The MEA (Manchester Teacher’s Union) has sent down and edict to all of its members to fight parents on the refusal of the Smarter Balance test. This is not a reflection on ALL teachers. As we know some Manchester teachers have come forward to fight on behalf of our kids. Across the nation several have refused to administer the Smarter Balance test to their students at the risk of their own livelihoods. However, it seems that the MEA only comes out when money is on the line as it pertains to teacher salaries. Education is supposed to be about the children. We have a lot of work to do in order to win this battle and fix this broken system. We begin with sending a loud message regarding the Smarter Balance test on February 9th at City Hall at 7:00pm. Please join us.
Tag Archives: union
The Final Straw: Cancel Our Labor Contracts, We Cancel Your Tests
OPT OUT OF THE STATE TEST: The National Movement posts:
When the State Recovery Board cancelled Philadelphia’s teachers contract, it may have removed the last hurdle to a national opt out movement of standardized testing.
Up to now, teachers have only sporadically refused to administer these fill-in-the-bubble falsely objective, poorly written and cheaply graded tests. The reason: fear of losing employment.
However, now that is not an impediment. When teachers in the 8th largest public school district in the country are forced to accept take-it-or-leave-it terms, there is no longer safety in following the rules.
The Philadelphia decision shows that poor districts can be taken over just because they’re poor and somehow that justifies sweatshop conditions for the teachers and their students.
The main justification the data crunchers use to make this determination is students’ standardized test scores. Not being educators, themselves, they have no other tool to judge success or failure. They blithely ignore the fact that rich kids score higher and poor kids score lower.
Therefore, teachers would best serve their interests and the interests of their students by refusing to provide this data. Moreover, the country’s two largest teachers unions - NEA and AFT – have promised to defend teachers opting out of testing.
A wholesale movement of this kind beginning in poorer schools and spreading to the more affluent ones would force the corporate education reform machine to a halt. It would offer an opportunity for real reform – an attack on the roots of the problem: inequitable funding and abject student poverty.
The last straw has fallen. The revolution is about to begin.
AFT puts Sect. Arne Duncan on an “Improvement Plan”
The AFT put Duncan on a “Secretary of Education Improvement Plan.” If he doesn’t improve, having been treated fairly, asking him to resign.
Don’t miss the comments from the rank and file teachers at the bottom.
http://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/2014/07/business-as-usual-at-aft-convention-pro.html