Tuning in to Teachers
Why would 3,500 people go to sun- and fun-filled Los Angeles and opt to spend the bulk of their time inside a cavernous convention hall? To be heard. This was the case last week at the American Federation of Teachers biennial convention, where educators spoke up forcefully and passionately about economic and social justice, education and professional issues on which they are often denied a voice.
These days, the wisdom and experience of educators are often ignored and, worse, dismissed by policymakers who favor approaches emanating far from the classroom. Yet no one is better able to weigh in on what will help children succeed academically than educators, who have incomparable firsthand knowledge. That's exactly what AFT delegates did--setting union policies for how to reclaim the promise of public education--for our kids, families and communities.
AFT's new policy revamping accountability is perhaps the most important because it confronts the destructive obsession with standardized testing.
Educators didn't simply rail against the harmful effects of "test-and-punish" accountability systems driven by No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top; they gave near-unanimous approval to a new approach aimed at ensuring kids have meaningful learning outcomes--based on a systemic support-and-improve model that holds to account all who have responsibility for education.
The most intense debate concerned the Common Core State Standards. Teachers have been told that these are an essential building block to help all students be ready for Tuning in to Teachers | Randi Weingarten: