Today we depart momentarily from our regular reporting on legislative doings in Austin and Washington, D.C., for an important announcement from the American Federation of Teachers: Education is both a profession and a calling. But just because the work is rewarding doesn’t mean it isn’t challenging too. We know very little about the impact of work on the health and...
Read MoreA bipartisan proposal by leading members of the U.S. Senate could spell the beginning of the end for test-and-punish federal education policy and federalized, test-driven evaluation programs pursued by the U.S. Department of Education. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) and Sen. Patti Murray (D-Washington)—the chair and ranking member of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over education—have jointly drafted a bill that...
Read MoreThe American Federation of Teachers has responded to proposed federal regulations on accountability for teacher-preparation programs with a blistering critique that reproaches U.S. education officials for taking an “irresponsible” approach to the evaluation of teacher preparation. Today is the deadline for commenting on the proposal, and some 2,300 largely critical comments already have been submitted. AFT President Randi Weingarten, in...
Read MoreApplication deadlines for four valuable scholarship opportunities are approaching soon. The Robert G. Porter Scholars Program of the American Federation of Teachers annually offers two kinds of opportunities: (1) four 4-year, $8,000 post-secondary scholarships to students who are dependents of AFT members; and (2) 10 one-time $1,000 grants to AFT members to assist with their continuing education. The deadline for...
Read MoreAmy Hightower, editor of the American Educator at AFT, provides an inviting preview of the new issue of AFT’s professional magazine for educators, hot off the presses: Former AFT President Albert Shanker originally conceived of charter schools as places for enhancing teacher innovation and educating students from diverse backgrounds. But many charter schools today fall short of this vision by limiting teacher...
Read MoreAFT President Randi Weingarten used her November 16 “What Matters Most” column to lay out some home truths about the U.S. economy and the rising importance of career and technical education to help Americans get ahead. We reprint her column on “The Promise of Career and Technical Education” here: On the surface, the latest jobs report from the Department of Labor is...
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Texas AFT issued a press release today marking the occasion of “Safe Schools Week” with a call for Ebola training and preparedness. Here is the text of today’s release: October 19-25 is Safe Schools Week—an initiative of the Texas Education Agency and the Texas School Safety Center to “to develop robust emergency operations plans for a wide range of possible...
Read MoreNational groups representing big-city superintendents and state education commissioners have responded to criticisms of the widespread overuse and misuse of standardized achievement tests by vowing to evaluate their testing requirements, with an eye toward eliminating tests deemed to be of poor quality or simply redundant. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten offered these observations on the officials’ statement: The...
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AFT President Randi Weingarten continued her national back-to-school visits with a two-state New England swing that showcased the type of trust, accountability and collaboration communities need to spark concrete improvement in their public schools. In Massachusetts, Weingarten visited schools in Lawrence and Lowell, meeting with students, teachers and elected officials at Wetherbee Elementary School, Oliver Partnership School, and Pawtucketville Memorial...
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