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Sunday, June 22, 2014
Sunday, Sunday Picnic - Join MORE/Change the Stakes Today at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Your "choice" really is my business - Lorna F.
Why free-market economics lead to nothing but harm in our public education system....Two recent articles that prove why free-market economics lead to nothing but harm in our public education system.Thanks to Lorna, a Brooklyn public school parent for sending this. I've gotten into discussions with charter school parents who rigorously defend their right to "choice." I ask them what about the choice of parents who do not want a co-located charter in their schools? Then I bring up the end game of the charter school movement -- the abolition of public education - when they will have no choice other than charters. So they say there will be competition and I say the end game will be like the phone company - charters will be forced to combine into conglomerates like Success and KIPP --- as things mature and there are no public schools to attack and scam kids from, they will start to scam from each other and the losers will be closed or absorbed.
The many negative effects of co-location in NYC schools.
http://www.tc.columbia.edu/i/
Moody's downgrades yet another public school district because of ballooning charter costs.
Moody's places the Philadelphia School District's (PA) Ba2 rating on review for downgrade
Susan's Saturday Special
Ok, so Ohanian sent this out on Thursday. Why quibble? Lotsalinks for weekend perusal. And isn't today the longest day of the year? And I'm registered for a hot yoga class in Times Square with a few thousand people. I just me skip that one and stay home and read Susan's stuff.
A startling thing happened in the grocery store yesterday. I had the four pieces of fruit (at $3.99) a pound that I treat myself to once a year year. Gold dust. The clerk said, "Can I ask you what those are?"
I was so stunned in the moment about having to define apricots that it didn't occur to give one to the clerk. I mean, everyone should taste an apricot once in her life.
Thanks to Eric's good efforts, cartoons are back.
Universal Critical Thinking
http://susanohanian.org/cartoon_fetch.php?id=940
Ad in USA Today Trashes Teachers
http://susanohanian.org/cartoon_fetch.php?id=939
The other good news is that school is out, the weather is beautiful, and free reading abounds. Kids are finding books at the town library that they WANT to read. And I'm there to shelve the returns. Richard Allington's research shows that kids need access to 15 books of their choice over the summer to keep up their skills. Don't you wonder where kids in poverty are going to find those books? It would be a lot cheaper--and more beneficial--to give them those books than force them to go to summer remediation.
The Jindal item below has a slam on Arne Duncan than you probably won't read anywhere else.
Susan
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U.S. education secretary criticizes Gov. Bobby Jindal's Common Core turnabout, TV station reports
Danielle Dreilinger
Times Picayune
2014-06-17
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=716
Arne Duncan puts his foot in it, Petrilli attacks him on Twitter. And more.
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Over 80 PERCENT Of New York Residents Say Common Core Is A Disastrous Failure
Eric Owens
Daily Caller
2014-06-17
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=715
A poll shows a whopping 82 percent of New York state residents wanting to abandon the Common Core Standards Initiative.
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'Sit and Stare' to Prepare for Democracy?
John Merrow
2014-06-18
http://susanohanian.org/show_commentary.php?id=1176
I take it as a hopeful sign that a mainstream reporter comes close to supporting those who opt out of testing.
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Seniority, Tenure and the Vergara Decision
Jack Gerson and Andy Libson
2014-06-18
http://susanohanian.org/show_commentary.php?id=1175
In discussing the Vergara decision, the authors insist that the situation is long past the time when people should be calling for 'calm.'
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To the editor
Shlomo Groll
Wall Street Journal
2014-06-18
http://susanohanian.org/show_letter.php?id=1690
The Wall Street Journal publishes a letter that takes them to task.
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To the editor
Stephen Krashen
Taiwan News
2014-06-18
http://susanohanian.org/show_letter.php?id=1689
A terrible New York Times article is reprinted in the Taiwan News, and Krashen takes them to task.
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To the editor
Stephen Krashen
The Guardian
2014-06-17
http://susanohanian.org/show_letter.php?id=1688
Good respond to an incredibly awful article.
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To the editor
Joseph Mugivan
New York times
2014-06-06
http://susanohanian.org/show_letter.php?id=1687
The author points out that kids spend a lot of time using grammar workbooks but not much time actually using that grammar in their own writing.
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Students of much-touted Success Academy charter school score too low on entrance exam for top city high schools
Juan Gonzalez
New York Daily News
2014-06-18
http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1827
Shocking statistics from Harlem Success Academy 1.
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The Internet of very dumb things
Mark Morford
San Francisco Chronicle
2014-06-17
http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1826
Morford posits all the app crap as high-fructose corn syrup of the Internet.
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U.S. Warning New York State on Teacher Evaluations
Leslie Brodie
Wall Street Journal
2014-06-18
http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1825
The US Department of Education is threatening New York State over teacher evaluations. Your tax dollars at work.
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Tying high-stakes tests to teachers is harmful
Mark Henry
Houston Chronicle
0000-00-00
http://susanohanian.org/show_yahoo.php?id=857
Here's good news: a superintendent willing to speak truth to power.
Friday, June 20, 2014
NYSAPE Parents Outraged at Cuomo/NYSUT Eval Deal, NYC Parents Anger at UFT on Contract Schedule Changes
Look at the 2-year moratorium and when it expires. Right after the 2016 UFT elections. So Mulgrew has some cover before the shit hits the fan. Does anyone think the UFT played NO ROLE in this deal? NYSAPE appears to think so. Or is playing politics by trying not to offend the elephant in the room.
I am getting weary of parent groups that give cover to the UFT, or make excuses for them -- in essence, they are enabling the UFT to make these backroom deals and not be held accountable. I can't tell you how many emails I get from parents who want ME to expose the UFT hierarchy but don't want to go public because they have dealings with them. In essence they are playing the same "seat at the table" game the UFT plays. It will get them nowhere - as you can tell about these deals the UFT made on evals and in the contract that screw parents. Did the UFT consult ANY of their so-called parent partners on this? Hey -- where is CEJ (Coalition for Educational Justice)/Annenberg which goes silent when convenient?
The UFT uses the same tactics Bloomberg used to buy silence. [I remember when the so-called parent advocate, Moaning Mona Davids, was silent for a time when she was "working" with the UFT. I actually felt sorry for the UFT for even putting their foot in that cesspool. Someone should check LM-2 from c. 2010-12 to see if any money changed hands. Hey, Mona, how much would it cost to get you to support tenure? Well, we can't compete with the hedge funders - are they smart enough to not go there, given they have so many other places to go to kill tenure than Moaning with Mona?]
Isn't it funny how NYSAPE, a great group of parents, put the sole blame on Cuomo and the State Legislature but don't mention the responsibility of the UFT controlled NYSUT? Mulgrew was crowing about this deal. Just last week at the DA he was talking about how the Vergara decision makes it clear how much we have to work with parents and how proud he is of the work the UFT does with parents.
And gee, the AFT/UFT/NYSUT tandem has made whiny statements about how they are opposed to the testing regimen.
But you know the drill -- watch what do, not what they say.
By the way - look at the 2-year moratorium and when it expires. Right after the 2016 UFT elections. So Mulgrew has some cover before the shit hits the fan. Does anyone think the UFT played NO ROLE in this deal? NYSAPE appears to think so. Or is playing politics by trying not to offend the elephant in the room.
This follows on the outrage of parents in schools around the city over the contract that forces changes in school schedules, as I reported the other day: UFT Contract Toxic PD Spillover: Parents Unhappy -...
There is a lot of commentary on the eval deal from teacher bloggers:
Eterno at ICE: COMMON CORE TESTS ALONE FOR GRADES 3-8 WON'T KILL TEACHERS FOR TWO YEARS -
RBE: New York State's Teacher Evaluation System - And Its Governor - Continue To Lose Credibility
Here is the complete NYSAPE Press Release:
The deal reached today by Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature regarding minimizing the impact of Common Core test scores on teacher evaluations is a slap in the face to parents across the state who have implored them to reduce the amount of testing that children are subjected to and to improve the quality of these exams and the learning standards. ... NYSAPE Press ReleaseNo mention of the UFT/NYSUT. I know there will be some blow back on this post as I get "Norm, the UFT is NOT the enemy." Sure. Just like Vichy.
I am getting weary of parent groups that give cover to the UFT, or make excuses for them -- in essence, they are enabling the UFT to make these backroom deals and not be held accountable. I can't tell you how many emails I get from parents who want ME to expose the UFT hierarchy but don't want to go public because they have dealings with them. In essence they are playing the same "seat at the table" game the UFT plays. It will get them nowhere - as you can tell about these deals the UFT made on evals and in the contract that screw parents. Did the UFT consult ANY of their so-called parent partners on this? Hey -- where is CEJ (Coalition for Educational Justice)/Annenberg which goes silent when convenient?
The UFT uses the same tactics Bloomberg used to buy silence. [I remember when the so-called parent advocate, Moaning Mona Davids, was silent for a time when she was "working" with the UFT. I actually felt sorry for the UFT for even putting their foot in that cesspool. Someone should check LM-2 from c. 2010-12 to see if any money changed hands. Hey, Mona, how much would it cost to get you to support tenure? Well, we can't compete with the hedge funders - are they smart enough to not go there, given they have so many other places to go to kill tenure than Moaning with Mona?]
Isn't it funny how NYSAPE, a great group of parents, put the sole blame on Cuomo and the State Legislature but don't mention the responsibility of the UFT controlled NYSUT? Mulgrew was crowing about this deal. Just last week at the DA he was talking about how the Vergara decision makes it clear how much we have to work with parents and how proud he is of the work the UFT does with parents.
And gee, the AFT/UFT/NYSUT tandem has made whiny statements about how they are opposed to the testing regimen.
But you know the drill -- watch what do, not what they say.
By the way - look at the 2-year moratorium and when it expires. Right after the 2016 UFT elections. So Mulgrew has some cover before the shit hits the fan. Does anyone think the UFT played NO ROLE in this deal? NYSAPE appears to think so. Or is playing politics by trying not to offend the elephant in the room.
This follows on the outrage of parents in schools around the city over the contract that forces changes in school schedules, as I reported the other day: UFT Contract Toxic PD Spillover: Parents Unhappy -...
That post triggered this email from a parent.
The NY Times touched on this today: New Contract for Teachers Is Altering Schools’ Hours6/19/14Hi Norm,Just want to confirm what you said that the parents did not really understand what the new contract means for their school in terms of school hours. NESTM had a 8:20-3:10 day. Next year they are going to default 8:00-2:20 day. The parents are enraged because this is a commuter school so the commutes need to get earlier and then the other problem is the very early dismissal. The PTA is calling all parents to go to the Parent Teacher meeting this morning and they sent out a survey about how many parents what this earlier schedule. I will keep you posted. I am sure that this is not only happening at at our school.
There is a lot of commentary on the eval deal from teacher bloggers:
Eterno at ICE: COMMON CORE TESTS ALONE FOR GRADES 3-8 WON'T KILL TEACHERS FOR TWO YEARS -
RBE: New York State's Teacher Evaluation System - And Its Governor - Continue To Lose Credibility
Here is the complete NYSAPE Press Release:
Parents Outraged by APPR Albany Deal that Ignores the Children
"Flowers for Algernon" Author/Teacher Daniel Keyes - and My Tenuous Connection
UPDATED
The book and the movie are really powerful and worth checking out.
Think about the concept. A drug that will wipe out learning difficulties or reverse the effects of brain injuries - which if you think about someone with an IQ of 60 - isn't that a brain injury of some sort? Or on the other end - Alzeimers. Everyone an Einstein?
Daniel Keyes scary science fiction story opened up the possibilities and the downside - what if it doesn't last or you can't get the drug and you reverse direction?
Daniel Keyes, the author of “Flowers for Algernon,” the story of a man with an I.Q. of 68 who temporarily becomes a genius after surgery — a book that inspired the film “Charly,” starring Cliff Robertson — died on Sunday at his home in South Florida. He was 86.... NY TimesI've always been fascinated by Daniel Keyes' science fiction story - initially because he taught at Thomas Jefferson HS when I was a student there from 1959-1962. I never had him as a teacher but I did have one communication from him. He was the adviser to the Jefferson literary magazine. In the 11th grade, my English teacher was Mr. Certner - one of the oddest of teachers -- but for me inspiring. It was in his class that through his encouragement, I found I could write. He urged me to submit some of my work to the literary mag and soon after received Keyes' nicely put rejection notice that my work didn't quite fit the style. Jefferson was loaded with talented kids who went on to top colleges, so I was not surprised. Shortly after, he became famous for his best seller and I took note when there were stories about him or the novel.
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He told the Japanese newspaper The Daily Yomiuri in 1999 that the character of Charlie occurred to him while he was teaching a special needs class; a student approached him at the end of the period and asked to be transferred out of the “dummy’s class” because he wanted to be smart.
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“I thought: My education is driving a wedge between me and the people I love,” he wrote in his memoir, “Algernon, Charlie and I” (1999). “And then I wondered: What would happen if it were possible to increase a person’s intelligence?”
The book and the movie are really powerful and worth checking out.
Think about the concept. A drug that will wipe out learning difficulties or reverse the effects of brain injuries - which if you think about someone with an IQ of 60 - isn't that a brain injury of some sort? Or on the other end - Alzeimers. Everyone an Einstein?
Daniel Keyes scary science fiction story opened up the possibilities and the downside - what if it doesn't last or you can't get the drug and you reverse direction?
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Randi Influence Over NYSUT and Cuomo Endorsement? Peter Goodman vs Mercedes Schneider
Not endorsing is not the same as opposing and the majority of NYSUT local presidents oppose Cuomo.... Beth DiminoThere are some interesting posts up at Education Bloggers Network Central (bloggers plugged into the Ravitch network).
Mercedes Schneider, a Randi Weingarten critic based in Louisiana, blogged about Randi's support for anti-teacher, ed deform Conn. Gov Malloy:
[Jim Horn at Schools Matter also has a piece on this: Given a Real Choice, Weingarten Goes With the Proven Corporate Education Stooge)].AFT’s Weingarten Supports Malloy, and Likely, Cuomo
On June 16, 2014, I wrote a post in which I wondered what American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten would say on June 17 at the official AFL-CIO endorsement of the re-election of blatantly-anti-teacher, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy.
Here is what the Connecticut Mirror had to offer by way of Weingarten’s participation in endorsing an undeniably public-education-destroyer Malloy:
Randi Weingarten, national AFT president, makes a plea for Malloy.
UFT/Randi/Unity Caucus shill Peter Goodman had me in stitches with his follow-up post where he claimed Randi could not possibly influence all those independent-minded local NYSUT leaders - so independent that until this year there had never been an election in the 40 year history of NYSUT. He particularly pointed to noted left-leaning PSC leader (CUNY) Barbara Bowen, who supported the Randi/Mulgrew Revise Slate.
I point to a possible reason in the comment I left:
The NYSUT situation is complex but Peter leaves out oh so much. The root of the NYSUT contentious election was Cuomo - the incumbents said flat out they would not endorse. The so-called insurgents led by the UFT (and instigated by Randi) which holds over a third of the votes objected and claimed the incumbents should have been more amenable to dialogue with Cuomo. So let's look at this point: "To claim that Weingarten will determine the gubernatorial endorsement in New York is absurd." Randi was bad-mouthing the incumbents to people and her hand-appointed successor at the UFT, Mulgrew, joined in. Peter is right - that many local presidents were independent -- over 200 smaller locals opposed the Randi/Mulgrew takeover of NYSUT. But many are not independent. They rely on Randi and Mulgrew for "stuff." Thus Barbara Bowen gains the ability to put forth her pet resolutions at AFT conventions in exchange for supporting Randi.My friend John G replied:
Her deal has always been with Randi. So to say Randi doesn't influence things is not true.
But Mercedes may also be wrong on whether NYSUT will endorse Cuomo -- if it does the supporters of the incumbents who lost -- and are forming the first statewide opposition caucus in NYSUT would be handed a lot of ammunition for the next election. Behind the scenes the story was that Randi was worried that the incumbents in NYSUT if they had won would be able to stop a state AFL-CIO state endorsement of Cuomo which was a No-No in Randi's world of having a seat - or a tiny stool at the Democratic Party table -- the UFT/NYSUT/AFT complex is woven into the fabric of the Party. Well, mission accomplished -- AFL-CIO endorsement in the bag. So the actual NYSUT endorsement is no longer important and in fact would get so much flack raised at the Weingarten/Mulgrew crew that run NYSUT now, my guess is they will back off.
So Peter is right that NYSUT may not endorse - but due to the independence ot the locals and not to the control of Randi? That's a laugh.
I am pretty sure there will be a NYSUT endorsement of Cuomo. As Norm alluded, the Union is fairly well insulated from its angry rank and file members and, honestly, could care less how we feel about their endorsement our about them.Yes, John. Insulated from the rank and file, but not insulated from the insurgent Stronger Together union presidents who are forming a statewide caucus in opposition - remember - they may have lost this round but received between 33-46% of the vote in what was viewed as a slam dunk, given that the big 5 cities were arrayed against them. If the new caucus does its due diligance and some of the Big 5 are pulled in, things can get dicey next time and a Cuomo endorsement will come back to haunt them. So my guess - and from what I am hearing - is that they won't go there - just let the Working Party, AFL-CIO, et al carry the load. But Cuomo doesn't need NYSUT -- in fact I bet big blocks of teachers vote against Cuomo in a primary or go Green with Howie and Brian in the general election.
Mercedes followed up with:
Re: Will the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Endorse Cuomo for Governor?
Let me be clear as to what I am saying about NYSUT and Cuomo:
If NYSUT "abstains" from supporting Cuomo, given their position in the AFL-CIO endorsement, they are supporting him.
If NYSUT openly votes for Cuomo, they are supporting him.
From Port Jefferson Station Teachers Assn President Beth Dimino-- a comment posted to Ed's piece:
Just to help you understand Weingarten’s influence… She was the UFT president and the aft president at the same time at the beginning of her tenure as aft president… She directly manipulated the recent NYSUT elections… At her direction the aft is paying the salary of the NYSUT transition person, Alan Lubin. Lubin was the UFT appointed Nysut EVP who retired from NYSUT because he could not get along with Iannuzzi…. Nysut says that their local presidents make the endorsement choices at their August conference but that is not entirely true… Nysut has already made endorsements and the presidents have not met yet for one and I don’t believe there is one president that supports Cuomo but NYSUT will not come out against him and has not found anyone to run against him…NYSUT also “allowed” it’s largest local, the UFT, to manipulate the WFP endorsement of Cuomo… Bowen like the other ” big five” locals were promised more perks for their locals if they threw their votes to the revive slate…. I don’t know what Bowen got, but one of Ahern’s perks was that he got a seat on the Nysut board.. Nysut may not endorse Cuomo, but they won’t oppose him either because the UFT needs a relationship with him and the current NYSUT leadership and Weingarten care more about a relationship with the UFT than they do the rest of the NYS locals because without UFT’s votes they can’t get elected… Not endorsing is not the same as opposing and the majority of NYSUT local presidents oppose Cuomo…. July is a big month for Weingarten because she’s up for reelection at the aft convention…
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Eva Moskowitz and Success - Not So Successful: 56% Did Not Survive to Graduate, 0% Pass Test for Top HS
Students of much-touted Success Academy charter school score too low on entrance exam for top city high schools.... The founding class of Harlem Success Academy 1 graduated on Friday. The class started with 73 enrolled first-grade students in August 2006, but 32 students were at graduation. None of the 32 grads, however, will be attending any of the city’s eight elite public high schools, even though Harlem Success Academy 1 ranked in the top 1% on state math tests this year and in the top 5% in reading ... Citywide, some 26,000 eighth-graders took the specialized high schools test in the fall of 2012, and 20% were offered a seat. So you’d expect a minimum of five or six students from Success 1 to score high enough to get into one of the elite schools.... if Harlem Success students had matched even the 12% admission rate for black and Latino students who take the test, you’d expect at least three of the Moskowitz students to have been admitted.
Distance from K to 8 at Success can be a downer
Juan Gonzalez, NY Daily News... http://nydn.us/1jxExpuThe longer Success Charters are in business, the more they get exposed. This one is big. I'm sure the remaining 32 kids out of the 73 who began 8 years ago are fine. Does anyone know what happened to the 41 kids who were not there to graduate? Would a study of those kids be worthwhile as a check on Success claims of success? They will argue that kids move around in public schools too -- but most end up in other public schools. Did the missing 41 end up in other charters or mostly public schools? And how about this? If Eva's schools are so great an attraction - and we know people choose places to live based on schools - why did they just disappear? We also know that she is allowed wide leeway in the neighborhoods they can draw from. One would expect if parents really found Success such high quality you would see more than 44% stay around. Eva can answer some of these questions by making the data on the missing available - names and number please. (Can someone FOIL this given their claim they are public schools?)
NEW YORK DAILY NEWSWednesday, June 18, 2014, 12:36 AMThere was Eva Moskowitz, head of this city’s fastest-growing and most controversial charter school network, giving a fiery commencement speech Friday morning at the first graduation of her chain’s flagship school, Harlem Success Academy 1.“As the founding parents of the founding school, you have made history,” she told the audience of beaming eighth-graders in their caps and gowns and their cheering relatives.Days earlier, Moskowitz had stunned many in this town by asking the state to grant her 14 new charter schools, thus potentially catapulting her network to 46 schools.The first Success graduating class, for example, had just 32 students. When they started first grade in August 2006, those pupils were among 73 enrolled at the school. That means less than half the original group reached the eighth grade. And just 22 of Friday’s grads will be moving on to the new Success Academy High School of the Liberal Arts, which is set to open this fall, while 10 opted for other high schools.None of the 32 grads, however, will be attending any of the city’s eight elite public high schools, even though Harlem Success Academy 1 ranked in the top 1% on state math tests this year and in the top 5% in reading — a fact Moskowitz herself proudly highlighted.“We are incredibly proud of our eighth-grade graduates . . . who are proving that zip code does not have to determine destiny,” Moskowitz said in a written statement.A network spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday that 27 eighth-graders took the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test last fall, but none scored high enough to be offered a seat at one of the elite high schools that rely on the test, like Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech or Bronx Science.Citywide, some 26,000 eighth-graders took the specialized high schools test in the fall of 2012, and 20% were offered a seat. So you’d expect a minimum of five or six students from Success 1 to score high enough to get into one of the elite schools.That test, though, has long come under fire for the low number of black and Latino students who make the cut each year — and all of the Harlem Success graduates are blacks and Latinos.The first class of Success Academy shrunk from 73 first-graders in 2006 to 32 graduating eighth-graders in 2014.Still, if Harlem Success students had matched even the 12% admission rate for black and Latino students who take the test, you’d expect at least three of the Moskowitz students to have been admitted.“We were shocked that none of our students was offered a seat in a specialized high school,” one parent told the Daily News.Asked about those results, a network spokesman said:“Our eighth-graders had challenging coursework in math, history, writing, science, humanities and drama, robotics and debate. They also had to take the challenging state tests this year. . . . We are proud that 22 are going to Success Academy’s highly rigorous high school and 10 are going to other schools, among them highly selective schools.”
What's Up Today, June 18, 2014: Jose Vilson, NYCEducator on Class Size, RBE on Abusive Principals
A quick reminder about tonight's: MORE, Change the Stakes Sponsor Jose Vilson Book Conversation in Inwood
Still in Cape Cod at FIRST robotics conference so I can't make it. (I have so much to write about being with hundreds of people from all over the world and most states. And if your school is interested, I do school visits - am doing one this Monday.)
Two more quick items. Arthur Goldstein has written one of the most effective pieces I've read detailing the impact on teaching and on students - a tale of 2 class sizes. On Class Size--Night and Day.
I wrote about the abusive, bully Bryant HS principal yesterday: Message to UFT Leaders: Where's the Change of Tone as Hundreds Call for Ouster of Bryant HS Principal Namita Dwarka?
I always point to how totally ineffective the UFT has been in dealing with these people - they will support a rally but won't walk into Farina's office and say flat out -- if you want our cooperation on ANYTHING - CUT THIS SHIT OUT!.
Indeed, I made this point at the UFT Exec Bd meeting before the contract was voted on -- how there is nothing in the contract to protect our people from abusive principals.
Today, Perdido St. School has a great piece on the same subject and nails some points that slipped by me.
MORE has been working Portelos and Don't Tread on Educators with some schools that have such principals, but it has had to be somewhat hush/hush. We have set up a blog for one such school - I have a link for it at the top of my sidebar - PS 63M on the lower east side. Boy, do we have stories to tell. The UFT has been less than useless.
Also check out the place to list your school if you have a bully principal:
http://dtoe.org/educations-f-
Still in Cape Cod at FIRST robotics conference so I can't make it. (I have so much to write about being with hundreds of people from all over the world and most states. And if your school is interested, I do school visits - am doing one this Monday.)
Two more quick items. Arthur Goldstein has written one of the most effective pieces I've read detailing the impact on teaching and on students - a tale of 2 class sizes. On Class Size--Night and Day.
I wrote about the abusive, bully Bryant HS principal yesterday: Message to UFT Leaders: Where's the Change of Tone as Hundreds Call for Ouster of Bryant HS Principal Namita Dwarka?
I always point to how totally ineffective the UFT has been in dealing with these people - they will support a rally but won't walk into Farina's office and say flat out -- if you want our cooperation on ANYTHING - CUT THIS SHIT OUT!.
Indeed, I made this point at the UFT Exec Bd meeting before the contract was voted on -- how there is nothing in the contract to protect our people from abusive principals.
Today, Perdido St. School has a great piece on the same subject and nails some points that slipped by me.
How Many Abusive And/Or Insane Principals Are Out There?
Just listing them is not enough. Campaigns must be organized in each case. A lot of work, given the UFT does nothing.MORE has been working Portelos and Don't Tread on Educators with some schools that have such principals, but it has had to be somewhat hush/hush. We have set up a blog for one such school - I have a link for it at the top of my sidebar - PS 63M on the lower east side. Boy, do we have stories to tell. The UFT has been less than useless.
Also check out the place to list your school if you have a bully principal:
http://dtoe.org/educations-f-
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
MOREista John Giambalvo: Judges in California enjoy some of the most stringent job protections of any employee in the nation
Oh, how sharp are MOREistas like John? Did you see anyone from the UFT/Unity?AFT complex come close to making these powerful arguments? While anti-deformers railed against the Vergara decision, John looked at how the rest of the world enjoys protections, especially judges, of whom certainly the same % - if not more - are incompetent as teachers are -- and much more harmful to society. John's piece should go out far and wide.In fact, everyone who was involved in the presentation and decision of the Vergara case had some type of job protection above and beyond the “at-will” status that the rest of Californians have... John G. at MORE blog
Does recall process offer more protection than tenure?
Here's MORE from John at the MORE blog:
The Lawyers who argued the case have their protections. They are only prevented from practicing their craft if they are disbarred. California has it’s own special court, called the State Bar Court of California, just for making these decisions (here). That court boasts that attorneys who practice in California do so in “the only state in the nation with independent professional judges dedicated to ruling on attorney discipline cases”. That’s a nice protection!John looks at Judge Treu's protections:
The court reporter and clerk, as well as the officers who ensured the safety and security for all involved in the Vergara case, have special job protections too. They are considered “court employees” and their due process includes “a system of progressive discipline and termination “for cause” rather than “at will” employment” (here).
Treu’s conclusion, that teachers have too many workplace protections, is ironic. This is because he is not exactly an “at-will” employee himself. Judges in California enjoy some of the most stringent job protections of any employee in the nation. Superior Court Judges are elected to six year terms. Treu was elected in 2001 (here) and has been reelected twice since. Unless faced with an actual opponent, he will be automatically reelected at the end of every term without his name even appearing on a ballot (here and here). Given that the judge’s wife is a donor and former staffer of Republican Congressman Gary Miller (read his “Thank You” to her on the official Congressional Record here), I doubt that anyone will be challenging him anytime soon. And, being as only three judges in the entire state have lost reelection since the Great Depression (here), I doubt that his chances of losing that election would ever be a concern....So can someone bring suit that ineffective judges is a civil rights issue of our time given the overwhelming prison population is non-white? Hey Moaning Mona, why don't you take this on? Oh, sorry, no millionaires out there looking to bring down judges.
You will be happy to know the judge’s job is also well protected if he ever finds himself in hot water. In the state of California, judges can only be removed through their own “tortuous” process called a recall vote (see here). If someone ever wants him fired, they must first collect vast amount of signatures from concerned citizens all across his district. They must then win a general vote. As of 2008, no California judge had ever been recalled (here again). These protections are in full force whether the judge is highly effective or ‘grossly ineffective’.
John takes us on a lovely tour of the possibilities.
Of course, anywhere from 1%-3% of any professional from any profession may be ‘grossly ineffective’ at what they do. This is true for my profession as it is for his. In his decision, the judge briefly examined the damage that ‘grossly ineffective’ teachers may cause if left in the classroom. Let’s briefly examine the damage that ‘grossly ineffective’ justices from his state may cause if allowed to stay on the bench. There are 2,287 judges in California (here), the extrapolated number of ‘grossly ineffective’ judges may range from 23 to 68. Now there are 38 million people who live in California. That’s one judge for approximately every 16,615 people. You may be surprised to learn that just 23 bad judges from California have the potential of adversely effecting the lives of 382,145 people. 68 bad judges can negatively effect the lives of 1,129,820! If we’re only considering how bad judges may adversely effect the lives of school children, (California has 9,240,219 school aged children (here) or one judge for every 4,040 children), then 23 ‘grossly ineffective’ judges can hurt 92,920 students in that state and 68 ‘grossly ineffective’ judges can hurt a whopping 274,720! I don’t think too many people could refute an assertion that this large amount of bad judges may have, to paraphrase judge Treu, “a direct, real, appreciable, and negative impact on a significant number of California students, now and well into the future for as long as said [judges] hold their positions…”. And yet the judge continues to enjoy stringent workplace protections.Oh man, this is some of the best dessert, with whip cream and a cherry. Go John, Go.
In fact, everyone who was involved in the presentation and decision of the Vergara case had some type of job protection above and beyond the “at-will” status that the rest of Californians have. The Lawyers who argued the case have their protections. They are only prevented from practicing their craft if they are disbarred. California has it’s own special court, called the State Bar Court of California, just for making these decisions (here). That court boasts that attorneys who practice in California do so in “the only state in the nation with independent professional judges dedicated to ruling on attorney discipline cases”. That’s a nice protection!Well, John did even more work at MORE. Don't miss a word.
The court reporter and clerk, as well as the officers who ensured the safety and security for all involved in the Vergara case, have special job protections too. They are considered “court employees” and their due process includes “a system of progressive discipline and termination “for cause” rather than “at will” employment” (here).
A progressive discipline process is something that tenured teachers in California do not have. Neither do they have their own ‘special court’ to determine whether or not they should be removed.
Message to UFT Leaders: Where's the Change of Tone as Hundreds Call for Ouster of Bryant HS Principal Namita Dwarka?
A handful of students said the principal threatened them, warning they would not take part in graduation if they attended Monday’s rally. Teachers told the Daily News Dwarka has doctored their performance records, canceled their after-school programs and fired them from coaching positions when they’ve spoken out in opposition to her practices... Daily NewsHow funny when we hear Mulgrew and crew talk about the change of tone at Tweed. Sure, a change of tone at the top. But in the schools, the wars between Tweed appointed principal and teachers, parents and students still rage.
But maybe the gaggle of principals who punish teachers and students for speaking out falls in line with the way the UFT/Unity leadership runs the UFT.
Bryant HS (Joel Klein's alma mata - rumored the reason he protected it from closing) is also a school with one of our old ICE pals, Sam Lazarus, as CL. Here it is not just teachers but parents and students sending a message to Tweed. If the UFT really wants to support this school, pick up the phone and call Ernie Logan at the CSA and make it clear - the CSA if it wants any support at any point from the UFT has to apply pressure on the mad dog principals.
James Eterno posted the story on the ICE blog.
The full Daily News article.200 EDUCATORS, STUDENTS AND PARENTS PROTEST OUTSIDE BRYANT HS AGAINST ABUSIVE PRINICPAL
What should the UFT be doing right about now to support its members? A good start would be to encourage more protests like the one that occurred at Bryant High School in Queens. 200 adults and students were out in the street calling for the removal of a less than stellar principal.
There was coverage of the event in the Daily News.
“This is the end of my 30th year teaching here. No principal has ever treated staff like garbage like this one does,” said teacher Mary Bozoyan, 51, who attended the high school herself. “Everyone’s waiting for the next ax to drop on their head.”
I am fairly certain there are stories like this one in many schools across NYC. Let's see if this type of event is repeated elsewhere.
CBS also had a story pointing to Namita Dwarka's negative style of management.
High School Won’t Allow Injured Queens Teen To Learn From Home
M'Kayah Walker Worries She Won't Be Able To Graduate On Time
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A Queens teenager is in the battle with her high school, saying she should be allowed to learn from home.
But as CBS 2’s Dave Carlin reported exclusively, the Department of Education does not agree.
High school senior M’Kayah Walker of Woodside, Queens, said she was injured while playing soccer.
“I was playing soccer. Kids fell on top of me,” she said. “And I found out my knees were dislocated.”
That sports injury has Walker struggling to get around on crutches. But she never dreamed it would disrupt her academic future.
She said making it up the steps and in to William Cullen Bryant High School in Woodside is painful.
Her mother requested home instruction for Walker, allowing the teen to graduate with her peers. The answer was no — not once, but twice.
“Just give me the home schooling so I can get my diploma,” she said.
Instead, the school issued her an elevator pass. But getting to it was tough and then she says she had to wait.
“They have taken more than 15 minutes to open the elevator,” she said. “When I use it, I’m late, and the teachers yell at me.”
CBS 2 attempted to speak to Bryant High School principal Namita Dwarka, but was told to leave.
When CBS 2 asked about Walker’s two petitions for home instruction, the Department of Education issued a response.
“Everybody has a right to request this service and it’s taken on a case by case basis,” the department said. “We’re still looking in to this.”
To help Walker avoid stairs, her guidance counselor and some of her teachers have been sending coursework home to her. But for every day she doesn’t walk in to the school building, she gets marked absent.
“I don’t know if it’s money, or if it’s incompetence, or whatever it is — it’s wrong,” said City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-26th).
Van Bramer said Walker is being “unnecessarily delayed.”
“She just wants to graduate,” the councilman said.
And the ordeal is not easy for Walker either.
“Now I’m depressed,” she said.
Walker waits to find out when she’ll graduate, eager to go on to college and major in psychology.
Next month, Walker gets surgery to repair her knee. Without home instruction, she believes she won’t be able to graduate until next summer.
Monday, June 16, 2014
The End of (Public Education) Is Near
In a nutshell - machines are replacing people, their labor is not necessary and an educated work force (other than at the top) is no longer worth investing in. Nor is a public school system.
Susan Ohanian sometimes has a doom and gloom view. She loves this doom and gloomer written by David Blacker, "Capitalism vs. education: Why our free-market obsession is wrecking the future" which is featured in an Eric Levitz piece in Salon.
I admit it. I have a dystopian view of the world and expect doom is around the corner - from climate change (having 8 feet of water in your basement and 5 feet lapping at your kitchen is reinforcement) to the fate of the public school system and teacher unions.
So why go on battling? Why spend time trying to build a group like MORE and Change the Stakes? Because there are no options other than doing that. Think of The Terminator movies where humans are driven pretty much to distinction by machines taking over. Some people can't stop. Wish I could and just toss in the towel.... but right now I can't even though I believe in the end the machines will win. (Why do we have a space program? So the elite will know their descendents have a place to escape to.)
Susan Ohanian doesn't stop. Here are Susan's comments on the article and the book: Capitalism vs. education: Why our free-market obsession is wrecking the future
http://susanohanian.org/show_
This is a serious discussion about the coming catastrophe and about the the fact that in the face of this catastrophe, the very idea of education activism becomes a comforting fiction.
This is from Salon, June 8, 2014, and highlights the book The Falling Rate of Learning and the Neoliberal Endgame, which I have read--and marked with 42 sticky tabs--paragraphs I need to go back and read. The first one is in the second paragraph of the preface: "Education reform" is powerless against eliminationism and is at best a mirage that diverts oppositional energies. The very idea of education activism becomes a comforting fiction." Here's another: "the 'shit rolls downhill' nature of austerity requires teachers and schoolchildren to pay for the solvency of sinecured bankers and their political enablers."The book uses what seems to be a lot of Marxist analysis and from this view, though I do not consider myself a Marxist, this analysis makes sense. But what do I know anymore? I change my mind every 10 minutes.
And lots lots more. Buy the book. Salon.com publishes so much crap that I am always on the verge of giving up. And then. . . .Susan O.
From Slate - really worth reading through this long article.
Capitalism vs. education: Why our free-market obsession is wrecking the future
Publication Date: 2014-06-08The 2014 State of the Union address was billed as the speech in which President Obama would finally reveal himself as the progressive champion we'd been promised. In the weeks prior, senior administration officials leaked word that the president would use his platform to declare income inequality the "defining challenge of our time," a claim he’d first made two years prior, in a highly touted speech news came that the phrase "income inequality" had been scrapped from subsequent drafts, replaced by an emphasis on ladders of opportunity.
In Osawatomie, the president decried runaway inequality as a threat to the legitimacy of American democracy. In the State of the Union, he paid lip service to the divergent fortunes of "those at the top" and of average wage earners, before transitioning into boilerplate calls for improving education and cutting taxes on domestic manufacturers. As the "ladders" metaphor suggests, the speech framed the crisis facing the vaunted middle class as one of economic mobility, rather than inequality. The word "inequality" was spoken only three times, "opportunity," thirteen.
Even in Osawatomie, after describing in bracing detail how automation and globalization devalued American labor, producing an economy where weak demand is propped up by credit card debt, the president transitioned from diagnosis to prescription. Not with a call for robust income redistribution, or a proposal for aggressive government hiring, but by declaring, "We need to meet the moment. . . . It starts by making education a national mission."
Sunday, June 15, 2014
MORE, Change the Stakes Sponsor Jose Vilson Book Conversation in Inwood
This Is Not a Test:
A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education
with Jose Vilson
Wed. June 18 * 5-7pm * Inwood Local Beer Garden * 4957 Broadway
Join a
discussion with Jose Vilson on the joys and burdens of today’s
education system, celebrating the release of his first book, This Is Not a Test, out now from Haymarket Books. A book signing will follow the discussion.
Jose Vilson is a math educator for a middle school in Inwood / Washington Heights and a well-known writer behind thejosevilson.com. He also writes for Edutopia, GOOD, and TransformED / Future of Teaching, as well as for CNN.com, Education Week, Huffington Post, and El Diario / La Prensa, NY.
Sponsored by Change the Stakes, Movement of Rank and File Educators (MORE) - the social justice caucus of the UFT - and Haymarket Books
Jesse Rothstein on Vergara Decision - Taking On Teacher Tenure Backfires
Go ahead, get rid of tenure -- make my day. Oh, this move will backfire big over time because there will be no one left to blame. Note how the poor performing south with no tenure is ignored. And just wait until the job market gets better. Let them go hunting for people who can fog a mirror. Yes, Virginia, even good teachers take the job for its security. Take that away and happy hunting.
As our pal in Buffalo points out ----Unions Muster A Feckless Response to Vergara Ruling -
Here is Rothstein's full piece in NY Times.
It is important to dismiss ineffective teachers, but also to attract and retain effective teachers.Why are our union leaders unable to manage cogent responses like Rothstein? When they go up against a deformer they look like they have marbles in their mouths. You know why? Because they do not have a fundamental belief in the possibilities of real reform. Their belief system is very rooted in ed deform -- getting rid of the bad teacher so the union won't be embarrassed. They're afraid to say what Jesse Rothstein says here - if you think going to the trouble and expense of removing a bad teacher is worth it, wait until you see the replacement - who may be worse at the very least because they will be new teachers - at least the one you got rid of had some experience and probably some skills. Thus Rothstein says,
Judge Treu’s opinion in the case... ignores these trade-offs. ....eliminating tenure will do little to address the real barriers to effective teaching in impoverished schools, and may even make them worse....
One of the few things that helps to recruit good people into teaching is job security... Jesse Rothstein
In the 1930s the NYCDOE created a 2nd class non-tenured teacher position that became known as a regular sub license. I believe they became a significant percentage of the teaching staff. I worked under that for my first 3 years - and got 2 of them for what was known as "gerema credit" -- I needed only one more year when I became a regularly appointed teacher to become tenured. In those years they were dragging people off the street to teach. Thousands of us were given the choice - Vietnam or teach in an at-risk school. Some who chose the latter said at times they would have preferred Vietnam.Thomas J. Kane, a professor of education at Harvard and an expert witness for the Vergara plaintiffs, co-wrote a paper in 2006 on the “coming teacher shortage” and a looming need to “dig further down in the pool of those willing to consider” teaching. Significant layoffs during the last recession, which refilled the pool of job seekers, temporarily alleviated the problem. But those will be absorbed quickly as education budgets recover.The challenge, then, is to increase the number of high-quality applicants. One of the few things that helps to recruit good people into teaching is job security. That is not to say teachers should never be dismissed — but when and how to do that requires careful balancing.
As our pal in Buffalo points out ----Unions Muster A Feckless Response to Vergara Ruling -
Here is Rothstein's full piece in NY Times.
Taking On Teacher Tenure Backfires
California Ruling on Teacher Tenure Is Not Whole Picture
Stephanie Simon in Politico: The fall of teachers unions
Oy vey! Funny Simon mentions Bad Ass, a social media group. Count the number of bad ass people who show up at rallies and struggles
around the NYC area and you won't even have to take your shoes off.
Simon does not mention the on the ground grassroots organizing caucuses like CORE and MORE - and not to mention real reformers taking control of unions by overturning the old guard like Chicago, LA, Milwaukee-- bringing the unions to the communities to join with them and engage in real struggle.
On the surface the UFT does some of that --- but it is always based on their pre-decided agenda -- not what is coming from the community - the very thing that has turned people against unions -- no community roots. There are some real struggle going on in communities and the UFT is so often hands off unless they think it is a slam dunk they can benefit from PR wise.
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Simon does not mention the on the ground grassroots organizing caucuses like CORE and MORE - and not to mention real reformers taking control of unions by overturning the old guard like Chicago, LA, Milwaukee-- bringing the unions to the communities to join with them and engage in real struggle.
On the surface the UFT does some of that --- but it is always based on their pre-decided agenda -- not what is coming from the community - the very thing that has turned people against unions -- no community roots. There are some real struggle going on in communities and the UFT is so often hands off unless they think it is a slam dunk they can benefit from PR wise.
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The fall of teachers unions
By: Stephanie Simon
June 13, 2014 05:05 AM EDT
Saturday, June 14, 2014
How To Volunteer To Get Zephyr Teachout On The Ballot By July 7 So She Can Primary Andrew Cuomo
I lifted this from Perdido Street blog. I hadn't realized deadline was July 7. For those who support the Green Party candidates in the general election, forcing Cuomo into a primary against Teachout can only help Howie Hawkins and Brian Jones as the primary will flush out Cuomo haters who will hang in for the general election and hopefully vote Green Party.
Fact is - she has very little time to put this together - just this past Monday at the Skinny Awards dinner, things were still being put into place. So the entire effort is iffy -- unless hordes of volunteers emerge to help her get on the ballot.
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You can get in touch with Zephyr Teachout's campaign here.
Petitions can be downloaded here - these directions go with the download:
Help get Zephyr on the ballot!
To make sure Zephyr's name appears on the November ballot we need 15,000 signatures of registered Democrats turned in to the NY Board of Elections (in person or by mail) before July 7th.
Just download the PDF below, fill out the information at the bottom of the sheet and leave the page number blank. Please send all completed sheets to our campaign headquarters.
Finally, you can donate to Zephyr Teachout here.
Fact is - she has very little time to put this together - just this past Monday at the Skinny Awards dinner, things were still being put into place. So the entire effort is iffy -- unless hordes of volunteers emerge to help her get on the ballot.
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How To Volunteer To Get Zephyr Teachout On The Ballot By July 7 So She Can Primary Andrew Cuomo
Petitions can be downloaded here - these directions go with the download:
Help get Zephyr on the ballot!
To make sure Zephyr's name appears on the November ballot we need 15,000 signatures of registered Democrats turned in to the NY Board of Elections (in person or by mail) before July 7th.
Just download the PDF below, fill out the information at the bottom of the sheet and leave the page number blank. Please send all completed sheets to our campaign headquarters.
Finally, you can donate to Zephyr Teachout here.
UFT Contract Toxic PD Spillover: Parents Unhappy - at DOE and UFT
The calls have been coming in from parents and their reps who are beginning to realize how the new contract will change their lives as the school day gets readjusted in many schools. "WTF," is the basic message.
They tell me there is growing outrage as word spreads. And since parents are being told that teachers are supposed to vote on SBOs in the schools, some parents are placing the blame squarely on the teachers and the UFT - even more so than on the DOE and the principals, who often just plain lie to the parents, saying that teachers voted that way.
In one case, the UFT district rep told parents the entire district was using the default model of 8AM start time and 2:20 end time so the teachers can get their PD in by 4PM. WTF. Do parents give a shit about PD? Do teachers?
Let me say this as I have been and will continue to do: When the UFT goes along with the Farina (and most ed deformer) mantra that the key to improving education is Professional Development, they accept the "teacher blame" argument. Of course everyone can improve -- and the best PD is watching others teach -- but blanket PD is like expecting a gourmet meal at a UFT retiree function at The Hilton.
Then there are stories where the chapter leader didn't even offer teachers the option of an SBO and just did what the principal wanted. So the teachers feel screwed too -- but it is really their fault -- maybe a lesson for those who have their heads in the sand.
At the June 11, 2014 Delegate Assembly, Mulgrew spoke about the Vergara decision. How important it was to work with parents and how proud he was of the work the UFT was doing with parents. If the Unity/UFT leadership didn't have a tin ear they would have figured out a way to get some parent leaders, at the very least, involved in proposed negotiations. But they didn't even get regular teachers involved, so this is the spillover of closed door contract negotiations.
OK. Maybe it is a relatively small group of parents who feel they have been totally shut out of the process. I wonder where they'll stand when we see Vergara, coming soon, to New York?
 |
| Can Mulgrew clean up the toxic spillover? |
In one case, the UFT district rep told parents the entire district was using the default model of 8AM start time and 2:20 end time so the teachers can get their PD in by 4PM. WTF. Do parents give a shit about PD? Do teachers?
Let me say this as I have been and will continue to do: When the UFT goes along with the Farina (and most ed deformer) mantra that the key to improving education is Professional Development, they accept the "teacher blame" argument. Of course everyone can improve -- and the best PD is watching others teach -- but blanket PD is like expecting a gourmet meal at a UFT retiree function at The Hilton.
Then there are stories where the chapter leader didn't even offer teachers the option of an SBO and just did what the principal wanted. So the teachers feel screwed too -- but it is really their fault -- maybe a lesson for those who have their heads in the sand.
At the June 11, 2014 Delegate Assembly, Mulgrew spoke about the Vergara decision. How important it was to work with parents and how proud he was of the work the UFT was doing with parents. If the Unity/UFT leadership didn't have a tin ear they would have figured out a way to get some parent leaders, at the very least, involved in proposed negotiations. But they didn't even get regular teachers involved, so this is the spillover of closed door contract negotiations.
OK. Maybe it is a relatively small group of parents who feel they have been totally shut out of the process. I wonder where they'll stand when we see Vergara, coming soon, to New York?
Friday, June 13, 2014
John Thompson at The Chalkface Expores the Subtleties of the Tenure Battle
Something tells me...that getting rid of our due process rights won’t be a promising tactic for recruiting and retaining new teacher talent..... Without seniority, this school closure mania gives districts a Get Out of Jail Free Card – they can commit age discrimination at will.....Obamacare might now be the best education reform of his administration. .. John ThompsonSome more great points from John Thompson:
If reformers spent more time in schools, I bet they would recognize the pattern that has been obvious throughout my career. In many or most classrooms with an incompetent teacher in my inner city school, the current bad teacher replaced the previous bad teacher, who replaced a previous bad teacher. Why? Qualified teachers won’t volunteer for those jobs. And, that is why so many principals grant tenure to teachers who aren’t capable of teaching in tough classes. If they fire that teacher, what is the chance of finding a better applicant next year?An important point here that John might emphasize: There are excellent teachers who just aren't as capable of teaching in tough classes as they might be in classes of eager, on-grade level learner. In fact many teachers who are "capable" use survival rather than the best pedagogical techniques. I know I had to use different tactics with the tougher classes -- I had to work very hard on building community before the academics. Nothing like a fight breaking out to ruin a lesson. Other than one particular class out of the 17 self-contained classes I taught, I rarely had fights due to this effort. And even in that class I managed to get that under control within a few months. But did academics suffer? Hell yes. Those trials I held to adjudicate the tensions between some of the kids took time.
Reformers, including those who might have fought against civil service laws in the age of Progressivism, say that tenure was designed to protect teachers against political pressure. What do they think we’re facing today? Don’t they understand the political pressure we are under to practice educational malpractice in an age of test and punish, and rushing through a skin-deep test prep guide? Even with due process, it’s not easy to advocate for high-quality instructional practices...My friend - an ed notes reader who will recognize his words -- used to refer to teachers as "New York's Meekest." I would claim that with the Bloomberg Leadership Academy "gotcha" squad of principals, even teachers with tenure were fearful of being sent to the rubber room gulag for minor transgressions.
Here is a superb point.
In my experience, when bad teachers aren’t removed, the collective bargaining agreement usually has little to do with the outcome. In my experience, health issues and disability law are a much, much bigger factor than tenure. Perhaps the ineffective teacher tries to hold on for too long because he can’t lose his health insurance, and the administrator is loath to put him on the streets without medical benefits. As my former union local president used to say, nothing would help us improve teacher quality as much as universal health insurance. Had reformers been willing to address the real problems in schools, and not scapegoat teachers, Obamacare might now be the best education reform of his administrationJohn points to why many experienced teachers run from tough schools if they can.
Without seniority, this school closure mania gives districts a Get Out of Jail Free Card – they can commit age discrimination at will.Read John's entire piece, Why Tenure is Essential
If conservative or liberal reformers doubt that that is a key reason why the modal years of experience of teachers has dropped to one year, they might want to stroll through a few turnaround or transformation schools. Plenty of great veteran teachers would love to cap their careers by helping to turn a school around. We have 1.6 million teachers approaching retirement, and our knowledge could be invaluable. How many are welcomed in SIG schools with their focus on test scores? Where are the teachers with institutional memories and where are they not? The next time a reformer is taken out on a SIG dog and pony show, they might want to count the number of twenty-somethings in the building and ask why.
at http://atthechalkface.com/2014/06/13/why-tenure-is-essential/
Why MORE? Vergara Tenure Decision, Eva Charter Expansion, UFT/AFT Tepid Responses
It will take an army to defeat ed deform. The UFT actually has a potential army through its large (but shrinking, and due to shrink more) membership (108,000 contract vote ballots were sent out to working UFT members) but wants to keep it defanged because an army with teeth may turn on the leadership.
There is much hang-wringing over the California tenure decision, though it may well be overturned. People are bitching, weeping, complaining, whining, mourning... not only over the decision, but the ineffective manner the teacher unions have been responding to ed deform over the past 15 years. See comments on Ravitch blog in response to Randi's "I'm shocked, just shocked" response to Arne Duncan cheers for Vergara decision: Randi Blasts Duncan for Betraying Teachers in Vergara Case.
I left my 2 cents. Some of the comments criticizing Randi are just plain naive- along the lines of "why don't teachers wake up?" Like they don't get that even a weak union has a certain organizational structure - with its own internal political machine that has the ability to control the communication network that feed whatever info teachers get. If your union machine (see Unity Caucus) pounds you with one message, what does it take to create an alternative? As one who has tried at various times over the past 44 years, let me tell you: a hell of a lot of effort - all of which depends on the use of volunteer labor.
And blogging or other individual activities on the part of even the most aware teachers, is not organizing, which involves face to face.
Individual bloggers and activists will never have the impact needed to counter attack against this onslaught. I don't pretend for a minute that ed notes has much of an impact, other than providing some info for people. My goal is to use ed notes as tool to spur activism within the UFT, which is the only real body where an impact can be made. Forget influencing the general public, which all too many bloggers consider their main goal. If you can't convince your fellow UFT members, forget about the public. Get that 70,000 army going and THEN go for the public. (See one Chicago Teachers Union.)
But you can't do this as an individual blogger. Only by building an organization as a true alternative to Unity Caucus that can match the numbers Unity has will we see change.
Thus, the attempt to build a group like MORE that can attract people who will function as organizers. As one teacher said at a recent MORE happy hour, "I can no longer sit by and watch our profession be destroyed." I do not take that to mean that she will take up blogging and think she is no longer sitting by. What she means is that she will consider running for chapter leader and organizing in her school and in her local school community by reaching out to other schools and joining the MORE network. For only by building a political machine with deep roots into the schools to challenge the Unity machine will we see changes.
I'll delve further into what this means in future blogs.
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There are millions of dollars arrayed against teachers. Blogs, comments on blogs, making the case for teachers and tenure by preaching to the choir will not turn the tide. The unions spout words of militancy on a regular basis but keep compromising with the deformers.
The AFT supports the deform gov of Connecticut over real reformer Jonathan Pelto. And we just heard that the Louisiana Education Association praised Gov Bobby Jindal for tweaking the state eval law -- Has hell frozen over? Teachers union applauds Jindal (because it was chaotic).
I watched how passionless and ineffective the head of the California AFT leader was on TV when facing one of the people behind the lawsuit who brought up none of the points made by people like Diane Ravitch.
Here her on Brian Lehrer on WNYC: http://www.wnyc.org/story/
And read her blog:
Also:
David B. Cohen: A Thoughtful Analysis of Vergara Decision
There is much hang-wringing over the California tenure decision, though it may well be overturned. People are bitching, weeping, complaining, whining, mourning... not only over the decision, but the ineffective manner the teacher unions have been responding to ed deform over the past 15 years. See comments on Ravitch blog in response to Randi's "I'm shocked, just shocked" response to Arne Duncan cheers for Vergara decision: Randi Blasts Duncan for Betraying Teachers in Vergara Case.
I left my 2 cents. Some of the comments criticizing Randi are just plain naive- along the lines of "why don't teachers wake up?" Like they don't get that even a weak union has a certain organizational structure - with its own internal political machine that has the ability to control the communication network that feed whatever info teachers get. If your union machine (see Unity Caucus) pounds you with one message, what does it take to create an alternative? As one who has tried at various times over the past 44 years, let me tell you: a hell of a lot of effort - all of which depends on the use of volunteer labor.
And blogging or other individual activities on the part of even the most aware teachers, is not organizing, which involves face to face.
Individual bloggers and activists will never have the impact needed to counter attack against this onslaught. I don't pretend for a minute that ed notes has much of an impact, other than providing some info for people. My goal is to use ed notes as tool to spur activism within the UFT, which is the only real body where an impact can be made. Forget influencing the general public, which all too many bloggers consider their main goal. If you can't convince your fellow UFT members, forget about the public. Get that 70,000 army going and THEN go for the public. (See one Chicago Teachers Union.)
But you can't do this as an individual blogger. Only by building an organization as a true alternative to Unity Caucus that can match the numbers Unity has will we see change.
Thus, the attempt to build a group like MORE that can attract people who will function as organizers. As one teacher said at a recent MORE happy hour, "I can no longer sit by and watch our profession be destroyed." I do not take that to mean that she will take up blogging and think she is no longer sitting by. What she means is that she will consider running for chapter leader and organizing in her school and in her local school community by reaching out to other schools and joining the MORE network. For only by building a political machine with deep roots into the schools to challenge the Unity machine will we see changes.
I'll delve further into what this means in future blogs.
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There are millions of dollars arrayed against teachers. Blogs, comments on blogs, making the case for teachers and tenure by preaching to the choir will not turn the tide. The unions spout words of militancy on a regular basis but keep compromising with the deformers.
The AFT supports the deform gov of Connecticut over real reformer Jonathan Pelto. And we just heard that the Louisiana Education Association praised Gov Bobby Jindal for tweaking the state eval law -- Has hell frozen over? Teachers union applauds Jindal (because it was chaotic).
I watched how passionless and ineffective the head of the California AFT leader was on TV when facing one of the people behind the lawsuit who brought up none of the points made by people like Diane Ravitch.
Here her on Brian Lehrer on WNYC: http://www.wnyc.org/story/
And read her blog:
Not only did none of them have a “grossly ineffective” teacher, but some of the plaintiffs attended schools where there are no tenured teachers. Two of the plaintiffs attend charter schools, where there is no tenure or seniority, and as you will read below, “Beatriz and Elizabeth Vergara both attend a “Pilot School” in LAUSD that is free to let teachers go at the end of the school year for any reason, including ineffectiveness.The Vergara Trial Teachers Were Not “Grossly Ineffective”
Also:
David B. Cohen: A Thoughtful Analysis of Vergara Decision
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