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Thursday, June 21, 2018

As unions await a key Supreme Court decision, a simple plea: ‘Educators want their voices heard’ - The Washington Post

As unions await a key Supreme Court decision, a simple plea: ‘Educators want their voices heard’ - The Washington Post

As unions await a key Supreme Court decision, a simple plea: ‘Educators want their voices heard’



Across the country, frustrated and fed-up teachers have staged school walkouts to demand fair pay and adequate resources for public schools. One common denominator of these public actions: They occurred in states with laws that weaken unions and their ability to collectively bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions — which, when it comes to public education, are teaching and learning conditions.
No student should attend schools with overcrowded classrooms that lack desks for every student, that function with textbooks as old as their parents and where the teachers’ salaries do not cover living expenses, forcing them to take second jobs.
Collective bargaining allows employers and employees to forge agreements on the basis of shared interests that address both parties’ priorities and concerns. Without bargaining rights, educators are left with few options to have their voices heard and are forced to take more public actions, such as protesting to lawmakers, to have their priorities addressed.
Any day now, the Supreme Court is expected to release its decision in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31. That ruling could eliminate requirements that workers represented by and benefiting from a union contribute to it financially through “fair-share fees,” depriving unions of funds they need to advocate on behalf of their members, thus weakening unions’ ability to advocate for better teaching and learning conditions.
Our organizations do not see eye-to-eye on all education issues, but we agree that teachers and students lose when teachers don’t have a collective voice to advocate for their profession and their students. Teacher unions give educators voice and ways to influence important issues and policies that directly benefit students, from protecting education funding to supporting teacher development and improving school climate. Education Week’s 2018 Quality Counts data showed that the top 10 states in educational performance have high union density, whereas the bottom 10 states have low density. Data clearly show that students perform better where teachers are more fairly compensated, because higher salaries attract more-qualified people to the profession and help keep them in the classroom.
And while some groups are dedicating millions of dollars to weakening public employee unions, these efforts are out of step with Americans, particularly teachers. A recent Associated Press poll of Americans found that nearly two-thirds approve of national teacher unions. Educators for Excellence recently released the initial findings of a survey of educators from across the country showing that a vast majority of teachers believe teacher unions are essential. The survey found that 85 percent of teachers regard unions as Continue reading: As unions await a key Supreme Court decision, a simple plea: ‘Educators want their voices heard’ - The Washington Post

NPE and Schott Issue a 50 State Report Card on School Privatization - Network For Public Education

NPE and Schott Issue a 50 State Report Card on School Privatization - Network For Public Education

NPE and Schott Issue a 50 State Report Card on School Privatization



This morning the Network for Public Education and the Schott Foundation released  Grading the States: A Report Card on Our Nation’s Commitment to Public Schools, a report that evaluates the extent to which the 50 states and the District of Columbia are funneling public money away from community public schools to privately run charter and voucher schools. The report also measures the consequences of school privatization on students’ civil rights and taxpayers’ rights to know how their dollars are spent.
You can find the report and see where your state stands here.
Grading the States is the first in-depth nonpartisan report card to measure each state’s commitment to democratically governed public schools. It also includes state by state measurement of whether each state’s charter schools and voucher-funded private schools protect student civil rights and guard taxpayers from fraud and the misuse of public funds.
If you scroll down the page you find here you will also see our interactive map.
We need you to help us get this important report out to the public.
Below are some “clickable” tweets that are easy to send.


And here are some memes you can download and use on Facebook or with your Tweets.

Please share this page on social media and let others know about this very important report.
NPE and Schott Issue a 50 State Report Card on School Privatization - Network For Public Education

WATCH: “Things That Make White People Uncomfortable”–Super Bowl champion Michael Bennett in conversation with Jesse Hagopian – I AM AN EDUCATOR

WATCH: “Things That Make White People Uncomfortable”–Super Bowl champion Michael Bennett in conversation with Jesse Hagopian – I AM AN EDUCATOR

WATCH: “Things That Make White People Uncomfortable”–Super Bowl champion Michael Bennett in conversation with Jesse Hagopian

Image result for Super Bowl champion Michael Bennett


Of course we are supposed to score the touchdowns…but at the same time we also are supposed to speak for the people who don’t have a voice.
–Michael Bennett
Last night was one of the more meaningful and and enjoyable evenings of my life.
I had the great honor of joining Super Bowl champion, three time pro bowler, proud feminist, and my good friend Michael Bennett in conversation at a sold out Town Hall Seattle event. In this wide ranging conversation, we talked about the the outspoken players on the Seahawks, Michael reconnecting with his birth mother, his commitment to feminism and intersectionality, his decision to not go on a state sponsored trip to Israel to play in front of Trump and Netanyahu, the N-word, food justice, why he sits for the national anthem, the movement for Black lives, the Las Vegas Police threatening his life, his commitment to education and supporting youth programs, the spiritual awakening he had during his recent trip to Africa, and so much more.
What made this conversation so meaning for me, is that I got to tell him, in front of hundreds of people, how much I’ve learned about leadership, empathy, dedication, and friendship from him.  What made this experience so riveting for everyone there was how raw, vulnerable, wise, and uproariously funny Michael Bennett is.

I Voted for Jill Stein. Was I Wrong? | gadflyonthewallblog

I Voted for Jill Stein. Was I Wrong? | gadflyonthewallblog

I Voted for Jill Stein. Was I Wrong?


On November 8, 2016, I had a heart attack.
That’s not a metaphor.
I went to vote. I went to the doctor. I was sent to the hospital.
How much of that was a result of the Presidential election? I will never know.
But whenever I think back on that day, I am filled with a sense of bone-deep sadness.
After only a little more than a year in office, Donald Trump is already the worst President of my lifetime – and that’s saying something after the disaster that was George W. Bush.
I wish there is something I could do to go back in time and change the results of that day. I wish there was something I could do to stop Donald Trump from being elected President. And though I did not vote for her, I would do anything to have Hillary Clinton defeat him.
On that day, though, I voted for Jill Stein.
jill-stein-green-placard
There’s nothing I can do about that now.
I imagine going back in time and telling myself not to do it. “Go vote for Hillary,” I imagine Future Me telling Continue Reading: I Voted for Jill Stein. Was I Wrong? | gadflyonthewallblog