Rank and File teachers increasingly sick of Democratic party as UFT/NYSUT/AFT Continue to Pander

Our union is in many ways just an appendage, a weak one at that, of the Democratic party.  As the party sinks further into the money raising pit, don't expect to see much positive change. Democrats are not capable as currently constituted of doing much for us. Since our union bosses are a major part of the Democratic establishment, do not expect them to lead a movement to put real progressives on the ballot.  We'll need to do it ourselves at the grassroots level... James Eterno, ICE blog, BEWARE OF DEMOCRATS COURTING UNION VOTE

Two recent items caught my eye, the Eterno piecce and this
email from Roseanne McCosh on the same topic.

Hey Norm,

I got a call from the Democratic Party last night.  I politely listened to the gentleman who told me dems lost seats in the last election.  Dems who lost strayed away from the party and our president.  They want to back the best people who stay on message. The voter turnout was low.   When he was done I told him that if the democratic party showed a backbone and supported unionized teachers, then more of us would have voted for them.  But as things stand now I will not support them.  He responded with more rhetoric about Obama.  Then I told him President Obama has proven that he too is bad for unionized teachers.  His appointee Arne Duncan is a clear example of that.  He interrupted me as I was making that point and began to argue.  I told him I would wait to see how the dems behave going forward and they would have to earn my vote.  He continued to interrupt me so I told him I wasn't staying on the phone arguing with a stranger who wants my vote and I hung up.  Are there any other teachers (or unionized workers) you know of who have gotten this phone call lately?  

The absolute nerve of these people.....they turn their backs on us and then complain about low voter turnout.  I always vote....but I've gone Green Party last couple of elections....until the dems grow a backbone they aren't getting my vote.

Then James Eterno posted a great piece on the ICE blog today. The UFT/NYSUT/AFT has so tied itself to the Democratic Party -- it is so important for Randi to be able to play in that pen, they leave themselves little options.

James contrasts the Chicago Teachers Union.

Instead, we need to be more organized and much more militant. That should be our first priority but we can't stick our heads in the sand and ignore elections. Chicago Teachers are setting the example by strongly opposing Democratic anti-union Mayor Rahm Emanual's bid for reelection.  They might not win but they have earned respect for sure by forcing a runoff.

 And he attempts to answer the question raised by NYC Educator:

As for how the weakness of labor impacts teacher unions, NYC Educator did a piece about a week ago wondering why UFT/NYSUT/AFT leaders make decisions that actually harm their members. Why is our union supporting rubbish such as teachers being rated based on student test scores on standardized exams (junk science), the untested Common Core and plenty of other nonsense that the rank and file overwhelmingly abhors?  Why did AFT President Randi Weingarten make phone calls for anti-public school candidate Kathy Hochul in a contested primary last yea?  Why did Randi act as an apologist for our foe Governor Andrew Cuomo during the fall election campaign?
These questions are not that difficult to answer.
Our union is in many ways just an appendage, a weak one at that, of the Democratic party.  As the party sinks further into the money raising pit, don't expect to see much positive change. Democrats are not capable as currently constituted of doing much for us.

 

Hearing on Opt-Out Bill in NYC CIty Council: Helen Rosenthal and Danny Dromm sponsor parent rights bill

The noose tightens around ed deform.

Dear education advocates,

Council Members Helen Rosenthal and Daniel Dromm have introduced a bill (Res. 577-2015) to amend the DOE Parents' Bill of Rights. The bill would require DOE to distribute the document to all parents at the start of every school year, and it would require DOE to include information about parents' right to opt their children out of standardized tests. You can see the current version of the Parents' Bill of Rights on the DOE website.

The bill will be heard in an Education Committee hearing on Thursday, March 19 at 1pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The hearing is open to the public, and you are welcome to submit testimony about the bill to Jan Atwell at jatwell@council.nyc.gov or Ashya Schomburg at aschomburg@council.nyc.gov. If you cannot attend the hearing, you can watch the video here. (It will be streaming live, or you can watch it after the fact.)

Please share this information with your network, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Best,

Stephanie

Stephanie Buhle

Director of Communications 

Office of Council Member Helen Rosenthal

6th District: Upper West Side & Clinton

sbuhle@council.nyc.gov

(212) 788-6975

Tisch Must Go - Bill Cala to State Board of Regents

Chancellor Tisch has vehemently supported the policies of John King and demonstrated an uncomfortable alliance with the draconian policies of Governor Cuomo. She has been unapologetic, unresponsive and deaf to the public she serves. Her continued leadership of the board will signal defiance of the will of the educational community and an arrogance of unmeasured proportions... Bill Cala

One of my favorite people is Bill Cala, former acting Supt of Rochester schools and long-time, now retired, Supe in nearby Fairport. We met at an anti-high stakes testing conference organized by Susan Ohanian in Birmingham, Al over a decade ago. Bill should be running the State Ed Dept. --- if this were a rational world.

Dear Members of the New York State Board of Regents,

Over the past year, it should be apparent that the direction of education in New York is changing. Parents have raised their voices and are no longer willing to blindly accept the state and national agenda of testing and punishment to their children and their children's teachers. Parents have made it clear that they support their public schools and teachers and will no longer accept a rigid curriculum and testing regime.

Former commissioner King's management of curriculum, data, parents and the implementation of the common core (as well as the common core itself) surely precipitated his departure. Parents, teachers, school board members and the general populace demanded that the process of appointing members to the Board of Regents by the legislature dramatically change and that the process become more transparent. Those demands were so loud and deafening that the legislature had little choice but to listen. As a result, unprecedented turnover resulted. The most ardent supporter of John King was regent Robert Bennett. Throughout Bennett's term he has supported positions that have been at cross purposes with the wishes of parents and teachers. Before John King's departure, Bennett's praise for his policies were unwavering. In fact, when King resigned, Bennett was quoted as saying "...he is the best educator I have ever met." Quite curious that when interviewed for reappointment to the Board of Regents recently, the story changed. It became apparent that Mr. Bennett read the tea leaves and knew that support for John King would not secure reappointment. Fortunately the legislators paid attention and knew very well where he stands on the issues and this led to Mr. Bennett's withdrawal of his application. As you know, this was not the only incumbent who fell.

You all know the history and hopefully you all are aware of the movement for a more responsive government and a board of regents more receptive to the needs and desires of the people of the state of New York. The big question that remains is whether or not the new composition of the board will do "business as usual" or will this board respond to the outcry of parents and teachers. The most effective sign that the Regents are listening and care about the people they serve would be to elect a new chancellor.

Chancellor Tisch has vehemently supported the policies of John King and demonstrated an uncomfortable alliance with the draconian policies of Governor Cuomo. She has been unapologetic, unresponsive and deaf to the public she serves. Her continued leadership of the board will signal defiance of the will of the educational community and an arrogance of unmeasured proportions.

I trust that events of the recent weeks and months will bring a change of heart which subsequently will lead to a change of leadership so desperately needed in New York. Anything less will send a signal that the voices of communities across the state have been ignored.

Sincerely,

William C. Cala Ed.D.
Lifetime New York educator and child advocate

By the way- Bill and his wife Joanne run an amazing charity in Africa where they build schools and do other wonderful stuff. Check it out - http://www.joiningheartsandhands.org/aboutus.php - and DONATE!

On Differentiation and Grouping: Three Cheers Plus One for MS 88 in Park Slope

MS 88 has been part of our FLL robotics program pretty much every year since I began volunteering 13 years ago when I retired. We had another rousing event this past weekend and MS 88 was in the house of Javits on Saturday, along with 78 other teams from all over the city and they won a 3rd place award for programming their robot.

So, when I  saw this Daily Howler headline from Bob Somerby based in the Baltimore/DC area, my first thought was that somehow he was connecting to MS 88's robotic win. Not. The Sunday NY Times had a major piece on MS 88 and Howler takes the writer somewhat to task. (For those who don't know, Howler taught in inner city Baltimore for a decade or more - I believe.)

Here he touches on ability grouping, differentiation and other related topics and seems incredulous that it might be possible kids doing math on 1st grade level are in the same class as kids on 7th grade level. Ahhh, Joel Klein's "reforms" where that point is irrelevant -- all the teachers have to do is say the magic word - DIFFERENTIATE - and VOILA - MAGIC.

Well, maybe technology using one on one is an answer. And maybe not. I'm posting in full her because excerpts won't make sense. Best to click here and go to the site if you can - and check out some of those weird comments Howler gets.

Supplemental: Three cheers for Middle School 88!

Posted: 16 Mar 2015 11:49 AM PDT

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

One cheer for the New York Times: Last week, we offered an anecdote and an impression about our public schools.

On C-Span, Professor Guinier and a gloomy caller had said that we’re destroying another generation of black kids in our public schools.

That’s often considered the hip, gloomy thing for know-nothing “liberals” to traffic! In response, we said we think that a lot of people have been trying very hard to create better schools for low-income kids.

To refresh your recollection, click here.

Middle School 88 (Park Slope, Brooklyn) sounds like another such school. We’ll offer three cheers for the school itself, one cheer for the way the New York Times reported on its math instruction.

The report appeared in yesterday’s Sunday Review, a very high-profile placement. The Times described Tina Rosenberg, author of the report:

Justice Not Just Tests: NYCORE 2015 Conference Saturday, March 21

I've done work with NYCORE, mostly on the testing issue, since 2003 when they did a little testing play at a PEP. When they formed their first Justice not just tests committee I joined, along with Lisa North from ICE along with Angel Gonzalez. Out of that ICE/NYCORE alliance on this committee (around 2008) GEM emerged in early 2009. So this Saturday it will be a bit of nostalgia to revisit the JNJT concept. Both MORE and Change the Stakes will have tables and presentations on their work. I was asked to tape the keynote and morning activities and then will be free to check it out all day. And maybe have enough energy left for the after party.

NYCoRE 2015 Conference: Justice, Not Just-Tests
Hosted by New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE)
Saturday, March 21, 2015 from 8:45 AM to 6:00 PM (EDT)
The James Baldwin School, 351 W 18th St, Manhattan, NY 10011  |  Directions 

 Print Tickets  Contact the Host

Download Mobile Tickets

A Message from New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE):

We can't wait to see you Saturday at NYCoRE's 6th Annual Conference.  A couple of announcements and reminders to make the day a success!

The final conference schedule is now online.  We recommend reading it over now and making decisions about sessions to attend. The workshops are first-come first-serve, so get to your room early as they will be closed when full.

Please arrive EARLY!  The keynote is going to be one of the highlights of the day! Please be sure to arrive by 8:45-9:00 so you can register, have a pastry/bagel and get situated.

We have amazing NYCoRE and conference T-shirts, tanks and sweatshirts for just $16-$25, NYCoRE waterbottles, buttons and books from NYCoRE authors. There are 40 other amazing ally organizations tabling at the conference with great resources and information on how to get involved.

While we do offer free childcare, you must sign up for it by filling out this form. You may not drop your child off without signing up, so if you would like childcare, and haven't yet signed up, fill out the form immediately so we have enough providers.  (please note- childcare is not offered during lunch).
Be sure to stick around for the whole conference.  We will have a raffle and cookie/coffee/cocoa community time at the end. After the closing performance, we will be heading a few blocks away for an after conference after party to continue the conversations and unwind. Please join us! 21+

Finally- we will be doing a social media campaign this year called Hey Cuomo!  We want everyone to use social media to tweet, fb, instagram messages @nygovcuomo about your thoughts about educational justice throughout the day!  Use hashtags #nycore and #notjusttests.  Stop by the selfie stations (3rd fl, cafeteria) to take photos! Let’s trend!

 There is still time to register, so please spread the word over facebook, twitter etc!
 --The 2015 Conference Planning Committee

Transportation: 

A, C, E to 14th st.
L to 8th Ave
1 to 7th Ave and 18th  
Path to 14th or 23rd 

Denying the Hedge Hogs: Board votes against investing in charter supporter’s hedge fund

This is a positive development -- hit those Eva supporting slugs in their pocket books. Our pension money should not go to people who declare war on us.

NY Post reports:

In a rare move, the board that oversees the city’s retirement fund for civil servants killed a proposal to invest in a high-yield hedge fund — run by one of the city’s biggest investors in charter schools, sources told The Post.

The New York City Employees’ Retirement System nixed a recommendation from the comptroller’s office to sink a portion of its $54 billion pension fund into Gotham Asset Management, which is run by Success Academies co-founder Joel Greenblatt.

The charter network is overseen by Eva Moskowitz, a long-time foe of Mayor de Blasio.

The 11-member board is stacked with reps who are allied with the anti-charter teachers’ union — including appointees from de Blasio, Borough Presidents Eric Adams and Ruben Diaz Jr. and leaders of three major city unions.

“It’s extremely rare for public pensions to be run like this,” said an expert on municipal finance. “The fact that we do it through these boards lends itself to decision-making that isn’t solely based on rates of returns. It can get political.”

The investment was rejected even though it’s unusual for such proposals to be derailed after making it onto the board’s agenda, according to a source familiar with the process.

Investment recommendations are made only after considerable economic research by a division of the comptroller’s office.

“New York denied itself the opportunity to invest and get a great return,” said a separate source familiar with the vote.

Gotham’s four fund offerings have done relatively well since launching over a stretch of time, ranging from a 7.8 percent return for one launched nine months ago to 48 percent for the oldest fund, launched in August 2012.

Officials at the hedge fund declined comment.

It’s not possible to determine which NYCERS reps voted down the measure — nor their motivation — because the action was taken in executive session.

The Comptroller’s Bureau of Asset Management referred Greenblatt’s hedge fund to NYCERS for consideration as a potential investment last month, but a spokesman for Comptroller Scott Stringer declined to say how it learned of the fund.

“As the investment adviser to the New York City Pension Funds, the Bureau of Asset Management recommends investments based strictly on their merits,” said Stringer spokesman Eric Sumberg.

Stringer is among the 11 trustee members. Other board members either did not return calls or declined to comment, citing the confidentiality of discussions that took place in an executive meeting on Feb. 24.

But some of the reps have made it clear in the past that ideological considerations are fair game for investment decisions.

As public advocate in late 2012, de Blasio called for the city’s pension funds to divest themselves from firms that manufacture military-grade guns — both for financial prudence and moral reasons.

“Beyond our fiduciary duty, we should not be giving capital to an industry that is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans each year,” de Blasio said shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

Asked about the board’s vote, UFT President Michael Mulgrew said, “We’re confident that the NYCERS board members voted in the best interest of their members. 

The UFT is not among the three unions — DC-37, TWU Local 100 and Teamsters Local 237 — that sits on the NYCERS board. But its parent union, the American Federation of Teachers, has sought to steer pension funds to invest with firms that help, or at least don’t harm, union members.

City-As-School Leads march from school to rally at Washington Sq. Park

Featuring extensive coverage of City-As and the convergence in Washington Square Park where folks from PS1, Liberty High, Independence HS, Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day, NYU, and other schools rallied and spoke out.... John Antush

I've been working with John Antush in MORE for almost 3 years and it gives me such great pleasure to see his efforts to build coalitions inside his school and in the lower Manhattan area begin to pay off. What distinguishes this City-As led rally and the District 15 rally at Cuomo's office was the networking of schools which builds power of them all - and let's not neglect to say these events have not been oppositional but partnerships with the UFT leaderships in and outside the schools. To see so many MORE's take part like Alexandra Alves from PS 2, who we met just last June when she attended a lower Manhattan meetup hosted by John and Jia Lee.

(By the way - this group is hanging out this Friday - Join us at MORE's DOWNTOWN GATHERING this Friday March 20th @ 5:30pm LOCATION: Karavas Place 162 W4th Street
Let's catch up and discuss our next steps against Governor Cuomo's Education plan!)

Here is the press release from the City-As folks

Hello Everyone,

This was an incredible week for our community. Thank you to everyone for all the support, energy and effort!

Here is the post event press release and photos that can be broadly shared. We also attached the Chalkbeat articles.

http://ny.chalkbeat.org/2015/03/12/at-schools-anti-cuomo-protests-hundreds-sing-and-shout/#.VQNM0vRdXO8

http://ny.chalkbeat.org/2015/03/11/teachers-parents-and-union-hold-hands-to-push-back-at-cuomos-agenda/#.VQNM5fRdXO8


Have a wonderful weekend!

Maria K and John A


For Immediate Release: March 13, 2015

Contact: Maria Krajewski

Cell: 917-763-8837

Email: maria.krajewski@gmail.com

Social Media: #wearecityas #protectourschools #allkidsneed

Anti-Cuomo Protest in West Village:

Students, Teachers, Parents March, Rally, Shout and Sing

Thursday, March 12th, at 3:30pm sharp teachers and students marched out of City-As-School (CAS) High School. Kicking off their protest of Governor Cuomo’s education agenda, over a hundred teachers, parents, students and supporters, shouted “We don’t want your multiple choice; at City-As, kids have a voice!” City-As is an alternative public high school in the West Village in New York City that promotes hands-on learning experiences through its widely-acclaimed program, where students spend part of the week in internships and part of the week in classes. City-As is part of a network of schools in which students complete a portfolio of papers and projects instead of taking tests to fulfill the state graduation requirements.

Organized with marshals, the procession marched seven blocks to Washington Square Park, where marchers converged with members of school communities from across Lower Manhattan, the West Side and even the Bronx. As they soldiered forward, students waved signs and banners, emblazoned with slogans like “More Than a Score,” “#WeAretheData,” “#WeAreCityAs,” “Innovation Not Standardization,” “#AllKidsNeedArt,” “Students Are Not Statistics,” “In Teachers We Trust,” and “#ProtectOurSchools.” From current students pushing baby carriages to retired principals and teachers, the crowd captivated passersby, yelling, “The problem is poverty, not teacher quality,” “Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Cuomo’s Plan Has Got to Go!” and “They say test more, we say teach more!”

At Washington Square Park, the crowd joined forces with people from PS 2, Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day School, the International High School at Lafayette, Liberty High School, Independence High School, Sojourner Truth Middle School, the Earth School, Parsons New School, and NYU. Using a small bullhorn and surrounded by a crowd that swelled to 200 at one point, students, alumni, teachers and administrators, spoke out on behalf of authentic education and against Cuomo’s plan to use student test-scores as a criterion for labelling schools “failing” and for designating teachers as “ineffective” so they can be fired without due process. From a two-year old child, the daughter of a student, who chanted, “Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Cuomo’s Plan Has got to Go,” to Brett Schlessinger, the white-haired former City-As Assistant Principal who shared a rousing poem, to a current CAS student who performed a discordant, biting cover of Bob Dylan’s “Times They Are A Changin’,” (which teachers’ in the crowd of all ages sang along to), the message was clear: Governor Cuomo’s proposed education agenda extorts funding, undermines authentic education, harms students and teachers, and destroys school communities. The event attracted national and even international supporters, including Quebec students who brought their own banners and an educator from Detroit who participated in the speakout.

Some of the speakers included (not in order):

Get ready...to rock the boat at RTC "Guys and Dolls" Auditions

LocalTheatreNY.com reports:
 
Hey folks: Get ready...to rock the boat! You know you want to!
#auditions #Theatre #musicals #acting

Join

Auditions: Guys and Dolls at Rockaway Theatre Company

Sunday, March 29 at 2:00pm

Rockaway Theatre Company

Show opens in mid-June.

The Indypendent Featuring MORE Steering Committee's Michelle Baptiste: Cuomo, Corporate Reformers Take Aim at Experienced Educators

32,000 teachers have left city schools to take their talents elsewhere or have exited the profession altogether since 2002. Among mid-career teachers with six to 15 years of experience, the number of resignations per year leapt from 500 to 900 between 2008 and 2013... 

While the UFT ignores, the Indypendent takes on the issue of principals from hell.

Brooklyn elementary school teacher Michelle Baptiste got in trouble with her principal when she used her after-school hours to meet with families of troubled children instead of entering her students’ standardized test results into an Excel spreadsheet. Photo: Alex Ellefson

By George Joseph & John Tarleton

March 11, 2015

Issue # 204
 

When discussing how to improve public education, Governor Andrew Cuomo likes to complain about how difficult it is to fire “bad teachers” and the need to reduce job security for classroom educators. He is not alone in this. The Partnership for Educational Justice, a well-funded nonprofit fronted by former CNN host Campbell Brown, is pursuing a lawsuit in a Staten Island court that seeks to scrap teacher tenure protections. Both New York City tabloids, meanwhile, never miss a chance to promote a lurid teacher sex scandal and then denounce the teachers union for protecting the right of the accused to a fair hearing.

But what if the real teaching crisis in New York is not the inability to get rid of bad teachers, but the failure to keep experienced and highly capable teachers and allow them to do their jobs?...
Baptiste told The Indypendent she had been too busy meeting during after-school hours with the families of troubled children in her class — including some who did not have stable housing — to keep on schedule with entering data, which she described as “garbage.” Still, she recognizes her actions put her career in peril.
“If you get enough of these letters in your file, you can be brought up on charges of incompetence and you can lose your livelihood,” said Baptiste. She has switched to teaching second grade, where students are tested less frequently.

Principals From Hell

“My assistant principal was absolutely disgusting. I walked in on him cornering a special education teacher in the library,” Thurman told The Indypendent. “He would even eye students who came into his office. I started encouraging teachers, who started coming to me, that I could be a witness for them, but as a young teacher there’s so many fears, not just sexual harassment.”

MORE at:
https://indypendent.org/2015/03/11/cuomo-corporate-reformers-take-aim-experienced-educators

Opt-Out Resources from Children Should Not Be a Number

Starve the beast. Teachers can't be rated it there is not enough data. Opt-out is clearly so threatening to the ed deform movement they are resorting to strong-arm tactics. But the opposition from the right has turned things topsy-turvy. Yesterday I heard an early morning interview with an upstate Republican NYS Assemblyman who made every single point the left has been making for years -- he even said "follow the Bill Gates and Pearson money."

On the Change the Stakes listserve parents are reporting they have offered to go into schools to teach the opt-out kids lessons during the tests on topics of interest to them -- like astronomy. Principals are so scared they run and hide or say they can't do it without the permission of their Superintendent, most of whom are slugs.

Share this info with parents - if you dare.

Children should not be a number

A movement to end high-stakes testing in New York State and our nation. Parents need to start this revolution by opting out their children from state testing programs in order to take back public education from the corporate reformers who are destroying the education of our children.

From Chris Cerrone

Opt Out & Refusal Resources

Why Opt Out?

What Opt Out is NOT.

Important Articles

Opt Out Myths & Talking Points

http://www.nystoptesting.com/2015/03/our-2015-refusal-letter.html

Our 2015 Refusal Letter

A few notes:

• This is our fourth year refusing the state assessments.
• Last year our district allowed children to read in a separate location, so we are thanking school administration for respecting families who are standing up for their children's education. 

March 15, 2015

Dear Administrators & Teachers,

Thank you for all that you do for our school.

We are writing respectfully on behalf of ______________ (Grade __) and _________ (Grade ___) to refuse the New York State Assessments in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science(4th grader) this spring. As we have expressed numerous times in the last four years, our family is very concerned about the direction of education in our state. The increased importance of mandated standardized testing is having a significant negative educational impact on children and contributes to the financial crisis facing districts across the Empire State. Governor Cuomo’s education agenda and attacks on public schools have only intensified our concerns and advocacy.  We feel a mass boycott of the New York State Assessment system is the primary vehicle to reverse the wrong-headed education policies that are already federal and state law as well as halt the damaging education proposals from Governor Cuomo.  Thank you once again for listening to our concerns.

We have no issue with properly written tests that monitor our children's progress but the current assessment system does not help parents or educators achieve that goal. Despite what state education officials repeat ad nauseam, teachers are provided with very little data from the state assessments to “inform instruction”. Parents receive a vague score report that does not assist families in assessing our children's academic progress. The secretive nature of the state assessments contributes to the need for significant reversal in education policy in our state and nation. It short, the current New York assessment system has no educational value for the students of our state.

In addition, we please request that our children do not take any practice tests that are designed for the sole purpose of preparing students for the state assessments.  Please give our children an alternative activity or assignment during any practice testing, which could include reading, homework completion time, or any academic assistance they may need.

We would like to thank the {school name} administration for once again allowing our children to read in a separate location while other students are testing.  Thank you very much.  I look forward to a great end of the school year.

Sincerely,

 

 

See what your school is missing - Join me for a day of robotics TODAY, March 14, 2015 - At the Javits Convention Center

Really, if your school doesn't have an NYCFIRST robotics program going on you need to see this.

At 6PM Friday night - HS kids still at it

Today is the big day and I head out at 6AM. I got home at 9PM last night from helping get ready for the 80 teams coming from all over the city and from public, private, charter, parochial and home schooled teams for the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) NYC championship tournament for kids aged 9-14. 

In FIRST LEGO League (FLL®) the children will design, build and program an autonomous robot (using the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® robot set) to score points on a thematic playing surface, as well as conduct a project research and create innovative solutions to a problem, all while being guided by the FLL Core Values. The FLL Challenge this year is called World Class - Learning Unleashed.

The Pits: Where the 80 teams hang out

In the morning the kids - we have 80 teams with about 10 kids on a team -- present their research projects to a team of judges, show how they designed their robot to another team of judges and demonstrate their level of teamwork - and core values to a third set. While waiting they spend the morning doing practice runs - and modifying their software and robot designs for the afternoon game competition where they get to run their robots in 3 rounds - roughly once an hour.

Like my flannel shirt? That's where to find me

I'll be managing the team pit area - when I'm not sneaking out for a snack in the volunteer canteen- so come on down and hang out.

But there is so much more in this 3 day event -- we are only here for today.

During the morning, the little kids 6-9 - will demonstrate the Junior FIRST LEGO League projects.

For children ages 6-9, Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) captures young children's curiosity and directs it toward discovering the wonders of science and technology.

Children get to design and build a challenge-related model using LEGO® components, create a Show Me Poster and practice presentation skills, explore challenges facing today's scientists, discover real-world math and science, and engage in team activities guided by Jr.FLL Core Values. The theme this year is called Think Tank - Redefining Learning.


 FRC

Check out the high school field

And going on all day and Sunday too is the big kids - the varsity.
I was there last night and the kids were still working out at 7PM. Backstage in the pit area is a wonder - you need to wear safety glasses which they loan you -- I got to see an old pal, Steve Raile from Staten Island Tech who retired this past June but can't stay away.

The varsity Sport for the MindTM, FRC combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology for high school students between the age of 14-18.

Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams of 25 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors.  It’s as close to "real-world engineering" as a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team. The FRC Robot is limited to

 28" x 42" x 78" in size and a maximum weight of 120 lbs
The FRC Challenge this year is called Recycle Rush.


There is room in the stands for you to watch these 6 robots - 3 vs 3 go at it - and these kids drive the robots - not autonomous mode except for the beginning.

And there is even more. The lower level - and cheaper - middle and high school tournament - FTC - has already taken place but there is a demo field set up just outside our pit area -- their tasks are described:
FTC is designed for students in grades 7-12 to compete head to head, using a sports model.

The robot kit is reusable from year-to-year and is programmed using a variety of languages. Teams, including coaches, mentors and volunteers, are required to develop strategy and build robots based on sound engineering principles.
The FTC Robot is limited to 18" x 18" x 18" in size, and the competition field is 12' x 12'.
This year's FTC Challenge is called Cascade Effect


Well, that's it for a busy day. If you stop by and see me sleeping on the table, give me a nudge.

Video: Rally at Cuomo's Office by Brooklyn District 15 Teachers and Parents - March 11, 2015

Some MORE chapter leaders in District 15 joined other CLs in the district to formulate a plan that would take protests beyond one school - most schools did these anyway the next day. The organizing concept is to help create links between neighborhood schools that over time can become a political force. The UFT district leadership saw the potential and jumped in to support it. But the key here is that the organizing force came out of parents and teachers working from the school level, not from UFT implementation from above. And the concept of the mext day school protests came from people like Leonie Haimson, not the UFT. If the union finally gets that this is the way to go that is a good thing. If it ends after some deal with Cuomo then it's back to the way things were. But press reports that the UFT organized all these protests is only 50% correct.

I know some people in MORE and beyond are rolling their eyes -- and did not take part in the protests because they felt this was UFT manipulation. But the younger MORE's, some featured in this video saw this as an opportunity to reach out to their school community and to link up with other schools, an essential organizing effort over the long run. For them this doesn't end the day a deal with Cuomo is signed. Now if people in the other 45 or so districts did the same we might be on to something.

I got there about 45 minutes in and was astounded that they got so many people to go to midtown after school for this rally. And kudos to the crew at PS 261 in Boerum Hill which brought out a massive contingent which you can see gathered at the end of the video.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnRWwt5_iYQ

Norm in The Wave this week: Opt-out, robotics, running for chapter leader Plus Rockway Theatre Co.

Published Friday, March 13, 2015, www.rockawave.com.

Useful Information – Or Not
By Norm Scott

Someone told me they actually understood my last column – for once. I wish I can remember what it was about. So for this week I have accumulated a batch of useful information – or not.

The Testing Opt-Out movement grows
Not long ago the very idea of opting kids out of the yearly tests was frightening to parents, teachers and especially principals and the higher ups beyond them. But nationwide, parents, seeing the negative impact on kids as young as 7 and 8 of testing, have started pulling their kids from the tests. In NY State, the movement began on Long Island where 30,000 people opted out last year and that tinyurl.com/knmwrk6. A Long Island forum a few days later featuring my friend Jia Lee is at tinyurl.com/mbla2tn.

number is expected to grow this year by leaps and bounds through the growth of opt-out rallies and forums. Here in NYC there is more repression and fear but I have been working with an amazing group of parents from Change the Stakes, which has been in the forefront of the opt-out here in the city. I taped a wonderful forum at a school in Brooklyn which included 2 principals (one from Long Island and one from Brooklyn, a NYC teacher and a parent from the Bronx. Video at

There is somewhat of a war going on, and as often does, race enters into it. The leaders and profiteers of the testing movement, the instrument used to undermine the public school system, have begun a concerted attack on opt-outers as being white, middle class liberals who are soft on their own kids. Some in the black community, where young kids are even more damaged by tests through their sorting and branding mechanism, have fallen for this line. But Change the Stakes and other groups have been making small inroads into these communities with information on how their kids are damaged when they are told they have to prepare for the SATs when they are in grades 1-3 and even kindergarten. Check the CTS web site for more info: https: changethestakes.wordpress.com. And you can order a NYC Opt-Out tee-shirt at www.booster.com/nycoptout . I just ordered mine.

Howie Schwach remembers former District 27 Superintendent Beverly Hall
Hall, who was considered the mastermind behind the massive Atlanta test cheating scandal, died recently. Former Wave editor and columnist Schwach, who preceded me at School Scope, was the reason I began to read the Wave due to his coverage of education issues, wrote about Hall’s history in our district in the early 90s at his web site: www.onrockaway.com/page-16.html. And note that the Atlanta testing scandal is a tip of the iceberg and it is only due to the lack of vigilance and cover-ups that we haven’t seen the same story here in NYC. A good lesson for people who think the testing culture is good for kids and education in general.

Robotics
This weekend I’ll be at the Javits Convention Center all day on Saturday, March 14 for the NYCFIRST Robotics events (admission is FREE). This is my 13th year working with NYCFIRST with the FIRST LEGO League (ages 9-14). I manage the pit area where the 80 teams, many from NYC public and private schools, with some home schooled too, display their research projects and work on programming their robots. In the morning, teams meet with judges to discuss their work and after noon compete on 8x4 game boards with their robots made out of LEGO and programed to complete a bunch of tasks related to this year’s theme as described in this promo: What is the future of learning? FLL teams will find the answers. In the 2014 FLL WORLD CLASS℠ Challenge, over 265,000 children from 80 countries will redesign how we gather knowledge and skills in the 21st century. Teams will teach adults about the ways that kids need and want to learn. Get ready for a whole new class – FLL WORLD CLASS! - See more at: www.firstlegoleague.org/challenge/2014. There is also a 3-day high school tournament (Friday-Sunday), known as FIRST Robotics Challenge (FRC) where teams come from not only the metropolitan area but from other parts of the nation and even the world. Six robots (3 against 3) on a giant field with a complex formula of shifting team alliances – where your former competitors become your allies. And a Junior FLL (ages 6-9) exhibition in the morning.

Hey, bud, are you interested in running for chapter leader at your school?
MORE, the caucus opposing the Mike Mulgrew-led UFT Unity Caucus, is offering workshops and advice. There is one this weekend on Saturday but also MORE reps will meet with candidates to share advice and support. Contact more@morecaucusnyc.org.

Norm blogs daily at ednotesonline.org. You don’t have to wait for Norm’s column to not understand what he writes.

Here is my short piece from last week (Mar. 6) on the RTC teen production of Legally Blonde, Jr.

Memo from the RTC: Legally Blonde is So Good it Should Be Illegal

By Norm Scott

It was opening night at the Rockaway Theatre Company and I expected jitters and a few flubs but saw a perfectly smooth running show as if it were the hundredth performance of “Legally Blonde, Jr., The Musical”. After all, the entire cast is made of up of teens and maybe even a few tweens. Aren’t any of these kids nervous? How come they can remember complex lines while I have to look at the page if I have to remember more than 3 words? How did the sets get changed between scenes without a glitch? How can so many kids (34 of them) sing and dance and perform with such aplomb in front of their parents, families and friends?

Of course they did not do all this by themselves. A few adults from the RTC Teen Workshop, led by Peggy Press, have been working with them since September (when it was actually warm). Such smiles of satisfaction from directors Susan Corning and John Gilleece, the choral and musical directors Jodee Timpone and Richard Louis-Pierre and choreographer Gabrielle Mangano. And oh those looks on the faces of the parents to see their children do so well in a full-fledged Broadway-like production.

There are still a few performances this weekend: Evenings March 6, 7 at 7PM and a matinees Sunday Mar. 8 at 2PM. Call the hotline at 718-374-6400.

Video: Hundreds of Hands Around PS 321k

From filmmaker Michael Elliott.


HANDS AROUND 321 from nLightn Media on Vimeo.
https://vimeo.com/121995871

MORE's Lauren Cohen is co-chapter leader at PS 321.

My photo of Lauren at the Dist 15 rally at Cuomo's office captures what she is all about -

You will notice that for the people at PS 321, testing is the big issue. Not so much for the UFT message.

Mark Naison reports: More than 700 parents and children surrounded PS 321 in Brooklyn to protest Cuomo's education policies, only one of more than 100 schools in NYC which had such protests.

PS 20 and Arts and Letters (Fort Greene) Pics and Press Release on today's rallyPS 20

PS 20K and Arts and Letters

 
This is the first of a batch of incoming reports from some of the schools. Chalkbeat undercounts these protests by saying hundreds instead of thousands that would easily match and surpass the charter shills. Just look at the numbers from one building. But more on that issue later.

Hi, I thought you might like to see photos, speaker list, and the press release from this morning's action involving hundreds of families stretching around our schools today by two co-located schools Arts & Letters and PS 20 in Ft. Greene today among the 60+ schools that are participating in this action today: #protectourschools.

Please see below for link to professional photos you have permission to use to document today's Hands Around Our Schools event available with attribution to photographer Julie Hassett Sutton ( Julie at juliehassettsutton.com ): 

http://goo.gl/yK8iss

Speakers from PS 20 & Arts and Letters co-located public schools human chain & rally today:

PS 20 PTA President Vascilla Caldeira

Arts & Letters PTA co-President Ayanna Behin

Arts & Letters Teacher John Allgood

Letitia James, Public Advocate NYC

Joseph Yanis, legislative director Assembly Member Walter T Mosley

Ptahra Jeppe, chief of staff Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon

Jim Vogel, representative Senator Montgomery

Press Statement:

Contacts: Marnie Brady 202-492-4719 cell  // Vascilla Caldeira: 347-706-5621 cell

Hundreds of Parents and Teachers from Co-located Schools Unite in Citywide Action to Stop Cuomo’s Education Proposals:

Hands-Around Our Schools to Protect Public Education

#protectourschools

On the morning of Thursday, March 12^th the communities of two co-located public schools, P.S. 20 and Arts & Letters (A&L) in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn, along with Public Advocate of the City of New York Letitia James and representatives from offices of Assembly Member Walter T. Mosley, Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon and New York State SEnator Montgomery, created a human chain hundreds of people and families long around their school building with a united message to stop Gov. Cuomo’s education plans. Parents said the governor’s proposals will harm their children’s education, and cause unilateral damage to the public schools families have worked so hard to support.

Parents and teachers oppose what they call the governor’s “hostage tactics,” holding back $2.2 billion in court-mandated funds owed to NYS public schools while imposing detrimental policy changes into the April 1 budget. These changes include basing 50% of teacher evaluations on state test results, and the diversion of public education resources into private hands. Parents are taking action with social media, and emergency meetings with state representatives.

One A&L parent, Kimberly Bliss, who is took off work on March 11^th to join other public school parents in Albany, explains: “Our governor is bullying our teachers and our schools with high stakes tests that have been proven to be ineffective. So we are giving a lesson to our children in how to stop a bully: we are joining hands to protect our beloved schools from Cuomo's dangerous "reforms". We stand united with our teachers to protect quality education based on inquiry, innovation, problem-solving, collaboration and community. We demand our state assembly members fully commit to voting no on Cuomo’s proposals.”

P.S. 20 PTA President Vascilla Caldeira states: “We stand hand in hand as schools because we are determined to be the change we want to see. Parents & teachers demand fiscal equity for the common core to be implemented successfully. We're standing for the kinds of authentic evaluations that will uplift the teachers who commit their skills and time to make our children life-ready. Testing makes our kids into clones instead of the creative people they are meant to be."

Opal Morrison, a P.S. 20 teacher, opposes Cuomo’s evaluation plans to replace much of the observations carried out by principals with outside evaluators: “Outside consultants coming in who have no idea who our students are is not helpful or fair. As a special education teacher, I spend my before school, lunch, & after school time supporting my students. Test scores & outside evaluators can’t capture my students’ struggles and achievements. It’s just disrespectful, not only to us teachers but to our children.”

Arts & Letters teacher John Allgood is also concerned about the increasing focus on state tests: “High stakes standardized tests necessarily narrow the curriculum so that children learn less. These tests do not give teachers any substantive information about what students know and need to learn.”

Parents throughout NYS are considering refusing state standardized tests scheduled for April. Last year, 3^rd grade parents at Arts & Letters prevented the use of the state test results for teacher evaluation purposes through a mass opt-out. For more information about additional citywide actions, contact Maria Bautista at the Alliance for Quality Education:212-328-9217  ##

Brooklyn District 15 Teachers and Parents Rally at Cuomo's Manhattan Office

I stopped by and was pleasantly surprised to see hundreds of people organized by one district yesterday afternoon (Weds March 11). I'm proud to say that a number of MORE chapter leaders and supporters played a major role in this but also that the UFT did their part in a good spirit of working together on this project.

Video to follow later tonight. District 15, the home of the NYC opt-out movement (along with District 6 in upper Manhattan) had a different focus than the standard UFT line, with testing and common core having equal weight to the Cuomo budget, which is the UFT line. But there was room for all positions at this rally -- and that is important - the UFT did not/could not take sole control of the message.

Today of course there are rallies at many schools in the city - an idea hatched by Leonie Haimson and picked up by the UFT. In some principals are cooperating. In others principals are giving teachers problems. And this is the point in District 15 -- many principals support these rallies and that does make a difference. A teacher doesn't have to think they are putting their job on the line.

In my previous post on City-as school rally, the principal is helping lead it.

MORE's Lauren Cohen, Co-chapter leader, PS 321K

PS 24 was in the house

Massive contingent from PS 261K, MORE's Melissa Torres, CL