A teacher whose classroom was moved lost supplies but found a silver lining. (Inside Colocation 1, 2)
A student-made food mag out of a Chicago public school has gotten food critics’ attention. (Reader)
A new blog by an anonymous teacher cites problems with accounting and bed bugs. (Exasperated)
Schools are increasingly choosing tablets over laptops for students’ use. (U.S. News)
One report has Suri Cruise enrolling this fall at Avenues, the new for-profit private school. (Life & Style)
Randi Weingarten says (again) that her union is ready to collaborate with reformers. (Reuters)
Here’s another take on the emerging market for Common Core-aligned texts and products. (SchoolBook)
Pogue
Bloomberg private jet-sharing, Joel Klein-hugging, Bill Gates keynote speaker invited, Union sell-out Randi Weingarten should really resign.
She is so out of touch with the public school teachers of this nation, it’s appalling.
Education is not in critical condition, nor in any need of privatization. Take poverty out of the equation and we are one of the top academic nations in the world.
I expect a push for collaboration from Duncan, Broad, Emanuel, Gates, and Rhee, not from the leader of the AFT.
Shameful.
Pogue
And, where was this “collaboration” talk during the recent AFT convention in Detroit?
What timing!
Sold Out
Weingarten sold out the UFT when she was in NYC now she is leading the charge to sell out every single unionized public school teacher in America. I seriously want to rip up my AFT union card. I wish that I could stop paying my union dues to them as they do not represent my beliefs or the majority rank and file teachers who are fighting day in and day out against the ed-deformers.
ms. v.
That Inside Colocation tumblr is worth reading start to finish. I hope people at the DOE read it… it does a nice job showing the impact a poorly thought out colocation has on working conditions for students and teachers alike.
PSprinkle
Glad to see Randi Weingarten is willing to collaborate with reformers. There is an emerging consensus on what needs to happen in education. The AFT/NEA are finally recognizing that we must be able to measure success, hold teachers accountable, and create an incentive structure which encourages the best teachers to stay in the profession through performance pay, blended models which encourage teachers to stay in the classroom, but also provide leadership opportunities, etc.
Sold Out
Just curious PSrinkle: Are you an actual teacher? I do not know a single teacher who agrees with your ideas.
PSprinkle
Yes! I am a 4th year teacher at a DOE school in the Bronx and was recently elected UFT chapter leader.
In a country of 3.7 million teachers, we are a very diverse group ranging from those who would like to maintain the status quo (a small number) and those on the other end who want a system of vouchers and charters (a equally small number)
The vast majority, like myself, are somewhere in between
Pogue
Congratulations, PSprinkle you’ve hit all the reform talking points…
measure success
hold teachers accountable
create an incentive
best teachers
performance pay
status quo
leadership opportunities
Please pass teaching and go on to educational leader and policy opportunities. Evan and Sydney are waiting for you.
burned
S/he’s a 4th yr teacher, S.O. Performance (aka merit) pay attracts her/him because s/he’s earning starvation wages. Until new teachers earn enough to live decently and fully in NYC, performance pay will attract them. Why should they care for union solidarity? New teachers cannot see how it has helped them. As for accountability, wait until the Value Added Model deals him/her a lousy hand personally. But pay attention: this is a personal example of why the UFT is as lame as it is: lots of sprinkles.
Really Fed Up
In a nutshell, last week an article emerged as Chancellor Walcott finally admitted that the city was placing “needy” students into large comprehensive high schools at a much higher rate than the “small schools” created.
Enough said!!!
How in the world can teachers at the schools that are closing be held accountable when the city SET THESE SCHOOLS UP, THEN ADMITTED IT? Why is there no REAL press on this? I can’t believe it’s so blatant, right out there like ……… yeah, we did that, and????
This is why the city gets away with anything. They are right there saying, go ahead, do something. AND no one does, we watch and complain on here
Anonymous
PSprinkle,
Please read Diane Ravitch’s book, the Death and Life of the Great American School System.
Don’t know who wants status quo; anti-deformists want an end to stupidity, ignorance, arrogance and malice
Guest
she got 98 percent of the vote
its the ny union that is out of touch
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