115 YEARS AGO « Teachers Fight Back

115 YEARS AGO « Teachers Fight Back:

115 YEARS AGO

by alkleen

A hundred and fifteen years ago, in 1897, a strike by coal miners in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia ended with the miners winning an eight-hour workday. (The previous day, 20 Pennsylvania miners were killed when sheriff’s deputies fired on them.)
I posted the above, lest we forget that every major benefit and working condition ever gained by working men and women in this country came at a very high cost. If you have a working knowledge of the history of the labor movement in this country, you can’t help but be a little suspicious of the motives of those who aggressively oppose collective bargaining and the right to strike.
On an unrelated note, I’m getting increasingly irritated with Chicagoans who have been calling radio shows and news programs and voicing their disgust with the teachers. Of course they all seem to be experts on teachers, 

Rick Scott: “Should we get rid of the FCAT and just go with the ACT?” | Scathing Purple Musings

Rick Scott: “Should we get rid of the FCAT and just go with the ACT?” | Scathing Purple Musings:

Rick Scott: “Should we get rid of the FCAT and just go with the ACT?”

by Bob Sikes

Maybe Rick Scott really has seen the light. After meeting with parents and teachers in Boca Raton yesterday,Sun Sentinel reporter Anne Geggis reported this:

For his first year-and-a-half in office, Gov. Scott seemed at odds with many parents and teachers by supporting the state’s use of high stakes testing for everything from teacher pay to student promotion. He signed teacher performance pay legislation in 2011 that bases teacher pay largely on how well students perform on standardized tests and also eliminated teacher tenure for new teachers.

Radical Scholarship: THE DISASTER CAPITALISM CURRICULUM: THE HIGH PRICE OF EDUCATION REFORM

Radical Scholarship: THE DISASTER CAPITALISM CURRICULUM: THE HIGH PRICE OF EDUCATION REFORM:

THE DISASTER CAPITALISM CURRICULUM: THE HIGH PRICE OF EDUCATION REFORM

by P. L. Thomas

THE DISASTER CAPITALISM CURRICULUM:

THE HIGH PRICE OF EDUCATION REFORM

BY ADAM BESSIE AND DAN ARCHER

“What do you do when you want to reach the public but you have no access to the mainstream media? Here’s what: Some very brilliant educators decided to try a novel way to explain the issues to the public. They used comic journalism, a simple, direct means of communicating complex ideas.”

Diane Ravitch,

Research Professor of Education at New York University

Best-selling author of Death and Life of the Great American School System

“Archer and Bessie’s graphic journalism challenges readers’ assumptions about public education and education reform by confronting the misleading narratives of corporate reformers and the mainstream media. The message and the medium bring context, evidence, and dynamic reality to the education reform debate while creating a new voice for educators and scholars dedicated to democracy and equity in society and public schools.”

P. L. Thomas,

Associate Professor of Education at Furman University

Author of Ignoring Poverty in the U.S. (Information Age Publishing, 2012)

Dan Archer and Adam Bessie’s graphic report confronts the popular, though misguided coverage of American public schools in twenty pages of detailed, full-color, first-hand reporting with teachers and education experts. Originally published in three, interactive episodes by independent news source Truthout, The Disaster Capitalism Curriculum received incredible critical and popular feedback, with tens of thousands of views, and thousands of shares in social media. Many people have written to us requesting hard copies for distribution and as teaching tools to raise awareness of this important issue.

Pre-order your copy via Paypal by visiting the link below:

http://bit.ly/edrefcomicorder

@archcomix

@AdamBessie

PRICE INCENTIVES:

$8 buys you a pre-order copy, along with tax and shipping.

$20 buys you a copy of the comic, and behind the scenes PDF of the process

$50 waives your shipping for bulk orders of 6 or more copies, plus PDF

$100 buys you a copy of the comic and page of original artwork, plus no shipping and PDF.

$250 all of the above, plus a visit from one of the creators (Bay Area only)

Modern School: Chicago Strike Update

Modern School: Chicago Strike Update:

Chicago Strike Update

by Michael Dunn

Yesterday, the first day of Chicago’s teacher strike, 35,000 teachers and their supporters (including hundreds of students) picketed in front of their schools and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) headquarters. 578 schools held pickets, according to “On The Line,” the CTU’s strike website. Today, CTU asked all members to picket at one of the 144 school sites that CPS is trying to keep open. These sites are being run by people from the district office, with scab support from members of religious organizations.

What are the Issues?

1. The proposed contract put forth by CPS provides a nominal pay increase that does not adequately compensate teachers for the extra work required by the implementation of the Common Core Standards (CCS) and the new evaluation system, let alone cover the cost of inflation. Furthermore, CPS is not offering sufficient teacher training to implement 

Last Stand for Children First: Teachers Strike Day 2: Our Newest Radio Ad

Last Stand for Children First: Teachers Strike Day 2: Our Newest Radio Ad:

Teachers Strike Day 2: Our Newest Radio Ad

by Last Stand for Children

Popout

We couldn't stand it anymore.  With our kids locked out of their beloved schools, we jumped into action with an ad buy aimed at getting the Chicago teachers to call off their strike and think of the most vulnerable in our society.

Charter campuses focus of L.A. school-board protests - latimes.com

Charter campuses focus of L.A. school-board protests - latimes.com:

Charter campuses focus of L.A. school-board protests

About 400 charter school advocates descended on Los Angeles school district headquarters Tuesday to protest a proposed moratorium on new charters. Later, a smaller but equally passionate contingent of parents and teachers from Berendo Middle School arrived to oppose construction of a building to house a charter school on that campus.

Charters have become a flashpoint in battles over school reform. Charters are independently operated, publicly funded schools that are exempt from some rules that govern traditional schools. Most are non-union. L.A. Unified has more of them, 186, than other U.S. school system.
The first pro-charter demonstration was in response to a resolution by school board member Steve Zimmer, who has decried the increasing migration of students to charters as harmful to public education. Zimmer’s proposal, scheduled for action in October, would establish stricter, more sweeping accountability measures for charters, and while these are being established, he proposed, the district should delay approving new ones.
As protesters rallied outside, speaker after speaker in the Board of Education meeting criticized Zimmer, who 

Chicago Teachers Strike: Why I'm On Strike & What I'm Telling My Family and Friends | K-12 News Network

Chicago Teachers Strike: Why I'm On Strike & What I'm Telling My Family and Friends | K-12 News Network:

Chicago Teachers Strike: Why I’m On Strike & What I’m Telling My Family and Friends

by David

As the strike makes national news I am finding along with many teachers that many people are weighing in on the strike who really have no idea what is going on and are basing their opinions off a 2 minute news clip. Here are the talking points and explanation I will share with my family.
Dear Friends and Family,
As the Chicago Teachers Strike becomes national news it is important to remember a few things:
A) I am almost complete with my master’s in Urban Education Policy Studies. What this means is I have dedicated my entire post graduate degree to understanding how urban school systems work and what makes 

American School Health Association Offers Free School Health Webinars — Whole Child Education

American School Health Association Offers Free School Health Webinars — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

American School Health Association Offers Free School Health Webinars

September 11, 2012 by Kristen Pekarek

Schools play an important role in improving student health, social outcomes, and overall academic success. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, aside from families, schools have the most direct contactwith more than 95 percent of U.S. young people aged 5–17 years, for 6 hours a day, and for up to 13 critical years of their social, psychological, physical, and intellectual development.

Coordinated school health programs and policies are the most efficient means schools have to closing achievement gaps, reducing risk behaviors, and preventing serious health problems among students. Whole child partner the American School Health Association (ASHA) is offering free school health webinars this fall to engage audiences in the work of ASHA and the school health field. The webinars will run from September through the middle of November and cover current school health topics, ranging from implementing National Sexuality Education Standards to engaging parents in school health promotion. ASHA will be archiving the webinars and offering participants certified health education specialist (CHES) and continuing education unit (CEU) credits depending on the topic.

Learn more about the webinars, register, and view the archive:

Seeking Mental Health Care Stigma

It's Not Your Father's "Shrink:" New Developments in Children's Mental Health Service Delivery
Wednesday, September 12, 2012, 1:30–3:00 p.m. eastern time
Register now!

Kate Elkington on Adolescents & the Stigma of Seeking Services for HIV (working title)
Thursday, November 8, 2012, 2:00–3:30 p.m. eastern time
Register now!

National Sexuality Education Standards

Part 1: Intro to Implementation
Wednesday, September 6, 2012
Archive coming soon.

Part 2: Best Approaches to Utilization
Thursday, October 25, 2012, 1:30–3:00 p.m. eastern time
Register now!

Parent Engagement

Parental Engagement Strategies for School Health
Thursday, November 15, 2012, 2:00–3:30 p.m. eastern time
Register now!

ASHA's membership includes more than 2,000 administrators, counselors, health educators, physical educators, psychologists, school health coordinators, school nurses, school physicians, and social workers in more than 56 countries. The organization's mission looks to build the capacity to plan, develop, coordinate, implement, evaluate, and advocate for effective school health strategies that contribute to optimal health and academic outcomes for all children and youth. Learn more about ASHA at www.ashaweb.org.

Blue Jersey:: School Privatization Efforts Continue in NJ

Blue Jersey:: School Privatization Efforts Continue in NJ:

School Privatization Efforts Continue in NJ

by KendalJames

The deceptively-named school privatization group American Federation for Children is attempting to link the Chicago Teachers Union strike to what they claim is public support for school vouchers. That's a long walk, considering that most Americans don't want their tax dollars to pay for private and religious schools. AFC claims that their commissioned polling shows a whopping 85% of New Jerseyans support vouchers. If that figure seems weird, it is - AFC's claims are wildly inconsistent with the findings of an arguably much more neutral and reputable polling operation - Quinnipiac University - which consistently finds that a majority of New Jerseyans actually oppose vouchers. It's not surprising, since AFC is a "trustee" level supporter of the now largely toxicconservative bill mill ALEC, and is essentially in the same business of advancing prefab legislation ultimately 

So Reformy; So Stupid

by Duke

This post is so stupid on so many levels that I was going to ignore it. But it's so perfectly... reformy. I just can't resist.

The fact is that female teachers nowadays are not as smart as they used to be. And the fact is that’s why students nowadays are not learning as much as they need to learn in order to succeed.

Trust us - it's a "fact"! Except when it isn't and when it isn't.

This trend is especially meaningful due to the Chicago Teachers Union strike this week. One 

Heartland Institute Staff.

Do Teacher Bashers EVER Know What They're Talking About?

by Duke

Here's a rule to live by: anytime a conservative pundit cites an education statistic, it's probably wrong. Take, for example, this factoid that "proves" that Chicago's children, whose teachers are currently on strike, all suck (all emphases mine):

IJ Review:

Only 15% of fourth graders are proficient in reading.

 CNBC's Larry Kudlow, yelling at the great Leonie Haimson like a mental patient:

15% of fourth graders are proficient in reading.

Amy Payne at the Heritage Foundation:

Among other demands, the Chicago Teachers Union had asked for a 30 percent pay increase—despite 

The Educated Reporter: Chicago Teachers' Union Strike: Win the Battle But Lose the War?

The Educated Reporter: Chicago Teachers' Union Strike: Win the Battle But Lose the War?:

Chicago Teachers' Union Strike: Win the Battle But Lose the War?

by Emily Richmond

As numerous news organizations have noted, including the Washington Post,  the Christian Science Monitor,and the Wall St. Journal, the Chicago teachers' strike is being posited by some as a referendum on President Obama’s education initiatives.



Indeed, the U.S. Department of Education has dangled some sizeable carrots to motivate states and districts to adopt significant reforms. Among them is Race To The Top, a competitive program in which states and districts apply for a share of more than $4 billion in federal grants to turn around underperforming schools. But to qualify for RTTT, states had to agree to implement a number of administration-approved reform measures, including the 

LAUSD: DOING ITS PART IN "THE UNRAVELING" OF AMERICA INTO PAKISTAN? - Perdaily.com

LAUSD: DOING ITS PART IN "THE UNRAVELING" OF AMERICA INTO PAKISTAN? - Perdaily.com:

LAUSD: DOING ITS PART IN "THE UNRAVELING" OF AMERICA INTO PAKISTAN?

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)
Over the years I have kept in touch with my old Indian school chum Madukar Shah from my days in the late 1960s and 1970s at UCLA. While I didn't know it until I visited him in India several years ago, Madukar is the Maharajah of the Indian state of Madya Pradesh, even though this no longer means what it once did to his powerful ancestors, which he can trace back with absolute 

9-11-12 Late Nite with the Unabridged Diane Diane Ravitch's blog #FairContractNow #CTUstrike

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Conservative Pundits Pummel Chicago Students

by dianerav

Jersey Jazzman calls out the conservative pundits who, in an effort to embarrass Chicago teachers,try to show how awful student perormance is in that district and paint it in the worst possible light.
If they are casting stones, you kinda wonder why they don’t throw them at Arne Duncan and Mayor Daley, whose policies determined what happened in the schools.
What they do is akin to blaming the war in Iraq on the soldiers, not the policymakers.

The National Context of Chicago Strike

by dianerav

The New York Times has a good debate about the Chicago strike.
Eva Moskowitz and Michael Petrilli take the anti-union view.
Brian Jones, Carol Burris, and Pauline Lipman explain why the teachers’ strike is important in the fight against bad education policies that hurt children and teachers and ruin education.

How We Got in This Dilemma

by dianerav

David Lentini in Maine shares his insights about the current situation:
Raymond Callahan’s analysis of the dynamics that forced a business-industrial model on American schools in the early part of the 20th century seems very relevant here.

The 1% pick on the teachers, because they bet the unions or the Democrats would not stand 

A Chicago Teacher: Why I Am Striking

by dianerav

Just received this:
Kevin Lee commented onSend a Message of Support to Chicago Teachers
I am one of the teachers in Chicago who is on strike. Education is one of those topics on which very few people actually have knowledge, and those who are least knowledgable seem to have the most say (or yell). The number of people with first-hand knowledge who are engaged in the public discourse is depressingly low.
Teaching in an urban school district is not like what most people think. (It certainly is not like the movies — 

Deborah Meier on the Strike

by dianerav

I may no longer be blogging with Deborah Meier at Bridging Differences, but we continue to share and exchange ideas. Deborah comments here about the role of unions.
…Unions are not primarily formed to influence reform–but, there are good reasons why the two go together.  (In short, self-interest is not always a bad thing–as our opponents note in defense of their corporate sponsors.) The most horrifying aspect of current reform is actually not what it is doing to teachers–but what it is and will do our students and the future of America. Not one of the reforms proposed by the Rahms/Kleins et al of the world has any connection to helping kids grow up to be well-educated.  The evidence is clear.  I’m proud of the CTU for making that clear and taking an enormous risk to do so.

Let Mayor Emanuel Know What You Think

by dianerav

Do you have advice for Mayor Rahm Emanuel?
How can he end the impasse and do what is right for Chicago’s children?
Let him know.
http://www.facebook.com/ChicagoMayorsOffice

One Blog Adventure Ends, This One Continues

by dianerav

Dear Readers,
Today I ended my five-year association with Bridging Differences, the blog I shared with Deborah Meier. This is my farewell letter on that blog.
I did so because I am devoting all my blogging time to this space.
In less than four months, the blog has had nearly 1 million page views.
I am having way too much fun, and I love the community that we are building together of people who care passionately about the future of education.
I hope you will take the time to read my farewell to Bridging Differences.
Now let’s get on with our work.
Diane

Why the Chicago Teachers Strike Is Really About Better Schools #ctustrike #1u #labor #faircontractnow

Why the Chicago Teachers Strike Is Really About Better Schools | Alternet:

Why the Chicago Teachers Strike Is Really About Better Schools

The Chicago Teachers Union has pushed for smaller classes, enriched curriculum, better supplies and facilities, and more counselors and support staff.

September 10, 2012  |  

 

Photo Credit: CTU Local 1 / Flickr

 

 

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The following article first appeared at Working In These Times , the labor blog of In These Times magazine. For more news and analysis like this, sign up to receive In These Times' weekly updates .

Early Monday morning, Chicago teachers organized picket lines at all entrances to William H. Ray Elementary School in Hyde Park on the city's South Side. They were joined by dozens of students, parents and local community residents. It was the first day in 25 years that the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU)--the first teachers union in the country--had gone out on strike, and picketers banged drums, gobbled doughnuts, waved at passing motorists (and the driver of a passing 

Striking Chicago teachers get support from parents | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com

Striking Chicago teachers get support from parents | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com:

Striking Chicago teachers get support from parents

• By Don Babwin
• Associated Press
• 2 Comments

Chicago — As Chicago teachers walked the picket lines for a second day, they were joined by many of the very people who are most inconvenienced by their walkout: the parents who must now scramble to find a place for children to pass the time or for babysitters.

Mothers and fathers — some with their kids in tow — are marching with the teachers. Other parents are honking their encouragement from cars or planting yard signs that announce their support in English and Spanish.

Unions are still hallowed organizations in Chicago, and the teachers union holds a special place of honor in many households where children often grow up to join the same police, firefighter or trade unions as their parents and grandparents.

"I'm going to stay strong, behind the teachers," said the Rev. Michael Grant, who joined teachers on the picket line Tuesday. "My son says he's

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120911/NATION/209110372#ixzz26D4b3zcw

Chicago Teachers Union strike news round-up

As most people reading this probably heard by now, the Chicago Teachers Union went on strike on Sunday morning. Which is a pretty big deal in Chicago, but thanks to the ongoing presidential race, it actually made national news. Which is kind of crazy.

But that's not what the post is about. This is my attempt to pull together stories that came from smaller neighborhood newspapers and blogs, stories that might otherwise get lost in the clutter.

• Teachers Walk Picket Lines (Beverly Review, Beverly) - it is worth noting that Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods saw some of the strongest opposition to Mayor Emanuel's plans for longer school day - and most of the opposition comes from parents.
• 'We're Out Here for the Kids' (Center Square Journal, North Center/Lincoln Square) - this article has a few interesting details. It showed many teachers' reluctance to be marching and some teachers sending work packets to students so they'll learn something during he strike.
• Local Parents Deal With the Strike (Chicago Journal, South Loop/West Loop/University Village) - Similar story. Municipal unions offering support, underutililized centers and parents trying to figure out what to do.
• Inside the strke contingency center (Chicago Pipeline, Wicker Park) - the centers are meant to provide kids with a place to stay during a school day. As the article suggests, there isn't much going on, but not for the lack of trying
• On Strike: Chicago Teachers Head for the Picket Lines (The Gate, Back of the Yards) - the more general summary.
• Local Teacher Offers Behind the Scenes Look at the Contract Negotiations (Our Urban Times, West Town)
• Striking Teachers Take to Near North Side Streets (Skyline, Near North Side) - Features a discussion of a march, words from supportive students, teachers from different schools pooling together for larger pickets and a bit about local restaurant offering food. Also, it's a shameless plug, since I wrote this article. 

And finally, Chicago Reader's Michael Miner offers a detailed analysis of some of the power players behind Mayor Emanuel's school reforms (and catches a Chicago Tribune reporter *gasp!* say something unkind about those reform initiatives)

Me, I'm hoping that this whole thing wraps up before the end of the week. Anything beyond that is only going to damage everybody involved.

Greedy, Overpaid Teachers

by Duke

A ton of ink and TV time is being used to talk about how much those greedy, greedy Chicago teachers make.Ezra Klein gives us a little more perspective:

Under the currently binding contract (pdf), 2010-11 annual teacher salaries ranged from $47,268 for teachers with bachelor’s degree with a year’s experience or less, to $88,680 for those with doctorates who have at least 16 years of experience. Those in schools with longer school years (42.6 weeks or 52 compared to 38.6) make 

A Chicago Teacher: Why I Am Striking

by dianerav

Just received this:
Kevin Lee commented onSend a Message of Support to Chicago Teachers
I am one of the teachers in Chicago who is on strike. Education is one of those topics on which very few people actually have knowledge, and those who are least knowledgable seem to have the most say (or yell). The number of people with first-hand knowledge who are engaged in the public discourse is depressingly low.
Teaching in an urban school district is not like what most people think. (It certainly is not like the movies — 

Remainders: Salary gap for teachers is higher in the U.S.

by Philissa Cramer

• America’s teachers have a lower salary-to-mean earnings ratio than many other countries. (Economix)
• Teachers unions are still stumping for Obama even though they don’t love his ed policies. (Hechinger)
• Though the strike in his adopted hometown is making things awkward for his reelection campaign. (NPR)
• Here’s a fascinating meditation on the socioeconomics implied in classic children’s literature. (The Awl)
• Education technology execs said on a panel that they didn’t want to “replace” anything. (VentureBeat)
• A chat with a former Bloomberg official on the Chicago strike  spilled into the comments section. (WNYC)
• A California task force called for more training and limited testing to improve teacher quality. (LA Now)
• The United Federation of Teachers passed a resolution to give $10,000 to the Chicago union. (UFT)
• An advocacy group is offering $500 to teachers for essays about thinking “outside the box.” (NYCAN)

Free Webinar: LOCAL SCHOOL WELLNESS POLICIES

by smf

announcement from California Action for Healthy Kids