On Saturday morning, the Board of Directors of NYSUT–the New York State United Teachers–voted unanimously for a resolution of “no confidence” in State Commissioner John King.
This is tantamount to calling for his removal.
The implementation of Common Core testing in New York state was widely recognized as a fiasco. Many legislators, including the leader of the State Assembly, have called for a delay.
King’s high-handed tactics, his refusal to listen to the public, and his lack of experience as an educator have set off widespread protests among teachers, principals, and parents.
This is the press release from NYSUT:
ALBANY, N.Y. Jan. 25, 2014 – New York State United Teachers’ Board of Directors approved a resolution Saturday that declared “no confidence” in the policies of State Education Commissioner John King Jr., therefore calling for his removal by the Board of Regents. NYSUT’s board also withdrew its support for the Common Core standards as implemented and interpreted in New York state until SED makes major course corrections to its failed implementation plan and supports a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences from standardized testing.
The union’s board acted unanimously Saturday morning at a meeting in Albany.
“Educators understand that introducing new standards, appropriate curriculum and meaningful assessments are ongoing aspects of a robust educational system. These are complex tasks made even more complex when attempted during a time of devastating budget cuts. SED’s implementation plan in New York state has failed. The commissioner has pursued policies that repeatedly ignore the voices of parents and educators who have identified problems and called on him to move more thoughtfully,” said NYSUT President Richard C. Iannuzzi. “Instead of listening to and trusting parents and teachers to know and do what’s right for students, the commissioner has offered meaningless rhetoric and token change. Instead of making the major course corrections that are clearly needed, including backing a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences for students and teachers from state testing, he has labeled everyone and every meaningful recommendation as distractions.”
The resolution states that the board declares “no confidence in the policies of the Commissioner of Education and calls for the New York State Commissioner of Education’s removal by the New York State Board of Regents.”
NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira said the union has been sounding warning bells since 2011 about the over-emphasis on standardized testing and the state’s rushed and unrealistic timeline for introducing curriculum and assessments tied to the Common Core state standards. She said NYSUT is seeking:
- completion of all modules, or lessons, aligned with the Common Core and time for educators to review them to ensure they are grade-level appropriate and aligned with classroom practice;
- better engagement with parents, including listening to their concerns about their children’s needs;
- additional tools, professional development and resources for teachers to address the needs of diverse learners, including students with disabilities and English language learners;
- full transparency in state testing, including the release of all test questions, so teachers can use them in improving instruction;
- postponement of Common Core Regents exams as a graduation requirement;
- the funding necessary to ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve the Common Core standards. The proposed Executive Budget would leave nearly 70 percent of the state’s school districts with less state aid in 2014-15 than they had in 2009-10; and
- a moratorium, or delay, in the high-stakes consequences for students and teachers from standardized testing to give the State Education Department – and school districts – more time to correctly implement the Common Core.
“The clock is ticking and time is running out,” Neira said. Students sit for a new battery of state assessments in just a few months. It’s time to hit the ‘pause button’ on high stakes while, at the same time, increasing support for students, parents and educators. A moratorium on high-stakes consequences would give SED and school districts time to make the necessary adjustments.”
The resolution will go to the more than 2,000 delegates to the 600,000-member union’s Representative Assembly, to be held April 4-6 in New York City. The resolution underscores NYSUT’s longstanding, strong opposition to corporate influence and privatization in public education and calls for an end to New York’s participation in InBloom, a “cloud-based” system that would collect and store sensitive data on New York’s schoolchildren.
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members. Members are pre-K-12 teachers; school-related professionals; higher education faculty; other professionals in education, human services and health care; and retirees. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.
I was waiting for you to post this. Best news all day for all of us- even those of us with no unions are happy you all are making progress fighting for public schools! Congratulations NY!
This is the latest outrage:
http://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/2014/01/nysed-commissioner-john-king-says-new.html
King testified to the N.Y. State Senate that the Legislature / Senate / State Assembly HAS ZERO POWER to roll back Common Core or have any influence whatsoever over education policy.
According the King, the SED and Board of Regents exists above and apart from any and all oversight of the citizens of New York and the citizens’ elected representatives. The New York State Legislature has no power over education policy nor can the Legislature remove those—the SED & the State Regents—who DO have total power over state education policy.
Really? Is he actually saying this now?
Apparently so.
PERDIDO STREET SCHOOL:
“King, perhaps buoyed by his education reform allies in the private sector backing him up and telling him they’ll go to the mattresses for him, really thinks he shares unlimited power, along with the Regents, to do what he wants in education policy.
“Can there be any stronger evidence to suggest we have transitioned from a representative democracy in the State of New York to a plutocracy in which wealthy business interests put functionaries like King into place and impose their own agenda regardless of how the rest of the people in this state feels about that agenda than this statement?
“The Legislature had better disabuse this little autocrat king of his arrogant conviction that he is unaccountable to the people of this state or their elected representatives in the Legislature for the education policies he imposes with the aid of the Board of Regents.
“Simply an outrageous statement by NYSED Commissioner King and, I believe, one that is worthy of his dismissal.
“Because if he is not stripped of his power and sent packing, he simply is going to continue unimpeded with his education reform agenda.”
He didn’t mention Cuomo?
Cuomo is the King of all things, he pulls ALL the strings.
Even bigger news: they also withdrew support for the Common Core
What would have been truly impressive would have been a call to end implementation of the CCSS altogether, and end to high-stakes testing, an end to VAM. Kicking the ball down the road and acquiescing to the worst of the deforms in hopes of something changing later by maintaining that seat at the table has been the main reason public education is being dismantled at an ever-increasing speed.
I wish my former union luck with their moratorium and delays. It won’t stop the inevitable but it makes it look like something is being done, I guess.
Baby steps Chris… Baby steps.
Why did you give up?
The anti-King resolution is dangerous and maybe even worse than nothing. The leadership is still doing damage control for Gates. People are ready to chuck the CC$$, but this resolution calls for keeping it on life support while inflicting more “training” on teachers.
It calls for:
“A moratorium, or delay, in the high-stakes consequences for students and teachers from standardized testing to give the State Education Department – and school districts – more time to correctly implement the Common Core.”
So, after King is gone (and he will be), the same power players get to pick a new puppet to take his time “correctly implementing” the Gates agenda. It’s just like they saved the game on their Playstation, then let King be their fall guy..
If a three year moratorium is enacted it is very unlikely that the CC will resurface in NY. We are one big domino. They must strike while their iron is hot. And when this is all just a bad memory, Gates and Co. will still be counting the cash. Institutionalized criminals, all of them.
I agree, Chris. A more forceful response is called for. But it does get everyone’s attention! Arne’s next . . .
“Arne’s next . . .
I’d call that a lost cause and move on.
Here’s Mr. Duncan on Twitter today. In case you’re wondering, the courageous person he’s referring to here is himself. The link goes to an editorial he wrote:
Arne Duncan @arneduncan 4h
In education, it sometimes takes courage to do what ought to be common sense: http://go.usa.gov/Bcq9
Did you know he’s courageous? No? Well, now you do!
He should just not say anything.
Fantastic! I hope that means more than it did in Los Angeles, where the union voted no confidence in the superintendent–shortly before the school board gave him a contract extension.
The dominoes are falling–one state at a time.This is fantastic news. I hope this encourages more unions to get tough.
CT!
Commissioner Pryor is destroying CT’s schools.
JonBoy: Your right. May be I had just a bit of false hope in making my statement. I should know better that the under current is stronger than what is at the surface. Those at the surface are disposible and are replaceable and the new come in with the ideology and hitting the refresh button..
This is breaking if not radical news.
However, don’t anyone become too dewy eyed here because there are efforts underway now in which Mike Mulgrew of the UFT is trying to oust Dick Ianuzzi, who he considers not enough of a corporate reform team player, and put a Unity person in his place.
And he just might be able to do it since the Unity Delegates have a majority vote.
I must say in all honesty that all NYSUT union locals througout NY state: Beware of the UFT because it wants to dominate the political landscape in education OUTSIDE the realm of NY city, all to permeate the rest of the state.
Forwarned is forearmed, and there is NO trolling here.
The two Andys need to go.
Andrew Cuomo is a horror story and a half.
But for a Democrat, I have to say he is probably one of the most prominent Republican governors NY state has ever had . . . .
Yes, Robert, I’m trying to follow this, too. How does Randi Weingarten’s own faction become the “insurgents” in New York State?
http://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2014/01/uft-sides-with-insurgents-in-nysut-power-struggle/
The sticking point seems to be Cuomo. The “insurgents” support him?? How can anybody even consider endorsing somebody who has called for the “death penalty” for public schools?
I read the article . . . . Until we can remove the sheer corruption from our large unions, we will flounder and suffer, as will schools, families, and students.
Cuomo will play the scene best to anyone who will further his own agenda.
Cuomo is the head of the snake. Their is a political death penalty for failing governors. If Cuomo senses that his chances on the national scene are in jeopardy, he will act.
Thanks for posting this, Diane, and thanks for the warning, Robert. New York used to be a great place to teach. We will spread the word about the Clone Army UFT and Andy Palotta. It is so sad that Cuomo has destroyed the Century-old Regents exam system, and that most of the regents themselves favor privatizing public education for their own profit. We had a better set of standards before CCSS.
I had a private meeting with Regents Harry Philips in my car for 30 minutes after we both attended Diane’s lecture in Bedford. I volunteered to drive him around this vast parking lot because the poor guy, now in his mid eighties, forgot where he parked his car, and it was freezing outside.
(For God’s sake, Harry, you ought to have been wearing a winter coat!)
He is a sweetheart of a guy, but completely ignorant (he may be waking up now, it seems!) and he has voted with the majority of Regents far more than not.
He also does not think, per my and my wife’s conversation with him, that it is a major problem that the vast majoroity of Regents are not educators, as in teachers and administrators.
Harry was cordial and gentile, but he must realize that the process for even getting to be a Regents must be radically reformed . . . .
And yes, NYSUT locals, be warned.
Mulgrew wants badly to consolidate power throughout NY state (is this with the blessing or even direction of Weingarten?), and he is starting a phony grass roots movement to make it look as though as if NYSUT needs to be shaken up. I believe the program is known as “Revive NYSUT”, which is code for “Turn NYSUT into a state-wide UFT” . . . . . .
I am not saying any of this to provoke or upset . . . . . just to educate.
I leave the trolling to the trolls. . . . . .
BTW, Nimbus, I still think NY is a great place to teach, and for decades, our standards for literacy and math were among the top 3 in the nation, in terms of depth, expectation, and research . . . far more comprehensive than the CCSS. I am proud that Albany and NY CIty for so many years have really put forth world class standards (Duane Swacker and Susan Ohanian, I know how you feel about standards!), and I still think the former ones were far more intellectually rich than the CCSS . . . . . .
I just hope Albany does not take its cues from the National Governor’s Association or ALEC. As it is, we have embraced Bill Gates far too much, and it’s time to tell him and Melinda that the dinner party is over, and as guests, they have far overstayed their welcome . . . . . . .
You and your wife are dears, Robert, for helping our octogenarian Regent. Recently, he has awakened and supported those who oppose Tisch and her minions. But we are still waiting for a super hero-definitely not superman- who will no longer take public funds and send them to private corporations. And we are definitely waiting for the “local” 20 percent in teacher evaluation that is selected from a list of largely “corporate tests” like the SAT or IOWA, but the public does not know that “local” means selected from a state-approved list of vendors.
Robert,
I am a strong supporter of a unified curriculum (per grade level and or subject as developed, used and analyzed by the school level personnel. Could that curriculum be a part of some “standard”? If and only if by standard you mean curriculum outcomes/desires and not by some sort of “measurement” of those curriculum outcomes as all learning manifests itself in individuals in myriad ways at different times.
To not acknowledge that latter half of that last sentence is to not understand what the “teaching and learning process” is nor the possiblilities of truly understanding how to “assess” (of which a test, quiz, points for work, etc. . . could just be small part of) or perhaps better said how an individual learner can assess themselves (part of the metacognitive process) themselves perhaps with the help of the teacher, other students, the parents, etc. . . . Could those “standards” come from the USDOE or state level?
Yes but only in the sense of an “open source” set up, a kind of universal library of ideas and thoughts on each particular subject, grade, age, ability level, etc. . . that could be utilized as an “educational wiki-pedia with commentary and all that. Others have suggested this before me and I think a truly open and free source of pedagogical knowledge as a giant continuously changing compendium/encyclopedia of educational practices (with all the old, supposedly “bad” information left available for all to see) with all having a capability to add (and delete only their own work) would be better than supposed one-size fits all standards.
Thank you for posting this. But you must also post the rest of the story because this is going against Mulgrew and Wengarten who will continue to support Cuomo on his ed agenda. Because Iannuzzi was so bold to actually listen to Upstate’s rank and file, Mulgrew is on the attack to rid him of his leadership. I think it’s important for you to include this because NYC teachers are unaware of this political maneuver by the UFT in order to gain control of all of NYS.
Perfectly put, Schoolgal ! ! !
When will the NJEA take the gloves off and deal with the Christy/Cerf Axis!
It appears that the NJEA is waiting to see what will come out of NY, as always…
Ugh- everytime I hear good news the other shoe falls. I am sure I butchered that metaphor too.
Careful, Janna you’ve reached your limit and any more butchered metaphors on your part and the bell will toll.
“… a moratorium, or delay, in the high-stakes consequences for students and teachers from standardized testing to give the State Education Department – and school districts – more time to correctly implement the Common Core” is NOT a stand against the CCSS. People need to wake up. This is NOT a statement against the Common Core – it is the usual, “it is about the implementation” and “let’s give it time” rhetoric. The CCSS were not written by educators, they are not developmentally appropriate and they are copyrighted, therefore, not “fixable”. The modules are another disaster, but grade level appropriate modules will never come out of standards that are not grade level appropriate. This is all part of the privatization plan, and postponing the “weapons” doesn’t stop the was on public education.
Dick Iannuzzi is placating those who are sick of his weakness in representing members who do not want to hear Randi Weingarten’s “Get it Right” mantra from him any more than we want to hear it from her. And to use this discussion to praise a union president who has consistently NOT represented the wishes of the majority of teachers and who continues to take money from Bill Gates is ridiculous. It IS time for a change in our union leadership. If Iannuzzi felt so strongly about any of this, he wouldn’t be accepting Gates’ dollars to support or implement any of it. And he wouldn’t have waited until his position was contested to try to please the membership with a “stand”. This vote of no confidence has no teeth. It will change nothing. It is politics at their worst – and no one should be fooled by this.
Elizabeth,
I don’t disagree with you here. Excellent points!
But at least Ianuzzi has changed his tune radically lately.
Replacing him with more Unity members will NOT solve the problem; in fact, given Mulgrew’s record and leadership, it will only worsen things.
Furthermore, adding more Unity delegates will only strenghten the Unity Party within the AFT, a party that is already monopolizing and dominating all AFT politics, the party of Randi Weingarten. That in turn will further dominate politics for teachers throughout the country. It’s like saying one party out of NY city will rule the rest of the teachers who belong to AFT throughout the country. That is wrong, and a pervesion of democracy.
Sorry, but right now, 60% of NY state is non-Unity party, and the rest is Unity.
The bottom line is that presidents of the state and AFT should be voted in directly, through a teacher referendum, nothing more, nothing less. There should be debates and campaign, and each candidate would have a legally set budget, the same amount of money for each candidate. There are cost effective ways to get their messages out there through debates and filming them to put out over the internet . . . .
No excuses, and this could be a model of an electoral system for Washington DC . . . . .
Elizabeth,
You are right that Iannuzzi has followed the “party line” when it comes to Randi. But he has made very strong statements against CC and King, meanwhile Randi is setting up a “social” where Cuomo will be a guest of honor. It’s not what comes out of her mouth, it’s what she does!!
MEMORANDUM
TO: NYSUT Board of Directors
FROM: Andy Pallotta, Executive Vice President
DATE: January 15, 2014
RE: NYSUT’s Legislative Reception
On Monday evening, January 27, 2014, NYSUT will host a Legislative Reception and briefing in the Observation Deck of the Erastus Corning Tower at the Empire State Plaza. The reception will be held between6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
The Governor and his executive staff, members and the executive staff of the Senate and Assembly will be our invited guests.
Light refreshments will be served and a cash bar will be available.
A copy of the invitation is attached. If you are interested and your schedule allows, please RSVP to Karen Rhatigan at (518) 213-6000 x6626 or by e-mail, krhatigan@nysutmail.org.
Elizabeth, I agree with your sentiment and your passionate stance on the issue of the developmental appropriateness of the Common Core Standards. I do not, however, agree that Dick Iannuzzi was merely placating his members with yesterday’s resolution. I think perhaps he has more political knowledge and institutional savvy then you recognize. It may or may not be time for a change in our union leadership. I don’t know. That being said, I don’t think that the attempted power grab being made by the leader of the UFT is something that the NYSUT membership will support once they have all the facts.
What it is most definitely time for, is an informed and active union membership. I am actively working on informing and asking the teachers in my local to become more active union members. I hope that you are doing the same.
What about elimination of data-sharing plans?
You got to be kidding! You remove King and Regent Tisch soon hits the pavement scavenging for another puppet to manipulate. Wake up! Get rid of her she put him where he is to do exactly what he’s doing. That is pushing the Tisch education “deform” agenda.
Agree. Must get rid of the puppet and the puppeteer.
The next question is, who is the real puppeteer?
Tisch? or Cuomo?
Both. . . . Tisch a little more because of her husband’s core connections to Wall Street.
Some comments from the article in todays Syracuse Post -Standard in response the no-confidence vote by NYSUT:
I hold nothing but contempt for the teacher unions. Your students are being robbed of a decent education. Poor administrations allow the State and Federal bullies to take over your responsibilities. Quit counting the dollars and do your jobs. Your students deserve at least that much.
Anything the teacher’s union want is for the most part bad for parents, kids, and taxpayers. Teachers don’t like Common Core because it holds them more accountable…just like the rest of us working in the private sector.
The comments left in the Syracuse Post-Standard are further proof of how well beating a dead horse can change the perspective of the people. Most teachers are hard working, diligent individuals who want to see their students succeed. I’d like to see both of the people who sent in these comments shadow a teacher for the day…all 24 hours of that day…and tell me that they are “robbing” students of a decent education. I’d like to see the person who wrote the second comment examine the teacher evaluation system that is being proposed–accountability my behind! It is just the quick and easy way to pare down public school staff and resources to make way for alternative schooling methods. You want to prevent your students from being robbed of a good education? Stop believing we aren’t doing our jobs and support your local school system!
Unfortunately its the prevalent mind set of many. I’m getting tired of the beat-down from all sides. Outraged taxpayers, anti-union anti-tenure anti-teacher ignoramuses, the no-nothings at NYSED and BOR, the media (local and national), inexperienced administrators drinking the Kool-aide, Cuomo, King, Gates, Duncan/DOE, et al. The general lack of trust, lack of understanding, and lack of appreciation is demoralizing too many good teachers.
No matter how much we try to set the record straight on comments like these, the people making them will never change their tune. They are supporters of a doctrine of hate that has permeated politics. Researchers recently conducted a study that examined the brains of people who tended to vote along the lines of specific political ideologies (namely conservative and liberal), and the results showed a vast difference in their chemical make-up. I’ll see if I can find some information on the study.
I do not believe we can ever the fight what develops into a type of programmed hate that many have from their conditioning and upbringing. The fact that neither of these commenters offered proof of their claims might indicate that a negative reaction is far more powerful to them than facts and logic. It’s almost as if they WANT someone to notice them and argue with them. I wonder if they get a thrill from being so obnoxious and hateful?
I selected two examples that were representative of many of the comments I read. Not sure if they get a thrill. Some of it is rooted in jealousy; in many communities teachers are the upper income bracket. Some of it probably comes from personal experiences as students. Some is rooted in the school budget vote – the only opportunity to say no to taxes. Some of it comes from what many perceive as part-time work for full-time pay. Some of it comes from the anti-intellectual faction that really don’t believe that formal schooling is all that important. Much of the hate is the result of selfishness and ignorance.
Well put, NY Teacher.
Although, NY Teacher, I will say that NY residents should NOT be saying no to school taxes, but they should be up in arms that they get so little in return for their federal tax dollar because it’s paying for tax cuts for the wealty, off shore tax havens, and war.
If we were to get our rightful share of trickle down taxation form the feds, we woul have less burden as homeowners.
We certainly have new mandates from the feds. Let them give us OUR money that we paid THEM to better finance our public schools . . . . .
I put much more of the blame on Cuomo than the feds. He has single handedly eviscerated small city schools along with rural schools as well. He has made many a devils bargain.
Yes, state and feds together (you know about the NGA!) are the entire cerebrus itself . . . .
Fabulous news! I so hope this indicates that the tides are turning nationally! All those leaders around the nation who are just like King… ignoring educated backlash from parents, teachers and students should be on notice! One simply not lead “in a vacuum” unless of course it is a dictatorship. Voices of those who are in the highest leadership roles must be willing to HEAR. I hope Dr. Lillian Lowery HEARS this message coming from NYC. In MD, she is very busy forcing students in the state of MD to take the old high stakes test (MSA) which covers material students have not learned due to the fact that students are being taught common core connected curriculum. The MD State Education Association (MSEA) requested that the MSA not be implemented this year due to this rather obvious problem but she basically responded by saying that taking this test is beneficial to students. She was quoted in the Post, “Lowery has vigorously supported the MSAs and contends that the tests remain useful for professional development and other purposes, in spite of misalignment” (see WP article 1/14/14 authored by Donna St. George). “Huh” is the reaction of parents, principals and teachers whose voices are clearly being ignored and I suspect this has all to do with where the funding is coming from! It is my hope that union leadership (no matter how weak or strong) around the country step up and voice opposition as now is the time. Students do not need to waste valuable learning time on more “failed” tests and teachers do not need to be given unsatisfactory evaluations based on either a rushed common core high stakes test or like in MD’s case, the old MSA test! If Arne Duncan were capable of a bit of his own medicine Charlotte Danielson FFT style “reflection” he would listen to the cries of protest from those in the know around the country and put a moratorium on the rolling out of high stakes common core tests and the implementation of common core! Unfortunately, Duncan is king of “Do as I say and not as I do” … a man speaking from the top of the mount who has no real education credentials and refuses to listen to those who do! Haven’t said this in a long time but the time is right as usual.. DUMP DUNCAN.
Who does Commisioner King sound like?
I’m torn between Michael Strahan and Nurse Ratchett
Cuomo’s ward is run by steely, unyielding NYSED Commissioner John King Jr. who employs subtle humiliation, condescension, and a mind-numbing daily routine to suppress teachers and outraged parents. Rendo the anti-hero finds that they are more fearful of King and his corporate puppeteers than they are focused on becoming functional adults who know what’s best for their children and students.
Definitely Nurse Ratched.
I am not sure at all what you mean by this.
Can you explain? I have an open mind.
Readers of this post should also know that the delegates commune at the Hilton in Mnahattan to vote for the NYSUT positions.
This is egregious, because the locale of the voting forum is right in the backyard of the UFT. This means that delegates throughout the state have to pay and schlepp all the way down to the geocentric cuty of New York and vote.
There should at least be a central point in the state where this takes place.
NYSUT and NYSUT locals MUST set aside money in their budgets to transport and house delegates down to Manhattan to vote. Otherwise, Mulgrew has an excellent chacnce of ousting Ianuzzi, who as much as I dont’ like him and his weakness, is at least willing to flip flop and blow with some upstate winds their way . . . . . You know: the way a democracy is SUPPOSED to function.
Remember, NYSUT members, that it was the UFT who took away the right for teachers to grieve letters placed in their file.
Remember, NYSUT members, that it was the UFT who acquiesced to charter schools and started one of its own.
Remember NYSUT members, that it was the UFT who pushed for mayoral control and is NOW coming up with some variation of merit pay for NY city.
We out-of-city teachers will be sunk if we allow the UFT unity party to dominate NYSUT.
We are NOT like the city . . . . we don’t WANT to be like the city.
That’s one of the prime reasons why we choose to teach outside of New York City . . . . .
Backing the bullies down! Spectacular. I think the key words in the posting above are “voted unanimously”.
I sure hope the NEA is paying attention. In a meeting here yesterday in Central Ohio (the wild west of charter schools) it was mentioned that the reason the CEA doesn’t have any backbone is because the OEA doesn’t have any backbone and it’s all coming down from the NEA.
Conceivably this could be the groundbreaker the unions need.
The paper tigers (big mouthed politicians in the pockets of big money) are afraid folks, they cannot replace many thousands of teachers all at once.
There are also still federal laws in place about FAPE in public schools, they know this too and cant break these laws. The dismantling public schools always was a long range plan.
The 1% is just that- 1%. Let’s remember this.
Unbelievable that NYSUT had the backbone to come out with a “no confidence” on King.
Teachers, it’s time to drag King, Tisch, Tilles, and the other corporate gangsters out in the street for some “people’s justice”!!!!!
Careful…that kind of talk is fodder for the Christies of the world when they call teacher unions “thugs.”
What does that make Cuomo with his “death penalty for failing schools remark?
Well that remark made Cuomo look like a heel–however, Christie equates the NJEA with thuggery. These are remarks that color people on completely different sides of the power spectrum.
Ditto for Capitol Hill . . . . . . .
Isn’t April 4-6 after the ELA exam?!?!
If I didn’t know any better I’d swear that the NY testing schedule was set up by the test writers at Pearson.
Grade 3-8 ELA starts on Tuesday, APRIL 1st!!!!
continues in Wed 4/2 and Thurs 4/3
Fool us once shame on you [Dark] Lord Coleman
Fool us twice, shame on us.
I am a NYS certified public school teacher teaching 3rd grade in an economically disadvantaged school district in rural upstate New York. I happen to be one of the unfortunate teachers in a “test grade” and am in fear of loosing my job, my livelihood, and the one thing I used to enjoy waking up to every morning (my students)!!!!! I went into teaching to teach precious little minds to learn and not fear the consequences if they do not get something. That has all changed in the last several of years as state and federal politics have stepped in to tell us how poorly our students are doing. We, as teachers, are so under pressure to make a round peg fit into a square hole with these new core standards. The people who write these tests and demand that all students achieve at the same level have never stepped foot into a classroom to see the diversity of the students we work with everyday. Last year during the first year of the common core testing, I had students who were crying because they did not understand the question, did not have time to finish under the allotted time, or were just simply overwhelmed by the complexity of the test. Is that why I became a teacher, no it is not! I teach because I want to see my students learn, but as more and more pressure comes down on us as teachers so too does it in our students! There has to be a time when we stop thinking about the race to the top and start thinking about the children we are suppose to be encouraging to want to learn! The only thing we are doing with these common core state tests is setting them up for failure and in the same process making teachers look like they are not doing their jobs. I’m tired of people who have never stepped foot into a classroom telling me that I am not “effective” because my 8 year old students can’t pass a test that even a college graduate has difficulty completing!!!!!!! Whether I am effective should not depend on how my students do on a three day test, it should be based on whether they show growth from beginning to end, just like they should not be considered as not meeting an impossible state mandated goal in a three day test!!! Enough is enough, let us get back to teaching and let our kids be kids, after-all your childhood only lasts so long!!!!!
Why should any 8 year old have to worry that his favorite teacher will get fired if he doesn’t pass a test?
Contrary to the way Diane put it, I can’t remember NYSUT opposing privatization ever before, just like the UFT, who helped to welcome it- as my Upstate colleague says exactly right- along with all the other sell-out decisions our corporate leadership and its sheep-like delegates push through on a monthly basis. The beginning was when Weingarten- as UFT prez- made her backroom deal with Greendot.com, and our union went into the BUSINESS of chartering schools- what a betrayal of all a municipal union is supposed to stand for! Its just gone downhill ever since….maybe this is a sign of hope, for a change. No doubt that it is too little, too late.
The Buffalo Teacher Federation has encouraged NYSUT to give a vote of no confidence for King and Common Core since October. I’m glad they are finally moving in the right direction, but we need to keep our guard up since the battle has not yet been won. In fact, we are simply cleaning our weapons to prepare for battle.
There seems to be a general misunderstanding in the twitter universe that Randi Weingarten has come out in support of this New York action against King and Common Core….
I havent seen a media release or other statement from her, so I thought I would check out this blog posting for more details (cos its the link that Diane gives in her tweet saying in plain English that Randi has come out in full support)….
Am I not reading closely enough? Because I dont see here any mention of Randi and her enthusiasm for this action….
I have called for Randi to come out and make a public statement, denouncing ed reform and common core, to give back the money the ed reformers have given AFT so the union can take back its power; so far, she hasnt done that…. instead, the most she’s done is tout her mealy-mouthed “VAM is sham” tagline for a whole weekend….
I say Randi is playing both sides against the other, protecting her own position in the middle…
Sahila,
See my post. Politico Pro quotes Randi at length but the article is behind a pay wall and I cannot quote it at length.
Apologies – I found the blog post in which Diane reports Randi’s support…. however – there really is nothing new in Randi’s stance… she doesnt denounce Common Core, just its implementation and tie to VAM….
here’s a question – IF teachers hate their union leaderships so much for selling them out to Gates etc, AND if they can’t get the leaderships removed, THEN can’t teachers withdraw their membership from the unions and create a NEW union?
If you can’t remove Randi Weingarten and Dennis Van Roekel, why not de-claw/disempower them by leaving those unions and creating a new (national) one?
In my version of logic – if Mark Naison can get 30,000+ teachers to join a (Badass Teachers) FB page and begin to take action in their own states/cities/towns AND a parallel (Badass) parent group up and running, (never mind the debates about the demographics that make up those groups), then why can’t teachers fed up with the sell-outs by their current unions come together to create a new one?
And maybe if parents see a new union that hasn’t sold their kids down the river (along with teachers), parents might support teachers more…. or, wonder of wonders – maybe a joint teacher-parent group could be formed…. think of the power in that – ed reform would be stopped dead in its tracks….
Sahila – another strategy is for the individual unions of places like Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, etc. to join together. The Buffalo Teacher’s Federation, with a large membership, is talking about suing the state to stop the implementation of APPR, CCSS, and standardized testing. They are trying to get NYSUT to join them, but are willing to hook up with other local unions or go it alone. Syracuse should be especially interested.
This is not the time for the unions to sit back and take the abuse. They seem to be suffering from battered union syndrome. The teachers need to come out swinging, not cringing in fear. And no more compromises – it only paints public education into a corner.
I am a retired Associate Superintendent from Dutchess County BOCES, and have been an educational consultant in over 45 districts, BOCES and SED for the past decade. I have worked with thousands of teachers; have been in hundreds of classrooms from Kindergarten to 12th grade. I have worked with rural, urban and suburban districts. I have worked in some very high needs districts. With over 40 years in education I want to totally support any effort to place a moratorium on the Common Core Standards and the associated testing. I further believe that the current system to evaluate teachers is flawed and needs to be pulled back. I do believe in accountability, but that accountability must be in a system that is fair and equitable and engages educators to improve their craft, not be punished by it. The entire roll-out has been inept and flawed. I believe we currently have a Commissioner who is refusing to listen to the people of this state. His arrogance, along with that of the Board of Regents member Tisch has been appalling. Believe me if I had the money and political connections necessary for a seat on that Board, I would run!! This board clearly needs some experienced educators and clear thinkers! And now, this whole debacle hits home personally:
This was posted by my daughter on facebook just a short while ago. Her two daughters have always been exemplary students. She is right, they HATE school!! the younger one, who is 13 says that the topics taught, especially in math, change every day! She said they have no time to really learn it or practice it. These two girls have always been on high honor roll. I feel their story is another example of the result of the botched roll-out of the CC! As their grandmother and an educator, this breaks my heart. I am so discouraged with the state of education today. Teachers and administrators are under such a gun to their heads – it is deplorable!! Here is her post.
“It saddens me that my two girls, who both have always liked school and enjoyed going and never wanted to miss, now hate going. Every day is a struggle. This school year has been incredibly tough on both of them and have added all of this stress to them that I have never seen before. One of them has made herself physically sick from the worry and stress over her classes, that shouldn’t be! This is so disheartening and makes me feel so helpless. The worst part is that I am slowly losing faith in what should be an extremely important time in their lives for their education. How awful to look my girls in the face and see what is going on for them and there is not a thing I can do to make it any easier. School shouldn’t make any child feel this way..IMHO.”
Personal stories such as yours make a horrible situation even more unbearable.
Yes, and I have heard similar stories from my second daughter about her son’s difficulty in sitting in a 9th grade math class that will require he take TWO regents exams for math! At open house the classroom teacher explained sorrowfully that we will not have the time to teach either curriculum fully, but the kids will need to take two exams! This is craziness.
Karen – we are living in bizarro world.
Move to Texas–or better still–send John King to Texas where he will be assured of a fair trial before execution.
Seriously (I hope), John King’s poor speaking abilities have made his attempts at leadership a real fiasco. The fact that he refuses to send his kids to Common Core public school says it all. “Do as I say–not as I do!”
Teaching to the test will never improve education. However, dealing with poverty would definitely improve education.
If the schools overwhelmed with poverty were removed from total scores, our children would score higher than any in the world. Many countries that our students (ALL of our children) are compared to are picked and chosen–the others already weeded from the pack. Even Finland (a tiny school area, yet compared to the whole U.S.) has a lower completion rate than the U.S.
We are a diverse group of people from everywhere in the world. In the long run, that makes us great. We are already the world leaders. When poverty is accepted as a real problem, then the children of this country will be able to demonstrate their greatness.
When rich special interests get control and force a one-size-fits-all to education–at the same time robbing the school tax dollars from those who desperately need funds–then we are headed downhill.
John King’s leadership is an example of democracy going backwards. He belongs in a country like NAZI Germany or maybe one of those South American dictatorships.
Move to Texas–the only state that could stand alone as a country of itself. And yes, Texas has already been a republic. Move here and prosper.