Where the hell are CT’s union leaders as AFT National President Randi Weingarten supports parents who opt out
According to a breaking story posted by the nation’s leading public education advocate Diane Ravitch, Randi Weingarten – the national president of the American Federation of Teachers – has announced her strong support for parents who are opting their children out of the unfair, inappropriate and discriminatory Common Core testing.
Diane Ravitch reports that Weingarten announced yesterday that, “if she were a parent of children in the public schools… she would opt out too.”
As Diane Ravitch goes on to explain opting out is,
“A clear, unambiguous message to governors and legislators, to Congress and the Obama administration that testing is out of control.Testing is not teaching.Since the passage of NCLB in 2001-02, billions of dollars have been spent on test prep and testing. In the case of the Common Core tests, the results are not reported for 4-6 months, the teacher is not allowed to see what students got right or wrong.The tests have no diagnostic value. None. They are used solely to rank and rate students, teachers, principals, and schools.Furthermore, they are designed to fail the majority of students because of the absurd “cut scores” (passing mark)… Most children will “fail” …We are the most over tested nation in the world.”
Ravitch is absolutely right and the list of teacher unions and teacher union leaders who are supporting parents’ right to opt out of the disastrous Common Core testing scheme continues to grow.
But here in Connecticut the silence from the Connecticut Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers – Connecticut Chapter remains deafening…
Is kowtowing to Governor Dannel Malloy and the Corporate Education Reform Industry worth so much that these some union leaders will refuse to step forward and defend Connecticut’s parents, students and teachers who understand just how bad the Common Core SBAC test is for our children and our schools?
Malloy’s thin skin and vengeance is legendary but there is simply no excuse for the lack of action on the part of the leadership of Connecticut’s two teacher unions.
Last fall, the American Federation of Teachers – Connecticut Chapter endorsed Dannel Malloy without even allowing other candidates to fill out a questionnaire, meet with their political endorsing committee or address their executive committee.
The leadership of the Connecticut Education Association went so far as to overrule their Where the hell are CT's union leaders as AFT National President Randi Weingarten supports parents who opt out - Wait What?: