A new movie tells the story of a formerly free school system with public input and oversight that is lured into a seamy arrangement by an ego-driven, manipulative billionaire who then enslaves over one million children, over a hundred thousand school employees and a disenfranchised public. His overseers, Merryl Tisch and Eva Moskowitz make the lives of the slaves miserable.
After 12 years of servitude, the school system sees the light of freedom at the end of the tunnel by the emergence of a tall savior and even though the tall savior holds on to the reigns of control but promises to be a benevolent dictator.
There will be a sequel in 2018 titled "Let Freedom Ring."
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
The Madness Continues: Another Co-Loco Hearing Oct. 23 - JOHN DEWEY HS !!!!!!
I was looking forward to an evening at home Weds night. Guess not. Those good ole boys and girls at Tweedle Dee keep 'em comin' like the Top 40 hits. But hey, no worries. Big Bill will just reverse the PEP rubber stamp on Oct. 30 -- the day before Halloween -- and please join everyone at the PEP - wearing your costume.
ACT NOW
Attend the Panel for Educational Policy Meetings (PEP) taking place @ Prospect Heights Campus, 883 Classon Avenue, Brooklyn, NY on October 30th, 6 PM
PLEASE POST AND DISTRIBUTE !
ACT NOW
STOP THE Co-locations IN DISTRICT 21
A PROPOSAL IS NOW UNDER CONSIDERATION TO ALLOW
Opening and Co-location of a New District High School with John Dewey High School
THIS WILL IMPACT OUR CHILDREN, OUR SCHOOLS, and OUR COMMUNITY.
SPEAK OUT AGAINST THIS PROPOSAL!
RALLY WITH US AT 5:30PM
At John Dewey High School
Come to the Joint Public Hearing
At John Dewey High School (50 Avenue X)
On October 23rd at 6:00 pm
HERE’S HOW YOU CAN MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD:
COMMENT ON THESE PROPOSALS!
Come to the hearing on October 23rd and sign up to speak
By Phone: 212-374-0208
Change the Stakes: New York City Public School Parents Deserve to be Heard by Education Commissioner John King
NYC’s one million public school students account for a third of the state’s total public school enrollment. Yet not a single forum will be held in New York City. Change the Stakes calls on state legislators who represent NYC students, their parents and their teachers to demand that the Board of Regents schedule a public forum in each of the five boroughs. .... CTSAnother shot at King from our great parent activists at CTS:
Unacceptable! Commissioner King opting out of any NYC forums; Our Parents Deserve to be Heard http://wp.me/p1Tx83-vG
STATEMENT: NYC Parents Deserve to be Heard
New York City Public School Parents Deserve to be Heard by Education Commissioner John King
New
York City – It is unacceptable that State Education Commissioner John
B. King, Jr. and the State Board of Regents are planning to hold a
series of 12 forums across the state to meet with parents and educators
to discuss the Common Core Standards and other education reforms, yet not a single forum will be held in New York City.
NYC’s one million public school students account for a third of the
state’s total public school enrollment. Change the Stakes calls on state
legislators who represent NYC students, their parents and their
teachers to demand that the Board of Regents schedule a public forum in
each of the five boroughs. These forums must offer meaningful public
discussion in which education officials acknowledge and respond to
questions and concerns rather than dismissing them or explaining them
away.The Regents scheduled the forums, along with four additional events to be broadcast on public television, after Commissioner King abruptly cancelled four state-sponsored PTA town hall meetings after parents responded angrily at being given little time to speak at an event in Poughkeepsie. King later alleged that the meeting was “co-opted by special interests whose stated goal is to ‘dominate’ the questions and manipulate the forum.” The newly scheduled forums will undoubtedly be much more tightly controlled than the original large, town hall meetings.
King’s outrageous statement about “special interests” and the shutting down of public debate are indicative of a much larger problem: New York State education officials, from the governor on down, have completely disregarded the genuine, sincere and deeply-felt concerns of parents about what is in the best interests of our children. It is demeaning, demoralizing and downright undemocratic to attempt to silence parents, teachers, principals and others who, day in and day out, witness the harmful effects on children of poorly formulated and rashly implemented state education policies.
Commissioner King: The public school parents and educators of NYC deserve to be heard.
According to an October 18th press release from the State Education Department:
The first forum will be held in the Albany City School District on October 24. Other locations for the forums are Rochester, Westchester, Suffolk County (2), Nassau County (2), Schroon Lake, Binghamton, Amherst, Syracuse, and Jamestown. The four PBS televised forums will be in Syracuse -WCNY (November 7), Plattsburgh-WCFE (November 20), Binghamton- WSKG (date tba) and Rochester- WXXI (December 3). King said more PBS forums will be scheduled.
###
Change the Stakes (changethestakes.org)
is a group of parents and educators working to reduce the
harm caused by high stakes-testing, which we believe must be replaced by
valid forms of student, teacher, and school assessment.Video, PS 196 Colocation Hearing: Brian De Vale Castigates DOE Office of Portfolio Planning
Are you proud of yourselves? Is this what you went into education for? To take things away from children? ... I guess if you are black or brown you don't need science labs ... Brian De Vale comments on Office of Portfolio declaring school science labs in poor communities "a luxury."An enormous turnout with standing room only last night. Lots of video to come. Again an anti-coloco rally and hearing uncovered by the ed press. These are taking place all over the city.
What a speech, ranking with Tish James at last week's PEP (PEP Notes - Tish James Rocks the House). (I hope Brian comes to the Oct. 30 PEP). He called Bloomberg a "petty little tyrant." And called for a return to communities running their schools.
Brian De Vale is one of the few NYC principals with cajones. He heads the CSA in District 14. He spoke last night at the hearing to co-locate a 3rd school in the building and even more astounding, a 2nd middle school to compete with the one currently in the building, which years ago they pushed into the building instead of allowing PS 196 to become a K-8 school. Just idiocy.
In this case, the CEC of District 14 had been asking for another middle school for a long time. So the slime at Tweed, knowing there has been some resistance over the years to their policies, decide to get even by pushing it into a place where it is not needed. As Brian points out there is an almost empty building in the district --- but, oh, I think Eva may be in there and we don't want to upset the Queen's plans to expand eventually into a middle school.
And too bad the mic is blocking the face of the Tweed portfolio sluggette running the meeting. I was shooting from the side so could not see the faces of the other Portfolio scum's faces.
http://youtu.be/4i9bU1ferzY
Parents Lead Massive Opt-Out of Kindergarten Tests in Washington Hts (District 6)
“My feeling about testing kids as young as 4 is it’s inhumane,” said PTA co-chairwoman Dao Tran, mother of first-grader Quyen Lamphere, 5. “I can only see it causing stress.”... Rachel Monahan, Daily NewsThe revolt is growing and this story is HUGE, as Diane Ravitch points out below (and a good story from the ed press - though we would love to see a piece analyzing the growth of the opt out movement). Remember - this K test was going to be used as a baseline to measure teachers and this kills the baseline.
DENY THEM THE DATA. If we had a union with balls they would be using their muscle to promote the opt-out movement like Karen Lewis is doing in Chicago. But they so fear attacks on them for not going along with the executions of teachers.
Recognize the name of one of the children featured in the story: Lamphere. Yes, the daughter of MORE stalwart Peter. Nothing happens in a vacuum. No spontaneous combustion but educating, organizing and mobilizing. A parent commented:
all the credit should go to the parents and educators who established the school last year based on a model of education that teaches to the whole child and immediately mobilized to challenge the abusive farce that is K-2 testing as soon as they learned what the state had planned for them. In other words, many new parent and educator leaders joining this struggle! Good luck with your articles!!Let's be clear. This revolt is not taking place in schools loaded with poor struggling parents but in a clearly middle class school. And in schools with friendly principals. The big battle for opt-outers is to reach into areas like East New York and even poorer areas of Washington Hts and that is still a questionable proposition. And expect attacks to come on them by the ed deform press when the opt-out movement grows this spring.
One of the awesome parent activists in Change the Stakes sent this comment:
As a member of Change the Stakes and a new parent at this thriving school I can tell you the parent activists at Castle Bridge are already thinking about next steps in this challenge to the ridiculous K-2 testing, in conjunction with NYC-based groups like Time Out From Testing and Change the Stakes (and in solidarity with groups elsewhere). Please stay tuned!We haven't seen nothing yet. Wait 'till the spring tests. District 6 in Wash Hts in northern Manhattan is the base of many of the parents involved in Change the Stakes (one of the two offshoots of Grassroots Education Movement - GEM - the other being MORE) - as are MORE members with kids who are taking on the dual role of parent and teacher.
Kudos came in from people on the Change the Stakes listserve:
LauraHere is some important info re the K-2 tests from the teachers on the CTS listserve:
Bravo, again, to the parents and Leadership of their Principal, without a question we could use more Principals with ethics.
Janine
This is so thrilling! They will become the model for other K-2 schools and beyond. Hooray for the parents who have kept their sense and stepped up to protect their children! Great work Andrea and others who helped make this happen. This is going to be a wonderful year!
Can anyone explain how K-2 testing in "early childhood schools" (K-2) compares with testing at K-5 or K-8 but in K-2? Thanks!Leonie:
Suransky said that K-2 schools have to do testing in these grades but K-5 schools don’t, because they have other schoolwide measures to use.Jia:
In the K-2 schools where they do not have the grades 3-5 test scores as options, they were told that they HAD to administer the locally approved assessments. There are around 32 such schools (they were start up schools, all adding a grade each year.)
The difference is that at some of the K-5 schools, the lower grades agreed to go with the default for the 20% local measure, which is the state standardized assessments. It's viewed as an act of solidarity since the local measures in K-5 schools are designed to cause divisiveness between teachers and grades. However, some K-5 schools did choose different local measures and must submit baselines by Oct 31. I've heard horror stories: cancelled field trips, students in auditoriums watching a movie during the school day so that teachers could get mass preps to input the "data".
The Ravitch piece and the DN article below the break.
Monday, October 21, 2013
PS 196k: Another SRO anti-colocation rally/hearing not being covered by nyc ed press
... Which gush over charter school artificial rallies but ignore the massive outpouring at hearings all over the city by public school parents.
Truly one of the most impressive organizing efforts, esp in a poor under resourced community. Hearing hasn't started yet and they're still pouring in. And lots of doe security in the room in case a kindergarten kid gets out of line - hi Jay, we miss you tonight.
Video to come tomorrow.
Cheers,
Norm Scott
Twitter: normscott1
Education Notes
ednotesonline.blogspot.com
Grassroots Education Movement
gemnyc.org
Education columnist, The Wave
www.rockawave.com
nycfirst robotics
normsrobotics.blogspot.com
Sent from my BlackBerry
Truly one of the most impressive organizing efforts, esp in a poor under resourced community. Hearing hasn't started yet and they're still pouring in. And lots of doe security in the room in case a kindergarten kid gets out of line - hi Jay, we miss you tonight.
Video to come tomorrow.
Cheers,
Norm Scott
Twitter: normscott1
Education Notes
ednotesonline.blogspot.com
Grassroots Education Movement
gemnyc.org
Education columnist, The Wave
www.rockawave.com
nycfirst robotics
normsrobotics.blogspot.com
Sent from my BlackBerry
Parents Accuse DOE of Racist Co-locations
NEWS RELEASE
Contacts: Williamsburg and Greenpoint Parents: Our Public Schools! (WAGPOPS!),
williamsburggreenpointschools@gmail.com, Brooke Parker, 917/251-1596
Parents Accuse DOE of Racist Co-locations
Parents, Students, and Teachers Rally to Oppose 3rd School Being ‘Shoehorned’ Into Williamsburg School
Hundreds of parents, along with their children and their children’s teachers, will rally in protest of a DOE proposal to co-locate a second middle school inside their children’s school building, alongside the existing middle school, MS 582, and the elementary school, PS 196. Parents have expressed outrage at the proposal, indicating that there is no community support whatsoever for this plan, only unified community opposition. Some parents have also accused the city’s Department of Education (DOE) of racism.
“If this school was all Caucasian people, this would not be happening,” said Maria Brunson, who has a daughter in the sixth grade at MS 582. District 14 Community Education Council president Tesa Wilson said that the Department of Education’s plan to add one more school to the building that already houses PS 196 and MS 582 would result in the loss of valuable special classes and programs because they would be deemed unnecessary for her minority kids. “They are going to look at my brown and black children and tell me that they can’t have a dance room or a science lab, that it’s a luxury,” said Wilson. “These extra rooms aren’t luxuries, they are rights.”
Opposition from local elected officials is strong and extensive, including Coucilmember Diana Reyna; Assemblywoman Maritza Davila; Antonio Reynoso, Democratic City Council candidate; and Public Advocate, Letitia James. Many business groups in the community are opposed to the proposal as well. They have signed on to a letter saying that it is counterproductive to the interests of the education of the students at the existing schools, as well as of the community at large. Local Community Board 1 also opposes the plan.
“This campus currently provides a variety of unique services and houses one of the largest populations of self-contained special education and special needs students in the district,” said Councilmember Diana Reyna.
“Contrary to what the Department of Education is saying, the space at PS 196 is by no means underutilized.”
“We use every inch of our building to enrich the lives of our students,” said Roseann Randazzo, a third grade teacher who has been at the school for eight years.
Parent groups have committed to be out in huge numbers to vent their frustration and anger with the proposal, both at the rally in front of the school that begins at 4:30 pm, as well as at the Joint Public Hearing taking place inside the school at 5:30 pm.
Contacts: Williamsburg and Greenpoint Parents: Our Public Schools! (WAGPOPS!),
williamsburggreenpointschools@gmail.com, Brooke Parker, 917/251-1596
Parents Accuse DOE of Racist Co-locations
Parents, Students, and Teachers Rally to Oppose 3rd School Being ‘Shoehorned’ Into Williamsburg School
Hundreds of parents, along with their children and their children’s teachers, will rally in protest of a DOE proposal to co-locate a second middle school inside their children’s school building, alongside the existing middle school, MS 582, and the elementary school, PS 196. Parents have expressed outrage at the proposal, indicating that there is no community support whatsoever for this plan, only unified community opposition. Some parents have also accused the city’s Department of Education (DOE) of racism.
“If this school was all Caucasian people, this would not be happening,” said Maria Brunson, who has a daughter in the sixth grade at MS 582. District 14 Community Education Council president Tesa Wilson said that the Department of Education’s plan to add one more school to the building that already houses PS 196 and MS 582 would result in the loss of valuable special classes and programs because they would be deemed unnecessary for her minority kids. “They are going to look at my brown and black children and tell me that they can’t have a dance room or a science lab, that it’s a luxury,” said Wilson. “These extra rooms aren’t luxuries, they are rights.”
Opposition from local elected officials is strong and extensive, including Coucilmember Diana Reyna; Assemblywoman Maritza Davila; Antonio Reynoso, Democratic City Council candidate; and Public Advocate, Letitia James. Many business groups in the community are opposed to the proposal as well. They have signed on to a letter saying that it is counterproductive to the interests of the education of the students at the existing schools, as well as of the community at large. Local Community Board 1 also opposes the plan.
“This campus currently provides a variety of unique services and houses one of the largest populations of self-contained special education and special needs students in the district,” said Councilmember Diana Reyna.
“Contrary to what the Department of Education is saying, the space at PS 196 is by no means underutilized.”
“We use every inch of our building to enrich the lives of our students,” said Roseann Randazzo, a third grade teacher who has been at the school for eight years.
Parent groups have committed to be out in huge numbers to vent their frustration and anger with the proposal, both at the rally in front of the school that begins at 4:30 pm, as well as at the Joint Public Hearing taking place inside the school at 5:30 pm.
PEP Video: Community Says "No MORE Charters"
Panel for Educational Policy October 15, 2013:Members of MORE help lead protest at PEP as parents, students, teachers and entire communities around the city say NO to privately run charter schools that invade public school space. The NYC ed press of course ignores community outrage while promoting every vestige of charter promotion. Included in this video is me speaking on the issue. I handed the camera to someone I won't name who got a good shot of the ceiling as I began to speak but then did a superb job.
NYCDOE votes to cram 23 co-locations and charters into existing schools despite large protests, mostly unreported by the press which gave extensive coverage when charters closed schools for half a day and told parents they had to attend.
My major point was that charters were allowed to close for a politically driven protest while public schools being invaded by these charters had to hold their protests/rallies at their schools after school. Their numbers were way above the charter numbers, with over a thousand people attending the Roy Mann rally, another event the NYC ed press ignored. Yes Virginia, the press was not reporting those numbers of anti-charter people. In fact the press did not report this outpouring of
I also pointed to the Moskowitz hired camera and sound people who she pays to attend every meeting at a reputed cost of over 75K a year. And she object so paying rent? Again, the press ignores the enormous expenditures by Success. Eva manipulated other charters into taking action to try to protect her revenue stream. We all know di Blasio's arrow is aimed directly at her. And she does too.
Lots of videos to come from that Oct 15 PEP -- hope I can get them done before the next one on Oct. 30. And today I'm heading over to the PS 196 rally and hearing to tape.
http://youtu.be/wX5-I1U-G0I
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Monday: Public Hearing and Rally to Protest Co-Location by Parents and students: PS 196/MS 582, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I'm heading over to cover this. PS 196 is a few blocks away from the school I taught at for 27 years and I covered the school for tech support when I was a Project Smart district tech staff developer for 4 years. Lots of people I knew are still there. A solid building -- but give me a break- 3 schools? The whackos at Tweed - here they go again.
Media Advisory for Event on Monday, October 21, 4:30 PM, PS 196, 207 Bushwick Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Media Advisory for Event on Monday, October 21, 4:30 PM, PS 196, 207 Bushwick Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn
MEDIA ADVISORY
*****PHOTO OPPORTUNITY*****
Contacts: Williamsburg and Greenpoint Parents: Our Public Schools! (WAGPOPS!), williamsburggreenpointschools@gmail.com, Brooke Parker, 917/251-1596
WHO: Parents and students at PS 196/MS 582, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
WHAT: Parents, students and teachers will rally in front of the school to oppose third school co-location. There will be a Joint Public Hearing inside the school following the demonstration.
WHEN: Monday, October 21, 2013 — Rally: 4:30 pm; Public Hearing: 5:30 pm
WHERE: PS 196/MS 582, 207 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11206
WHY: A DOE proposal to ‘shoehorn’ an unwanted additional middle school into the building, which currently houses one middle school, M.S. 582, and an elementary school, P.S. 196, has aroused intense community opposition. Parents have publicly charged the DOE with low income families of color regarding their decision-making process. They have stated that, but for the fact that they are a poor, minority community, this would not be happening. Concerned about the loss of space and programs at their children’s schools, and feeling abused and ignored by the DOE, hundreds will protest on the street before attending the Public Hearing to share their displeasure with DOE officials.
*****PHOTO OPPORTUNITY*****
Contacts: Williamsburg and Greenpoint Parents: Our Public Schools! (WAGPOPS!), williamsburggreenpointschools@gmail.com, Brooke Parker, 917/251-1596
WHO: Parents and students at PS 196/MS 582, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
WHAT: Parents, students and teachers will rally in front of the school to oppose third school co-location. There will be a Joint Public Hearing inside the school following the demonstration.
WHEN: Monday, October 21, 2013 — Rally: 4:30 pm; Public Hearing: 5:30 pm
WHERE: PS 196/MS 582, 207 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11206
WHY: A DOE proposal to ‘shoehorn’ an unwanted additional middle school into the building, which currently houses one middle school, M.S. 582, and an elementary school, P.S. 196, has aroused intense community opposition. Parents have publicly charged the DOE with low income families of color regarding their decision-making process. They have stated that, but for the fact that they are a poor, minority community, this would not be happening. Concerned about the loss of space and programs at their children’s schools, and feeling abused and ignored by the DOE, hundreds will protest on the street before attending the Public Hearing to share their displeasure with DOE officials.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Parent, a NYC Principal, Calls for Removal of John King, Ending of Mayoral Control, RTTT and Common Core
Who does Mr King, an "educator" with a VERY thin resume, who is a political hack appointed by billionaire Regent Meryl Tisch, think he is?... Stop this misguided "reform" movement and give education BACK TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES where parents can do what is best for our children.Below is an email sent by a parent, Brian De Vale, a NYC Principal in Brooklyn and a leader in the CSA, one of the few members of that organization with cajones. But this is coming from him as a parent, not as a principal.
Brian De Vale, parent
Attention one and all
As a parent, I am outraged. Who does Mr King, an "educator" with a VERY thin resume, who is a political hack appointed by billionaire Regent Meryl Tisch, think he is? He sets up a tour to meet with parents, and hogs up an hour and a half to burn out the clock. Then when the parents get upset he lectures us!!!! The man would probably not be hired in most public schools because he has VERY LITTLE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE. It is a travesty that he is in the position, but it is the height of arrogance for him to lecture parents and teachers about how much better he knows what our children need than we ourselves do.
The politicians via the national Governors Association were duped into supporting Common Core by big business who wined and dined them and wrote all this nonsense. Stop this misguided "reform" movement and give education BACK TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES where parents can do what is best for our children.
Start with the following:
1. REMOVE JOHN KING
2. END MAYORAL CONTROL IN NYC
3. Drop out of Race To The Top, it has turned our schools into test obsessed insane asylums that have stolen childhood from a generation of students. We were not taught this way and yet, somehow we learned.
Thank you.
Brian De Vale
60 Cook Street
Brooklyn, NY 11206
Advice to MORE on Today's Delegate Assembly Discussion
I've been pushing for a serious discussion about how an opposition caucus like MORE should/could relate to the UFT Delegate Assembly given the overwhelming control Unity holds over those meetings. That discussion will take place at today's meeting (see agenda below).
I fear that MORE may fall into the fatal trap of other opposition caucuses over the years (including ICE) that the DA becomes a focal point of the work as a perceived organizing tool and as a result the key school to school organizing work that no other opposition caucus has ever done will be neglected. And honestly, given the attention of MOREistas to the evaluation issue (which IS important) there has not been the resources available to focus on the massive -co-location and charter school invasion issues. MORE has also not addressed the Common Bore -- which I believe it intends to do.
I always point out the Albert Einstein definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and expecting different results.
As part of the resistance to Unity since 1970 I do have some perspective. I was a delegate from the early 70s through the early 80s during the Shanker years and came back in 1994 as a chapter leader for 4 years and then as a delegate from the Teachers Assigned unit (I had a district job at the end of my career) from 2000-2002 when I retired.
Of course I can never be a retiree delegate because of the winner take all retiree chapter election which puts 300 Unity retirees into the DA. (In a democratic system, if MORE got say 20% of the vote it would get 60 delegates which would create some balance in the DA). And of course my distribution of Ed Notes to delegates from 1998-2010 and other lit since then has given me a feel for "who is in the room."
I finally gave up wasting money on printing Ed Notes for this DA crowd. Given the responses as a ratio to the mostly Unity crew attending -- many of whom absolutely refuse to take a handout, some with a hostile attitude, what was the point?
Is it worth going at all given that Mulgrew talks for an hour and the entire meeting is orchestrated (with planted speakers to call the question and speak to specific items)?
What actions can MORE as a group take at these meetings?
Are you going to take part in the meeting? And if so are you doing so as part of a caucus where you take concerted as opposed to individual action?
I certainly believe it worth going if you are an activist in the opposition - if you have the time and energy. But I want to distinguish the inside – taking part in the meeting from the outside game – handing out lit to delegates and engaging them in conversation, rallying, signing them up to be a MORE contact, etc.
I view the outside game as more important than the inside game -- for the purposes of organizing and building a caucus. Not that there are a lot of people relative to the Unity crowd to reach. But there are some.
This year with the new MORE Stuff in Your Mailbox newsletter we have use the outside game to build distribution capacity by asking people to fill out a form for future delivery to their schools. The idea is to use the DA as a way to build a regular network of outreach so more and more schools get to know about MORE and the work it is doing.
Pushing this idea inside MORE has not always been easy as people often seem more preoccupied with the inside game. I urge people to sat downstairs and miss most of Mulgrew's one hour speech and engage with delegates going in -- though that is not easy as they are in rush. I also tell people to leave the meeting to get downstairs as the delegates leave when it is easier to talk to people. Non-Unity people will come over sometimes to find out about MORE, especially if you have some info for them. Not many, mind you, but some.
At the last meeting, as James Eterno has pointed out (MORE COMES OF AGE AT DA WITH PROTEST AND STRONG SHOWING AS UNITY-NEW ACTION PASS MEANINGLESS RESOLUTION ON TESTING), MORE made a bit of a splash with a rally outside and inside when Vincent Wojsnis got the floor to oppose the Unity moratorium reso designed to try to counter MORE's call for a moratorium. (See James' advice to MORE below).
The problem from my perspective was that MORE did not have a plan. On his way in Vincent asked me what was MORE going to to: amend or oppose the Unity reso, which has just been sprung on people a day and a half before. On the listserve there had been mixed messages but they were trending to "oppose". I informed Vincent of that he was happy his instinct to oppose was validated. And oppose he did -- from the 19th floor where he got called on when Mulgrew tried to avoid calling on someone from the section where MORE delegates were sitting. Basically, a lucky accident.
"By the way," Vincent asked, "are we sitting together?" I said the plan seemed to be so sit together -- in the past people had sat with their districts and whatever opposition there seemed looked very scattered. Vincent said he was going to go up to the 19th floor anyway -- and that turned out to be a good choice for this particular DA.
And that is my point. If MORE is to participate in the DA is must do so with a plan. Otherwise the lack of coordination can do more harm than good.
Some tactical issues are also in play. How do you react when there are blatant violations of democracy by Unity? It is very frustrating to people to have to sit on their hands but disruption can also turn off the few delegates who might be willing to listen.
One independent delegate on the way out, noticing that MORE has sat together, said, "You guys should scatter yourselves. You'd have more impact." I disagreed. Seeing the excitement of MOREistas emerging convinced me that there is greater impact from a block of 50-100 votes than if they were scattered around the room. Even if they don't get called on because Mugrew will avoid looking at the section, there are opportunities to work together as a group if there is a chance to use parliamentary tactics etc.
Given the above, I will recommend that if MORE is to take part in the DA it do so only at select meetings so it has the energy to devote resources to what will ultimately work to build an opposition: go to the local schools and organize. Hold local MORE meeting in your districts. If the DA takes you away from doing that then you are meeting Einstein's definition of insanity.
I fear that MORE may fall into the fatal trap of other opposition caucuses over the years (including ICE) that the DA becomes a focal point of the work as a perceived organizing tool and as a result the key school to school organizing work that no other opposition caucus has ever done will be neglected. And honestly, given the attention of MOREistas to the evaluation issue (which IS important) there has not been the resources available to focus on the massive -co-location and charter school invasion issues. MORE has also not addressed the Common Bore -- which I believe it intends to do.
I always point out the Albert Einstein definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and expecting different results.
As part of the resistance to Unity since 1970 I do have some perspective. I was a delegate from the early 70s through the early 80s during the Shanker years and came back in 1994 as a chapter leader for 4 years and then as a delegate from the Teachers Assigned unit (I had a district job at the end of my career) from 2000-2002 when I retired.
Of course I can never be a retiree delegate because of the winner take all retiree chapter election which puts 300 Unity retirees into the DA. (In a democratic system, if MORE got say 20% of the vote it would get 60 delegates which would create some balance in the DA). And of course my distribution of Ed Notes to delegates from 1998-2010 and other lit since then has given me a feel for "who is in the room."
I finally gave up wasting money on printing Ed Notes for this DA crowd. Given the responses as a ratio to the mostly Unity crew attending -- many of whom absolutely refuse to take a handout, some with a hostile attitude, what was the point?
Is it worth going at all given that Mulgrew talks for an hour and the entire meeting is orchestrated (with planted speakers to call the question and speak to specific items)?
What actions can MORE as a group take at these meetings?
Are you going to take part in the meeting? And if so are you doing so as part of a caucus where you take concerted as opposed to individual action?
I certainly believe it worth going if you are an activist in the opposition - if you have the time and energy. But I want to distinguish the inside – taking part in the meeting from the outside game – handing out lit to delegates and engaging them in conversation, rallying, signing them up to be a MORE contact, etc.
I view the outside game as more important than the inside game -- for the purposes of organizing and building a caucus. Not that there are a lot of people relative to the Unity crowd to reach. But there are some.
This year with the new MORE Stuff in Your Mailbox newsletter we have use the outside game to build distribution capacity by asking people to fill out a form for future delivery to their schools. The idea is to use the DA as a way to build a regular network of outreach so more and more schools get to know about MORE and the work it is doing.
Pushing this idea inside MORE has not always been easy as people often seem more preoccupied with the inside game. I urge people to sat downstairs and miss most of Mulgrew's one hour speech and engage with delegates going in -- though that is not easy as they are in rush. I also tell people to leave the meeting to get downstairs as the delegates leave when it is easier to talk to people. Non-Unity people will come over sometimes to find out about MORE, especially if you have some info for them. Not many, mind you, but some.
At the last meeting, as James Eterno has pointed out (MORE COMES OF AGE AT DA WITH PROTEST AND STRONG SHOWING AS UNITY-NEW ACTION PASS MEANINGLESS RESOLUTION ON TESTING), MORE made a bit of a splash with a rally outside and inside when Vincent Wojsnis got the floor to oppose the Unity moratorium reso designed to try to counter MORE's call for a moratorium. (See James' advice to MORE below).
The problem from my perspective was that MORE did not have a plan. On his way in Vincent asked me what was MORE going to to: amend or oppose the Unity reso, which has just been sprung on people a day and a half before. On the listserve there had been mixed messages but they were trending to "oppose". I informed Vincent of that he was happy his instinct to oppose was validated. And oppose he did -- from the 19th floor where he got called on when Mulgrew tried to avoid calling on someone from the section where MORE delegates were sitting. Basically, a lucky accident.
"By the way," Vincent asked, "are we sitting together?" I said the plan seemed to be so sit together -- in the past people had sat with their districts and whatever opposition there seemed looked very scattered. Vincent said he was going to go up to the 19th floor anyway -- and that turned out to be a good choice for this particular DA.
And that is my point. If MORE is to participate in the DA is must do so with a plan. Otherwise the lack of coordination can do more harm than good.
Some tactical issues are also in play. How do you react when there are blatant violations of democracy by Unity? It is very frustrating to people to have to sit on their hands but disruption can also turn off the few delegates who might be willing to listen.
One independent delegate on the way out, noticing that MORE has sat together, said, "You guys should scatter yourselves. You'd have more impact." I disagreed. Seeing the excitement of MOREistas emerging convinced me that there is greater impact from a block of 50-100 votes than if they were scattered around the room. Even if they don't get called on because Mugrew will avoid looking at the section, there are opportunities to work together as a group if there is a chance to use parliamentary tactics etc.
Given the above, I will recommend that if MORE is to take part in the DA it do so only at select meetings so it has the energy to devote resources to what will ultimately work to build an opposition: go to the local schools and organize. Hold local MORE meeting in your districts. If the DA takes you away from doing that then you are meeting Einstein's definition of insanity.
Eterno Advice to MORE
Please note the first two stories [in the UFT Chapter Leader Update]. The UFT gets it that the members aren't happy with Advance. Read Mulgrew's letter to King which is linked to the news.
A petition for a moratorium on Advance is not enough right now nor are feel good actions that John King will ignore. We have already won the battle with the UFT leadership on a moratorium. Let's take it further.
We should be calling for the repeal of education law 3012c and an end to UFT support for Common Core and Race to the Top. Let's educate, organize and mobilize around all of that. I believe the parents are on our side.
We must be a step or two ahead of Unity and their latest attempt to have it both ways: be for ed deform but show they are doing something for the membership.
MORE Agenda today - 12-3pm
- Welcome and Shout Outs/on the ground in our schools (12:00 - 12:40) - Congratulating the work of Sean and others (brunch), Michele/Paul (petition signatures), Newsletter committee
- Allow people to shout out their own victories
- October 9th (vincent at DA)
- Membership Structure (12:40 - 1:30) - Kit and Gloria
- What does membership meeting?
- What does serious fundraising look like?c. propose and pass a new structure
- DA Strategy (1:30 -2:30) - MIke and Megan
- What is a DA (DA 101, what it is, what it should be, how it is undemocratic)
- Should MORE activists be concerned with it?c. Moratorium and November DA strategy
- Committee BreakoutsMeeting Time (2:30 - 3:00) -
- MORE 101 - Rosie/Nicole Reily
- Media - Lauren Cohen/Megan
- Contract - Pat and Dave
- Chapter Building - Peter Lamphere
- Newsletter (distribution and next issue) - Brian Jones
- High Stakes Testing (planning an upcoming forum/continued emphasis on opt-out movement with CTS)- Jia
- Whistleblower Committee - Francesco -h. UFT diversity committee- Sean-
Forecasting the July '14 AFT Convention: Chicago (CORE) and NYC (Unity)
..this time around the CTU delegates to the Illinois Fed of Teachers - [their version of NYSUT] - (which is kind of a rehearsal for next summer's AFT) are organized, ready, experienced and with a number of really important resolutions to support.... George SchmidtChicago Teachers Union Heads to IFT as Precursor for Next Summer AFT Convention.
The struggle to get the AFT to take a strong stance against ed deform, so resisted by Randi Weingarten and Unity Caucus, will escalate this summer at the AFT convention in Los Angeles. At least on paper, Randi has been forced by the increasingly vicious assault on public ed to rhetorically make louder noises. As George points out below, there was a difference between the AFT 2010 convention in Seattle with Bill Gates being the keynote speaker and the 2012 Detroit convention where Diane Ravitch spoke -- But so did Joe Biden. Even some Unity slugs seemed to be getting the message. But that didn't stop the Randi hordes from trying to derail and defuse important resolutions from the CTU on testing and other issues.
I wonder if some open warfare won't break out over the common core and the NYSUT/UFT support for the horrible evaluation system -- they beg for a moratorium until teachers get "proper" materials from the DOE -- "Please, Sir, more porridge."
I'm hoping to get a big MORE crew out there to demonstrate to the delegates from the nation that there is a voice in NYC challenging Unity. Unity Caucus may not have a clear road to control the AFT convention next summer in Los Angeles getting their manipulative way as indicated by this report from George Schmidt.
Three years after the election of the CORE slate and six months after the re-election of the CORE leadership at the CTU, we are all going to the Illinois Federation of Teachers convention this weekend out near O'Hare. Anyone who is reading the resolutions to be entertained should be celebrating. In 2010, Karen and the leadership had been elected to the AFT convention (which I covered as a reporter, having not run on the slate because I wanted to be free to watch the count and other stuff) too early to get in resolutions that year. But nevertheless, Chicago made a memorable mark on that Seatlle convention in dozens of ways. My favorite was that Chicago helped lead the walkout when Bill Gates showed up to speak, despite the fact that Randi Weingarten hard ordered several locals to drown out the boos with cheering. I was happy to be there because I was able to get so many great photographs of one of the world's most intense union busting plutocrats being feted by our union leadership. In a town that had once symbolized union militancy (look up the "Seattle General Strike" if you don't know the history sitting in the library behind me in our dining room -- for starters). Well, this time around the CTU delegates to the IFT (which is kind of a rehearsal for next summer's AFT) are organized, ready, experienced and with a number of really important resolutions to support.I went to the Ed Notes archives to pull some of my reports. The link to the walkout video is below.
- AFT Convention: UFT/CTU Deal Expose Fault Lines in...
- AFT Convention: CTU and UFT Compromise on School C...
- CORE and Unity on Charter Schools - Where the Rubb...
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Seattle
- The UFT at the AFT - Part 3
- UFT Coverup Over Columbia Secondary School - from ...
- Bill Gates at the AFT - 1984 - UPDATED
- Antonucci - the 13th Russian Spy?
- UFT at the AFT - Part 2
- The UFT/DOE Agreement on School Closings
- 12th Russian in Spy Probe Was Microsoft Employee
- CORE Rocks, Unity S_cks! - Part 1
Ed Notes: July 2010:
Video - Bill Gates at the AFT: Bringing in a Trojan Horse
Who is the real Trojan Horse?
Here is a rough video of low quality I put together very quickly. First a small demo outside before the speech, then Randi's intro of Gates to rousing cheers, the most vociferous from most of the 800 Unity Caucus people who were there on our dues, the walkout to Unity led jeers and the song na-na-hey-hey-goodbye, selections from Gates' speech with some commentary from me, and the final demo outside as people left. Here is the direct link if it is slow loading:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Ezri0pVOg
Friday, October 18, 2013
Revisiting ObamaCare IT: Race to the Top - of Incompetence
I'm listening to Brian Lehrer on NPR talk about the Obama roll-out disaster and the corporate disaster speak we are hearing -- exact tone we hear from Bloomberg/Walcott on that kid who is missing for 2 weeks.
For the record, I posted ObamaCare IT: Race to the Top - of Incompetence on Oct. 10 where I pointed out that it was not overload on the web site but the design/architecture of the system which I pointed out my old pals in the Computer Science Dept at Brooklyn College could have done a better job of doing.
I challenged that Obamacare people would be able to fix this since I know from my work on computers that fixing architecture on the fly leads to worse disasters. I pointed out that in building systems you need to start at the simplest stage, test it to make it foolproof and move up the ladder of complexity.*
I believe that in months or even a year it won't be working and they may have to start from scratch. And good programers know to test it out -- and they could have rolled it out one step at a time. For instance -- open the site for info without having to register. Then open it for registration only and stagger the states. Next step allow some data entry. Test and close down at night to fix.
Then last night I hear Robert Gibbs, Obama's former press secretary lambaste them for this can call for Kathleen Sibelius' resignation. Me thinks he should look to his former boss who after all is where the buck stops. Gibbs must have read Ed Notes -- he says the fault is the architecture of the system.
The guy on Lehrer is points to massive management failure all the way to the top.
And how much to Republicans feel like idiots? As Brian said, it they had just shut up the attention on the failures would have given them enormous fodder. So today is day 1 and watch them shift gears and focus on the roll-out disaster. And well they should.
We in education know the outrage of the impact of White House decision-making as all their ed deform initiatives begin to go down in flames. Makes many of us sympathetic to some of the tea party points of view about government run by arrogant idiots who think they're geniuses.
Afterburn
*Simplicity was the lesson I learned from the late Jim Scoma, a NYC math teacher who was the best programmer I ever met. He was hired by our pal Ira Goldfine, another former teacher who headed the ATS Programming unit which had professional consultants working there who scratched their heads when a junior high school teacher was working beside them. Jim was like a dog with a bone who wouldn't let go -- he never gave up and looked at solutions from every angle. This is what makes programming fun - and exasperating. I miss it but it is so time consuming.
For the record, I posted ObamaCare IT: Race to the Top - of Incompetence on Oct. 10 where I pointed out that it was not overload on the web site but the design/architecture of the system which I pointed out my old pals in the Computer Science Dept at Brooklyn College could have done a better job of doing.
I challenged that Obamacare people would be able to fix this since I know from my work on computers that fixing architecture on the fly leads to worse disasters. I pointed out that in building systems you need to start at the simplest stage, test it to make it foolproof and move up the ladder of complexity.*
I believe that in months or even a year it won't be working and they may have to start from scratch. And good programers know to test it out -- and they could have rolled it out one step at a time. For instance -- open the site for info without having to register. Then open it for registration only and stagger the states. Next step allow some data entry. Test and close down at night to fix.
Then last night I hear Robert Gibbs, Obama's former press secretary lambaste them for this can call for Kathleen Sibelius' resignation. Me thinks he should look to his former boss who after all is where the buck stops. Gibbs must have read Ed Notes -- he says the fault is the architecture of the system.
The guy on Lehrer is points to massive management failure all the way to the top.
And how much to Republicans feel like idiots? As Brian said, it they had just shut up the attention on the failures would have given them enormous fodder. So today is day 1 and watch them shift gears and focus on the roll-out disaster. And well they should.
We in education know the outrage of the impact of White House decision-making as all their ed deform initiatives begin to go down in flames. Makes many of us sympathetic to some of the tea party points of view about government run by arrogant idiots who think they're geniuses.
Afterburn
*Simplicity was the lesson I learned from the late Jim Scoma, a NYC math teacher who was the best programmer I ever met. He was hired by our pal Ira Goldfine, another former teacher who headed the ATS Programming unit which had professional consultants working there who scratched their heads when a junior high school teacher was working beside them. Jim was like a dog with a bone who wouldn't let go -- he never gave up and looked at solutions from every angle. This is what makes programming fun - and exasperating. I miss it but it is so time consuming.
Video: Why Come to MORE Monthly Meeting This Saturday, Oct. 19, 12PM
Why come to the MORE meeting? See the promo video below. It may be crowded at the Ya-Ya Network, our wonderful hosts at 224 W. 29th St 14th Fl. (btwn 7th and 8th Ave). We are outgrowing the space with 60-80 people attending every month. I am just going to stand for 3 hours and pretend I'm on the subway (where I spent a long time standing on a crowded train on the way home from the Met where it took the usual 2 hours before we got museumed out but made up for it with a nice meal at a mid-east restaurant).
I'll talk MORE about tomorrow's agenda in a follow-up later.
Jeez. There is so much going on with MORE and Change the Stakes I can't keep track. I do want to go into more depth on the issues we
I'll talk MORE about tomorrow's agenda in a follow-up later.
Jeez. There is so much going on with MORE and Change the Stakes I can't keep track. I do want to go into more depth on the issues we
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