Pink Hearts, Not Pink Slips

Just changed my blog's skin. A good friend of mine once told me that politics is all about relationships. It's been broken in our school system, we do need to glue them together...

Let's support the AFT's campaign for "Pink Hearts, Not Pink Slips".

Schools throughout America are facing devastating cuts. Our children’s future hangs in the balance.

By the end of this school year, it is estimated that as many as 300,000 teachers, school support staff and higher education faculty will receive pink slips throughout the country.

This will result in drastic increases in class sizes and less individualized instruction; it will erode classroom discipline and school safety, and eliminate essential programs like art, music, AP classes and summer school.

"The magnitude of the cuts is staggering. The number of educators who might be pink-slipped in the fall is nearly equal to the population of Toledo, Ohio," said AFT President Randi Weingarten. "This isn’t just about saving jobs; it’s about saving the next generation." [Read the full

The “Pink Hearts, Not Pink Slips” campaign aims to draw attention to the devastating impact educational budget cuts—and the resulting layoffs—will have on our students, their schools and our communities.

Starting on May 4, National Teacher Day, we are encouraging everyone to wear pink hearts to acknowledge the important contributions of educators. Educators put their heart and soul into their work, and every day they make a real difference in the lives of children. Budgets may be tightening, but students need educators in the classroom, not in unemployment lines.

Our government didn’t walk away from Wall Street. We should demand no less from them when it comes to saving our children’s future. We must voice our support for federal legislation that will provide $23 billion to help school districts avoid layoffs and cuts in vital services for children. Help us preserve the education lifeline our students deserve.Read media coverage of the Pink Hearts campaign. press release.]

Tools You Can Use:

- Print and wear a pink heart
- Distribute the flier
- Create a Pink Heart T-shirt
- Facebook users: customize your profile photo with a Pink Heart button graphic

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Victory Update!!

August 10, 2010

Congress has heard your calls and read your letters.

The House of Representatives just passed legislation that will keep 161,000 educators in schools across the country! This bill, which was passed last week by the Senate, will be signed into law by President Obama as early as today.

Thanks to your yearlong efforts, more than $26 billion in aid will flow to states and school districts. Our educators will now be in classrooms-rather than in unemployment lines-when the school bell rings, and our children and communities can continue to prosper.

Please take a moment to thank those who stood up for our kids and our communities.

The AFT is grateful to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Reps. David Obey and George Miller for their leadership and tireless efforts on this issue in the House of Representatives, as well to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sens. Patty Murray and Tom Harkin, who championed the fight for this funding in the Senate.

In unity,

The AFT

One Day

Currently listening to the acoustic version of "One Day". The Sundance-award-winning documentary about American Education, "Waiting for Superman", coming out this September borrows Hasidic reggae star Matisyahu's aspirational song (also used heavily during this year's Olympic)...

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Research: Value-added measures can inaccurately rate teachers

The fact that part of our new IMPACT teacher evaluations is based on student test scores, this study matters. New research shows that the value-added measures used in some teacher evaluations to measure student growth over time can be inaccurate, Washington Post blogger Valerie Strauss writes. There is a 25% chance that an average teacher could be identified as poor when using three years of data, according to a report by Mathematica Policy Research. That rate climbs to 35% if only one year of student data is studied. The Washington Post/The Answer Sheet blog

On the most recent DCPS teacher firings

D.C. fires 241 teachers and puts 737 educators on notice

Washington, D.C., schools chief Michelle Rhee ordered the dismissal Friday of 241 teachers -- including 165 who received poor ratings under the district's newly implemented IMPACT evaluation system. Seventy-six were let go for not being properly licensed. Rhee also gave warning notices to 737 teachers who received "minimally effective" ratings and must improve their showing or face dismissal next year. Some teachers said the evaluation system is unfair, and the teachers union said it will contest the firings. The Washington Post

Opinion: Why the IMPACT system and D.C. firings are unfair:

The teacher-evaluation system that Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee used to justify firing 165 teachers is flawed and unfair, according to Washington Post education writer and blogger Valerie Strauss. In this blog post, Strauss writes that the IMPACT evaluation system judges teachers on 22 points -- all of which must be observed in five 30-minute observation periods. However, excellent teachers who do not demonstrate all of the necessary teaching elements in one class period would be rated poorly, she adds. The Washington Post/The Answer Sheet blog

US teachers union pays tribute to Pinoy mentors' courage

By Rodney Jaleco, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau


Posted at 07/13/2010 2:48 PM

Updated as of 07/13/2010 2:48 PM

WASHINGTON DC - The million-strong American Federation of Teachers (AFT) paid tribute to the courage of Filipino teachers in Louisiana who braved possible reprisals to expose the exploitation and abuses allegedly committed by a California-based recruiter.

The Washington DC-based teacher’s union bestowed in Filipino mentors with the President’s International Democracy Award, established in 2008 to highlight the continuing struggle for human rights around the world.

Maria Angala, an officer of the AFT-affiliated teachers union in Washington DC, said the Democracy Award is fruit of the unity and common purpose demonstrated by Filipino teachers in America.

The award was received by Ingrid Jomento-Cruz, founding president of the Filipino Educators Federation of Louisiana (FEFL).

“We selected your organization for your perseverance in fighting against the abusive treatment of placement agencies, dedication to promote the rights and welfare of all educators and migrants, and commitment to the democratic and legal system,” the AFT citation read.

The award was given at the AFT national convention held in Seattle, Washington over the weekend.

Hundreds of Filipino teachers in various Louisiana public schools rose in protest over abuses allegedly committed by the Los Angeles-based Universal Placement International (UPI) and its Philippine counterpart, PARS International.

The recruitment agencies were found by a Louisiana labor court to have violated various statutes, including overcharging fees and operating without a state permit.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission ordered UPI to return $1.8 million in collected from the Filipino mentors.

The plight of Filipino teachers in Louisiana was first reported by ABS-CBN The Filipino Channel’s Balitang America newscast last year.

Jomento-Cruz said the AFT helped them rediscover the Filipino’s Bayanihan spirit.

The AFT, taking the cudgels for the Filipino mentors, provided the lawyers to pursue their quest for justice in American courts.

“It is most impressively displayed in the old tradition of neighbors helping a relocating family by getting enough volunteers to literally carry the house on their shoulders and moving it to its new location. And believe it or not, that act is done with happy, festive and unexpecting disposition,” she told the audience of more than 3,000 labor unionists and guests from all over the world.

“We can clearly see then that these heroes in our community collectively work and sacrifice for each other and be heroes to one another. Bayanihan is all but one with the spirit of unionism,” Jomento-Cruz declared.

Filipino teachers were represented in the convention by Angala (Washington DC), Aileen Mercado (Baltimore), and Jomento-Cruz and Mairi Nunag (Louisiana).

Guests also included Annie Geron, Secretary General of the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK) and Ian Seruelo, US liaison officer of the Partido ng Manggagawa.

A documentary about Filipino teachers in Louisiana was also shown during the convention.

The FEFL was born out of the mentors’ experience there and now aims to combat the victimization of Filipino teachers and other migrant workers against trafficking, recruitment abuses and unfair labor practices.