Outraged Dewey Community Ready To Fight Back

Superintendent Amy Horowitz came to Dewey Tuesday to give the Tweed party line with the usual "I'm only the messenger." Teachers often take the bait and say "Don't shoot the messenger." Well I say SHOOT THE MESSENGER. They took this sleazy role and are willing to play no role in trying to save a school. So go get 'em. In this case the teachers and parents at Dewey did. [Don't you just love the teacher who used the evil Eva as a boogeywoman?]


Here is the report:

At an informational meeting at John Dewey High School, relating to the proposed implementation of the “turnaround” model, Superintendent Aimee Horowitz faced an outraged community that questioned the strategy of closing an improving school and replacing up to half of its faculty.

Teachers used graphs with data to illustrate Dewey’s improvement in graduation rates and overall academic progress. The Dewey faculty vigorously defended their school’s accomplishments, but the discussion soon turned to skepticism concerning the real motives behind the proposed “turnaround” model.

Ms. Horowitz, unable or unwilling to state the true reason for her visit to Dewey, struggled to answer increasingly difficult questions from the faculty and staff concerning Mayor Bloomberg’s desire to hold the Dewey community hostage in his fight with the UFT over negotiations related to teacher evaluations.

Very few of those in attendance accepted Ms. Horowitz’s claim that she was only the messenger, choosing instead, to accuse her and her bosses of union busting and intentionally trying to undermine the school community.

One teacher said “I expect Eva Moscowitz to walk into the auditorium at any moment, tape measure in hand.” Another teacher complained of “being held hostage” by Mayor Bloomberg adding, that it was a “brutal and demeaning process.”

At a later meeting at the school, with parents and students also present, students shared their Dewey success stories with all those in attendance, receiving rounds of applause from their teachers and a proud crowd.

The Parents’Association president charged Ms. Horowitz and the Department of Education with playing “Russian Roulette” with the students’ education and “setting our kids up to fail.” Another parent threatened a class action law suit against the Department of Education, while a parent with a phone in hand said she had a lawyer on the line who was prepared to work “pro-bono” to defend the integrity of the school. Other parents wanted to know if this was a “setup” to usher in charter schools on the Dewey campus.

The superintendent’s visit ended with a unified commitment from students, parents, teachers, and alumni that a robust fight back would commence. Parents and teachers shared e-mails as a passionate declaration of “you want a fight, bring it on” was announced by a member of the Parents’ Association.

SUNY/Noguera Cave to Eva: Overturn Reco of Subcommitte

I've updated this constantly so I am reposting.
NOTE, Jan. 26, 12:30AM --- see special historical note on Noguera below

I'll be at feb 9 and march 1 puppets for educational policy meetings!  Would LOVE more brochures. I spent $50 printing out the old black and white GEM flyer and circulating around Williamsburg.  I'd like to use the nicer color ones to sneak into the condo developments where success has done their ad blitz and slip them under doors...  Parent activist in Willamsburg, activated by Eva invasion

I guess the only good news for today is that inside the Bedford L, someone spray painted "don't let corporations privatize education" in huge letters over a giant success ad: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150628474739180&l=caee1f7b48

I've told you Eva is the best organizer we have. GEM movie as antidote to charter invasion beginning to go viral in the neighborhood --- screening at PS 84 at 6PM Thurs. Jan. 26 -- I'll be there.

I'm consolidating reports coming on re Eva invasion of Williamsburg (with more to come later). By the way, her husband is doing his own charter invasion of the area -- but details another time. Also details of last night's Success info meeting at a resident's home in Greenpoint at a location far away from MS 50 later.

The original hearing was on Jan. 17 at MS 50 with a massive outpouring of opposition to the Success invasion from the community. Eva is so sure of herself she no longer brings her shock troops from Harlem, which I think is also a strategy to keep them from identifying with the feelings of the local communities.

Here is a video of that meeting made by GEM's Darren Marelli with some historical background.



Here is the direct link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_wMV5-Zm4o&list=UUh8pphdD7ocfQ7sED6OBL3g&index=1&feature=plcp


But Tweed screwed up something on the EIS and now another meeting will be scheduled the week of Feb. 12.


SUNY Charter authorizing meeting this morning at 8:30AM:
Today was the SUNY charter authorizing committee chaired by Pedro Noguera who likes to play both sides of the field.

Here is our first report at around 10AM: SUNY subcommitte votes to table Success co-loco in Cobble Hill and Wllmsbg.

A bunch of parents from District 14 were there. The committee went into Exec session. Hard to believe Noguera won't cave to Eva. At last night's Success info session Jenny Sedlis Eva's 2nd in command said there was no Plan B to occupying MS 50. 

Below is one quick report from Cynthia:

The education subcommittee of trustees is advising the SUNY trustees to table the approval of co-locations for success in cobble hill AND Williamsburg, on the basis of the strength, and material facts provided by opposition from communities of Williamsburg and cobble hill. This means that the success co-locations could be blocked at the SUNY level.

I was amazed--they actually agreed to advise the trustees to table the co-locations, on the strength of community opposition from cobble hill and Williamsburg.  Some guy named o'brien was the standout. (but he didn't have voting power on the subcommittee?). Noguera was decent about the whole thing--insisted that Millman and Luis Garden Acosta get to speak, etc

C

Well as I reported, too good to be true. These newly active parents are getting quite a lesson in "democracy." I reported at around 1PM.

Ahhhh, we predicted this in last post. Going against recos of own committee. Look for increasing outrage and blowback at SUNY as a charter authorizing agent. And by the way when the UFT charters come up  at SUNY we should call for them to be shut down. I don't want my union in the charter business.

Here is Leonie's report:

http://pointers.audiovideoweb.com/stcasx/va92winlive2386/play.asx

after discussions w/ legal staff in executive session of the board of trustees,

Noguera says the location of the charters are not in our purview, and we will remove the table from the co-locations

Motion to remove the table. Voted yes.

We will be sharing public feedback w/ Dept of Education.

Noguera: we need leadership elsewhere in the state.  (passing the buck)  But we are not charged with figuring out space and location.  We will  adjourn.

Leonie Haimson

Leonie followed up with:

Some people are confused about the meaning of what I wrote about the SUNY board deliberations.  I am not an attorney but what seems to have occurred is this:

Despite considerable opposition from some of the committee members about these co-locations, or at least their expressed desire to delay their decision, after Noguera came back from private “executive sessions” he said he had had discussions w/ counsel and the board, and removed the tabling of the decision about whether to allow the co-location to go forward.

In other words, these co-locations can go forward and neither the committee nor the board will try to stop them.

Noguera claimed that the committee had no authority to stop the co-locations, (though Rossi, the SUNY Institute counsel, had appeared to say during the committee meeting earlier that the committee could propose to the full board to disapprove the co-locations, and the full board had that authority.  Actually the committee doesn’t have the authority to approve anything without the full board, including authorizing charters…it just makes recommendations to the full board, so why this is any different I have no idea.)

Noguera then ended by saying it is not in their purview as to approve or disapprove locations for charters and bumped it up to the State.

Perhaps Jim or another attorney can better explain.  We should definitely ask for a transcript.

Look for the new alliances built between parents to have a snowball impact.

ED Note:
Gutless Noguera. Sure screw the Southside.
Isn't community impact in their purview? Resign Noguera. I'd rather see an open ed deformer than a wolf in sheep's clothing.

SPECIAL NOTE FROM THE PAST:  dropped in by email:

from a friend who knew Pedro at UC Berkeley  "When Noguera was student body President at Cal during the South Africa divestment movement, his MO was to oppose and undermine direct actions and then take credit for them when they were successful. He was completely unprincipled, really someone who could not be trusted.

At that time he was an unacknowledged supporter of the League of Revolutionary Struggle, the most insidious M-L sect I have ever come across. LRS' line was a combination of "nationalist"-style identity politics and shut-up-and-vote-for-the-

Democrats reformism, expressed with a thin overlay of irrelevant Maoist terminology. Noguera managed to dupe Todd Gitlin into writing some grossly ill-informed articles in The Nation giving credit for the movement to LRS-controled ethnic student groups. That was a pretty impressive feat of shysterism, since Gitlin was obviously not naive about such matters and also would have completely opposed LRS' line if he had even known about it.
 

Pedro was still doing the same kind of stuff when we were back in Berkeley in the mid-90s during the uproar over CCRI, the affirmative action ban. I would bet he has outgrown LRS-style politics, but it doesn't sound as if he has come across any principles. Stay away from him if you can."

NYC Teacher Sam Coleman Responds to NY Post Michael Goodwin Attack

Sam Coleman with GEM's Julie Cavanagh
and Chicago Teachers Union Karen Lewis,
all social justice teachers

Working with Sam Coleman, a founding members in GEM, is one of the reasons I keep doing this stuff. One of the key new gen activists, also a core member of NYCORE, Sam is also as good a teacher as you can find. (I have been to his class). Teaching in a heavy Latino neighborhood, Sam's fluent Spanish in a dual language school is an invaluable skill. Sam and other activists at his school have organized evening workshops for parents at the school and developed tremendous links within the community. Sam and his colleagues originated the Fight Back Friday campaigns in June 2010 and have spread then around the city. 


Sam's voice in the GEM film response to Waiting for Superman is one of the strongest in the movie and at some screenings there is a round of applause (more than once) after Sam speaks.


Thus when Sam was viciously attacked by NY Post columnist Michael Goodwin in ways that called into his question his ability as a teacher, the entire community of ed activists were outraged. The attack was based on an email Sam had responded to on a few list serves. Yes, Sam is a social justice type teacher  -- which he will define in his response below --- and proud of it. As are many of our other younger teachers we are meeting like our film's narrators Julie Cavanagh and Brian Jones. Social justice teachers also raise questions about their union and many of them are behind the Feb. 4 State of the Union conference.

Sam took time out from enjoying his new born son Reuben to respond to Goodwin, who revealed himself as another NY Post slug/thug squarely in the Rupert Murdoch mold. Hey Goodwin, got any cell phone hacks of Sam?

I want to share an "article" published in the New York Post by Michael Goodwin. It is a very clear attack on me both personally and professionally. The link to the editorial is below, followed by my response. In addition, please find the email exchange with a fellow teacher on the GEM list serve, which Mr. Goodwin was quoting from. His words are in red and quotes. 
  
http://m.nypost.com/p/news/local/teacher_blind_to_reality_KGf9pTZSQgWq78UqfdM0CP .   

Mr. Goodwin, Last week I was forwarded your commentary about me after you read an email exchange between myself and another teacher.  Please find my response to your commentary below. 

 "But there's another hurdle that's not so well known [to fixing education].It's harder to root out because it hides in plain sight."There are no substantive arguments or points in your piece. The only way your words have power is through the use of fear.    

"But with his views of what teaching is about, Sam has gone 'round the bend. His plan to help students learn has precious little to do with the classroom." 
 

I don't actually share my views of what teaching is about in the email I am quoted from. What I do write about is my belief that it is our responsibility to fight injustice. If we want all of our nation's students to have access to quality education we must insist on equity in all spheres of society. My view is that teaching takes incredibly hard work and dedication. I am in my school building from 7-5 most days, if not later, yet my work hours are 8-3.  As a dual language teacher I strive to engage my students in ways that tap into their rich lives, cultures and experiences of the world. And, as I mentioned in my email, I find culturally competent and anti-racist pedagogy is more effective in engaging students than the monotony of test-prep. Do our students need to learn to read, write, have strong mathematical literacy, and critical thinking skills? Definitely. Do we need to teach these skills and competencies in the most engaging ways possible? Absolutely. In the long term, the goal of education should be for students to love learning, to think and engage intellectually with aspects of their world that matter. Those are some of my views on teaching, in case you were wondering.



"We get it that you don't have a clue about the role of your profession. You're a "social justice" type, too much a community organizer to be stuck in front of bored kids who can't read. Street protests definitely are more exciting."   

Part of what makes me "well-educated and qualified" for my job is that I understand the relationships between structural inequalities in this society and the failure of the education system to provide equitable opportunities for my students. I know this because I see these connections everyday in my school and city, and because it has been well-documented by the nation's top scholars. Mr. Goodwin, if you're interested in doing some homework, you should read the work of Gary Orfield, Professor, UCLA and Pauline Lipman, Professor, University of Illinois-Chicago on the political economy of schooling and the civil rights implications of school funding formulas; Daniel Solorzano at UCLA and Pedro Noguera at NYU on the school-to-prison pipelines for Black and Latino students; and Kris Gutierrez at the University of Colorado at Boulder on culturally competent educators. These readings will get you started on understanding the reasons why social justice education is needed in this country, and why we know that these connections are more research-based and relevant than the policies backed by the 1% trying to capitalize on public schooling. Part of being a well-educated professional is knowing the research, and the research says it’s time for some meaningful change in our public schools and systems.  

"Heaven help New York, and especially the students of teachers like Sam. With "educators" like that, they don't have a prayer." 
 

The implication that I could not be a good teacher because I fight for justice and a quality education for our students, and believe that tests deform that quality when their importance is exaggerated, is outrageous. The quality of a teacher can never be measured by student test scores alone; not even by basing 40% of an evaluation on scores, as has been proposed in the new teacher evaluation system. A teacher, for example, that has a gift for connecting with struggling or hurting students in his or her class and helps them achieve an emotional state where they can learn again is a quality teacher. This process is often not reflected in test scores. A teacher who raises their student's test scores through endless test prep is not, and should not be, the definition of a quality teacher.  Do we need a better (or actually, one at all) supervision program to mentor and support teachers? YES! Instead of educational consultants, we should hire more coaches and master teachers as mentors to do the real work of supervision and support in the classrooms. 

Of course those positions cannot be contracted out to your unqualified friends. I refuse to simply allow the Mayor and Governor or you, Mr. Goodwin, to use the educational crisis facing our students as a political chip in the great game of ‘how to make the rich richer’. That has been the biggest "reform" we have seen under Mayor Bloomberg:  more million dollar contracts to private companies, billions spent on high stakes testing, more highly-paid consultants in DOE central, a transfer of public monies into private hands under the veil of charter schools, fewer teachers and resources, larger class sizes for our students, and privatization of our public school space. It is disgusting, and as a teacher who cares passionately about my students, I won't stop fighting.  

Thank you Mr. Goodwin for laying bare the paucity of your knowledge and the corruption of your belief system. Yours are not opinions based either on fact or experience but on a script written by the wealthy and powerful; people who do not want those whom they oppress to learn to think critically about that oppression.  And thank you for the free publicity for this movement. You had so little to say about the issues that you allowed my words to speak for themselves. Real teachers, doing the day-to-day work of educating students, have no voice these days. Our sweat equity cannot buy air-time from the 1%. 
   
 

In Solidarity, 
 

Sam Coleman, 3rd grade dual language public school teacher, Brooklyn. 
  

Here is the full text of my email that he quotes, and below that is the email I was responding to on the GEM list serve: 


Hi James, 
     

I am a 7th year elementary school teacher in a school with high ELL and IEP populations, 95 percent free or reduced lunch. We have never met our AYP and probably never will. So I know where you are coming from. I don't usually get into email list discussions, but I thought the emails on this list were sort of a funny grouping. You had me all the way to here "We need to focus on student accountability instead of teacher accountability". 

Here is an alternative way to think about it. 
 It is just as easy to blame students and their parents as it is to blame teachers. Blaming individuals with names, file numbers, report cards, test scores etc is the way politicians and the wealthy avoid taking responsibility for their failures, or the repercussions of their greed. Could students be more responsible? Sure. Could teaching improve in NYC? Sure. More importantly, could supervision improve in our schools? Obviously. Would teaching and learning improve overall?. A little.  

But those are the easy questions, with easy answer. And plenty of room for blaming individuals. The harder questions are about systemic, historic racism. The purposeful privatization of public education. About the widening wealth gap that is responsible for the high levels of poverty among public school families. The same poverty that is a major factor (for many complicated reasons) in student's ability to be as "Responsible" as we might want. Which of course is reflected in teachers ability to be as "Successful" as our mayor says we should be. The answers to these hard questions require collective action. We can't do that while we play their blame game.  
 

We will not improve education by requiring some mythical level of responsibility from teens who are over policed, under-respected and physically and emotionally stressed out by poverty and racism.  
We will improve education if we fight along side our students and their families for a higher minimum wage, strong rent laws, just immigration laws, progressive taxes, ending the school-prison pipeline, pushing ourselves to be culturally competent educators, small classes, less testing, fair funding. . . .you get the point.   

Teachers are not to blame for failing schools. Students and parents are not to blame for failing schools. We need to push the press to re-frame the dialogue. Americans want simple, and the press gives it to them by the barrel. This serves power.  As educators, we need to push everyone, including ourselves, to think more critically about the causes of the current situation. And then ORGANIZE with the students, parents and each other to fight the hard battles that will begin to change the system that brought us here. 
in solidarity, sam 


Dear Mr. Nazaryan, 

Your assumption that teachers are the problem concerning NYC public schools is deeply flawed.  
As a former Teaching Fellows,and apparently now working for the Daily News,you contend that if teachers who are not effective in improving student learning are weeded out of the system through a rigorous DOE controlled evaluation system, education in NYC will improve. You cite your experience at The Brooklyn Latin School, in Bushwick Brooklyn, as a model for what  teachers can achieve with hard work and constructive criticism from the administration. 
I contend that in the school you cited, you could select the teachers at random and get the same results. 

The point being that when you have students who are highly motivated and willing to learn, it doesn't matter who the teacher is. 

Please note the following statistics from the 2009-2010 School Report Card and Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP) for Brooklyn Latin School: 
- 281 students enrolled 
 - Average class size-20 students                                                                                                       -17 teachers on staff with only 6.7% having more than five years experience teaching 
-12% teaching a subject they are not certified for. 


- No student suspensions for the 2008-2009 school year (no data for 2009-2010). 
 

- No ESL students and 3 Special Ed. students 
- High 90% student attendance rate 
- Students take four years of Latin 


- No overage students 
 

When you have a student population as described above, you are guaranteed success.The vast majority of our high schools have unmotivated, over aged, low skilled students with populations of ESL ( English as a Second Language ) and Special Education students. In addition many students are excessively absent from classes. 
We need to focus on student accountability instead of teacher accountability. In addition, we need to restructure a school system that gives more importance to social promotion than student learning.  
Your position on teacher evaluations is either sincere but naive or based on another agenda. I am wondering how many years you taught in NYC schools and why you left teaching to work for the Daily News. 
 

Sincerely, 
James, Teacher for 22 years 

ED NOTE: I was also going to respond to Nazaryan since Brooklyn Latin occupies space in my old school, PS 147. In fact they now "own" my old magnificent double size classroom  -- my second home -- where I taught for most of my 27 years in the school.

August to June

Norm,

I am a parent at the Neighborhood School/PS 363M and we are having a public screening of the documentary film August to June on the 26th of January at 6 PM. The filmmakers we be there to talk and take questions afterwards and we will have a small panel of teachers to respond to the film.  

I was wondering if you would post information about the screening on your blog?  I think your readers would be a natural audience for the film.

Here is the information, please contact me with any questions.

Rachel Birdsall

August to June

Screening Thursday, January 26th at 6 PM

Auditorium at The Neighborhood School - 3rd St. bet 1st Ave and Ave A

Panel discussions afterwards with the filmmakers and NYC teachers, moderated by Ann Cook

Suggested $5 donation

Will UFT Frustration Post-Bloomberg Speech Lead to Distruptive Acts?

Increasing support seen for this week's Fight Back Friday events from the UFT with signs some schools are encouraged to go further.

There are signs that the UFT, feeling boxed in on the ed evaluation issue, is beginning to strike out at WalBloom in various disruptive ways. Some speculate the militant activities of the people who have challenged the leaders is pushing the leadership. Some say they have reached a level of frustration and are just striking out to make a point.

There was the hastily called action at last week's PEP (UFT members protest at PEP meeting, then walk out en masse), with robo-calls to members that didn't have much impact but the union brought out its loyalist Unity Caucus honchos to create various disruptions at the meeting before walking out (it was interesting to see our crew from GEM/TU/NYCORE/ODOE/ICE standing shoulder to shoulder with them).

Then there was there confrontation between Walcott and UFT Queens borough rep Rona Freiser along with Dermot Smyth at the PS 215 closing school hearing Friday night (Walcott Takes Heat From Parents, Teachers and UFT Officials at Contentious Closing School Hearing (PS 215) in Rockaway).
where they followed my suggestion to use mic check to get their point across when Walcott didn't let then speak. His "this is  not a UFT chapter meeting" comment is priceless and an indication of how own growing frustration at being thrust into being the front man for a sinking operation by Bloomberg to rescue him from the Cathie Black debacle (which Walcott and the PEP supported all the way).

Now today a phone call comes in from a SIG school that the level of militancy is rising to a fevered pitch with indications that the UFT is pushing things such as calling for assistance from Occupy DOE to use mic check when confronting DOE officials, who always like to play the innocent "don't kill the messenger" role while putting the knife in your back.

Well, apparently, some teachers are pissed off enough to want to kill the messenger. We will report details --- maybe with some video --- if things break.

If the leadership actually releases its Unity chapter chair people (who often try to hold the most militant people back) to take things to another level we may see it as a temporary way of getting Tweed's attention by turning up the heat. 

In the past, the UFT was telling its people to avoid our branded FBF events, even changing the term to Friday Fight Back. But I'm beginning to hear a different tune emerging. There is not question a greater sense of urgency and militancy is emerging (later I'll tell you about the amazing group of parents I met on Sunday at our film showing).

Here is an email from a John Dewey teacher:

STOP SCHOOL CLOSINGS!

Please support our schools as the DOE tries to get rid of committed, experienced staff, close schools, and bust the union. If anyone can attend the community meetings where the superintendents come into the school and only report the negative data about our schools. We need support. Get involved. FDR is having their meeting Monday, Tomorrow at 5:30. Dewey is having ours on Tuesday at 5:30. Post any others so we can all support each other and call 311 and talk to someone who can log your call as you voice your opinion of these school closings and the job Bloomberg and Walcott are doing.

Also, attend the Fight Back Friday Rallies if you can. Dewey is having one every Friday. Details to follow.


Thanks,
In Solidarity,
xxxxx xxxxx
Dewey Teacher

Here is our FBF announcement:

School Closings, Increased Charter Co-locations, Larger Classes, Merit Pay, Firing Half the Staff at 33 Schools AND A Flawed Teacher Evaluation System...

The Education Mayor?

It's time for the first Fight Back Friday of 2012

(soon to be occupy Friday??)

THIS FRIDAY: JAN 27th: 

        PROTEST OUT IN FRONT OF YOUR SCHOOL!

                 LEAFLET AROUND YOUR SCHOOL!

OR JUST......

WEAR BLACK!

Fliers and stickers and such to follow.

PLEASE FORWARD AND POST EVERYWHERE!!

  Please respond to this email or email: 

FBFCommittee@gmail.com

if you think your school might participate.

Or to ask for more info or help in planning an action.

We want to get coverage for all the actions and let the public know that parents and teachers are fighting back!

Last spring over 50 schools participated on several Fridays. It’s a great way to build solidarity among your staff, reach out to parents and students and to begin to create the coordinated city-wide effort we all know is needed.

It is time for rank and file teachers, parents and our students to move towards becoming ungovernable.

Mayoral control, the attacks on our livelihoods, and on our students' education will not end simply because we want them to. 

It will take mass mobilization at the school and city-wide level. 

We need to end the privatization of Public Education through charters and merit pay!

 End the destructing of education through the abuse of high stakes testing!

Say NO to school turn-arounds that will destroy school communities, our student's education and the lives and careers of our colleagues.

WE MUST DEMAND AN END TO MAYORAL CONTROL!

PARENTS AND EDUCATORS MUST HAVE A CONTROLLING VOICE IN EDUCATION!

JOIN SCHOOLS ALL OVER THE CITY ON JAN 27TH!

And please let us know that you will be participating!

Here are some times articles covering FBF in the past. We have had lots of other coverage as well.

 And the FBF Blog from John Dewey HS. 

They have an action planned for this Friday as well.

http://fightbackfridays.blogspot.com/

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/fighting-closure-of-a-high-school-on-the-brink/http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/makeshift-groups-rising-to-oppose-cuts/

in solidarity

sam

for the rank and file Fight Back Friday committee

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


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

Feds, State and City Gang Up on Teachers and Union

Throughout the Race to the Top process, state officials have behaved erratically.
In May 2010, the teachers’ union and department officials, including Dr. King, agreed that student scores on state tests would account for 20 percent of a teacher’s evaluation.
In August 2010, Mr. Duncan visited the state union’s headquarters in his Race to the Top bus (he really has one) and told union and department officials that New York had won a grant “because of your collective leadership, your act of courage.”
In May 2011, with no warning, Dr. King and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo rammed a measure through the Board of Regents making state tests worth up to 40 percent of teacher evaluations.
In August, a state judge ruled that they couldn’t do that.
For the last month now, as federal officials have pressed for a resolution, the governor and the commissioner have been berating the union. Like children who change the rules in the middle of the game, they appear to be counting on a lot of screaming to distract the crowd.
“It’s not about the adults, it’s about the children,” Mr. Cuomo keeps saying. “The children come first.”

Thus Mike Winerip in today's Times lays waste to the duplicitous actions of NY State Ed led by Tisch and King and Cuomo, etc. I can remember Mulgrew last year waxing poetic about Tisch and Steiner, King's predecessor, when the UFT originally agreed to the 20%

I heard NYSUT Pres. Richard Ianucci on an NPR program early Sunday morning where he basically called for abolishing the Board of Regents. He sounded pretty fed up but he praised Cuomo despite the fact Cuomo is trying to force NYSUT to drop the court case that NYSUT won based on the violation of the law passed by the state legislature.

If you haven't noticed, rank and file teachers are fighting a 5-front war. Government at all levels from Bloomberg/Walcott to Cuomo to Obama/Duncan (Don't you just love those Dump Duncan campaigns as if Obama has nothing to do with it -- reminds me of the UFT dump Klein stuff as if we will get someone better).

Then we have the generally hostile press with even our reporter friends playing the neutral game -- like a quote from each side even if one side has 90%. And then due to the attacks, there is the general public. (See Buying The Lie).

I might add a 6th front. Our own colleagues, as you will see in following this link to an article written by a teacher who is leaving teaching in Colorado. The majority of teachers either go along like the good soldier or suffer the anguish by complaining but refuse to get involved in any action.

And that issue relates to the role the union is willing to play in educating and organizing people.

I often fault the UFT/AFT for going along with the high stakes testing game --- oh, they will mouth things to throw red meat at the rank and file ---- even Obama mouthed a few words on testing --- but their actions belie that. I was proposing at UFT Delegate Assemblies that the union should not get into the high stakes testing game as far back as the late 90's but was ignored.


More from Winerip's column which is titled: In Race to the Top, the Dirty Work Is Left to Those on the Bottom.

Even if you think the Obama administration’s signature education program, Race to the Top, will not help a single child in America learn more, you have to admire its bureaucratic magnificence.

First, it has had a major effect — reaching into most public schools in America — while costing the Obama administration next to nothing.

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

Cracking Under the Pressure? Walcott accuses Patrick Sullivan of accusing him of murder

Hey, I once accused Arne Duncan of murder for closing so many schools in Chicago and forcing kids from different gangs into dangerous situations which has led to many Chicago kids dying. I'm sure we can pin something on the DOE.

I had some positive email saying NYC Chancellor Dennis Walcott was nailed for what he is in the video and commentary I posted about the January 20 PS 215 closing school hearing where I basically pointed out that Walcott was not only arrogant but gutless. I compared him to the captain of the cruise ship that is half sunk off the coast of Italy listing on its side and pointed out that WalBloomBlackKlein have the NYC school system listing on its side while telling people to go back to their cabins.

Really, the more you see Walcott the more despicable he is and I rate him the worst Bloomberg chancellor. Yes, Cathie Black was better because she was so clueless she was beyond causing as much harm as Walcott or Klein who did not try to act cool at least while putting the knife in your back. Remember that Walcott has been behind the ed scene since Bloomberg Day 1.


Patrick Sullivan who is the Manhattan borough PEP rep slugged it out with Mr. Arrogance at the PEP meeting last week after most people (including me) had left.

Queens representative Dmytro Fedkowskyj introduced a resolution recommending the Chancellor consider an approach to granting transportation variances based on a joint committee comprised of parent and DOE representatives.

The approach, called Safety Hazard Advisory Review Program (S.H.A.R.P), was developed by CEC 31 on Staten Island. All five borough president appointees supported the resolution which would not be binding but would simply require the Chancellor to consider the approach.

PEP Chair Hernandez recognized me to to speak in support of the resolution. I mentioned several cases in recent years where children were killed while commuting to school. The most recent was a middle school student killed crossing Delancey Street in Manhattan. Before I could finish, Chancellor Walcott interrupted me, asserted that I was accusing the DOE of killing children and began to lecture me. I responded that the chair had recognized me to speak, not him, and he was not only out of order but rude to interrupt me.

Here is Patrick's full post on the NYC Parent blog:
http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2012/01/chancellor-walcott-out-of-order-on.html

Also from Patrick on the PEP:

One of the more bizarre and suspicious things I've seen from DOE.

The expansion of the beloved School of One teaching machine was put out for RFP with a requirement that the vendor do the work for free in exchange for the rights to the technology and intellectual property.

There was only one outfit willing to take the work, formed by Joel Rose who managed the project at DOE.

My questions:

Q: Was this cleared by conflicts of interest board?

A: We think so but it's not really our concern because the liability is with the vendor

Q: Does the firm have any track record or other customers?

A: No and no

Q: Does the firm have any revenue?

A: No, just some private grants

Q: How many employees do they have?

A: We don't know

High School Student Inspired to Teach After Viewing GEM Film

GEM received this email the other day from high school student Natalie Janson from Washington State, who found inspiration to become a teacher in our film.

Gina Belafonte's column in today's Sunday Times (Petty Differences Mask Consensus on Teachers  --- I would say "not so petty") which in some ways is misinformed, talks about the film “Bad Teacher.” Belafonte closes with, "Maybe what teaching needs is a new movie that makes it seem as hot as Condé Nast."

Well people should email Gina at bigcity@nytimes.com to tell her about the impact of the GEM film, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman (which is being screened at 2 and 4PM today at the Spectacle Theater  124 South 3rd St in Williamsburg with a discussion with some of the filmmakers -- me included -- afterwards.

Reprinted with Natalie's permission. Natalie is also on her school's FIRST Robotics team.

Hello,

My name is Natalie Janson and I am senior in high school in Washington State. My mother is a teacher in Portland, Oregon, and ever since I was little I have wanted to follow in her footsteps. I love volunteering in her classroom and having second graders hug me before they went home for the day.

Recently, my mother and I watched Waiting for Superman, and were somewhat heated about what they had to say. We found your response video, requested a copy and watched it tonight. As I am looking into my college majors, I have started to veer away from teaching and always considered that I would wind up teaching sooner or later. Lately however, I had my heart set on working in the sciences. During the movie, my mom looked over at me and said, "You're going to end up teaching aren't you?"

Your movie has re-sparked my interest in education. I have always set big goals for myself, and now want to be the Head of the Department of Education and I want to make a difference for everyone. Even if that doesn't happen though, I know I want to make a difference in the lives of children as my educators have done for me. They have inspired me to inspire others, and so has your movie.

Thank you for reminding me what my dream was.

 

Natalie Janson

Team Mean Machine, 2471

Secretary & PR Lead

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

Video: Walcott Takes Heat From Parents, Teachers and UFT Officials at Contentious Closing School Hearing (PS 215) in Rockaway

"This is not a UFT chapter meeting."  ----Dennis Walcott to Queens UFT Borough head Rona Freiser at PS 215 hearing, Jan. 20.

The word doesn't match the image

The NYCDOE holds a closing school hearing for PS 215Q on a Friday night at 6pm. Chancellor Dennis Walcott is, surprisingly, present. There was a lot of anger and anguish amongst parents, teachers and UFT officials from the Queens office. 

The first person I ran into was Queens PEP rep Dmytro Fedkowskyj.
"Did you hear my statement?" Sorry. It must have been a wowser. Later I asked if he categorically supported keeping PS 215 open. "I'll examine the facts." Okay. Examine what? Either you view the Tweedies in good faith or bad faith. No examining necessary when it comes to the failed policy of closing schools other than in the most outrageous cases like Williamsburg/Believe Charters.

Lots of teachers and parents and union and politicians were there. At the end of the video that's local City Councilman James Sanders getting booed. (Some people view him as one of the worst CC people.) He jumped in to save what looked like his pal Walcott but I did not include his silken words designed to distract people in the video --- he gave the impression he would assess the situation but we know the score --- he will do nothing. If he feels community heat he just might say a few words in favor of PS 215 but won't put any political capital behind it.

Hey Walcott, there ARE NO MORE DECK CHAIRS LEFT

We were very surprised Walcott was there and a lot of heat was directed at him. His tune just doesn't vary and hasn't for a decade. A building could come down around his ears and he would say nothing's wrong --- think Italian ocean liner. Captain Walcott-Schettino is in charge of a ship that came aground under Joel Klein and is now listing badly while the Captain tells people to go back to their cabins.

Quite an interesting evening and I put together this 12 minute clip of a few highlights.

NOTE THE BAD BLOOD BETWEEN THE UFT  - QUEENS BOROUGH UFT HEAD RONA FREISER ASSISTED BY DERMOT SMYTH AND WALCOTT. ALSO NOTE MY INTERVENTION IN SUGGESTING THEY USE 'MIC CHECK" TO GET THEIR MESSAGE ACROSS AND HOW JUST USING THOSE WORDS STOPPED WALCOTT'S INTERFERENCE --- I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MIC CHECK USED AT A UFT DELEGATE ASSEMBLY.

And one more point. I felt the Rona showed some insensitivity in bringing up the 33 schools and how it was unfair to close a school that went from C to A while at a hearing to close PS 215 which got an F. If we are disputing the grading system as unfair we should be consistent.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOuvml9CXPA

Side note:
I got there late even though it was in Rockaway and I live 15 minutes away. Anna Phillips of the NY Times borrowed one of their cars to make the trip -- I told her PS 215 was impossible to find, especially at night,  and I get lost every time I go there during the day and if she came out early I would treat her to a Rockaway dive dinner and drive her there. But she got delayed at the office and then got trapped in a bad lane on the BQE so dinner was out the window and we did a rush over to the school. I dropped her off and had trouble finding a spot -- a sign of a big crowd. I parked blocks away (I won't go into details of the post-meeting senior moment when I couldn't find my car) and could hear cheering coming from the auditorium.

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

Retired (Goliath) teacher Guy Brandenburg thrown out of Gates/Rhee/Duncan (David) - Making Alexander Russo Look Even Dumber

The pamphlet, which you can see here, is titled “Problems with Using ‘Data’ to Fix Our Schools Or, ‘Garbage In, Garbage Out.’ According to Brandenburg, security guards approached him after he had handed out about a dozen pamphlets and told him that he had to leave because the summit hosts didn’t want him there. He was told he could not stay even if he stopped distributing pamphlets...

You have to read the following items in tandem to get the full picture I'm aiming at. Alexander Russo, who pretends neutrality reveals himself to be an ed deformer as underscored at the Schools Matters blog by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene from LA (who by the way won the raffle at our film premiere in May for a call from Diane Ravitch at his screening). 


He joins many bloggers in laying waste to Russo, who in a beyond belief blog claimed the Real Reformers were the Goliath and the poor billionaire ed deformers were the David since we have been dominating the online debate -- because, guess what -  They can't find any real teachers to take their side.


First Robert takes Russo down with this comprehensive post

The trouble with Alexander Russo

(with great links to many of the other bloggers who went after Russo):

• Anthony Cody - Are Critics of Corporate Education "Reform" Winning the Online Debate?
• Nancy Flanagan - Reform vs. Anti-Reform: Quoth the Raven
• Kenneth J. Bernstein - Did you know I'm a Goliath?
• Anthony Cody - Lopsided Debate Over Education Reform Reveals a Broken System

He follow up with a link to Joanne Barkan on How Billionaires Rule Our Schools

You might also want to check out a great post from Teaching Underground (Buying The Lie) along the same theme -- how those poor Davids against all odds have managed to convince the public (who don't read ed blogs) that teachers and their unions are even in  right to work state like Virginia are the problem.

And here is the Valerie Strauss's full story on Guy:   

Retired D.C. teacher says he was thrown out of ed data summit

GEM Film Fires Up John Dewey Teachers and Teachers and State Legislators in Albuquerque/ Three NYC Screenings this Weekend

The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman

Lots of screenings in NYC and around the nation, with 3 here in NYC this weekend. Last night I hear between 20 and 30 people viewed the film, including "Battle for Brooklyn" director Michael Galinsky, whose film has been on the short list for an Academy Award nomination. Michael, whose child is in a school that came under Tweed interference has been a promoter of our film and the support and advice of a pro to us amateurs has been inspiring.

My question is why more NYC school-based people who read this blog are not showing the film which seems to have had such a positive impact on teachers under assault?

I was at the picket line at John Dewey this morning and had a great response from the small group of people who stayed after school yesterday to watch our response to WFS. I heard there was a standing ovation from people at a school under severe attack by the ed deform crowd at Tweed that they were inspired. One teacher told me she was hoping to show it to the entire staff during regent week next week.

Of course the UFT continues to snub a film that people say has been the best film response to ed deform and an inspiration for activism. Oh, that's right. The UFT doesn't really want working classroom people active. Only retirees. We made the film that the UFT with all its money should have.

At least some AFT locals are free to hold screenings and here is a great report from two teachers in New Mexico whose local president held a screening and invited 6 state legislators.

They sent this with a $20 check:

My husband and I are both teachers. We saw a viewing early on and wanted a copy of our own. This past week our union had invited members and state legislators to a viewing (it was very well received by all) to which we brought our copy just in case. It happened that our president's copy was scratched so we used ours. It was a rewarding evening. There were six senators and reps there --- we all got fired up.
I have gotten permission from my principal to play it for interested staff and others after school one day. Thank you for making it so readily available.
F and R
Albuquerque public schools
Albuquerque Teachers Federation #1420

There are 3 screenings this weekend and another at 6PM on Thursday at PS 84 in Williamsburg just 2 blocks from MS 50 which held a raucous hearing on Jan. 17 opposing the Moskowitz invasion:

Sat: Jan. 21, noon: Labor Goes to the Movies

Special Saturday Screening of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman-- both films with WFS first so if you saw that go later.

January 21 - 12:00pm ,PSC Union Hall, 61 Broadway, 16th Floor
Please join us for our special back-to-back Saturday screening/discussion on January 21 of Waiting For Superman and The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman. One has received massive publicity and funding to promote charter schools as part of a neoliberal reform. The second one is a local NYC response, made by NYC schoolteachers, exposing the inaccuracy and inequity driving the charter school movement. We will view both films and have a discussion featuring Julie Cavanagh, one of the Inconvenient Truth producers, and PSC's Treasurer and author on the charter school movement, Mike Fabricant.
The screening is sponsored by the PSC and is open to the public.
PSC Union Hall
61 Broadway, 16th Floor
$2 donation
Refreshments served
RSVP Phone Number:
212 354 1252 ex 270
Email Address:
shughes@pscmail.org

Occupy Williamsburg sponsors 2 screenings:
Sunday at 2 and 4PM at Spectacle Theater in Williamsburg
124 South 3rd St. near Bedford Ave.


Sponsored by Community Education Council District 14
Thursday, Jan. 26 at 6PM
PS 84 - 250 Berry Street (between Grand and South 1st).

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Tonight: PS 215 School closing hearing in Rockaway at 535 Briar Place.