Mitchell Robinson: Our Public Schools Aren't Failing; We're Failing Our Public Schools | Eclectablog

Our Public Schools Aren't Failing; We're Failing Our Public Schools | Eclectablog

Our Public Schools Aren’t Failing; We’re Failing Our Public Schools

I’ve noticed an uptick lately in the number of folks talking about school choice, charter schools, and competition. I’m guessing this is a by-product of the recent swing in public opinion against charter schools, and the attendant backlash against 2020 presidential candidate and big charter school cheerleader, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.

The conversation around charters and choice, however, like so many discussions in the public square, is far too superficial. It lacks nuance and depth, and winds up reducing a complex, complicated issue down to isolated images and simplistic terms. And while everyone is entitled to their own opinion about the schools, they are not entitled to their own facts.

For example, one of the most common “talking points” trotted out in these discussions is that of “failing schools”–here’s an example from a recent Facebook thread…

If a school is failing that also hurts the neighborhoods. Just because it is a traditional public does not mean its acceptable. Its clear parents are opting to other districts and charters for many reasons. All which seem to be ignored. The reason other school keep opening is because others keep failing.

I don’t doubt that this poster believes this rhetoric; I just wish that we’d all dig a little deeper, and be curious as to the reasons that some schools struggle while others are flourishing. Because the reasons that things happen are pretty important, and tell us a lot about what we should believe.

So let’s try an analogy… CONTINUE READING: Our Public Schools Aren't Failing; We're Failing Our Public Schools | Eclectablog

Home Visit Legislation: A Sales Pitch For Family Surveillance? – Wrench in the Gears

Home Visit Legislation: A Sales Pitch For Family Surveillance? – Wrench in the Gears

Home Visit Legislation: A Sales Pitch For Family Surveillance?

I’ve heard rumblings from folks in a number of states about pending legislation to establish home visit programs for expectant families or families with newborns or pre-school age children. So many families are struggling. Poverty is at an all time high. When hearing about such bills, those who have not been faced with the challenge of navigating impersonal bureaucracies, will likely think, “Thank goodness! Our elected officials are recognizing how hard things are and are stepping up to do something for those people.”

For those who think that, I wish you were right, but the reality is considerably more troubling. I follow money, and it tells a different story. It tells the tale of a sweeping program of “collective impact” cultivated by consultancies like Third Sector Capital Partners, FSG, and the Nonprofit Finance Fund. Strive Together, a non-profit program incubated in Cincinnati, OH under the wing of Gates Foundation-funded Knowledgeworks (promoter of learning ecosystems), will carry out the program.

Interactive map of Strive Together board here.

This initiative has been brought to scale with support from influential banks and foundations led by Living Cities, the United Way, and representatives of the Federal Reserve. Through carefully chosen “backbone organizations” and “conveners,” Strive Together’s pathways are being set up to channel tens of millions of private “impact investments” while harvesting personal data on an almost unimaginably vast scale. Central to this enterprise is the Annie E. Casey Foundation (UPS money) that sought to leverage a treasure trove of “Kids Count” data and trigger an expansive program of impact investing via the creation of Mission Investors Exchange CONTINUE READING: Home Visit Legislation: A Sales Pitch For Family Surveillance? – Wrench in the Gears

Wave of teachers’ strikes pressure states, school boards to change tune | Beatrice News Channel #Unite4OaklandKids #WeAreOEA #WeAreCTA #strikeready #REDFORED

Wave of teachers’ strikes pressure states, school boards to change tune | Beatrice News Channel

Wave of teachers’ strikes pressure states, school boards to change tune

(OAKLAND, Calif.) —  Having seen teachers score victories in Los Angeles, Denver and a string of states in their fights for higher wages and better working conditions, more than 3,000 educators in Oakland, California, have voted to go on strike this week.

“Oakland teachers cannot afford to live in Oakland,” Keith Brown, president of the Oakland Education Association, said during a news conference on Saturday. “One out of five leaves each year. Five-hundred classrooms are left with inexperienced teachers.”

Teachers voted overwhelmingly to walk off their jobs on Thursday, Brown said.

To stem the tide of teachers exiting the Oakland Unified School District, which has more than 37,000 students, the union is asking for a 12 percent raise over three years, smaller class sizes and more support staff.

The school district is offering a 5 percent raise, retroactive to when the union’s contract expired in July 2017.

The union and the school district began bargaining on a new contract in December 2016, but after 30 negotiating sessions encompassing 200 hours of bargaining, an impasse was declared on May 18, 2018. Both sides agreed to mediation, but that failed to break the stalemate.

School District Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said she is still hopeful that an agreement can be reached to avoid the first teachers’ strike in Oakland in 23 years.

“Despite our challenges, we are prepared with a comprehensive proposal to reach an agreement,” Johnson-Trammell said in a statement over the weekend. “If both sides are committed to settling the contract before a strike occurs — and we are — an agreement can certainly be reached without disrupting the educational experience for students, families and staff.”

Wave of teachers’ strikes

If Oakland teachers walk out of classrooms this week and hit the picket lines, the job action will become the latest in a string of public school teacher strikes that have swept the nation in the past 12 months.

The wave of teachers strikes started in West Virginia, where one year ago this week more than 20,000 teachers across the state walked off the job and formed picket lines for nearly two weeks before Gov. Jim Justice signed a bill granting educators and other state employees a 5 percent pay raise.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said the West Virginia strike was a game changer that inspired teachers across the nation.

“I don’t like when people say, ‘Well if they can do it in West Virginia, we can do it’ because that is really insulting to West Virginia. But it is a sense that they saw themselves with it. It inspired them and they CONTINUE READING: Wave of teachers’ strikes pressure states, school boards to change tune | Beatrice News Channel

Chicago charter strike settled. – Fred Klonsky

Chicago charter strike settled. – Fred Klonsky

Chicago charter strike settled

There is a tentative agreement in the strike by CTU charter teachers against CICS.

In a statement from the CTU the agreement protects counselors and social workers, limits class sizes, and raises teacher and paraprofessional pay up to CPS standards.

The tentative agreement immediately raises paraprofessional pay to the CPS schedule. Teachers are now placed on a salary schedule with extra pay lanes for advanced degrees. They receive an immediate average raise averaging 8% and will meet or exceed CPS salary rates by the last year of the four-year agreement.

There is now sanctuary language in the contract as well as stronger language on school safety.

The agreement also includes special education language which requires CICS to provide legally mandated services for students. Educators also won guaranteed full-time staffing of teaching assistants in every kindergarten through 2nd grade class, a 7% pension pick-up and more affordable health care coverage for families.

Class size, key sticking point in negotiations, establishes  goals at 28 and barring any classroom from holding more than 30 students.

Educators, some of whom earn barely $30,000/year, will see average pay raises of CONTINUE READING: Chicago charter strike settled. – Fred Klonsky

How a federal free meal program affected school poverty stats - The Hechinger Report

How a federal free meal program affected school poverty stats - The Hechinger Report

How a federal free meal program affected school poverty stats
Student poverty rate increased only 2 percentage points after schools adopted a new lunch program for all, a Missouri study finds

In 2014, schools had a new way to give students free breakfast and lunch, paid for by Uncle Sam. Instead of asking low-income families to apply for the meals, a school district could opt to give everyone free food if at least 40 percent of the student population was already on other forms of public assistance or fell into a needy category, such as being homeless or in foster care.

This new “community eligibility” option was a policy change by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the school lunch program, and was intended to reduce paperwork and make it easier for schools to feed hungry kids. But counting kids who qualify for free or reduced price lunches had also been the way we tracked student poverty. There was some concern that school districts could mistakenly be reclassified as 100 percent low income overnight. New York City, for example, began offering its 1 million public school students free breakfast and lunch in 2017. More than 60 percent of the city’s students met the public assistance criteria but the children of relatively wealthy parents also attend public schools.  Some school buildings don’t have many poor kids in them. CONTINUE READING: How a federal free meal program affected school poverty stats - The Hechinger Report

Nearly 3,000 Oakland Teachers Will Strike Thursday | PopularResistance.Org #Unite4OaklandKids #WeAreOEA #WeAreCTA #strikeready #REDFORED

Nearly 3,000 Oakland Teachers Will Strike Thursday | PopularResistance.Org

NEARLY 3,000 OAKLAND TEACHERS WILL STRIKE THURSDAY

The union representing teachers in Oakland said Saturday that it will strike on Thursday Feb. 21, a day after a neutral fact-finding report was issued.

At a news conference, Oakland Education Association president Keith Brown said “enough is enough.” The teachers union is demanding a 12 percent raise over the next three years, but the school district said it cannot afford to pay more than 5 percent.

The Oakland teachers’ union said 95 percent of its 3,000 members agreed to strike after negotiating and failing to reach agreement with the Oakland Unified School District for more than a year.

Teachers in the district say they are paid below their peers it the area, which has one of the highest cost-of-living rates in the nation. They are seeking a 12 percent raise over three years as well as smaller class sizes. The district has offered five percent and says it is squeezed by smaller budgets and declining enrollment.

Oakland Teachers Union Will Strike Thursday

The union representing teachers in Oakland said Saturday that it will strike on Thursday, Feb. 21, a day after a neutral fact-finding report was issued. Sergio Quintana reports.

(Published Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019)

A fact-finding report from the Public Employment Relations Board was released Saturday, with recommendations for compromise.

The report found that the teacher crisis in Oakland is much worse than state average. “We didn’t need a factfinder to tell us that,” Brown said.

Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said in a message posted to the district’s website that she was “pleased with the recommendations” and hope to use the report to bring the union back to bargaining.

The spokesperson Oakland Unified School District pointed out that the district and the union both have five days until the strike to come to an agreement.

“We are certainly sad to hear that they have announced that they have planned a strike on Thursday. But this is not a do or die moment. This is a moment where CONTINUE READING: Nearly 3,000 Oakland Teachers Will Strike Thursday | PopularResistance.Org

I just donated to the BREAD FOR ED Food Fund to stand with Oakland students and teachers! Join me and make a donation to keep students and teachers fed as they fight to defend public education! https://donorbox.org/breadfored

Teachers, lawmakers and activists in El Paso call for end to migrant child detention

Teachers, lawmakers and activists in El Paso call for end to migrant child detention

Teachers, lawmakers and activists in El Paso call for end to migrant child detention

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) - Congresswoman Veronica Escobar joined teachers, lawmakers and activist groups on a day-long call for action on the U.S. government to end the criminalization and detention of immigrant children and their families on Sunday in El Paso's San Jacinto Plaza.

Teachers and groups from across the United States and Mexico spoke out at Teacher's Against Child Detention's Teach-In For Freedom. 

Educational leaders and other political figures joined including John King, Secretary of Education during the Obama Adminstrion and Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). 

"Here in El Paso this was the testing fround for the Trump Administration's family separation policy," Escobar said during her speech.

Teachers and educators from more than 25 states across the U.S. came to speak out in the Sun City. 

"We're calling an emergency we're calling to make sure people are aware of what's going on and that's why its a teach in and not just a protest," Nidia Carranza, a Chicago Pre-K teacher said. 

Many educators included bilingual teachers and those who say it is their job to speak up for some of their students who come from undocumented families.

"I think it's important that as Latino educators that we're in this space and contributing to the call to action and being able to communicate our student's stories as well," Chicago teacher Roxana Gonzalez said. 

With El Paso recently in the national spotlight, AFT President Weingarten said the Borderland was a crucial location for Sunday's call for action.

"El Paso was picked because It's right on the border, because the Tornillo camp was right here, Weingarten said. "In the last few days, the President, for reasons I don't understand and certainly not based upon facts, has put El Paso which is a safe, wonderful and diverse city in the crosshairs."

The Tornillo facility which opened in June 2018 once detained more than 6,000 migrant children. It has since been closed after the last child left the facility in January. 

However Weingarten says this is still an issue, saying there are more than 11,000 children detained accross the country.

"It kind of became something that was normalized and we cant continue to normalize situations like this where kids are being put through detention and that trauma everyday, people need to continue to be outraged by this and demand action," Gonzalez said. CONTINUE READING: Teachers, lawmakers and activists in El Paso call for end to migrant child detention

Hey, Teachers’ Unions, Let’s Get This One Right – No Early Presidential Endorsements & Lots of Membership Engagement | gadflyonthewallblog

Hey, Teachers’ Unions, Let’s Get This One Right – No Early Presidential Endorsements & Lots of Membership Engagement | gadflyonthewallblog

Hey, Teachers’ Unions, Let’s Get This One Right – No Early Presidential Endorsements & Lots of Membership Engagement

Let’s not mince words.


The last Presidential election was a cluster.

And we were at least partially to blame for it.


The Democratic primary process was a mess, the media gave free airtime to the most regressive candidate, and our national teachers unions – the National 
Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) – endorsed a Democratic challenger too early and without getting membership support first.


This time we have a chance to get it right.



Edu-blogger Peter Greene spoke my feelings when he took to Twitter:



“Just so we’re clear, and so we don’t screw it up again—- NEA and AFT, please wait at least a couple more weeks before endorsing a Democratic Presidential candidate for 2020.”

He’s being snarky.



No one would endorse two years before people actually enter a voting booth.



But fairness. Evenhandedness. Moderation.


Let’s be honest. That didn’t happen in 2015.



So let’s take a brief trip down memory lane and review our history for just a moment in order to prevent these same mistakes.



The NEA represents 3 million educators. It is the largest labor union in the country. However only about 180 people made the decision to back Hillary Clinton last time around.



In October of 2015, the NEA Board of Directors voted 118 to 39 in favor of the endorsement with 8 abstentions and 5 absences.



The 74 member PAC Council voted to endorse Clinton with 82% in favor, 18% against CONTINUE READING: Hey, Teachers’ Unions, Let’s Get This One Right – No Early Presidential Endorsements & Lots of Membership Engagement | gadflyonthewallblog

Jersey Jazzman: The True History of New Jersey Teachers' (and Other Public Workers') Sacrifices on Pensions And Benefits

Jersey Jazzman: The True History of New Jersey Teachers' (and Other Public Workers') Sacrifices on Pensions And Benefits

The True History of New Jersey Teachers' (and Other Public Workers') Sacrifices on Pensions And Benefits

I want to talk about a report that emerged a couple of weeks ago about New Jersey public employees' pensions and health care. But let me set the table first...

Because every time I come across a story like this, it's as if the Ministry of Information has decided, once again, to disappear history. But I'm not about to let that happen -- and if it means I have to keep coming back and repeating the timeline below, I will.

I posted the first version of this back in 2016. And I will keep updating it so that no one can make the claim that teachers and other public employees haven't already made large sacrifices in an effort to bring New Jersey back to fiscal health.

 * * *

THE TRUE HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY TEACHERS' (AND OTHER PUBLIC WORKERS') SACRIFICES ON PENSIONS AND BENEFITS

1995: Governor Jim Florio begins the modern era of New Jersey pension underfunding.

1997: Governor Christie Todd Whitman essentially pays for tax cuts by underfunding the pensions.

2001: Governor Donald DiFrancesco raises pension benefits, but he does so by using the same sort of revaluation tactics that Florio and Whitman had used.

2004: Teachers' mandatory contribution to the pension, which had been as low as 3 CONTINUE READING: Jersey Jazzman: The True History of New Jersey Teachers' (and Other Public Workers') Sacrifices on Pensions And Benefits