Week in Review – October 13, 2017
ABC FEDERATION OF TEACHERS THIS WEEK...
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
I want to take a pause...
This is perhaps the one of the most stressful environments any of us have experienced as educators and health care professionals. It seems like every week there is local, state and national tragedy or situation that impacts us and all of our students. Every American is impacted by this elevated stress. We have members and students that have been directly impacted by the fires or the tragedy in Las Vegas and our collective hearts go out to them. Now more than ever is when we collectively need to join together as a community. ABCFT is more than a union of bread and butter issues, we are together a community. Membership coordinator Tanya Golden and I visited Tetzlaff Middle School and Gonsalves Elementary this week and we started to think about all the relationships that are interconnected throughout the district. These relationships are formed by having common bonds, interests, and in the union's case it is about being a part of something bigger than ourselves and a shared vision.
First off, I would like to thank all of those who have written, called, or spoken to me about the value many are getting from reading the Friday Week in Review report by ABCFT. It is my hope that by doing a weekly update and finding other ways to connect with all members that each member will grow to feel that they have a better understanding of national, state, and local educational issues that have a direct or indirect impact on the ABC District. Furthermore, I see the Week in Review as a way to connect to each other because We are all the Union and collectively we each have important perspectives to offer each other.
But why is ABCFT is doing the Week in Review emails now? This a good question and has many answers but the desire to get more information to the membership has always been the drive. I’ll be the first to admit that becoming a new local union president is like being a new teacher who I was given the keys to the classroom and told to go teach. It’s overwhelming , a journey and a trial by fire. Just like teaching, it takes about five years to get to the point where you feel like you are competent. Last February, amidst a downpour of changes at the Union office and a philosophical battle with CFT I had my moment of clarity. As a Vice President of the California Federation of Teachers, ABCFT has a mighty voice at the table. Moreover, at the national level I am part of the Program and Policy Committee for the American Federation of Teachers and ABCFT impacts unions nationally. BUT our voice can be stronger locally. To build that voice we need to build capacity and understanding local needs.
What emerged from the transitional events of last February was the realization that ABCFT could increase its capacity, purpose, and a determination to empower members. The ABC Federation of Teachers is not just a faceless organization, but a professional, collaborative, knowledgeable, learning unit filled with passionate teachers and nurses who believe in being part of something larger than themselves. Empowerment is our collective right. It’s what we do for our students every day in our classrooms and we need to own it.
In the future we will be showcasing more ways for members to get to know each other and we will continue to produce the Week in Review to continue to build a common understanding among members. I look forward to seeing you at one of our visits soon.
Have a great weekend and we will see you back here next week.
In Unity!
Ray Gaer
ABCFT President
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(ABC Federation of Teachers)
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AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Statement of AFT President Randi Weingarten on President Trump’s
Executive Order to Undermine Protections for Americans’ Health Insurance Coverage
Under the Affordable Care Act
‘Donald Trump owns the unwinding of the Affordable Care Act.’
WASHINGTON—President Trump today signed an executive order to overhaul federal health regulations, which he said would lead to the full repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The order will result in fewer protections for the most vulnerable Americans, such as those with pre-existing conditions, and will encourage sham, loosely regulated health insurance plans that won’t provide adequate benefits. Ultimately, this could lead to the collapse of individual health insurance markets through which millions of Americans obtain coverage.
AFT President Randi Weingarten released the following statement:
“Donald Trump owns the unwinding of the Affordable Care Act. He is ignoring the rule of law, refusing to compromise, and doing an end-run around Congress in order to strip people of their healthcare. Millions of Americans will be worse off because of his actions.
“This is an ongoing pattern of the Trump administration’s callous sabotage of Obamacare, and it will cause real harm to American families, leading to increased premiums and loss of coverage for those most in need of healthcare and flooding markets with cheap, limited ‘junk’ insurance.”
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
NATIONAL NEWS
Scrapping AP exam data is mistaken
In an opinion piece, Matthew Randazzo , of the National Math and Science Initiative, says the Department of Education’s proposal to stop the collection of Advanced Placement exam performance data from U.S. schools is wrong, as “this is the very time we should be expanding access to data and increasing transparency, not limiting its collection, analysis and action.” He says: “Among other things, the AP testing data help identify STEM deserts. These areas fail to offer rigorous math and science classes that provide students with knowledge, skills and dispositions to reach their full potential and thrive in the 21st century economy.”
Trump makes DACA demands
The Trump administration has called on Congress to deliver funding for the border wall and to make dramatic changes to immigration policy in exchange for letting young people brought illegally to the U.S. as children stay in the country. Its principles are meant as the framework for a legislative reworking of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that President Trump terminated in September with a six-month consultation period to allow for congressional action. “These findings outline reforms that must be included as part of any legislation addressing the status of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients,” Trump said. “Without these reforms, illegal immigration and chain migration, which severely and unfairly burden American workers and taxpayers, will continue without end.” In response, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and house minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said: “We told the president that we were open to reasonable border security measures alongside the DREAM Act, but this list goes so far beyond what is reasonable – this proposal fails to represent any attempt at compromise.”
There are still 3 times as many Hispanic students as teachers
According to data released by the Urban Institute, Hispanic students make up about one-quarter of all K-12 students - but under 10% of all teachers, by far the largest gap of any ethnic group. “Hispanic students make up a growing share of the student body, but the supply of Hispanic teachers has not kept up,” the researchers write. “In fact, the share of Hispanic students has grown so much that even if Hispanic adults became teachers at the same rate as white adults, there would still be a gap.” In order for America’s teaching demographics to more closely resemble its student population, the institute says that “by expanding the pool of college graduates, we expand the pool of potential teachers. The pipeline to a teaching career starts well before college graduation.”
STATE NEWS
California schools benefitting from reformed funding system
In an opinion piece, Tom Torlakson, California’s superintendent of public instruction, and Michael Kirst, president of theCalifornia Board of Education, say that the state is making major improvements in public education to ensure that all its 6.2m students have the support they need to be successful in college, careers, and life. These changes include a new, equity-focused funding system; a new school accountability system that has dramatically improved data transparency, making disparities impossible to ignore; new, challenging K-12 learning standards; and a new state-of-the-art online testing system. California, they say, is already seeing promising signs of improved student outcomes with high school graduation rates at a historic high, and gaps between the graduation rates of student groups narrowing.
Over half of students miss English standard
According to the California Department of Education, just over half of the state’s students failed to meet English standards based on spring 2017 standardized test results released last week, a performance that remained essentially flat compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, students performed even worse on math tests, with nearly two-thirds falling short. It is the third year that students took a new, computer-based test that adheres to Common Core State Standards, a national education approach intended to promote critical-thinking and problem-solving skills over memorization. “I’m pleased we retained our gains, but we have much work to do,” said Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of public instruction. “We need to work diligently to narrow achievement gaps and make sure students continue to make progress.”
Exit exam scrapped
California has permanently scrapped the High School Exit Examination under legislation signed by Governor Jerry Brown this week. The exam was suspended in 2015, after state officials said it wasn’t aligned with recently adopted Common Core education standards. The suspension, approved later that year, allowed some 32,000 students who failed to pass the test as far back as 2004 to receive diplomas, as long as they had completed their other coursework. “We believe that it accomplished its mission, and now that the state has moved on to new standards with higher standards,” said Keric Ashley, the deputy state superintendent of public instruction, in April. “And now the emphasis is to make students college and career ready. And we have an assessment to match that.”
DISTRICTS
New superintendent ‘will be from outside the district’
Montebello USD is poised to pick its new superintendent from outside the district. According to a district official with knowledge of the board’s decision, neither of the final two candidates currently work for MUSD. In a recent interview, teachers union president Doug Patzkowski said he hoped whoever filled the role “doesn’t have any connections to the political process that’s been going on in this district up until now.”
CHARTER
Charter chain fined £2m
The California Department of Education has issued a critical audit of the online charter-school chain California Virtual Academies, finding several contractual violations and irregularities, and has imposed a $1,995,148 fine. Auditors found that the group overpaid supervisory fees to the school districts that chartered its schools - amounting to $1.2m in the two years it reviewed. The investigators also flagged $2m in improper accounting of Common Core funds in 2014-15. The state’s largest teachers union welcomed the audit. “It just reaffirms why we need to have more transparency and accountability over charters,” said Eric C. Heins, president of the California Teachers Association.
OTHER
Malala attends first Oxford lecture
Education campaigner Malala Yousafzai, who as a schoolgirl in Pakistan was shot in the head by militants after writing about life under Taliban rule, has attended her first lecture at Oxford University. The 20-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner tweeted to mark her first day at Lady Margaret Hall college, saying: “Five years ago, I was shot in an attempt to stop me from speaking out for girls' education. Today, I attend my first lectures at Oxford.”
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