Reinventing Teachers’ Unions Rethinking Schools

Rethinking Schools:

Volume 27, Issue 2

Volume 27, Issue 2

VOLUME 27, ISSUE 2 — WINTER 2012-2013

Reinventing Teachers’ Unions

Are we on the cusp of a new social justice unionism for teachers? Last year, Wisconsin teachers grabbed international attention with a takeover of the state capitol. This fall, the collaborative nature of the successful Chicago Teachers Union strike—and the breadth of parental, student, and community support—heartened and inspired education activists everywhere. What can we learn? Where do we go from here?

Editorial: New Teachers' Union Movement in the Making

By the editors of Rethinking Schools

Lessons in Social Justice UnionismAn interview with Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis

How did Chicago teachers win their strike? What is the significance of their victory? What’s next?

– ALSO FEATURED –

“When Are You Going to Come Visit?”Home visits and seeing our students

By Elizabeth Schlessman

A 4th-grade teacher visits her students’ families— all recent immigrants to the United States—and realizes how much she has been missing about their lives.

The Character of Our ContentA parent confronts bias in early elementary literature

By Jennifer Holladay

Her daughter’s homework—a story that legitimizes rape and extols whiteness as the standard for beauty—leads a parent to question the balance between teaching skills and teaching content.

LAUSD & NYC TAKE NOTE, PERDAILY GOES NATIONAL (VIDEO) - Perdaily.com

LAUSD & NYC TAKE NOTE, PERDAILY GOES NATIONAL (VIDEO) - Perdaily.com:

LAUSD & NYC TAKE NOTE, PERDAILY GOES NATIONAL (VIDEO)

by Leonard Isenberg

Take a half hour and watch the following coast-to-coast interview that New York City incarcerated and yet uncharged teacher Francesco Portelos did with me this morning. Also take a moment to check out his blog. In the national teacher witch hunt that has put the teaching profession under siege - a fact that never seems to make it into the corporate controlled mainstream media - we hope the following interview is the first step in consecrating a virtual commons that will help us in the coming weeks to finally create a national awareness of the war on teachers and what it is costing all of us. 

Help us to finally create accountability with a Craig's List-like Internet forum for education reform, where educators, students, parents, and all those seeking excellent public education finally organize, expose, and oppose this reign of terror fostered by those seeking a dumbed down and privatize for profit the public education system 

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 1-10-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Nite Cap UPDATE

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Levy's seminar

by Mike Klonsky

My brother Fred's blog carries a post which included a self-revealing letter from former N.Y.C. Chancellor Harold Levy for his upcoming private seminar for investors on making money on education. Levy has since become a Wall Street lawyer who now works for Palm Ventures in Greenwich, Conn. He's one of the high rollers in corporate school reform. He's alsochairing The Capital Roundtable’s ENCORE full-day conference – Private Equity Investing In For-Profit Education Companies,

Here's some back-story to Fred's post.

It was Levy, in a NYT piece back in 2009, while working for Citigroup, who offered us his "5 ways to fix schools."  At that time, I wrote,

Levy, who obviously hadn't yet discovered the 5 ways while he was still in power, now wants to make it "mandatory" that all kids go to college for a year. I suppose he hopes that will keep them out of the job market and off the unemployment line for a while longer and hopes that the feds will pick up the cost of tuition ($8,000 average for state colleges and $25,000 for private). As for those kids who want to take a year off after high school, to work or travel? I suppose we could arrest their parents. How will this "fix" schools? Maybe Levy will tell us later.

Levy helped funnel $500K of DFER money to Shapton.

I also pointed out in the same post that,

Taft classroom shooting stuns students, parents

A classroom shooting at Taft Union High School southwest of Bakersfield that left a 16-year-old boy in critical condition stunned parents and students.
Some  compared the incident to the Newtown, Conn., shooting, and so did various public officials who hastened to issue condemnations. In a statement denouncing the gun violence, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said her father had attended the school.

Angela Hayden, whose 16-year-old daughter attends Taft High, said the suspected shooter allegedly threatened 

Garcia leads in fundraising for L.A. school board

The early money leader in the race for seats on the Los Angeles Board of Education is school board president Monica Garcia. Financial data released Thursday show that Garcia raised $174,288 last year, far outdistancing the combined total of four challengers vying to unseat her. Garcia represents District 2, which stretches out from the city’s central core.
Three of the seven board seats will be on the ballot in the March primary election. Much is at stake in the 

Taft classroom shooting: Teen opened fire with 12-gauge shotgun

A 16-year-old boy was in critical condition after a classmate interrupted a first-period class at Taft Union High School southwest of Bakersfield, confronted him by name and fired a round from a 12-gauge shotgun into his upper body, authorities said.
The shooter, also 16, then tried to shoot a second boy and missed before an unarmed science teacher was able to talk him down, apparently taking his weapon as the other students fled from the classroom through the door.
Police officers arrived after the teacher had disarmed the shooter, and took him into custody. They seized his 

Oregon ranked No. 43 for education policies and results

by Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian

Education Week finds that Oregon fourth-graders showed the least improvement in math from 2003 to 2011 of students in any state; reading gains were small, too

Original enclosure (schoolishardjpg-1ef473211a4928b7.jpg)

Massive flu outbreak claims lives of 18 children

by Agence France-Presse

The United States was in the grip Thursday of a deadly influenza outbreak that has hit harder and earlier than in previous years, and has claimed the lives of at least 18 children. “It looks like the worst year we had since 2003-2004,” said Anthony Fauci, director of the National...

1. 20 Tips for Creating a Professional Learning Network

by Tess Pajaron

Added by Tess Pajaron on January 4, 2013

First amendment issues in the contentious #edreform debates #highered

by Chalk Face

I’m watching another Piers Morgan gun debate on CNN. I was reminded of this: Moreover, James Tracy asserts in radio ...
Continue reading

Report Explores Differences Among States that Affect College Funding

by cmaadmin

David Weerts

When it comes to securing stronger investments in higher education at the state level, it pays to understand how funding decisions get influenced by a complex set of political, economic and cultural dynamics that are unique to a given state.
That is the crux of a new report released recently by Demos, a New York-based national policy and research organization that focuses on increasing opportunity and social mobility.
The report, titled College Funding in Context: Understanding the Difference in Higher Education Appropriations 

First amendment issues in the contentious #edreform debates #highered

by Chalk Face

I’m watching another Piers Morgan gun debate on CNN. I was reminded of this: Moreover, James Tracy asserts in radio ...
Continue reading

” Partnerships for Learning: Community Support for Youth Success”

by Larry Ferlazzo

Partnerships for Learning: Community Support for Youth Success is a new report from The Harvard Family Research Project.
Here’s how they describe it:
There is strong evidence that, when schools partner with families and community-based organizations, these partnerships for learning improve children’s development and school success. They provide a seamless web of 

Interesting & Useful Perspective On Parents & Community

by Larry Ferlazzo

Alexander Russo shared this video on his blog. No matter what your position is on Bill Ayers and his work, he does make some interesting comments on parents and the community in this short video.
You might also want to check out The Best Reasons Why Parents Should Be Looked At As Allies & Not Targets Of Blame.

GOVERNOR’S PROPOSED BUDGET FOR 2013-2014

by smf

“Under this budget, K‑12 school districts will see an increase in funds. School districts serving those students who have the greatest challenges will receive more generous increases — so that all students in California have the opportunity to succeed. This budget also focuses more responsibility and accountability on those who are closest to our students.” From the Governor’s

National Louis University Students Use Trip to Mexico For Teaching Preparation

Ten National Louis University undergraduate elementary education students recently traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico to observe teachers, share ideas with their counterparts at two teacher-training universities, and immerse themselves in the country’s culture. The trip was part of the Chicago Teacher Partnership Program (CTPP) grant, which was awarded to a group of select Chicago universities, including National Louis, to prepare teachers in high-need Chicago public elementary schools. Many students in the high-need Chicago public schools come from Mexico or have parents who immigrated, and they face challenges of culture and language. The ultimate 

Latin America News:  Guatemalan Students Riot, Protesting Educational Reform

A group of students from the state University of San Carlos set fire to a public bus Monday in protest against the educational overhaul approved by the Guatemalan government and set to take effect in the coming days. No one was hurt in the incident. A police spokesperson told reporters that a group of “supposed university students, who covered their faces with ski masks, hijacked a bus and set it on fire” outside the San Marcos campus. After 

University of Puerto Rico Students Demand Elimination of $800 Annual Fee

Students at the state-run University of Puerto Rico on Thursday demanded that Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla eliminate the $800 annual fee imposed last year on top of the standard tuition of $49 per credit hour. Members of the University Student Confederation issued a communique calling for the elimination of the fee that last year sparked one of the longest students strikes UPR had ever experienced. According to the leader of the student 

Report: Future High Schools Will Have Smaller Graduating Classes, More Diversity

The 8th edition of Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates, released today by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), indicates that the population of U.S. high school graduates is entering a period of modest decline after nearly two decades of sustained growth. In addition, the pool of future college students is rapidly growing more racially and ethnically diverse, putting pressure on policymakers and practitioners to address educational attainment gaps among many traditionally underrepresented populations. Increasing the share of young people who enroll in and complete a postsecondary 

Taft students say gunman had a hit list and was bullied

by Eric W. Dolan

The teen who injured at least two people with a shotgun at a high school in Taft, California was previously kicked out of school for having a “hit list,” students and parents said. “He had a hit list of who he wanted to kill and I guess last year he wasn’t in school, he got...

30th Anniversary of Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act

Next week marks the 30th anniversary of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act.
This landmark legislation provides employment-related protections to migrant and seasonal agricultural workers and is administered and enforced by the department’s Wage and Hour Division. The law requires that, among other things, every non-exempt farm labor contractor, agricultural employer, and agricultural association must disclose the terms and conditions of employment to each migrant worker in writing at the time of recruitment and to each seasonal worker when employment is offered, in writing if requested.

The law also says each worker must be paid the wages owed when due and 

Kimble's Corner: The Real History of Labor in the United States

Kimble's Corner: The Real History of Labor in the United States:

The Real History of Labor in the United States

by Representative Kimble

Recently, it came to my attention that Chicago Teachers Union Boss Karen Lewis had made some extremely disturbing comments about labor history.  Here they are, but I warn you they're not for the faint of heart:

”The labor leaders of that time, though, were ready to kill. They were. They were just - off with their heads. They were seriously talking about that.“I don’t think we’re at that point. The key is that they think nothing of killing us. They think nothing about putting us in harm’s way. They think nothing about lethal working conditions.”

As you can see, she's practically calling for workers to rise up and kill everybody making more money them.   No less an authority than Michelle Malkin called Karen Lewis "Chicago thuggery personified."

Still, my complaint isn't that Karen Lewis is inciting violence, but that she was speaking at a labor history conference and acting like labor history was all about violent confrontations between labor and management. 

  

Representative Jack Kimble Responds to Karen Lewis

by Last Stand for Children

[This article is reprinted with permission from Jack Kimble's personal blog.  He is a Republican Congressman representing California's 54th District and a member of Last Stand for Children First's Board of Directors]

Recently, it came to my attention that Chicago Teachers Union Boss Karen Lewis had made some extremely disturbing comments about labor history.  Here they are, but I warn you they're not for the faint of heart:

”The labor leaders of that time, though, were ready to kill. They were. They were just - off with their heads. They were seriously talking about that.“I don’t think we’re at that point. The key is that they think nothing of killing us. They think nothing about putting us in harm’s way. They 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Updates from Garfield Teacher Action Against MAP

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Updates from Garfield Teacher Action Against MAP:

Updates from Garfield Teacher Action Against MAP

by Melissa Westbrook

Just back from the well-attended press conference.

First up, the district response (partial): 

Seattle Public Schools expects our teachers to administer all required tests, pursuant to our policies and procedures. Last fall, during an annual report to the Board on Nov. 28, it was agreed that the District would review the effectiveness of MAP testing. We look forward to hearing from our principals and teachers as part of that process. A report back to the Board is expected to be presented in the spring.  

This response seems to indicate the district wants the teachers to continue giving the test BUT that MAP is going to be reviewed with a report to the Board by spring.  Good news.   We are now in the 5th year of MAP and it would seem a review would be in order.

The press conference was held with at least 25 Garfield teachers and staff in attendance as well as several 

Joy Resmovits: Rhee Report Card Backwards? Denver School Board Drama: Ed Tonight

Joy Resmovits: Rhee Report Card Backwards? Denver School Board Drama: Ed Tonight:

Rhee Report Card Backwards? Denver School Board Drama: Ed Tonight

by Joy Resmovits

Is Michelle Rhee doing it wrong? Over at governing.com, Mark Funkhouser writes about "education and the inputs-outcomes trap." Taking a look at Rhee's StudentsFirst state policy report card, he argues that Rhee's approach here is backwards: "You don't start by deciding which policies are best; you start with outcomes and work your way back to see which policies are connected to good results." That is, Rhee is looking at rankings the wrong way since she's looking at policies instead of school performance.

I've been thinking about this paradox all week, ever since Randi Weingarten came out with a scathing response that pointed out the report was devoid of test scores. Weingarten is vehemently opposed to (an overdose of) standardized testing, and it's usually the other way around. This little ideological switcheroo probably doesn't matter in the long run, and it definitely doesn't affect kids in school. But it's just the latest example of how even the most strongly held ideologies in the ed-reform debate don't always apply to their beholders.

Whither Denver School Reform? EdNews Colorado is reporting that school board Secretary Nate Easley is stepping down due to a potential conflict of interest with his new day job. Why does it matter, you ask? 

Quality Counts 2013 Education Rankings Come In: Maryland First, South Dakota Last

by Joy Resmovits

NEW YORK -- The report card is in, and the grades aren't good. But at least they're slightly better than last year's.

On Thursday, Education Week, an education trade newspaper, released the 17th edition of the Quality Counts report, a widely-cited metric of overall educational quality in the United States. America's public schools are hardly passing: they garnered a C-plus. Last year, though, the U.S. scored a C, so the ranking represents some improvement.

"We're probably tough graders," Amy Hightower, who oversees the team of seven researchers that puts together 

Mental Health Care For Kids Severely Lacking, Says GAO

by Joy Resmovits

Hot off the presses, here's a report from the Government Accountability Office on the state of children's mental health care. It reveals some major problems.

"Most children whose emotions or behavior, as reported by their parent or guardian, indicated a potential need for a mental health service did not receive any services within the same year," the GAO wrote.

The report comes after Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (Calif.) requested that the GAO look into how psychotropic drugs affect the long-term development of kids who 

University of California, Irvine: Stop the conflation of Physical Abuse charges with Sexual Assault and Rape | Occupy UCI!

University of California, Irvine: Stop the conflation of Physical Abuse charges with Sexual Assault and Rape | Occupy UCI!:

University of California, Irvine: Stop the conflation of Physical Abuse charges with Sexual Assault and Rape

by Occupy UCI

Reblogged from: radfemcol.tumblr.com
Sign the Letter here:
https://www.change.org/petitions/university-of-california-irvine-administration-stop-the-conflation-of-physical-abuse-charges-with-sexual-assault-and-rape
We  the undersigned, are ashamed that our university has charged a student activist with physical abuse with no evidence to support these charges.  At the same time, the University of California, Irvine (UCI) is failing to admit responsibility of the physical harassment that this student activist experienced by UCI administrative staff. Even more shocking, the verbiage of the policy that he was accused of violating trivializes acts of rape and sexual assault which occur with frequency at our school.
On  November 8th 2012, a student activist was charged with violating Student Conduct Policy 102.08. This charge resulted from the student’s participation in a peaceful march through the UCI bookstore to highlight the ongoing privatization of the California public university system.  As protesters entered the bookstore, several students were assaulted by administration and staff.  Shamefully, the UCI administration continues their silence about the incident, failing to admit responsibility of the physical harassment that student protestors experienced at the hands of staff and administration.  Furthermore,in an attempt to white-wash their actions, the University charged a peaceful student protestor with physical assault.  This underscores the true intent of the UCI administration: to silence students who oppose the privatization of public education.  According to the UC Irvine administration, students do not have the right to free speech and the right to peacefully assemble. 
 A further disregard of the student body is the administration’s use of theStudent Conduct Policy 102.08 Physical 

Tips from the Trenches: School Safety — Whole Child Education

Tips from the Trenches: School Safety — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Tips from the Trenches: School Safety

January 10, 2013 by Stephen Sroka

During the last few months, I have had the chance to talk with several speakers who strongly affected their audiences. I started to think about the remarkable leaders with whom I have worked over the years and how they have made huge differences with their incredible wisdom, insights, and actions. I contacted some of them and asked them to comment on working in education in these difficult times. I asked them to share some take-away messages, so that, if they were speaking, what would they want their audience to remember?

School safety was a front page story following the tragic shooting deaths of 28 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Students need a safe school to learn. Most of these "Tips from the Trenches" regarding school safety were written before the Connecticut shootings.

Joseph Bergant II, superintendent of Chardon Schools in Ohio, where in February 2012 a 17-year-old student opened fire in the high school cafeteria, killing three and wounding three others:

• "Be prepared and practice school safety plans. You never know when you may need them."
• "Cell phones were effective in dealing with the safety evacuation plans, especially students notifying parents with texts."
• "Stress the positive, not the perpetrator. Emphasize safety, learning, and services available. And don't