As I mentioned in an earlier post, a New Jersey reformer came to the defense of Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf and insisted that if Al Shanker were alive today, he too would be an advocate for charters and choice just like Chris Cerf and Governor Christie.
No one knows how she came to this conclusion, since Al Shanker did not look kindly on non-union schools (90% of more of charters are non-union) and he came out in opposition to charters in 1993.
Now Mother Crusader, the parent activist in New Jersey, has introduced a new voice into this discussion: Edith Shanker, the widow of Al Shanker.
Mother Crusader–known to family and friends as Darcie Cimarusti–did some research and found a statement in which Edie Shanker (as she is known to her friends) called a foul on the reformers who were trying to use Al’s name to support charters.
As I have said again and again, each of us has the power to change the national conversation. Together we are unstoppable.
Darcie Cimarusti and Jersey Jazzman and other parent and teachers bloggers are doing that in New Jersey. They are our Paul Reveres. They are shining a light on the back room deals and exposing the hype and spin. Thanks to them for their persistence and courage.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I salute all involved in this effort.
Actually, what Shanker proposed was using a new work, “charters” to create the kind of schools that had been in operation for more than a decade in East Harlem and some other parts of NY City and some other areas. There was nothing new in what he proposed, other than the word.
He came to Minnesota in 1988 to discuss this along with Sy Fliegel from then “District 4” East Harlem.
We in Minnesota recognized the value of giving teachers, families and others, working together, a chance to create more distinctive schools, open to all. But we already had options within districts. Some of us had helped create new options within districts – this had been going on since the early 1970’s. These were sometimes messed over by the district putting in administrators who did not believe in the program, sometimes hurt by contracts that stipulated teachers had to be allowed to bump in on senior basis, regardless of whether they agreed with the school’s philosophy. These options also had to deal with changes in superintendents or school board members who might “have it in” for a “Montessori” or a “project based” or “language immersion” school.
So we proposed something different – new public non-sectarian schools, open to all, that would be approved, monitored and either allowed to continued based on progress toward goals stipulated in a contract, either by local school districts, or by some other entity, such as a state board of education, or a university or other group. And you are absolutely right that this is not what Shanker had in mind.
Shanker wanted charters to be unionized; he wanted them to address the needs of the lowest-performing students. And he never would have supported for-profit charters, because that was the reason he turned against them. When he saw the for-profit Education Alternatives Inc. take over several Baltimore schools–and they weren’t even charters–he saw the writing on the wall. And he became a staunch critic of charters from 1993 on.
Darcie and Jersey Jazzman,
I do not live in NJ but a nearby state. I read your posts every day and I want to thank you for all your research and writing. You are helping parents, teachers and students throughout our country. I want you to know you give me hope that things might get better. You also help me to focus on my students and not get discouraged. I want to thank you for all you do.
Thanks Linda – I think I speak for Darcie in saying we both really appreciate that.
The reason for this confusion about the origin of charters is probably because the current leadership of the AFT has been promoting corporate charters for ten years and trying to pass them off as originating with Shanker.
See the 2009 Mission Statement of the Broad Foundation
Click to access 101-2009.10%20annual%20report.pdf
Page 11
“Teacher unions have always been a formidable voice in public
education. We decided at the onset of our work to invest in
smart, progressive labor leaders like Randi Weingarten, head of
the United Federation of Teachers in New York City for more
than a decade and now president of the American Federation
of Teachers (AFT). We partnered with Weingarten to fund two
union-run charter schools in Brooklyn and to fund New York
City’s first incentive-based compensation program for schools,
as well as the AFT’s Innovation Fund. We had previously
helped advance pay for performance programs in Denver and
Houston, but we were particularly encouraged to see New York
City embrace the plan.”
Page 16
“The Broad Foundation invests $2 million in the
Teachers Union Reform Network (TURN), a network of
National Education Association and American Federation
of Teachers locals.”
Page 20
“In 2005 the Broad Foundation makes a $1 million grant to
the United Federation of Teachers in New York City to open
two union-run charter schools in Brooklyn, the first such
schools in the country.”
Page 21
Caption to a picture of “Randi Weingarten getting a hug from Joel Klein, then Chancellor of New York City Schools
“Left to right in picture: Eli Broad, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, New York City Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein and United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten celebrate at the announcement of the winner of the 2007 Broad Prize.”
Page 23
“With the support of the United Federation of
Teachers, the New York City Department of Education implements
a school-wide bonus program in 200 of its most
challenged schools. The Broad Foundation invests $5 million
to help fund the bonuses.”
from Gotham Schools
Eli Broad describes close ties to Klein, Weingarten, Duncan
March 11, 2009
“Broad said that his foundation has given money to the two charter schools the union president here, Randi Weingarten, opened; has trained seven or eight of the top officials in Chancellor Joel Klein’s Department of Education; and was a player in Klein and Weingarten’s merit-based pay deal.”
http://gothamschools.org/2009/03/11/eli-broad-describes-close-ties-to-klein-weingarten-duncan/