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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Agency’s Historic Ruling Will Help Teachers Improve Learning Conditions at Statewide Charter - California Teachers Association

Agency’s Historic Ruling Will Help Teachers Improve Learning Conditions at Statewide Charter - California Teachers Association:

AGENCY’S HISTORIC RULING WILL HELP TEACHERS IMPROVE LEARNING CONDITIONS AT STATEWIDE CHARTER





Three CTA teachers at CAVA – from r. Debbie Scoltock, an algebra and geometry high school teacher; Sara Vigrass, an elementary teacher; and Jen Shilen, a social sciences teacher – told the legislative staff they were committed to telling the story about CAVA because change is needed.
Teachers at the California Virtual Academies (CAVA) have gained a stronger voice in advocating for their 15,000 students, thanks to a decision by the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB).
The ruling in favor of educators requires their employer, at the state’s largest provider of online education, to recognize the CTA chapter, an outcome actively opposed by CAVA. The PERB ruling comes after 17 months of hard work by the teachers and intense CTA advocacy on their behalf.
“We are elated,” said Sarah Vigrass, a 9-year CAVA Community Day teacher in Redlands. “We applaud the decision, and we look forward to sitting down and negotiating as soon as possible over much-needed improvements for teachers and the students we serve. Our students’ learning conditions would improve if more resources were focused on them. There are many problems and now we have a real way to fix them.”
“The ruling by PERB clears the way for negotiations toward a first contract that will address some of the many concerns that CAVA teachers have voiced,” said CTA President Eric C. Heins. “Now, these teachers can begin to address the problems that are hurting their students, such as insufficient time spent on instruction, high teacher turnover, and too much public money going out of state.”




Carmel Martin’s TeachStrong: An Offering for Hillary? | deutsch29

Carmel Martin’s TeachStrong: An Offering for Hillary? | deutsch29:

Carmel Martin’s TeachStrong: An Offering for Hillary?

Pythia - The Oracle of Delphi


On November 10, 2015, the Center for American Progress (CAP) issued this press release promoting what it calls a “campaign… to modernize and elevate teaching,” TeachStrong.
Allow me to offer some observations on this TeachStrong press release, particularly as concerns CAP VP Carmel Martin’s background and words.
Martin was once with the Obama administration.  She left in 2013 to join CAP. Here is how reported Andrew Ujifusa of Ed Week described Martin and her USDOE role upon her USDOE exit:
Carmel Martin, who has been one of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s right-hand people, will be leaving the U.S. Department of Education to oversee policy development at the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank closely aligned with the Obama administration.
This is a potentially ground-shifting development at the Education Department. As assistant secretary for planning, evaluation, and policy development, Martin has overseen the creation of the department’s blueprint for revising the No Child Left Behind Act, and the waivers from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Martin is into test-score-driven reform.  And she is all in for Common Core and its ability “to close our nation’s gaping achievement gaps or prepare future generations to compete with China.”
In leading this TeachStrong effort, it seems that Martin is hoping to provide an education platform to a 2016 presidential hopeful– a Democratic presidential hopeful– say, uhh, the one that both teachers unions already endorsed– Hillary Clinton.
Indeed, in the opener of the Teach Strong press release, the unions are listed first:
The TeachStrong campaign brings together teachers unions, teacher voice 
Carmel Martin’s TeachStrong: An Offering for Hillary? | deutsch29:

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 11/10/15



CORPORATE ED REFORM






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YESTERDAY

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Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 11/9/15
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