Say NO to UFT Lame Attempt to Derail Opposition to Eval System and Common Core

UFT PRAISES COMMON CORE; CALLS FOR MORATORIUM ON JUDGING TEACHERS, SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS ON TESTS WHILE SAYING NOTHING ABOUT PUNITIVE DANIELSON OBSERVATIONS ... ICE Blog

There is so much to say about this reso brought up at the Ex Bd and supported I believe by both Unity and New Action. This is a clear attempt to undercut MORE's initiative in calling for a moratorium on evaluations through its petition which has garnered thousands of signatures. MORE today is holding a rally to support the call for a moratorium before the Delegate Assembly. So this paper reso also aims to weaken support for the rally. I believe this reso should be opposed, not amended and I hope someone gets the floor to do that. Roberts Rules call for a speaker against but Mulgrew just ignores that. Maybe James Eterno will give it another shot and if Mulgrew tries to shut him down I would hope every person who is not Unity would walk out. I can dream, can't I? Hell, the UFT walked out of the PEP because it wasn't democratic and didn't listen to the public. DUHHHHH! Here are some comments -- look for more blog reports later. 

The resolution is worse than useless, since it gives the false impression, intended to pacify the membership, that the union leadership is protecting our interests in this matter, rather than co-managing the implementation of the Common Corporate Standards and Danielson checklists along with the so-called reformers. .. Michael Fiorillo posted at Perdido Street School

My reasons for opposing the UFT resolution today are up at the ICE blog.  If we support it, then we are supporting common core and the advance evaluation system in principle.  If we try to amend it, we are still supporting Danielson which most people I talk to absolutely hate. UFT's resolution doesn't go far enough while it undercuts the work MORE did. Unity is just trying to do something for the disgruntled membership while they can still be education reformers when talking to the elite. Congratulations to all for impacting UFT policy but now is a chance to take it much further and truly distinguish the real opposition from Unity-New Action..... James Eterno

...the reso says nothing about what the UFT will do to achieve even a partial moratorium. No mobilization, no pressure campaign. It is just a paper reso they'll pass and ignore... Kit Wainer

This moratorium call, btw, would be the same thing Randi Weingarten called for a while back. But the UFT Executive Board did not call for an end to the punitive and abusive Danielson observations, did not point out the absurdity of evaluating teachers based upon test scores of students they don't teach in subjects they're not licensed in, did not point out the harm using a value-added test score measurement with a margin of error the size of Randi Weingarten's ego will do to teachers and schools.
Oh, no - it didn't do any of that.
Rather, the UFT Executive Board hailed the Common Core State (sic) Standards "as a means toward ensuring that children in the city and across the country learn the critical thinking skills necessary for success in today’s competitive world." Looks like they took that text directly from a Gates Foundation pamphlet or Arne Duncan's Twitter feed.... Perdido Street School

Here is James' complete blog post with the reso included:
The resolution below passed at the UFT Executive Board on Monday night.  To my eyes, it does not go nearly far enough to stop the madness that is occurring in our schools across the country, in general, and specifically in New York State and New York City. 

A moratorium on the high stakes test part of the new teacher evaluation system is a limited start but the UFT resolution says nothing about the punitive, required, multiple "gotcha" Danielson observations that are part of the new "Advance" teacher evaluation system and the UFT still praises the unproven Common Core Standards.

An immediate repeal of the whole evaluation system is what the UFT should be calling for along with further research to see if Common Core works.

Look at what is happening up in Syracuse where 40% of the teachers were rated developing or ineffective last year.  It could happen here in NYC too. The evaluation system called Advance must be put into full retreat and die if we are to start to win our professional dignity back. 

WHEREAS the United Federation of Teachers has since its founding been dedicated to creating

conditions in New York City pubic schools that enhance learning and help every child to achieve; and 

WHEREAS the UFT strongly supports the Common Core Learning Standards as a means toward 

ensuring that children in the city and across the country learn the critical thinking skills necessary for success in today’s competitive world; and ' 

WHEREAS the UFT has always held that teachers must be given adequate resources and professional development for the transition to the Common Core standards to succeed; and 

WHEREAS New York in the spring of 2013 administered new tests based on the Common Core before teachers and schools had even received currìcula aligned to the new standards, with the result that student scores plunged in New York City and across the state; and 

WHEREAS five weeks into the 2013-14 school year, many schools across New York City had still not received their new curricula aligned to the Common Core or had received them late, which is particularly problematic considering that the next round of state tests is to occur within a matter of months, in spring 2014; and 

WHEREAS it is harmful and unfair to children to give them high-stakes tests on material and skills which their schools have not had adequate time or resources to teach; and 

WHEREAS in New York City in particular a students scores on these tests can have life-changing

consequences, including possibly determining whether the student is promoted to the next grade; and 

WHEREAS in addition to the consequences for students, state tests count for 20 percent of a teacher's year-end performance rating under the new teacher evaluation and development system that was established by order of the state education commissioner this year; and 

WHEREAS the UFT continues to support having an evaluation system that bases a teacher's rating on multiple measures, rather than solely on a principals opinion; and that gives teachers a professional voice in their schools; and 

WHEREAS the UFT nevertheless holds that attaching high-stakes consequences to the new state exams at this time would be reckless and damaging to our public schools in light of the failure of the city to ensure that schools and teachers received adequate resources and professional development prior to the start of this school year; and 

WHEREAS, the UFT recognizes that the high stakes attached to New York State tests are a result of 

federal and state education laws as well as New York City Department of Education policy; therefore be it 

RESOLVED, that the UFT calls for a moratorium on attaching high-stakes consequences to state tests until representatives of all interested parties - including parents and educators - have worked with members of Congress, the state Legislature, the state Commissioner of Education, the Board of Regents and the New York City Panel for Educational Policy to carefully examine how well the new curricula, professional development and tests align to the Common Core standards; and be it further 

RESOLVED, that this moratorium will allow the state to continue administering the tests but will require that both the state and city pause in attaching to the test results any high-stakes consequences for students, teachers or schools until all stakeholders are assured that the system for implementing 

Common Core standards is working as it should to give our children the world-class education they deserve.

What they spent but won't pay rent - Report from Inside Eva's Belly of the Beast

As a school co-located with a Success Academy school we were shocked at the silence we encountered this morning as the entire SA school was noticeably missing (at rally).

 Upon their return we were even more shocked at the tremendous financial expenditure put forth for this rally with new bright yellow t-shirts for all staff members stating their roles ie; Teacher and reference to parent choice in addition to the nearly 100 pizzas that were purchased and delivered to the school building in order to feed students (who knows what the staff received) this not even include the cost if busing everyone to and from!!!

I would assume that poor Eva spent thousands of dollars of mis-appropriated funds that should have been spent on students' education.  Will SUNY be asked to divert more funds her way now? If a public school tried to close school, parade all their students and staff out - missing hours if valuable instructional time, spent thousands of dollars on t-shirts and pizza- SOMEBODY WOULD GET FIRED!!!!!!   Curiously, Eva allowed her students to dress down today- first time ever!!! I wonder why?  Maybe she was worried that the sight if her signature orange shirts would garner too much attention on the fact that she stole hours of on task instructional time from her students?  Maybe she was actually worried about the NEGATIVE press coverage and choose to attempt to camouflage her staff and families (staff wore yellow- not orange)??!!! 

A Memo on Eva Moskowitz's March and the #TaleofTwoSchoolSystems

• Harlem Success 1, Eva’s oldest school, suspended 22% of its pupils at least once during the 2010-11 school year, while the average for regular elementary district schools was 3%.
• • Most recent tax filings for Success Network show Eva earns at least $475,000, which is two times the salary of Chancellor Walcott.
  • While she refuses to pay rent for normal services and space costs, it was reported in 2012 her network received $28 million from foundations and corporations over the last 6 years, with a combined $23.5 million surplus, and two outside political consulting groups on the payroll.
   

I'm pumping these out as fast as they come in over this morning's charter lobby outrage against ALL parents, students and staff who were led in a forced march over the Brooklyn Bridge while public schools were on lock down so they couldn't join the counter marches and rallies to demonstrate there is severe opposition to the charter lobby.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 8th, 2013
Media Contacts:Julian Vinocur. 203.313.2479. julianvinocur@gmail.com
Dan Morris. 917.952.8920. dlmcommunications@gmail.com
Stuart Marques. 917.273.6194. stuart.marques@gmail.com

A Memo on Eva Moskowitz's March and the #TaleofTwoSchoolSystems

To: Interested Parties

From: New Yorkers for Great Public Schools (NYGPS)

Re: Eva Moskowitz’s March for Separate and Unequal Education

Eva’s Stunt Would be a Fireable Offense for Anyone Else

Today’s march is a political maneuver by Success Charter Schools CEO Eva Moskowitz to perpetuate a dark tale of two school systems in which charter schools thrive and traditional public schools struggle to survive.

Her chosen candidate for mayor, Joe Lhota, has pledged to double the number of charter schools in the city. Moskowitz and Lhota are marching together in favor of separate and unequal education, while Bill de Blasio has said he would charge charter schools rent and support a moratorium on co-locations and closings to make the system fairer and more equitable.

Make no mistake: closing schools for half the day, as Moskowitz has done today, to “facilitate” the participation of parents, students, and staff in a political march would be a fireable offense for most public school principals.

But Moskowitz is not viewed by City Hall as an ordinary figure, so she’ll get away what would be a career-damaging stunt for anyone else. She’s been given special treatment by Mayor Bloomberg and the Department of Education, and she fears the favoritism and perks will end under de Blasio.

NYGPS and Bill de Blasio: Ending the Tale of Two School Systems

New Yorkers for Great Public Schools (NYGPS) is a coalition of thousands of parents, students, educators, and community organizations. We have called for a moratorium on divisive school closings and co-locations that have pit parent against parent, student against student and school against school.  A majority of City Council members and several mayoral candidates—including Bill de Blasio—have embraced our view.

We are committed to ending the tale of two school systems and giving all public schools a fair and equal chance to succeed. We are focused on strengthening all public schools and ensuring that charter schools don't receive special treatment or get away with neglecting the needs of the city's most vulnerable students. 

Charters must be held to the same standards as traditional public schools. Our next mayor should require charter schools to report on finances, instruction, school policy and operations to increase their transparency and accountability within the overall school system. Well-off charter schools should pay fees for their use of traditional public school facilities in a way that is fair and equitable.

Top 5 Reasons Why Eva’s #TaleofTwoSchoolSystems Must End:

1)   Charter Schools Serve Fewer than 5% of the City’s 1.1 Million Students

• Charter schools enroll fewer than 5% of New York City's 1.1 million students and data shows high rates of attrition at some Success Academy schools for ELL students and students with disabilities.  Only 6% of students enrolled in charters are ELLs, compared with 14% citywide, and only 9% of charter students have IEPs compared to about 15% citywide. 
• To continue to give charter schools special treatment would be to neglect the needs of 95% of the city’s 1.1 million students. It’s unfair and unacceptable.

2)   Charter Schools Often Receive More Funding Than Traditional Public Schools

• The NYC Independent Budget Office reported in 2011 that charter schools that receive free space in city buildings receive about $650 more per student in public funding than traditional district schools.
  

3)     Eva Has Received Special Treatment from Bloomberg’s DOE

• The relationship between Eva Moskowitz and the Dept. of Education has been extremely cozy with a level of access to resources and special favors unknown to most other administrators. The disturbing exchanges, made public by FOIL’ed email exchanges, show Eva’s special treatment. She told former Chancellor Joel Klein, "help on space much appreciated," referring to her divisive co-locations, and confided to him, “we will have market share and will have fundamentally changed the rules of the game."
• Eva’s co-located charter schools create separate and unequal health standards in public school buildings, as many Success charter schools were bumped to the top of the line in the removal of toxic PCB’s while public school students were left exposed to hazardous chemicals. Many of the toxic treatment for her charter schools occurred without informing the Dept. of Education.

4)     Eva’s Multi-Dollar Network Refuses to Pay Rent for Public Space

• Eva makes two times the salary as Chancellor Walcott and still refuses to pay rent in co-located schools. Most recent tax filings for Success Network show Eva earns at least $475,000, which is two times the salary of Chancellor Walcott.
• While she refuses to pay rent for normal services and space costs, it was reported in 2012 her network received $28 million from foundations and corporations over the last 6 years, with a combined $23.5 million surplus, and two outside political consulting groups on the payroll.

5)   Eva Uses Zero Tolerance Discipline to Push Out High-Needs Students

• Eva’s schools are notorious for excluding high needs students. The “charter school tapes,” unveiled by Daily News reporter Juan Gonzalez, highlight over a dozen cases where the charter school network has used “zero tolerance” discipline policiesto suspend, push out, or demote high needs students who might lower scores on state exams.
• Harlem Success 1, Eva’s oldest school, suspended 22% of its pupils at least once during the 2010-11 school year, while the average for regular elementary district schools was 3%.
• Further, as reported by New York Magazine, her approach is militaristic: New students are initiated at “kindergarten boot camp,” where they get drilled for two weeks on how to behave in the “zero noise” corridors (straight lines, mouths shut, arms at one’s sides) and the art of active listening (legs crossed, hands folded, eyes tracking the speaker).

Please visit www.nygps.org, for more information

NYC Public School Parents Comment on Charter Phony Demand Claims

The charter industry spends thousands of dollars per students to pull demand. One of today's march organizers, the CEO of CMO PublicPrep, recently had to pull an offer to pay families ( $100 in AmEx gift cards + $100  to college fund 529) under pressure form DoE/the charter lobby because it exposes how desperate these schools are to create demand.... Clearly demand does not drive policy- so why does the DoE and charter lobby keep pretending they should? ....

We FOILed the enrollment figures and zip codes of students for CWC Williasmburg (Citizens of the World - run be Eva Moskowitz' husband) and this is what we found out: CWC Williamsburg has only 65 students  (out of a planned 126).  A total of only 39 Kindergartners and 26 1st graders.AND, when we looked at their zip codes, only THREE students come from the school's zip code.
--------

Remember how Citizens of the World Charter Schools was seeking TWO charter schools in D14 because parents were begging for them?  Walcott, in his comments to SUNY, even said that two CWCs were great, but there was only "sufficient space" for one in D14 (the other is in D17).  Yet Walcott found sufficient space to co-locate more schools in D14 later in the year.

The NYC DOE co-located CWC Williamsburg in the ONLY middle school in the area. We FOILed the enrollment figures and zip codes of students for CWC Williasmburg and this is what we found out: CWC Williamsburg has only 65 students  (out of a planned 126).  A total of only 39 Kindergartners and 26 1st graders.

AND, when we looked at their zip codes, only THREE students come from the school's zip code.  Anywhere from 60-86% are coming from out of the district. We would have a more definitive figure, but one of the zip codes is shared by D32 (2/3 of the zip is in D32).

------
We need to push back on the myth that charter schools benefit from what DoE refers to as 'robust demand' which then justifies all the favor, attention and space showered upon them by this administration. Many of us question the accuracy and even existence of these tens of thousands of students on wait lists.

-----

All the charter schools in my district have claimed enormous demand as evidenced by huge wait lists yet none of them can meet their enrollment targets.

Indeed one of today's march organizers, the CEO of CMO PublicPrep, recently had to pull an offer to pay families ( $100 in AmEx gift cards + $100  to college fund 529) under pressure form DoE/the charter lobby because it exposes how desperate these schools are to create demand.

 

This is the same network that has emailed glossy postcards to the families and students  in the community directly having been given, for free, access to the DoE's registers of enrolled students.

The charter industry spends thousands of dollars per students to pull demand.

Does that undocumented demand justify the creation and colocation of schools that take resources form existing schools/students?

The Mayor does not think that 'demand' for sodas or guns on our streets is reason to allow or encourage their proliferation at the expense of our citizen's health and safety.

At last night's colocation hearing for a new CTE school NOT ONE person or organization attended or spoke in favor of the proposal.

In this year's choice-based  K admissions process in D1 some 3102 applicants applied for 886 seats.

 

Where does that "wait list" and "robust demand" get tallied, weighed and taken into account?

 

Our district seats are getting converted to citywide HS's, G and T and charter schools.

Clearly demand does not drive policy- so why does the DoE and charter lobby keep pretending they should?

 

Such great stuff exposing the myth of charter demand which the press ignores. Keep em coming.

Media release Tues. Oct. 8, 2013: Parents and Advocates comment on today's charter school march

New York State Education Law requires that when a district provides space or services to a charter school it shall do so at cost.  Yet the DOE provides free space and services for more than 100 co-located charter schools.  Using figures from the NYC Independent Budget Office, we estimate that the space and services these charter schools currently receive is worth more than $100 million a year. A large chunk of that unfair subsidy goes to Success charters, which operates 22 schools across New York City, all of them co-located, with plans for seven more schools in 2014. Yet Success had an operating surplus of more than $23 million in 2012, and probably enjoys an even larger surplus this year.” 

A follow-up to this morning's post: NYC Public Schools Rally in Opposition to Charters....


For immediate release:  Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Arthur Z. Schwartz, Advocates for Justice: aschwartz@advocatesny.com; 917- 923-8136 Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters: leonie@classsizematters.org ; 917-435-9329
Sam Pirozollo, NYC Parents Union: sam@nycparentsunion.org ; 917-533-3437

Today, Eva Moskowitz and other charter school operators have closed their schools and are holding a political rally of students, parents and teachers, to try to pressure Bill de Blasio, Democratic candidate and frontrunner for Mayor, to go back on his campaign pledge that if elected, he will call for a moratorium on charter co-locations and charge charter schools rent.  What she and others in the charter lobby have ignored is that while Section 2853(4)(c) of the NY State Education Law allows districts to lease public school “buildings and grounds” to charters and to “contract for the operation and maintenance thereof,” it also requires that “any such contract shall provide such services or facilities at cost.” 

Arthur Schwartz, attorney with Advocates for Justice, who first filed a lawsuit on behalf of public school and charter school parents on this issue in 2011, says: “New York State Education Law requires that when a district provides space or services to a charter school it shall do so at cost.  Yet the DOE provides free space and services for more than 100 co-located charter schools.  Using figures from the NYC Independent Budget Office, we estimate that the space and services these charter schools currently receive is worth more than $100 million a year. A large chunk of that unfair subsidy goes to Success charters, which operates 22 schools across New York City, all of them co-located, with plans for seven more schools in 2014. Yet Success had an operating surplus of more than $23 million in 2012, and probably enjoys an even larger surplus this year.” 

“We have now been instructed by Justice Barbara Jaffe to take the issue to the State Education Commissioner. But in light of a recent ruling in a related case, we are asking the judge to reconsider. If she sends us to the Commissioner again we will appeal, in time to face off with a new Mayor. Success Charter Schools, which has organized the upcoming rally, is trying to exert political muscle. It will not succeed, in the public arena or in the courts. That $100 million will go back to our public schools, starved for resources, and hopefully allow them to reduce class sizes, which are now the largest in 15 years.”

"This 'protest march' is yet another example of separate and unequal treatment afforded to charters, especially Eva Moskowitz's Success Charters," says Noah Gotbaum, a public school parent of three and a Vice President of Community Education Council District 3 on the Upper West Side and Harlem. "Success claims its schools are public, but what other public school could close their doors and demand that its parents and students attend a political rally? What other public school could sue the State Comptroller to avoid the transparency of a state audit?  And what other public school could use our tax dollars to pay its CEO almost $500,000 per year?" 

As Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters points out, “A 2011 study from the Independent Budget Office showed that co-located charters in NYC receive more in public dollars per student than regular public schools, and city spending on charters is expected to exceed one billion dollars next year.  A report released by the charter lobby attempts to contradict the IBO analysis but has little credibility, especially since its author, Harry Wilson, is personally close to many in the charter school movement , according to Whitney Tilson, prominent board member of Democrats for Education Reform.  Indeed, Wilson promised not to “harass” charters by auditing their books when he ran for NY State Comptroller in 2010.” 

Karen Sprowal, whose own son was pushed out of a Success charter in Kindergarten, observes:  “Over the last few months we have learned of even more cases of troubling disciplinary and push-out policies in charter schools, in a series of investigative reports from Juan Gonzalez of the Daily News.  There needs to be an immediate moratorium on expanding charters as well as co-locations, so that these abusive and potentially illegal practices can be carefully examined by authorities before any new charters are allowed to open in New York City.” 

Mona Davids, President, NYC Parents Union, said:  "As a former charter parent who spearheaded the charter reforms in 2010, I'm disgusted that Eva Moskowitz and other charter leaders are using parents and students as political pawns while continuing to violate the law by not serving their fair share of students with disabilities and English Language Learners, by not establishing Parent Associations and by refusing to be audited by the State Comptroller.  This march is an abuse of power by Eva Moskowitz and other charter leaders because no public school would be allowed to shut down for an entire morning to have their students engage in political activities." 

According to Sam Pirozzolo, president of the Community Education Council in District 31, Staten Island: “I find it ironic that Ms. Moskowitz, a leader who has been given the task of eliminating the achievement gap has done little more than increase the divide between the haves and have nots.  It is unfortunate that Eva Moskowitz has chosen to intimidate mayoral candidates by closing her schools for a day. She is hiding behind parents and children for the sake of profits and a paycheck. Since their inception, charter schools have been creaming only the best students from our public schools.” 

###

NYC Public Schools Rally in Opposition to Charters....

But Cannot Close Schools to Do So. Protests take place after school but are ignored by pro-charter press.

Sign for Oct 8 Charter Rally:
Keep Eva's salary at half a million

In essence, there is a lockdown today so Public Schools cannot hold a mass Anti-Charter Rally which would dwarf the one being held today on school time.

If public schools were allowed to close this morning, use their resources to organize a counter rally, they wouldn't have to order all employees, parents and students to show up. Many thousands from all over the city would be there.

As the video below shows, public schools like Seth Low must organize rallies at their school off school hours. Here are some snippets of the rally they held on September 30 protesting an Eva Moskowitz invasion of their school in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Included is some early video of the buses outside Harlem Success Academy this morning.

https://vimeo.com/76424817

Tuesday 9AM: Counter Charter School Rally at City Hall

Don't Forget the Counter Charter School Rally at City Hall This Tuesday Morning @ 9AM.
Various progressive education groups and individuals will be rallying at City Hall near Chambers Street to counter the angry Charter School cabal because Mayoral Candidate Bill DeBlasio vows to have charter schools pay rent for their school spaces... and possibly put a moratorium on adding any more charter schools.
Bring signs, banners and flyers that show you support keeping the PUBLIC in public schools and that charter schools should pay rent for the space they occupy in public school buildings.
See you there!

Ravitch in Park Slope Tues Night, Draws Crowds Nationwide - and Matt Damon

There's been lots of commentary about the tide turning against ed deform (A Comment from Western New York: Yes, the Tide Is Turning) and (Common Core Tests in NY Spur Opt Out Movement) -- but the large crowds showing up on the Diane Ravitch "Reign of Error" book tour must be making ed deformers shudder. Find details of the tour on the Ravitch blog:  My Trip to the West Coast…and Back.

Note her appearance  tonight - Tuesday (Oct. 8),. (I'm hoping to be there to tape.)

 

Join Diane Ravitch, NYU professor and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education, for a hard-hitting look at the perilous state of America's public school system in her newest book, Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools. Called a "whistleblower extraordinaire" by the Wall Street Journal, Ravitch's many books include The Death and Life of the Great American School System. In conversation with New Yorker writer David Denby. 

 --------
And here are some notes from the tour.

“I’m very honored to have the opportunity to introduce Diane tonight, She’s somebody that I have admired for a very long time. She’s an amazing person. She’s America’s foremost historian in the areas of education policy, she’s a champion of public education, she’s a courageous speaker and she’s a truth-teller.”  Matt Damon 10/2/13

http://sundial.csun.edu/2013/10/matt-damon-visits-csun-to-introduce-nyu-professor-diane-ravitch-a-representative-of-the-education-on-the-edge-speakers-series/

http://laschoolreport.com/matt-damon-takes-the-stage-but-ravitch-wins-the-applause/

Film - Teachers Unite: "Growing Fairness"

Growing Fairness was produced “because we were receiving an exponentially increasing number of requests from organizations and educators, locally and around the country, for training” in restorative justice, says Sally Lee, executive director of Teachers Unite in New York City. At one middle school featured in Growing Fairness, suspensions fell by almost 90 percent; at a high school in New York City, they fell by a quarter.... The American Prospect

I'm proud of the work Teachers Unite is doing - I was one of the first members - and a supporter of restorative justice. I think even without knowing it I used some of the principles by instinct in my classrooms.  I saw the film a few weeks ago and it makes such a strong case for us to look at discipline in another way. Some thing RJ is just a way for kids who misbehave to avoid accountability. But it's the opposite. Kids are held accountable in front of their peers who take part in judging them. Instead of letting problems fester and keep cropping up again, there is a mechanism in place to deal with them other than suspension, sending to dean, etc.

Restorative Justice's After-School Special

Bryce Stucki

October 4, 2013

The documentary Growing Fairness aims to train an army of educators set on using restorative justice instead of punishment when dealing with high-school kids.

“Education was where my heart was,” says Tyrone Sinclair in Growing Fairness, a documentary showcasing the impact restorative-justice programs can have in our nation's schools. Sinclair says he was expelled from school at 16, became homeless, and then ended up in jail. Now, he organizes young people in Los Angeles. “I knew that wasn’t the place for me,” he says of prison. “I love to learn every day.”
Growing Fairness was screened at the Thurgood Marshall Center in Washington, D.C., this Wednesday, at an event hosted by Critical Exposure, a local youth group that trains high-school students in photography so they can document problems in their communities. The audience included mostly high-school students and people in their 20s, most of whom were interested in or researched education reform, though a few older community members and attorneys for civil-rights organizations were also present. The event was part of the fourth annual Week of Action organized by the Dignity in Schools Campaign, a network of grassroots groups who want to reform school discipline by turning schools toward restorative justice instead of well-worn—and ineffective—punitive measures. 

Restorative justice is a theory of discipline that emphasizes rehabilitation rather than punishment. In 2009-2010, over 3 million students were suspended from K-12 schools, most of them disciplined for minor infractions, like disrupting class. Suspensions do not just mean missed time; they also lower a student’s chances of graduating. People who do not graduate from high school are more likely to be imprisoned later in life. Reformers believe restorative justice can largely stop that process, also known as a school-to-prison pipeline.

Discussion circles and peer mediation are among restorative justice's hallmarks, as is a prohibition on suspensions as punishment for minor offenses. The remarkable success of these practices in several once-dangerous schools helps explain the philosophy’s growing popularity. Notoriously tough Ralph J. Bunch Academy in Oakland cut its suspensions in half in just one year; West Philadelphia High School, one of the city's roughest, reduced violent incidents by over 50 percent in the same amount of time; and arrests at Fenger High School in Chicago—which drew national attention when honors student Derrion Albert was beaten to death outside the school in 2009—cut arrests from over 200 to less than a dozen, also in one year. 

In fact, Growing Fairness was produced “because we were receiving an exponentially increasing number of requests from organizations and educators, locally and around the country, for training” in restorative justice, says Sally Lee, executive director of Teachers Unite in New York City. At one middle school featured in Growing Fairness, suspensions fell by almost 90 percent; at a high school in New York City, they fell by a quarter.

Growing Fairness is primarily concerned with the philosophy’s practical implications. We see a community circle in Oakland and a student-led justice panel in New York City. We hear students express gratitude for the program. We also watch the theory guide the policies. In one sequence, Nicholas Merchant-Bleiberg, an assistant principal at the Lyons Community School in New York City, describes the aftermath of a gang leader’s expulsion. “There was a part of that moment that—fairly—was relief,” explaining that the student created “a lot of drama.” Then the dean of students wrote an email that “affected me for life … acknowledging that it’s not anybody’s fault that he didn’t do well, but we have to get better at him.” There will be more gang leaders, and administrators must learn how to help them. “It’s our mandate—we’re supposed to teach kids like him.”

This Week of Action, which ends Saturday, is the biggest ever held. Several Gay Straight Alliance and LGBTQ organizations are participating for the first time and events were held everywhere from rural Mississippi to Miami. The events included community meetings in Little Rock, Arkansas; tours of schools that have limited the role of law enforcement officials in Los Angeles; a march followed by a rally in Lawrenceville, Georgia; town-hall forums in Chicago; a cookout in Paterson, New Jersey; and a play performance in Durham, North Carolina.

Although restorative justice's supporters are increasing, implementing it, like any major reform, will take time—a point emphasized in the film. Some principals and teachers are skeptical that group circles will prevent fist-fights, says Lee. Restorative justice also requires money: a salaried counselor to oversee the program, pay for teachers who work with students after school. That problem is especially acute at a time of slim budgets. After making its remarkable turnaround, Fenger High School in Chicago lost the federal money that funded its restorative-justice program last school year; in Philadelphia, ten schools running pilot restorative practices programs are being squeezed by layoffs of 3,700 school officials and an influx of students from the city's 23 newly closed schools. School closing in both cities—Chicago shuttered 47 this year—disproportionately hit minorities and low-income students, the same groups hurt most by the school-to-prison pipeline. One low-cost change many schools can make is to switch all out-of-school suspensions for minor offenses to in-school suspensions; that change would keep students off the streets, where they are more likely to be arrested. Many cities also have youth organizations that run restorative-justice sessions after school, where young people can resolve their differences and also receive training to advocate for change from public officials.
Even if the funding is not there, the will, at the least the latent will, is. In a recent survey of New York City teachers, Teachers Unite and the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative found that educators believed “overwhelmingly that what makes a school safe was really a whole school-culture approach, not just one isolated practice,” says Lee. Matthew, a 10th grader interviewed in Growing Fairness, echoes that sentiment. “The teachers have a lot of respect for the kids here and I find that amazing,” he says of his new school, which has a restorative-justice program. “Because at my middle school, if you were failing, you were failing—they didn’t offer you anything. But at this school I find that with the support of my teacher and the other teachers here, I can succeed.”

MORE Weekly Update #70: Are you coming out for Win Back Wednesday?

You should be getting the idea of why you should drag your ass over the 52 Broadway this Weds (Oct 9) for the 4PM "Win Back Wednesday" rally. Certainly if you read my earlier piece on what is going on in Newark where the pressure of an insurgent social justice oriented caucus has led to the Unity style leader, who only won re-election by 9 votes, to take a position against RTTT. And you should sign up to distribute the MORE newsletter in your mail boxes. We ran out of our first run and 5000 more are being printed. My goal this year: To have 25,000 MORE Stuff in Your Mailbox going out to - well - UFT member mail boxes.

And it you are a chapter leader or delegate there is no excuse not to be in the dynamic MORE Chapter Leader (discussion for chapter activists) CL/Del listserve where you can get expert help on contract items and other issues in your school.


Time to stop the test-based evaluation system!

View this email in your browser

Weekly Update #70

October 7, 2013

Join MORE Today Make Sure You Are On Our Listserves! Click below to join:  News (announcements/articles) Discussion (debate/back-and-forth) Chapter Leader (discussion for chapter activists) Day of Action Against Test-Based Evaluations Wednesday, October 9th Outside DA @ UFT HQ 52 B'way - 4pm-6pm City-wide at schools FALL GENERAL MEETINGS 3rd Saturday - Noon to 3:00pm October 19 224 West 29th St 14th fl. (btwn 7th and 8th ave) November 16th Location TBA COMMITTEES: Contract Committee contract@morecaucusnyc.org Wed. Oct 9th at 6:15pm Au Bon Pain - 60 Broad St. Meeting Minutes here Steering Committee steering@morecaucusnyc.org TODAY Mon. Oct. 7th at 8pm Phone Conference - reply for details Mon. Oct. 21th at 5PM CUNY Grad Center, Rm. 5409 Meeting minutes here Newsletter Committee news@morecaucusnyc.org Membership Committee membership@morecaucusnyc.org Wed. Oct 9th at 6:15pm Au Bon Pain - 60 Broad St. Chapter Organizing Committee chapters@morecaucusnyc.org Media Committee media@morecaucusnyc.org High Stake Testing Committee testing@morecaucusnyc.org Monday, Oct. 14th, 2:00-4:00pm. CUNY Grad Center, Rm 5414 STAYING IN TOUCH:  Comments? Suggestions? Email update@morecacusnyc.org with items for future updates Facebook Twitter Email

OCTOBER 9th Day of Action! Check out the toolkit and stickers (PDF, doc) Mobilize your coworkers, parents and community to take a stand against test-based teacher evals.  Wear RED and stickers to work Distribute this flyer to coworkers Join us at the UFT Delegate Assembly at 4:00-6:00pm (52 Broadway, 4/5 to Wall St. A/C to Fulton) Make copies of the flyer to distribute there (will be posted tomorrow on MORE website) On October 9th at 4:00 p.m., activists from all over the city will gather at UFT headquarters to protest the emphasis on high stakes testing that is harming our children, educators, and public schools. Read more at MOREcaucusNYC.org... RSVP on Facebook here High Stakes Disaster Around New York MORE's Jia Lee and CTS' Fred Smith speak out at HST Forum in District 15. Lisa North points out that the UFT said not to evaluate based on test scores Almost 40% of Syracuse Teachers need improvement plan under new eval system. Common core textbooks still not delivered to New York City schools 2500 teachers, parents and administrators protest high-stakes testing in Buffalo Educator under attack?  Join MORE's "Don't Tread on Educators" support group by emailing dtoe-subscribe@googlegroups.com MORE's next general meeting is on Saturday, October 19th [at 224 West 29th St 14th fl., btwn 7th and 8th ave]. Discussions will include the our campaign against the high-stakes test based evaluation system and MORE's strategy and tactics in the UFT Delegate Assembly. MORE Newsletter Sign up to help distribute MORE's newsletter, "MORE Stuff in Your Mailbox," to your colleagues. Reply to this email if you can pick up copies or would like to help distribute it, or pick up copies at our general meeting. And read the newsletter online: morecaucusnyc.org/newsletter

Newark TU Rejects RTTT as Randi/Del Grosso Contract Burns and Relationship With Cami Anderson Frays

Mr. Christie and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten hailed the contract as a model for cooperation that teachers union locals across the country should emulate.... WSJ
 
Why MORE in NYC? Newark Union Pres under pressure from an insurgent NEW Caucus rejects Race to the Top. Lisa Fleisher has a great piece today in the WSJ:

The rhetoric was starkly different from what was on display last November, when the contract was signed. Mr. Christie and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten hailed the contract as a model for cooperation that teachers union locals across the country should emulate. The contract was a risky proposition for Mr. Del Grosso, who had been more open to trying out merit pay and other types of changes than many teachers union leaders in New Jersey and surrounding areas. He won re-election by a slim margin.

Why come out to the MORE Day of Action at the UFT Delegate Assembly this Weds at 4PM? I'm not saying it will happen this time but the day we have hundreds of people pushing Mulgrew with a serious threat like in Newark the UFT will continue pushing its Vichy-like policies. See what happens when an insurgent social justice union movement gets strong enough to challenge the status quo leadership?

Even while still in power, Del Grosso, who won by only 9 votes while NEW Caucus captured a majority of the Exec Bd seats, pulled the plug on Newark's application for Race to the Top. Remember how Randi and Chris Christie helped shove this crappy contract down the throats of Newark teachers, many of whom are in revolt over the contract? [Just search ed notes for loads of articles on this sell-out - look in Nov 12 archives. I think I added Newark to the Randi Sellout Tour pic.]

teachers union President Joe Del Grosso said the application was full of "stupid things that are just wasteful spending," such as a proposal to use earbuds to give teachers live feedback during classes.

YES. RTTT does nothing for kids or teachers or schools other than feed into an ed deform program that degrades the profession and the union. Yet Vichy unions like the UFT never point this stuff out. Earbuds indeed. But poor Joe couldn't --or wouldn't -- point out the real crap oozing out of every pore of RTTT.

The new contract, approved 62% to 38% in November 2012, ushered in a new structure that pegged some pay to teachers' evaluations. For example, low-rated teachers aren't eligible for annual raises based on their years of service. Some teachers are eligible for bonuses if they receive high ratings.

I wish I could share more, but Ed Notes has a great contact with an experienced teacher in Newark who sends me regular reports on the outrages going on there. When I can I will share --- but the management under the misdirection of Cami Anderson, who was despised here in NYC, makes Joel Klein look competent. One thing Anderson, following in the steps of her mentor, is good at is misdirection and lying -- the real agenda is to destroy the union and privatize as much of the school system as possible. That she has been mentioned as a possible Chancellor here (these people hop around like bed bugs) is a scary thought -- one reason to make sure Joe Lhota doesn't win.

Mr. Del Grosso on Thursday reiterated his support for the contract but said he disagreed with this grant application. "I put myself out there because I believe that this was a good contract, and I still believe it," he said. "If I see something I think is not correct I'm not going to hide or anything."

Joe Del Grosso still has one foot in Vichydom. We've seen this Randi sell-out act in Washington DC, Detroit, Hartford, and even elements here in NYC. And Joe just doesn't want to break the apron ties to the fact that the Randi-led AFT/UFT will not turn on their masters.

See below the break for the rest of Lisa's (one of the better ed reporters) article - and a photo of Cami Anderson.