"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Friday, May 09, 2014

While Protesting School Closures and Conversions in Philadelphia, Weingarten Begs Congress for Expanded Support for Charter Schools

"It is critical that you adopt proposed amendments providing important safeguards to ensure that all students have equitable access to charter schools, and that charters are held to similar standards of accountability and transparency as traditional public schools." 

See the letter here.

2 comments:

  1. Is this a joke? This can't be real.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is always best to look at what someone does, not what they say. Randi Weingarten has become highly skilled at the game of covering a reactionary position with a progressive veneer. In this instance she is once again directing peoples' attention to the tree so they do not see the forest. If she were a true labor leader in education she would have waged a campaign against the charter expansion bill. Instead, just like with Common Core, she is giving advice on how to fix a corporate reform program. In other words, she is aiding and abetting the enemies of public schools.

    In any case her “transparency” smokescreen was ignored by the Representatives. Only reporting of student performance and discipline was included in the final bill. Opponents said the AFT and NEA proposals "put too many burdens on charter schools, which are supposed to operate with more flexibility than traditional public schools.” The bill passed 360-45. A high price to pay for their collaboration. What AFT and the NEA did with their attempt to “fix" the charter bill, while accepting the heart of the bill which is the expansion of charters, was give cover for neo-liberal Democrats in the Democratic Party to accept the bill. Now if a constituent complains they can say the AFT and NEA supported the bill.

    ReplyDelete