Rochester’s teachers are not to blame for the city’s current economic problems, said Randi Weingarten this morning during a stop at the Children’s School of Rochester. Weingarten is president of the American Federation of Teachers, which at 1.5 million members, is one of the largest organized labor groups in the country.
Weingarten arrived in Rochester yesterday to give a talk to area teachers and community leaders. And she’s touring some city schools today.
“Teachers are being blamed for Rochester being the fifth poorest city in the country,” she said. “Instead of blaming and scapegoating teachers, we need to support them. I’m hoping the new mayor [Lovely Warren] and the school board recognize this and will be more supportive.”
Regarding immediate problems facing the area’s teachers, Weingarten said that New York lawmakers and state education officials should do a better job preparing teachers to implement the new Common Core curriculum.
Taking a broader view, Weingarten said that current education reform efforts are failing.
“Stop with the fixation on testing and fixate on the whole child,” she said.
Weingarten has spent considerable time visiting countries where students appear to be outperforming US students. The most important lessons from their success: improving teacher preparation, valuing education and learning, and focusing on equity, she said.
When the scores of urban schools are subtracted from some of the international tests used to evaluate student proficiency levels, students in the US have scored the same for the last decade. Weingarten said this shows that the problems in US education have more to do with extreme social-economic imbalances that education reform has failed to address.
Most of the countries she’s visited don’t use testing to evaluate teachers, she said; they prepare teachers thoroughly before leaving them alone in a classroom. The American Federation of Teachers advocates raising teacher education standards, she said, by adapting an education model that resembles medical school with teachers having to pass a longer clinical internship.
Weingarten is critical of the current education reform measures, which she said emphasize austerity, de-professionalizing teaching, and privatization of public schools.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 4, 2014.
The education “problem” is part of a whole raft of social problems that are the result of a social system that has proven to not work. Listen to Prof. Wolff of the New School: “it is the system, the SYSTEM”!
We have had a charade-like public “debate” for decades. Our schools are apartheid schools, our “free press” is owned by big corporations; politicians: the republicrats are bought and sold, lobbyests go in and out of the government through a revolving door……yadda yadda yadda.
More and more Americans are refining the litany thanks to websites like Commondreams and Truthdig…..(I can hear loinies who buy the party line say: “hah! Islamist terrorists! We must clamp down on the critics to preserve the freedom of our great exceptional, peace-loving nation.)
This citizen journalist reads and so, if the public needs help in parsing the language of our rhetorical president, I suggest that you read Norman Solomon’s recent essay on constitutional law professor Obama.
Point by point Mr. Solomon shows that our president has been the bone that was thrown to the people to stall them so that the agenda that 911 enabled our leaders to pursue their corporate inspired agenda.
So, please do not scapegoat the Muslims or the teachers, welfare cheats, aliens. I do not want to hear the same lamebrain dialogue about how hopeless it is to fix the schools. The matrix of the problem resides at the top of our food chain. Pay attention, follow the money, see under which cup you will find the pea: “it is the system! The SYSTEM!”
Let’s has no more moving of the chairs on the Titanic. We know that the money “thrown” at the schools, “wasted”, was the cost of doing business. NOTHING will bring about the good results caring adults want for OUR children except a radical overhall, not bandaids and blame.
The man’s name is Norman Solomon. His critique of the president’s speech can be found on Commondreams.org. Do you homework. It is good for you.
Sincerely yours,
Salvatore Liotta
M.S. Ed. English/Special Education
Almost ABD U.B./U. of R.
Retired Buffalo special education teacher
I am so sick-and-tired-of-being-sick-and-tired of educational / political-bomb-throwing-gun-slingers (such as Randi Weingarten) blowing into town, and making grandiosely-rhetorical statements, and then they’re off to their next political-stop.
I challenge Weingarten, anyone else in AFT and/or any of their affiliates to point out a single statement in which someone has “blamed teachers for Rochester being the fifth poorest city in the country,” In light of such careless, irresponsible foolishness — how can this woman possibly expect to be taken seriously, especially by the vast majority of Rochester City School District parents and families? That probably doesn’t matter to her. More than likely, she was really in town on a mission — to drop what some might consider interesting, but really libelous, sound bites, and to make a direct, local connection relative to ongoing, political posturing on the part of AFT, and its affiliates.
AFT affiliates are well known for touting the idea that, with regard to the desperate need to significantly improve urban education, we ALL need to stop engaging in the blame game. Yet, with regard to being “supportive” of teachers — in the article at the link below — in two very short paragraphs — Weingarten manages to point fingers at “the new mayor [Lovely Warren], the school board, New York lawmakers, and state education officials.” To say that this is a clear, classic example of hypocrisy at the highest level — represents a gross understatement.
As it relates to that which City Newspaper reporter Tim Macaluso made a quantum-leap, and characterized as “a broader view,” i.e., the idea that “Weingarten said that current education reform efforts are failing” — is shallow and incomplete (to say the least). What Macaluso and Weingarten didn’t say is that the failure of so-called urban “education reform” is nothing new (not by a long shot). That is, so-called “reform” efforts — many of which Weingarten, the AFT, and their local, state, and regional affiliates spear-headed, and helped lead — have been underway for at least three (3) to four (4) decades, and have, by all measures, failed miserably, which is what created the huge void that Big-Business (corporate “reformers”) have stepped into.
With regard to Weingarten’s declaration that we need to “stop with the fixation on testing and fixate on the whole child” — that’s old, old, worn-out, tired, meaningless rhetoric (pure and simple). What WE really need to do is stop pontificating, and spell out very clearly what WE mean when WE talk about “fixating on the whole child,” i.e., how (specifically) does this mysterious, mystical process of “fixating on the whole child” look, and who (specifically) should be the craft-persons and implementers of this, and when (specifically) will the process begin? No more empty rhetoric, noise, pontificating, and/or posturing. It is crystal clear that WE need a real, deadly-serious, authentic, education reform MOVEMENT. Either AFT is going to help build one, or they’re not — period.
As I noted earlier, in some cases, what Weingarten said, and./ or what Macaluso chose to write is not nearly as important as what was not said, and/or written. In this regard, the two-sentence paragraph below is an outstanding example. PLEASE PAY VERY, VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE PARAGRAPH:
“When the scores of urban schools are subtracted from some of the international tests used to evaluate student proficiency levels, students in the US have scored the same for the last decade. Weingarten said this shows that the problems in US education have more to do with extreme social-economic imbalances that education reform has failed to address.”
I want to make sure that WE ALL understand the clear implications of the first sentence in the latter-quoted paragraph. Thus I have rewritten it, and injected a couple of critical factors, which were omitted: “When the scores of [predominantly black and brown] urban schools, [across the thoroughly racist U.S. of A. — in every direction — North, East, South, and West] are subtracted from some of the international tests used to evaluate student proficiency levels, [overwhelmingly, predominantly white, middle and upper class] students in the [thoroughly racist] US [in every direction — North, East, South, and West] have scored the same for the last decade.” WHAT DOES THIS REALITY INFORM US TO DO? With regard to the second sentence in the paragraph, Weingarten is correct, i.e., ” this shows that the problems in US education have more to do with extreme social-economic imbalances that education reform has failed to address.” However, what she either did not say, and / or Macaluso failed to write — is again, that this is nothing new. In fact, so-called “education reform” has NEVER successfully or effectively addressed the very old, historic, “extreme social-economic imbalances” — the latter of which are literally as old as the public education system itself. So for Ms. Weingarten to present this — as if it is some kind of new phenomenon — is disingenuous to say the least, and plain insensitive, irresponsible, intentionally cunning, and deceptive at worst.
If the “American Federation of Teachers advocates raising teacher education standards, by adapting an education model that resembles medical school with teachers having to pass a longer clinical internship” — then why did they get in cahoots with the same “corporate reformers” and state officials, whom they are now criticizing — relative to agreement to implement so-called Common Core Standards? Was the idea that, if things didn’t work out the way AFT, Weingarten, and company wanted — they would apparently and obviously back out of the deal? An even more critically important question is why did they enter into a deal in the first place? If they have a position on reform, as she claims, then why did they not stand their ground, and reject that which was clearly, and obviously a wrong and backwards direction — right from the very start? Had they done so, they would have been more believable now, and would have more credibility.
“Weingarten is [not just now discovering that] current education reform measures emphasize austerity, de-professionalizing teaching, and privatization of public schools.” That is old news. She, and everyone else who has been paying attention, knew that — right from the start. It’s not as if the corporate “reformers,” and their political / governmental lackeys changed stripes along the way. On the contrary, they have been crystal-clear about their direction, interests, and intentions — from the very beginning, which of course revolves mainly around profit. Apparently, Weingarten and company miscalculated. Apparently, they thought that (like in the past) the profits would be extracted solely from the hides of urban students and families. Apparently, they never imagined that many of their own members would be required to give up a few pounds of flesh.
The bottom line is that Weingarten and AFT have come to the final fork in the road. It has become clear that they will no longer be able to play both dichotomous-ends against the middle. They are going to have to decide which of the two roads they will take, i.e. whether or not they are finally going to enter into authentic, cooperative, truly collaborative partnership with all stake-holders, and especially with those who are most directly, and most negatively impacted — in an ongoing process of building a real, principled, legitimate education reform movement — period. No more flem-flam; no more snake-oil. The con-game is up.
What a backstabbing phony. If teachers think that their unions are not part of the APPR/ common core/ charter school boom power hungry crooks – you are sadly mistaken. She was on board with this APPR nonsense- the bill gates (take over the world) foundation gave the ATF MILLIONS of cash. Why would the union make deals with the devil? Throwing rocks (boulders) and then hiding your hand. She wants teachers to believe her rhetorical lies. The whole system is a sham. Making it worse by taking dues from hard working teachers. Ms weingarten I’m not buying what you’re selling. Dear.