Van Roekel Talks Class Size, Teacher Voice, and Putting Students First
By Cindy Long
A new school year offers the promise of a fresh start, but in Portland, Oregon — the first stop on NEA President Dennis Van Roekel’s 2013 Back to School Tour — funding cuts and ballooning class sizes threaten to cast a shadow over the state’s bright new beginning. Oregon’s class sizes are the third largest in the country, and as part of its “What’s Your Number” campaign, Oregon Education Association members wear buttons with the number of students in their classes. One high school English teacher has the number 48 on her button. Her classroom is so crowded some kids have to sit on the floor.As our students meet the challenges of a new school year, they shouldn’t have to worry about finding a seat in their classrooms or whether there are enough resources for learning. Unfortunately, in the first days of the 2013-2014 year, schools are already underfunded after too many elected officials cashed in on our children by cutting investments in education. It’s time to put students first, and as part of the 2013 Back to School Tour, Van Roekel is taking the message of student-centered education to cities and towns around the country.
“Students are not about profits,” Van Roekel said to a crowd of community members, business leaders, parents and Oregon Education Association members at a breakfast meeting at the Portland Convention Center on September 10. “In too many of our communities, there is too little education, too little opportunity, too little equity, and too little hope. We need to turn it around, and we need to do it together.”
The start of a new year is an exciting time, and it offers a renewed chance to turn public education around. Van Roekel said this year is unique with the advent of the Common Core State Standards. The standards will provide all students, no matter where they live or what their parents earn, the same world-class