Democracy, Schools, and Teachers' Unions

Choosing Democracy: Democracy, Schools, and Teachers' Unions: Leo Casey  Over the course of the last 12 weeks, I have been thinking about  our conversations here  on democracy, schools, and teache...

Ethnic Studies to be required in San Francisco Unified

antiracismdsa: Ethnic Studies to be required in San Francisco: Ethnic Studies Victory! San Francisco Unified, 3rd District in CA Making it a Graduation Requirement T he San Francisco Unified School ...

The great uninformed- When policy wonks and editor...

Choosing Democracy: The great uninformed- When policy wonks and editor...: Headlines and articles in recent press reports raise an alarm about low voter turnout while ignoring some of the most obvious causes. ...

Bill Bigelow: In November in Boston, thousands ...

Choosing Democracy: Bill Bigelow: 
In November  in Boston, thousands ...: Bill Bigelow:  In November  in Boston, thousands of teachers will gather for the annual National Council for the Social Studies (N...

Dr. Martin Luther King- Race Riots and The Other ...

antiracismdsa: Dr. Martin Luther King- Race Riots and The Other ...: " The Other America " - Speech by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Grosse Pointe High School - March 14, 1968 ] Rev. Dr. Har...

Choosing Democracy: Thanksgiving- a troubled legacy

Choosing Democracy: Thanksgiving- a troubled legacy: by Tim Weed, In 1620, searching for a place to practice their dissident religion in peace, a small group of English separatists sai...

Ethnic Studies in SFUSD Schools.

BE A PART OF HISTORY & SUPPORT THE RESOLUTION OF ETHNIC STUDIES IN ALL SFUSD SCHOOLS!!!

Time to pack the building folks!

WHERE: 555 Franklin Street San Francisco

WHEN: Tuesday, December 9, 2014

TIME: 5:00pm (Rally), 6:00pm (Meeting)

PLEASE WEAR RED! Bring your best signs/banners of support!

We urge the Board of Education to support the resolution for Institutionalizing Ethnic Studies in SFUSD when they come to a vote on Tuesday, December 9, 2014.

In 2010, SFUSD passed a resolution to support the development of a 9^th grade Ethnic Studies course, which was implemented in 5 schools throughout the district. Only 5 of the 18 high schools in the district offer students the opportunity to take an A-G approved Ethnic Studies course. Today, students, teachers, parents, and community organizations are coming together once again to institutionalize Ethnic Studies in ALL SFUSD Schools. Through the examination of counterstories and often times neglected narratives of all people, students learn to humanize and respect themselves, their families, and their communities.  Students will think critically about race, ethnicity, and culture in the context of their own identities and their lived experiences. With a curricular content and pedagogy informed by the need for social justice and equity, the Ethnic Studies course provides students with the critical lens necessary to analyze oppression and engage in transformational resistance through learning service projects.  These projects require students to collectively address issues in their own lives and make positive change in their communities.

In solidarity,

San Francisco Ethnic Studies Collective

OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT:

1) Sign our  online Petition!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/409/890/407/ethnic-studies-in-all-san-francisco-unified-school-district-schools/

2) Write a letter of support to the School Board and email it to them and us by December 5, 2014 (Friday)

CURMUDGUCATION: Green Dot Offers View of Alternate Universe

CURMUDGUCATION: Green Dot Offers View of Alternate Universe: Say hello to Marco Petruzzi, CEO of Green Dot Public Schools. Today he made his first blog entry at Green Dot's Website of Bloggy Goodne...

Democracy and school reform win

Choosing Democracy: Democracy and school reform win: Torlakson victory  Ed. This of us who fought this fight for Torlakson and against the neoliberals, know this.  But, here is a national ...

Choosing Democracy: Big Money Taking Over Education Politics

Choosing Democracy: Big Money Taking Over Education Politics: By Jeff Bryant, Education Opportunity Network. Big Money Floods A California Superintendent Race Education historian and public scho...

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Hedge Fund Robber Baron funding Marshall Tuck

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Hedge Fund Robber Baron funding Marshall Tuck: Funder.   $300,000 from John D. Arnold, a former Enron trader and funder of efforts to persuade governments to  cut public employee pensi...



Meet the guy who steals workers pensions and is one of the Millionaires  funding   Marshall Tuck's campaign.

Late Attack on Torlakson Twists Facts to Cover Tuck's Failures - Tom Torlakson for State Superintendent of Public Instruction 2014

Late Attack on Torlakson Twists Facts to Cover Tuck's Failures - Tom Torlakson for State Superintendent of Public Instruction 2014

Why I Support Tom Torlakson for School Superintendent

I, and the Sacramento Progressive Alliance supports the re-election of Tom Torlakson for  California Superintendent of Public Instruction.

If you believe in public education, if you think preparing students to live and work in a democracy is an important role for state government- then this election is important.  The election will set the direction of school improvement for the next four years.

You and I have a choice.  It is not a perfect choice, but the options are stark. We can continue with the current improvements in k-12 education (Torlakson), or we can move the state down the road of test driven, corporate neoliberal model of schooling (Tuck).  Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kansas, Louisiana, Texas, are following this route- and their schools are failing.

Current scores on achievement tests for California students are too low.  This is primarily a result of California’s underinvestment in children, its lack of support for children in poverty, and California’s low investment in  k-12 schools for the last thirty years.

We can not improve the schools without improving funding for schools and support for children living in poverty.  That argument being made by Marshall Tuck is a fraud.

We Need the Representative Democracies of Unions i...

Choosing Democracy: We Need the Representative Democracies of Unions i...:  October 16, 2014 Leo Casey of the Albert Shanker Institute replies to Deborah Meier again today. Deb:  To practice genuine democ...

]Corporate Titans throw Millions into Tuck Campaign...

Choosing Democracy: Corporate Titans throw Millions into Tuck Campaign...: Corporate school   “reformers” have raised over $4 million from the very rich during the last week to contribute to the campaign to elec...

Tuck raises more $ than Torlakson in School Chief'...

Choosing Democracy: Tuck raises more $ than Torlakson in School Chief'...:   Tom Torlakson  As of October 1, Charter School Business manager Marshall Tuck has outpaced incumbent Tom Torlakson in raising fund...

Choosing Democracy: Profits for Corporate School "Reformers"

Choosing Democracy: Profits for Corporate School "Reformers": ROCKETSHIP TO PROFITS Silicon Valley breeds corporate reformers with national reach By David Bacon Rethinking Schools, Fall 2014 http...

What It Takes to Unite Teachers Unions and Communi...

Choosing Democracy: What It Takes to Unite Teachers Unions and Communi...: What It Takes to Unite Teachers Unions and Communities of Color | The Nation

Colorado Students Protest Censorship in Curriculum...

Choosing Democracy: Colorado Students Protest Censorship in Curriculum...: By CAITLIN MACNEAL Published SEPTEMBER 30, 2014, 12:06 PM EDT Talking Points Memo. Jefferson County, Colo., closed two high schools ...

Call Governor Brown- Support English Learners

Choosing Democracy: Call Governor Brown- Support English Learners:   What's the issue? SB 1174 (Lara) repeals current law requiring English Only placement for English Learners while still maintaini...

Teacher Unions appeal Vergara decision on teacher ...

Choosing Democracy: Teacher Unions appeal Vergara decision on teacher ...: Contrary to the advocacy of the Sacramento Bee: Governor Jerry Brown, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris file to appeal  court decision. ...

Choosing Democracy: Back to School, and to Widening Inequality

Choosing Democracy: Back to School, and to Widening Inequality:  Robert Reich   American kids are getting ready to head back to school. But the schools they’re heading back to differ dramatically by f...

Choosing Democracy: Another Opportunity Missed - Civic Education Polic...

Choosing Democracy: Another Opportunity Missed - Civic Education Polic...: California education policy makers have once again written and published a nice looking report on school curriculum – this one on the need ...

Choosing Democracy: "Better than the Republicans", Not Good Enough

Choosing Democracy: "Better than the Republicans", Not Good Enough: by Jeff Bryant, A common admonition progressives have gotten used to hearing over the years is to support more conservative Democratic c...

Choosing Democracy: Breton repeats deeply flawed Vergara claims

Choosing Democracy: Breton repeats deeply flawed Vergara claims: Sacramento Bee opinion columnist Marco Breton published a piece on Sunday,   July 6, noting that Progress ( on race relations) has been ...

Choosing Democracy: Let Teachers Teach, Stop Toxic Testing

Choosing Democracy: Let Teachers Teach, Stop Toxic Testing: by Félix Pérez By one estimate, nearly one-third of school time is now spent preparing students to take standardized tests, administerin...

Choosing Democracy: When Teachers are left out of Common Core

Choosing Democracy: When Teachers are left out of Common Core: by Jeff Bryant This act is wearing thin. As  implementations of Common Core State Standards falter  around the country, supporters of t...

We Won't Give Up- Attacks on Teachers

Choosing Democracy: We Won't Give Up- Attacks on Teachers: National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel is angry at people who would treat our children as commodities in order to yie...

Vergara v. State of California Decision

Vergara v. State of California is a meritless lawsuit brought by Students Matter, an organization created by Silicon Valley multimillionaire David Welch and a private public relations firm for the sole purpose of filing this suit. Students Matter is supported by Michelle Rhee and Students First, Parent Revolution Executive Director Ben Austin, Billionaire and school privatizer Eli Broad, former lawmaker Gloria Romero, and other corporate education reformers with an interest in privatizing public education and attacking teachers’ unions. The suit challenges California statutes governing due process in teacher dismissals, using experience as a criteria during school layoffs, and the two-year probationary period for teachers. The suit wrongly alleges those laws are unconstitutional and hurt students. The defendant in the suit is the State of California. CTA and the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) intervened in the case to ensure all stakeholders have input in educational policy decisions and to protect the rights of educators. 

Simply put, this lawsuit highlights the wrong problems, proposes the wrong solutions, and follows the wrong process. This is yet another attempt by the usual corporate special interests to undermine the teaching profession and push their agenda on California public schools and students. Circumventing the legislative process to strip teachers of their due process rights will not improve student learning, will make it harder to attract and retain quality teachers in our classrooms, and ignores all the research that shows experience is a key factor in effective teaching. This is a blatant effort to legislate from the bench, keeping parents and educators out of education policy decisions.  

Choosing Democracy: What the media avoids about the Vergara decision

Choosing Democracy: What the media avoids about the Vergara decision: Diane Ravitch. http://dianeravitch.net/2014/06/11/were-the-vergara-trial-teachers-grossly-ineffective-no/

Vote for Torlakson - Important to vote on Tues.

 Vote for Torlakson - Important to vote on Tues.: In the June 3  contest to lead the state's public schools, the two front-runners represent opposing forces within education over how...

Vote for Torlakson - Important to vote on Tues.

 Vote for Torlakson - Important to vote on Tues.: In the June 3  contest to lead the state's public schools, the two front-runners represent opposing forces within education over how...

Bill Gates and the Push to Privatize Public Education » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

Bill Gates and the Push to Privatize Public Education » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

Chicago Teachers Union joins opposition to Common ...

Choosing Democracy: Chicago Teachers Union joins opposition to Common ...: by   ctu communications   |  05/07/2014 CHICAGO –  Today, members of the House of Delegates (HOD) of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU...

Why Classroom Experience Matters » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

Why Classroom Experience Matters » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

Protecting Classrooms From Corporate Takeover: What Families Can Learn from Teachers’ Unions by Amy B. Dean — YES! Magazine

Protecting Classrooms From Corporate Takeover: What Families Can Learn from Teachers’ Unions by Amy B. Dean — YES! Magazine

Something Else- Not School Reform

Choosing Democracy: Something Else- Not School Reform: When politicians and the corporate advocates (lobbyists) choose one set of policies over another, they make important decisions. When they s...

Choosing Democracy: For democratic participation in critical public sc...

Choosing Democracy: For democratic participation in critical public sc...: Funding of California’s k-12 public education system is changing fundamentally.   Some schools will get much more money to educate kids - ...

Choosing Democracy: Charter School Showdown

Choosing Democracy: Charter School Showdown

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Files Suit in Alleged For-Profit College Predatory Scheme | State of California - Department of Justice - Kamala D. Harris Attorney General

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Files Suit in Alleged For-Profit College Predatory Scheme | State of California - Department of Justice - Kamala D. Harris Attorney General

Oct.2013.

Choosing Democracy: Say Goodbye to Public Schools ? Diane Ravitch

Choosing Democracy: Say Goodbye to Public Schools ? Diane Ravitch: Say Goodbye to Public Schools: Diane Ravitch Warns Salon Some Cities Will Soon Have None Josh Edelson   Wednesday, March 12,...

Vergara v. California's Corporate Heart | California Progress Report

Vergara v. California's Corporate Heart | California Progress Report

Infographic: Why Corporations Want Our Public Schools by YES! Editors — YES! Magazine

Infographic: Why Corporations Want Our Public Schools by YES! Editors — YES! Magazine

Raza Educators Conference - Sacramento

And many more workshops. 

Choosing Democracy: The Computer Canard and Testing in California Scho...

Choosing Democracy: The Computer Canard and Testing in California Scho...: Many California school districts are rushing to spend money to add computers and internet access to schools in order to prepare students t...

When the Pundits Misrepresent Public School Issues...

Choosing Democracy: When the Pundits Misrepresent Public School Issues...: By Jeff Bryant Government funding for public schools has been cut so dramatically that now most states are funding schools less than be...

StudentsFirst forming small donor campaign fund for local, state elections

StudentsFirst forming small donor campaign fund for local, state elections

Choosing Democracy: Whatever happened to NCLB ?

Choosing Democracy: Whatever happened to NCLB ?:  NCLB reaches 12 years.   Is it still an operative law? Under   the No Child Left Behind   law (Public Law 107-110, 2001) 100 % of   stu...

Someone sues the schools to abolish teacher tenure...

Choosing Democracy: Someone sues the schools to abolish teacher tenure...: By Duane Campbell Julie Watson of The Associated Press reports today in the Sacramento Bee that   nine public school students are suing ...

Choosing Democracy: Why Education Reform Fails

Choosing Democracy: Why Education Reform Fails: Jack Rothman. Co-authored by Amy Rothman, psychotherapist and mediator in Los Angeles   American education just received another bea...

State Board of Education approves funding rules

Choosing Democracy: State Board of Education approves funding rules: The California Board of Education on Jan.16, approved the funding formula presented  by Gov. Jerry Brown and approved by legislators last ...

Choosing Democracy: Public School Reform ?

Choosing Democracy: Public School Reform ?: Seth Sandronsky Take the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. Add its heir, the Race to the Top Fund (RTT-TF), part of the Ame...

California budgets and schools

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Choosing Democracy: Pre-K for all California Children- Proposal

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Choosing Democracy: Education Reform - Now What ?

Choosing Democracy: Education Reform - Now What ?: Jeff Bryant All the reviews of last year’s top education news stories are out and the consensus view is 2013 was a “pivotal year” for t...