NEA Calls for Secretary Duncan's Resignation

[Starry Messenger]

The National carried the resolution. *popcorn*

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2014/07/nea_calls_for_sec_duncans_resi.html

Delegates to the National Education Association's annual convention passed a new business item July 4 calling for U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to resign.

The surprising move comes on the heels of union anger over moves across the United States to revise due-process protections, tenure, and seniority—some of which have been supported by Democrats, including the Obama administration.

Proposed by the union's powerful California affiliate, the item cites "the Department's failed education agenda focused on more high-stakes testing, grading and pitting public school students against each other based on test scores" as its rationale for demanding the secretary's resignation.

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[roody]

1. It's about time !

[Starry Messenger]

2. The AFT convention is coming up in a couple of week.

I wonder if there will be movement there too.

[liberalhistorian]

24. I very much doubt it, unfortunately.

The AFT has been a lackey and lapdog for conservatives and the "deform" movement and whatever the governmental education gurus say for a very long time now. My now-retired teacher parents have always had disdain for it, and rightfully so.

[Starry Messenger]

25. Well, that's my union, lol.

Hopefully CFT delegates will be as together as the CTA delegates, who seem to have swung the NEA toward this resolution. CFT tends to have a strong left/social justice unionism orientation. Duncan's praising of Vergara was a direct shot at CA teachers.

I agree the national has been slow on the uptake, as it were. I'm trying to stay optimistic though.

[liberalhistorian]

28. Ah, well, maybe it's changed or is changing

for the better now, lol! I certainly hope so. My parents were NEA. The only good thing about my stepdad being in a nursing home with dementia (he had to retire eight years earlier than usual because of it) is that he doesn't know what's happening now with and to the profession he so loved and dedicated his life to, even serving as union representation for a couple of terms. Many of his students, even from decades ago, still contact me on Facebook and IRL to say how much he meant to them and several are now teachers in his field only because, they say, they were inspired by him.

[femmocrat]

29. The same could be said of the NEA.

My state organization rolled over and went belly-up for Common Core and Value-added teacher evaluations. The only things they will actually fight for are saving our pensions and blocking vouchers, both of which are important, of course. But teachers' rights? Nary a peep.

[liberalhistorian]

34. Really? That's very upsetting

to hear. That was my parents' union and I remember them being vigorous advocates for teachers and their rights, as well as against "deform" activities that were not in the best interests of students. Then again, it's been nearly fifteen years since their retirements so I guess things have changed.

[chervilant]

44. I second your assertion, and

raise you: "it couldn't happen to a more deserving individual."

[earthside]

3. Too little, too late.

Frankly, the teachers unions' should not have endorsed Pres. Obama in 2012.

Then maybe we would have had the beginnings of an end to this Bush-Obama corporatization of American 'public' education.

Until the unions get tough on the Democratic Party establishment, we are going to see working folks and our union brothers and sisters marginalized ... and the standard of living for all us continue to decline.

[rhett o rick]

7. Not disagreeing but who do you think the teachers should have endorsed in 2012? nm

[earthside]

13. Nobody.

They should have withheld a presidential endorsement and sent Pres. Obama a pointed message:
replace Duncan; start distancing from the Gates/Broad corporatization agenda; and embrace an education policy of re-empowering teachers in their own classrooms.

If they had done that, I suspect we would have seen big, positive changes in education policy by now (and I do think Obama would still have been reelected).

[Starry Messenger]

15. The UMW did that.

They withheld endorsement. I don't think it gained them anything, though I understand the frustration.

It's tricky to consider the balance of forces when considering endorsements. I think the 2012 endorsement was key in the Obama administration telling Rahm to cool it with CTU and settle to stop the the strike though.

[rhett o rick]

30. Why does the admin stick with Duncan? nm

[Starry Messenger]

35. No idea. I find it both baffling and heartbreaking.

[rhett o rick]

37. So do I. nm

[nashville_brook]

4. good -- it's time for unions to start acting like unions again. nt

[Starry Messenger]

5. It's incredibly challenging to get lots of folks on the same page politically.

A lot of people are in the union and only really concentrate on what affects their local and immediate community. Internal organizing to educate on big picture issues is necessary to get results like this, but it can work. Manpower is always an issue.

I agree though, it's good to see unions acting like unions again. Hopefully the momentum will continue.

[nashville_brook]

8. a lot of "non-political" people believe that

if they only focus on local and community issues they can transcend what they perceive to be the "ugliness" of politics, which is disagreement. There's a sense that "we can all agree" on something if we just look closer to home.

what i think people are realizing, once they do political work in the local arena, is that that the big corporate interests are just as entwined in local politics as they are nationally -- and that's the transformational moment. it's especially relevant to education and privatization.

it's in this transformational moment that people let go of the idea that we must agree on something at all costs. that in fact, we do have different self-interests, and we either protect our interest or give up entirely.

[LeftishBrit]

6. And if they would only throw in his British twin, Michael Gove...

[Starry Messenger]

9. Two peas in a pod.

I follow British corporate education reform too, it's amazing how many parallels there have been.

[madfloridian]

12. International hostile takeover...

There is even a Teach for All....you know like Teach for America? Well, it's international.

http://www.teachforall.org/our-network-and-impact/national-organizations

Look at the map of the world. See the different countries included our own.

[Starry Messenger]

16. I remember a few years ago, running across Teach for India.

I got depressed by how much of their education had been privatized.

[madfloridian]

43. There seems to be nothing active on many of the websites....just the website.

Not a very user friendly company....

[rhett o rick]

10. The Democratic Party at the national level has been taken over by the Conservatives.

Mr. Duncan is a great example. He calls himself a Democrat, which is good enough for some among us, yet he does not adhere to Democratic principles.

[BrotherIvan]

14. +1

I'm very happy to see the NEA stand up and ask for his resignation. I am very anxious to see what will be the administration's response. My first thought is appeasement, stalling, a nice speech, then nothing. If Rahm were still there, he'd just tell them to go away, hippies. But I'm not sure Duncan will have to fall on his sword since he's a BFF.

What a betrayal during a Democratic administration.

[rhett o rick]

18. "What a betrayal during a Democratic administration." This administration

has seen quite a bit of "betrayal".

[liberalhistorian]

27. The man has never had any business

being in that position. He has NO education degree and NO education experience; his appointment has always frustrated, puzzled and infuriated me. He drips with condescending disdain and contempt for teachers, with no clue as to what they deal with on a daily basis or why holding them accountable for factors over which they have NO control is so unfair and wrong.

And his latest bullshit regarding special education shows that, not surprising at all, he has NO clue as to the realities of special education and students with disabilities. As someone with a high IQ but a severe learning disability who's always had an issue and problem with the stupid fucking standardized tests that so many education administrators have been in love with for decades (I'm almost fifty and remember taking many of the damned things in school, although not as many as there are now, of course), and which is now spreading to infect many graduate programs as well, I REALLY REALLY resent that one-size-fits-all assumptive attitude.

The fucking tests don't demonstrate the real abilities of many with disabilities, or hell, many other intelligent, capable students. But Arne doesn't give a shit, he's just gotta bring in that extra dough for the corporate education "deform" world he's so in the pocket of and a lackey for.

[BrotherIvan]

32. I love your passionate post

My mother was a teacher for 41 years. She was an excellent teacher and they built a true community around that little school. Former students would request her for their children and grandchildren. She was very tough and rigorous, so the students learned and not particularly because she was nice. She got all of the behavior problem students and by the end of the year, they were all at the correct grade level for reading and math. All the teachers in her group did amazing things in a very economically challenged school.

They were able to do great things with students because they had the support of the principal and they could build the curriculum over years of experience of what their students needed. They did many hands-on units for every subject where one learned an important math or science concept using art or music or a field trip. They invited the community in for cultural holidays, every single one they could muster and then some so students could be exposed to different foods and dress and history. That was one of the most successful because parents would cook up as storm for Cinco de Mayo, Black History Month, Chinese New Year, Chanukah, Diwali, Tet, a Native American drum circle and sun dance, you name it. The students didn't know they were learning because they were having fun and eating amazing food. Students who had never left the inner city, who had never eaten each other's food got to learn about the world.

That is how students encounter lessons they will learn for the rest of their lives. It was the first time most of them had been to a museum, to the theater, or to the forest & mountains (even though it was half an hour away). Sixth graders ran after school bake sales and newspaper drives to pay for their field trips. I saw with my own eyes how many kids stayed after school spontaneously for tutoring because their parents often could not help them with their homework. They didn't want to leave school! That's how you get students to love learning, to love school. How they learn to explore and ask questions.

I believe in public education because I know how great it can be. But the state of it today is just sickening. The Duncan appointment was one of the clearest indications that the administration had no intentions of righting the wrongs of the Bush era. It is the canary in a coal mine for the rest of our society. If I had children in school who were just sitting there taking tests all day I would be furious.

[YvonneCa]

36. What a Wonderful post! This school...

...sounds amazing! It is the model for what my school was striving to be. NCLB changed all that.

[BrotherIvan]

38. I know exactly what you mean

All of my mother's fellow teachers say they would not become teachers today. That is a truly sad statement. NCLB is an abomination for education and it's only going to get worse.

A school can be a great focus for a neighborhood. Before schools were so afraid of liability, they would have "dime a dip" potlucks to raise money for the extras. A way for parents to get to know each other and the teachers. After school carnivals, Halloween parties, and weekend bbqs meant low income families could have a day or night of fun for very little money. They also went to regional events such as sports competitions, science fairs, math competitions, debate team, all in the cars of teachers and parents which can't be done any more.

The saddest for me is the food. Many schools now don't allow homemade food anymore because of allergies. That to me is extremely sad. In my short teaching stint, I broke the rules and did a holiday potluck with my high school students. In our small, correctional high school (that was basically a last chance), students were split along ethnic groups. Families who didn't have much to spare were excited to send in their best dishes. And let me tell you, students who had never spoken, some of whom were gang enemies, started talking to each other about the food. AA students had never eaten tamales, Mexican students had never tasted homemade Macaroni and Cheese, and nobody had tried Vietnamese or Filipino food. They started talking about their holiday traditions and what they ate. And the pride when someone complimented their mother's or their grandmother's dish!

I know it sounds like Halcyon days gone by, and they might truly be gone. I hope not. That's why I know that teachers are the backbone of a school and they must be supported. Parents and teachers working together means success. Teaching truly is a calling: nobody becomes a teacher to get rich. I learned even more that it wasn't my calling and how exhausting it was. If you care about your child, you should support their teachers because they are some of the most influential people in your child's life.

[QuestForSense]

23. The only reason Duncan is a Democrat is ... tell me why again?

His appointment was, and remains, a national disgrace.

[rhett o rick]

31. He is a Democrat because he says he is. That's the only test and it's good enough for

some.

[BrotherIvan]

33. Yes

And pointing that out or attempting to do something about it earns the label of "purist" and is the only reason why Democrats lose elections.

[rhett o rick]

42. .

[Scuba]

40. + another

[Enthusiast]

11. I support the NEA's proposal.

Arne Duncan has got to go!

[DesertDiamond]

17. People don't realize that in our school system there is a severe case of "office politics"

There have been several schoolteachers in my family, including my father, and I have several other friends who are as well. Before tenure was the law, they could be fired at the whim of whoever had that power, and new teachers stay as quiet as possible, never voicing a view on anything, until they can get that tenure and be free to speak their minds about what they feel would help their students. In my school, yes we had a couple of teachers who weren't so great, but we also had some great ones with whom we had dialogue that made us think, because they didn't have to worry about saying something someone higher up would think was too radical. Or, that someone higher up might get mad if their students liked them too much.

This whole thing misses the point anyway, IMO, as it seems to me it's been proven that the main problem with education is lack of funds - lack of funds at the schools, and poverty in the homes. The children in the poorer neighborhoods have more trouble because of hunger and turmoil at home due to poverty, NOT because of the teachers!

[WinkyDink]

19. Way past time. But it's a strong message to HRC about the potential lack of union support.

[progressoid]

20. Rec!

[Smarmie Doofus]

21. Now we're getting somewhere. K and R nt

[littlemissmartypants]

22. Kicking. Thank you. nt

[Jack Rabbit]

26. k/fiftieth R

Duncan and Michelle Rhee belong in the political wilderness along with all others who are just out to make a buck by cheapening the institutions that they pretend to serve and impoverishing the world in the process.

[freshwest]

39. Now to convince the RWNJs. Wait, won't happen. He might as well go, though.

If he is on a crusade against public schools, he's a menace to civil society and all of us.

[pa28]

41. He'll probably make it a bullet point on his resume.

Like any good right winger would.

[Smarmie Doofus]

45. NPR Made NO Mention of This Yesterday in Its 45 Sec. Recap of the Convention

The *H E A V I L Y* Gates-funded NPR.

They talked about all the usual boilerplate stuff.

But managed to omit this.


"You know, Eve; sometimes I think you *keep* things from me."

- ( All About Eve; MGM 1950)

[Starry Messenger]

46. Geeze.

What *did* they cover? This was all over Facebook yesterday, I almost didn't post it because I figured it would be old news by the time I got it over here.

[Smarmie Doofus]

47. A quick recap of ritual resolutions agains things like high-stakes testing,

....privatization/charter schools, CCSS ( I think the resolution was to "slow it down", not eliminate it).

Don't hold me to the above because ( I was in the car and multi-tasking) I was ONLY interested in hearing if they'd report on the Duncan resolution ( I'd seen your OP earlier ) and they did NOT.

They know what they want people to know.