February 22 , 2007 Volume 11, Issue 5

NCLB: Out of Control

Recently, the Aspen Institute’s Commission on No Child Left Behind released a report, “Beyond NCLB: Fulfilling the Promise to Our Nation’s Children”. Included in that report are further requirements regarding highly qualified effective teachers which would require that teachers be evaluated on their students’ test scores using a value-added system that ties student test score gains to individual teachers. They also proposed a comparability salary requirement in Title 1 schools, a new teacher transfer policy for Title 1 schools, an AYP growth model that would have students on track to proficiency within three years, an inclusion of the results of science assessments in AYP calculations with 100 percent science proficiency in 2014, along with other suggestions in graduation rates and attendance, enforcement procedures, school improvement provisions, public school choice, additional formative assessments, competitive grants for ELLs rather than the formula grants currently in place among other recommendations for working with ELLs. All of these recommendations, and several others, come with no additional funding, and would actually decrease the funding to many districts. (The entire report is available at www.nclbcommission.org.)
This response from Ed McElroy, President of the AFT, was immediate and strong.

The “Highly Qualified and Effective Teachers” recommendation in the commission’s report should be a nonstarter for the congressional committees dealing with reauthorization of NCLB. If we have learned anything in the years since NCLB was enacted, it is that teachers and paraprofessionals working in classrooms are the ones who know best what works and what does not. Our members have had five years of experience with NCLB, and they know now that the law’s school accountability mechanism, the AYP formula, is not a useful tool in distinguishing between good schools and schools in need of help. How, then can we ask teachers to accept another unproven accountability formula when five years of living with NCLB has demonstrated that fundamentally flawed, ideology-driven top-down proposals don’t work?

The AFT also is troubled by several of the report’s other recommendations for NCLB, including its failure to call for more support for struggling schools and its lack of a comprehensive fix for AYP.

This report is just one of several from similar commissions and organizations, including AFT, that have issued recommendations for NCLB’s reauthorization. The AFT’s recommendations, which resulted from town hall meetings with our members and careful deliberations with the leaders of AFT locals, can be found at http://www.aft.org/topics/nclb/downloads/LGIRrecommend.pdf. Such recommendations are a starting point for a discussion in which AFT leaders and members intend to be active and vocal participants.

NEW YORK IN THE COLD

Under brutally cold conditions, from January 25 – 28, twenty-five district teachers and administrators studied and worked with the trainers from the UFT Teachers’ Center in Brooklyn to hone their skills with the four strands of the AFT reform model, Redesigning Schools to Raise Achievement. A hard working team from Ohlone joined nine new trainees from the district to begin the journey through the RSRA process. What was distinctive about this training is that five of PVUSD/PVFT’s own trainers co presented with the experts from UFT. Our trainers, Jean Gottlob, Gerry Levandoski, Sylvia Mendez, Peg Pughe, and Kim Sakamoto, presented side by side with their counterparts from UFT in a poised, knowledgeable and professional manner. The praise from the UFT trainers was sincere in its tribute to all five PVFT trainers.

Although it was frigid for most of the trip to New York, all who attended acknowledged that it was a successful and productive experience. PVFT extends its appreciation to the UFT and the Teacher Center in Brooklyn for guiding our district through this process. The skills learned through RSRA, along with the partnership that it has helped the union forge with the district, will aid everyone involved in getting through the mandates of NCLB with the union contract, and the staff’s sanity, intact.

SUMMERTIME BLUES!

It has come to PVFT’s attention that some district administrators are trying to mandate summer training for teachers. Their direction appears to imply that there would have to be proof of hardship for staff not to attend. The contract is very clear on this matter. It states that teachers shall not be required to perform services without pay on non-contract days. PVFT’s position has always been that this language implies that any services on non-contract days are strictly voluntary and the district has always agreed. Therefore, if bargaining unit members choose to attend trainings during the summer, they are free to do so. If members choose not to attend trainings during the summer, there can be no consequences or reprisal for this choice.
IN MEMORY

David Watson was a Watsonville High School English teacher, a woodworker, a Special Olympic’s volunteer and a friend to many of us. When he died suddenly this January 26, he left behind Hiroko his wife, his two daughters, Mary and Madeline and many brokenhearted students at Watsonville High School.
David was raised in Santa Barbara and came from a large Irish-American family. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara and taught at Belmont High School in Los Angeles for five years, as well as two years in Japan where he met Hiroko.

David had many interests. He loved literature, collecting all sorts of things like original Steinbeck novels, and gardening. He was dedicated to his family and the students in his classes. David had a true zest for life. Eva Montgomery who was his colleague at WHS summed up David’s special qualities when she spoke at his funeral.

She said: “ David valued his friendships greatly and was exceedingly loyal to his friends. Once you became his friend, you were his friend for life. Unconditionally. Period. At school everyone knew him. To say that he was well-liked is an understatement. The secretaries liked him, the custodians liked him, administration liked him, the cafeteria ladies, and, of course, his students, who are feeling his loss greatly.

CONVENTION FEVER

The upcoming CFT convention has some built in drama that previous conventions have not had in recent memory. Both the office of President and Secretary/ Treasurer are being challenged by other candidates. The Election Committee has published campaign rules which comply with federal law, and the campaign has begun. PVFT has elected twenty-two official delegates to attend the convention and to participate in all the activities including the election of officers for CFT. These delegates will listen to the campaign speeches; read the candidates’ literature; caucus together and try to represent all PVFT members as honestly and conscientiously as possible. This is a critical time for all unions, and the outcome of these elections could alter the course that CFT is on. The delegates who will be attending are acutely aware of the responsibility that rests on their shoulders and will strive to exercise it in a responsible and intelligent manner. PVFT thanks these delegates for taking the time to attend to the work of the union.

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