointees oversee the city’s debt-ridden books.

Telford said he’s been approached by “many teachers and principals and even folks above that level” about “injustice and criminality.”

“We’ve had innumerable allegations of wrongdoing,” said Board of Education President LaMar Lemmons, adding, “Allegations of backdating contracts, allegations of contracts that were no bid, not accepting the lowest bid, allegations of misspent federal dollars, etc., etc.”

He added Roberts has not put the information into the correct system for board members to see, which spurred the board to ask for the investigation. ”Because it’s Title One funding, it’s automatically a direct interest to the federal government,” Lemmons said.

Telford is obviously rankled over Roberts’ position.

“He needs to step down and go back to Bloomfield Hills and let me and the board run the district,” Telford said, later adding, “I have an uncomfortable feeling that some major malfeasance will be uncovered.”

A district spokesperson say they are not aware of any alleged corruption.

But board Vice President Herman Davis said she knows something is wrong. ”We know that he’s co-mingling funds and that shouldn’t happen,” Davis said.

The board is also alleging corruption involving contracts. A Roberts’ spokesman says they are not aware of the allegations, and says they have a robust Inspector General and a policy in place to avoid such problems.

Will Unity, Seeking More Favorable Time, Use Sandy as Excuse to Postpone UFT Elections?

Indications are that the UFT leadership may postpone UFT elections until later in the spring, which they appear to be allowed to do under the UFT constitution. In the past, by this time an election committee would have been formed and ratified by the DA today. If that happens the timetable might still work. But given that the ballots would go out just a week after people are spending the mid-winter break working 3 days and a relatively short time after the UFT agrees to some sort of evaluation deal, the usual election timetable -- a 3 week March balloting -- is not favorable to Unity.

By kicking the election further down the road that would give them time to send out the hordes into the schools to sell whatever deal they made, knowing full well the full impact will not hit until the 2013-14 school year. Of course if they can figure a way to sell off some more rights in exchange for some money in some kind of contract, that would sweeten the pot for getting people to overlook whatever they do. And I bet if Bloomberg can get a hook into eliminating ATRs he would pay.

Hey, how about ballots going out June 1, returnable by June 29? Would you put anything past Unity?

Well, we'll know more soon, so hang on for the ride.