This just in from a reader:
Diane,
I wrote to you about this before, but this time I have the relevant contact info:
http://equalpayforequalwork.blogspot.com/2013/02/tell-teachers-retirement-fund-to-divest.html
As the teachers rebellion against standardized testing grows, it’s time to flex our real muscle: tell the teachers’ retirement system to take our money OUT of standardized testing companies.
The retirement fund just recently set a precedent by divesting from gun companies, but corporate backed education reform is threatening the very existence of public education by buying politicians and policies that benefit Wall Street at the expense of our kids.
We need to make sure they aren’t using our money to kill our jobs and our schools. I’m providing contact information for California, but if you post other states in the comments, I’ll be glad to add that to the post itself in updates.
In California, you can contact CALSTRS, our retirement system at http://www.calstrs.com/contact…
800-228-5453 • 916-414-5040 (Fax)
P. O. Box 15275
Sacramento, CA 95851-0275
Feel free to use or modify this brief message:
As a member of CalSTRS, I ask that since you have divested from companies whose guns kill students and teachers, you also divest from the corporations pushing education “reform” that are killing public education so they can cannibalize the corpse.
Start with those pushing endless repetitive high stakes testing, like Pearson, ETS, and McGraw Hill.
As an educator, I do not want to invest in businesses that corrupt our public education policy for the financial gain of a few.
I look forward to hearing your plan of action on this.
You can also tell your union to demand that CalSTRS divest from corporate education reform companies, starting with testing companies. Just change the first line of the message to add:
As a member of CFT (or CTA) I ask that since CalSTRS has divested from companies whose guns kill students and teachers, I ask that you direct CalSTRS to also divest from the corporations pushing education “reform” that are killing public education so they can cannibalize the corpse.
Start with those pushing endless repetitive high stakes testing, like Pearson, ETS, and McGraw Hill.
As an educator, I do not want to invest in businesses that corrupt our public education policy for the financial gain of a few.
I look forward to hearing your plan of action on this.
In the AFT, you can contact the president of the K-12 council,
Gary Ravani
K-12 Council President
cfteck12@aol.com
Administrative Office
California Federation of Teachers
2550 North Hollywood Way, Suite 400
Burbank, CA 91505
818-843-8226, Fax 818-843-4662If you are in CFT but not a K-12 teacher, contact:
Joshua Pechthalt, President
jpechthalt@cft.org
In the CTA:
President Dean Vogel
E-mail: dvogel@cta.org
P.O. Box 921
1705 Murchison Drive
Burlingame, CA 94011-0921
Phone: (650) 552-5307
FAX: (650) 552-5007
Check back later for a proposal on what we could do WITHOUT testing companies that would also save states a lot of money.
I will contact CAL STERS today. Thank you for this suggestion.
I will contact CALSTRS today. Thank you for this suggestion.
I’ve posted a similar response before, but I’d encourage the original author and others to look into the wide range of products those companies offer/own, including many that are considering to be very effective instructional/educational tools. I think it’s quite possible to be against particular tests, and the behavior of the companies related to those tests, without being against the entire line of products.
Unfortunately, those companies leave us little recourse. We cannot match their campaign contributions and we certainly can’t offer politicians the high paying jobs when they leave office at lobbyists, CEO’s, and do nothing board members, so one of our few options is to take away the money they are using to bribe politicians to enact bad policies.
” …without being against the entire line of products.”
EdEd,
That line of thinking is like David asking Goliath to just hit him in certain areas of the body where it will hurt somewhat less.
There is no such thing as hurting students “just a little bit.”
Divest from any company participating in the destruction of public schools.
food for thought by socially-responsible investment friend Farnum Brown in Durham NC:
Interesting, but is divestment the best approach? What about shareholder activism thru the proxy resolution process? I’m agnostic as I don’t know enough about the issue area to know which is better. But divestment, a la Bill Mckibben’s 350.org call to divest oil firm shares, are effective only as an element in a broad strategy of attempting to revoke the “social licence” to operate that these firms have. Given how limited the success of such efforts have been with big tobacco, a degree of skepticism is in order. But if you accept that this is part of an effort to generate negative PR for these firms, proxy resolutions should be on the table along with divestment. Just sayin’.
The proxy approach is beyond my financial sophistication and time.
Also, even a successful effort in that direction could be undone later.
Divestment is really a shot across the bow. The best way to end the corrupting influence of these companies is for teachers to develop open source materials for tests themselves, and shut out the for profit test companies altogether.
While we’re at it, let’s get the pension funds to divest from private equity funds – which they’re increasingly resorting to in this era of low interest rates – which engage in anti-worker/anti-community behaviors.
I knew that sooner or later you and Larry Littlefield would see eye-to-eye on something.
Would love to have contact information for Ohio (STRS).
Thanks!
Members of the Retirement Board may be reached via email at ContactUs@strsoh.org or by mail at 275 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215-3771.
Teachers pensions have enormous holdings. One of the first private equity funds to avoid is Whitney Tilson’s. Btw, interestingly, he is short K-12 Inc. So if CALSTRS owns K-12 and divests, his short might offset the loss in the short-term.
12:29pm Feb 26
http://beta.fool.com/mhargra/2013/02/22/shorts-whitney-tilsons-investor-letter/24669/?ticker=LRN&source=eogyholnk0000001
The Shorts Of Whitney Tilson’s Investor Letter – CAT, CMG, IOC, LRN, NOK – Foolish Blogging Network
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