Dear Colleague,

In the last five or so weeks, the country has witnessed several grisly school shootings, most notably the slaughter in Newtown, CT. The anguished national conversation has swung all over the place, from calls for more gun control, to more armed guards, fewer violent video games, more mental health professionals in the schools, etc. Not surprisingly, the teachers unions reacted very quickly; the NEA and AFT issued a rare joint press release (http://www.nea.org/home/53943.htm), the main point of which can be summed up here,

Guns have no place in our schools. Period. We must do everything we can to reduce the possibility of any gunfire in schools, and concentrate on ways to keep all guns off school property and ensure the safety of children and school employees.

…Greater access to mental health services, bullying prevention, and meaningful action on gun control—this is where we need to focus our efforts, not on staggeringly misguided ideas about filling our schools with firearms. Lawmakers at every level of government should dismiss this dangerous idea and instead focus on measures that will create the safe and supportive learning environments our children deserve.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure the unions’ ideas would have made much if any difference in any of the shootings and rebutted the teachers unions here - http://unionwatch.org/thoughts-on-reactions-to-the-sandy-hook-tragedy/  In any event, we at CTEN really want to know your take on how best to avert future tragedies, and will soon conduct an internal poll on this and other questions of import to the teachers of California. (More on this later in the newsletter.)

National School Choice Week, which this year runs from Jan. 27-Feb. 2, provides an unprecedented opportunity to shine a spotlight on the need for effective education options for all children.

Planned by a diverse and nonpartisan coalition of individuals and organizations, National School Choice Week features special events and activities that highlight support for school choice programs and proposals. The effort is a collaboration of more than 200 partner organizations, which each use the week to advance their own messages of educational opportunity while uniting with like-minded organizations across the country.

National School Choice Week believes that parents should be empowered to choose the best educational environments for their children and supports a variety of school choice options -- from encouraging increased access to great public schools, to public charter schools, magnet schools, virtual schools, private schools, homeschooling and more.

For more information, to find an event near you or see if this year’s whistle-stop train tour will roll through your neck of the woods, go here - http://www.schoolchoiceweek.com/

 

Head Start, the much touted preschool program, has been with us now for 48 years. The taxpayers have forked over about $180 billion for the program which is supposed to even the education playing field for economically disadvantaged kids. The only problem is that it doesn’t work according to the government’s own study. Lesli Maxwell in Education Week explains,

In the first phase of the evaluation, a group of children who entered Head Start at age 4 saw benefits from spending one year in the program, including learning vocabulary, letter-word recognition, spelling, color identification, and letter-naming, compared with children of the same age in a control group who didn’t attend Head Start. For children who entered Head Start at age 3, the gains were even greater, demonstrated by their language and literacy skills, as well their skills in learning math, prewriting, and perceptual motor skills.

The second phase of the study showed that those gains had faded considerably by the end of 1st grade, with Head Start children showing an edge only in learning vocabulary over their peers in the control group who had not participated in Head Start.

And now, in this final phase of the study, “there was little evidence of systematic differences in children’s elementary school experiences through 3rd grade, between children provided access to Head Start and their counterparts in the control group,” the researchers wrote in an executive summary.

For more, go here - http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/early_years/2012/12/head_start_advantages_mostly_gone_by_third_grade_study_finds.html

We have recently learned about ClickSchooling, an excellent homeschool website which has a wealth of information that regular classroom teachers can also use. The site is constantly updated and is worth visiting frequently.  Or you can sign up and start receiving ClickSchooling’s web-based curriculum ideas. To learn more, go to http://clickschooling.com/

From the National Council on Teacher Quality, we get a report called “No One Benefits” which details the sorry state of our teacher pension systems.

… NCTQ examines how teacher pension systems are failing both teachers and taxpayers. In addition to a 50-state analysis of the funding crisis, we explore the technical and sometimes hidden features of teacher pensions that make them so costly and identify the features of these systems that aren't fair, advantageous or beneficial to all teachers.

We find states nibbling around the edges--in ways that put the squeeze on districts and teachers--rather than summoning the collective will to take on comprehensive reform. But with districts paying an average of $1,200 more per teacher in annual pension contributions (and teachers paying almost $500 more) than just a few years ago, something has got to give.

To read this unsettling report, go to http://www.nctq.org/p/publications/docs/nctq_pension_paper.pdf

A book on education reform has come to our attention that we feel is both informative and highly entertaining. Push Has Come to Shove was written by Steve Perry, the principal of a magnet school in Connecticut. Forceful and opinionated, Dr. Perry may get under your skin at times but he always makes a great case for his beliefs. From Amazon,

Steve Perry gets it. He understands why some parents are panicked about what’s going on in their kids’ classrooms, and how other parents, whose kids supposedly attend the “good” schools, still fear that their children are falling behind. As principal of one of the best performing schools in America – one that sends 100% of its mostly minority students to four-year colleges – Perry delights in proving “the system” wrong.

In this solution-oriented manifesto, Perry covers the full range of issues holding back today’s students. He shows parents and principals how to find great teachers (and get rid of the bad ones), how to make readers out of kids who hate to read, how to make the school curriculum thrilling rather than sleep-inducing, how to conduct an all-important education “home audit,” how to “e-organize” if school boards and administrators aren’t getting the message, how to build a “school of the future,” and much more.

To read reviews and get ordering info, go here - http://www.amazon.com/Push-Has-Come-Shove-Deserve--Even/dp/0307720322/
 
I reported a while back about Eileen Blagden, a principal who lost her job for going to the police about a dangerous situation on her campus. The district bureaucrats, opting for protocol and image over the safety of teachers and kids, tried to shove the incident under the rug. To read the infuriating story of a whistleblower who did the right thing which ultimately led to her unemployment, go here - http://www.city-journal.org/2013/cjc0111ls.html
 
We know that the teachers’ unions claim to speak for all teachers, but they clearly do not. As I mentioned earlier in this letter, CTEN will be conducting an internal poll to get your take on various educational issues. Some suggested topics are:

• ·         thoughts on Props. 30 and 32
• ·         the Students Matter case
• ·         armed presence on school campuses
• ·         common core
• ·         the Smarter Balance assessment

If you would like to add any suggestions to this list we will consider using them in the poll.

CTEN has two Facebook pages. If you have a Facebook account, we urge you to visit ours and let us know your thoughts. Having a dialogue among teachers is an effective way to spread information and experiences and share ideas. Our original Facebook page can be found here http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=125866159932&ref=ts  Our second page, which deals with teacher evaluation and transparency, can be accessed here - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=126900987357825&ref=ts

In any event, if you enjoy these letters and find them informative, please pass them along to your colleagues. We know that there are many independent-minded teachers in California who are looking for alternative sources of information.

Thanks for your continuing support and interest.

Sincerely,

Larry Sand

CTEN President

Dear Colleague,

We first told you about a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles about a year ago that could possibly affect you all.

Recently, some parents in Los Angeles filed a lawsuit that will undoubtedly have ramifications all over the state and perhaps elsewhere. It seems that the “Stull” evaluations we have undergone in our teaching careers have been “incomplete.” According to the Stull Act (Section 44660 of the state’s education code, (http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=44001-45000&file=44660-44665), part of a teacher’s evaluation is required to include a student achievement component, but this has not happened anywhere in the state.

Earlier this month the suit was tentatively settled. The agreement, awaiting a final okay from the judge and acceptance by the union rank-and-file, is embedded here - http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2012/12/03/29514/la-unified-and-teachers-union-reach-agreement-on-p/    The question is, has anything really changed?  It seems to us that this agreement won’t have much effect at all. Apparently, the Los Angeles Times agrees - http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/09/local/la-me-lausd-eval-20121210

Accessing her inner Joel Klein, American Federation of President Randi Weingarten came out recently in favor of a “rigorous professional exam for K-12 teachers that would serve the same function as the bar exam for lawyers and board certification for doctors.” It certainly is an interesting thought to ponder, but near the end of a Washington Post piece (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/union-proposes-bar-exam-for-teachers/2012/12/01/883f8bc8-3b38-11e2-8a97-363b0f9a0ab3_print.html ), the union leader seems to expose her real agenda. Teacher, blogger and CTEN board member Darren Miller nails it in a 12/3 post - http://rightontheleftcoast.blogspot.com/2012/12/putting-fox-in-charge-of-henhouse.html

In an attempt to rally the troops both the California Teachers Association and the Chicago Teachers Union have come out with videos that push the class warfare theme but, in our opinion, do little to advance the union cause. See if you agree. The CFT video can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S6ZsXrzF8Cc   and the CTU video here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=g1eV8EHII5Q

Perhaps the teacher (and any) union story of the year is that Michigan, just last week, became the nation’s 24^th right-to-work state. This means very simply that teachers and other workers can choose whether or not they want to join a union. Contrary to what many believe, collective bargaining will not be affected. Much has been written about this, but perhaps the most eloquent piece came from the Wall Street Journal. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323401904578157453687608428.html?mod=googlenews_wsj) The op-ed makes the case why right-to-work is a good thing. She ends the piece with,

As impressive as all of this evidence is, the best case for right to work is moral: the right of an individual to choose. Union chiefs want to coerce workers to join and pay dues that they then funnel to politicians who protect union power. Right to work breaks this cycle of government-aided monopoly union power for the larger economic good.

If you have a different take, please post your thoughts on the CTEN blog - http://www.ctenteachers.blogspot.com

The National Council on Teacher Quality has come out with a study well worth paying attention to. No One Benefits is a report

…that examines how teacher pension systems are failing both teachers and taxpayers. In addition to a 50-state analysis of the funding crisis, we explore the technical and sometimes hidden features of teacher pensions that make them so costly and identify the features of these systems that aren't fair, advantageous or beneficial to all teachers.

Some of the key findings are:

·         Pension systems are severely underfunded.

·         Most retirement eligibility rules are burdensome and unfair.

·         Costs to teachers and school districts are on the rise.

·         The squeeze is on teachers in numerous other ways.

To learn more, go to http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=c9b11da2ceffae94e1dc196f6&id=d38162825c&e=9dc9a1baf8

The always interesting Education Next yearly survey has just been published in the hard copy of the magazine. (One of the things that makes their polling different from others is that they will ask a question like, “Do you think that teachers are paid enough?” Then they will tell those being polled what teachers make and then repeat the question. Needless to say, the second response is frequently different than the first one.) Highlights from this year’s poll include:

• the Republican tilt of the education views of independents

• the especially high marks that Hispanics give their public schools

• strong support among the general public for using test-score information to hold teachers accountable

• lower confidence in teachers than has previously been reported

• the public’s (and teachers’) growing uneasiness with teachers unions

• the shaky foundations of public support for increased spending

• majority support for a broad range of school choice initiatives.

To read more and access the survey’s results, go to http://educationnext.org/reform-agenda-gains-strength/

If you are interested in giving CTEN brochures to colleagues, you can print them right from the home page - http://www.ctenhome.org/index.htm  Or, if you prefer, we will be happy to send you as many preprinted ones as you need. Also, anyone wishing to donate to CTEN can do so very simply through PayPal - http://www.ctenhome.org/donate.htm  As a non-profit, we exist only through the generosity of others.

It has been another exciting year for CTEN - www.ctenhome.org/ and we look forward to an even more vigorous 2013. We remain grateful for your support and wish you and your families the happiest of holidays. See you in January!

Sincerely,

Larry Sand

CTEN President

Dear Colleague,

We sincerely hope that if you are an existing agency fee payer, you have sent in a request for your rebate. The November 15^th deadline has passed. If you haven't filed by now, you will not get your rebate this year. However, if you are a first time filer, you may resign from the union after the 15^th; you will not get the full amount, however, but a prorated one dependent on how long after the 15^th you file. For more information, go to http://www.ctenhome.org/know.htm

For an interesting and friendly debate on “The Future of Teacher Unions,” the Fordham Institute corralled Stanford Professor Terry Moe and Democrats For Education Reform (DFER) President Joe Williams for an in-depth back-and-forth on the subject. To watch it, go to http://www.edexcellence.net/events/after-chicago-the-future-of-teacher-unions.html

Also from the Fordham Institute, in conjunction with Education Reform Now (an arm of DFER), we now have a state-by-state comparison of teacher union power. There are several surprises here. For example, the Alabama (right-to-work state) teachers union is considered more powerful than the union in non-right-to-work Massachusetts. To watch a brief video about the study and to read the study itself, go to http://www.edexcellence.net/publications/how-strong-are-us-teacher-unions.html

And one final note about the unions – courtesy of RiShawn Biddle – we now can see where the American Federation of Teachers spent its members’ dues money in 2011-2012.

Another year, another LM-2 filing from the American Federation of Teachers. And once again, the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union is spending plenty to maintain its declining influence over education policymaking. The AFT spent $27 million on political activities (including lobbying) and contributions to what should be like-minded groups.

To continue reading Biddle’s comments go to http://dropoutnation.net/2012/11/01/the-afts-latest-disclosure-27-million-to-preserve-its-influence/ To see the entire Labor Department document, go to  http://rishawnbiddle.org/outsidereports/aft_2012_dol_filing.pdf

From the media and the unions we hear many things about charter schools. But here in this brief video from the California Charter School Association, we hear directly from charter school teachers on why they prefer to teach in a charter school. Certainly some food for thought here - http://www.calcharters.org/blog/2012/10/new-video-what-is-it-like-to-teach-at-charter-school.html

Back in June, we told you about the “Students Matter” case which could have an effect on every teacher in California. This case was filed on behalf of eight students from around the state,

…claiming provisions of California’s education code—rigid tenure rules, a seniority-based firing system that ignores teacher quality, and a “due-process” system that makes it all but impossible to remove incompetent or criminal teachers—violate student rights. As a result of these arbitrary distinctions in hiring and firing, the complaint reads, “children of substantially equal age, aptitude, motivation, and ability do not have substantially equal access to education. Because education is a fundamental interest under the California Constitution, the statutes that dictate this unequal, arbitrary result violate the equal protection provisions of the California Constitution.” To read more, go to http://www.city-journal.org/2012/cjc0606ls.html

On November 15^th, there was a ruling in which the judge said the lawsuit should go forth. Whatever your feelings are about this case, it would behoove you to pay attention to it. To read more, go to http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/15/4989297/lawsuit-over-teacher-employment.html  For the Students Matter homepage, go to http://studentsmatter.org/

For those of you who were in favor of Prop. 30, you got your way on Election Day. However, please understand this is a very temporary fix in a state that is in deep fiscal straits. For a balanced view of what Prop. 30 can and can’t do, go to http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2012/11/05/proposition-30-a-smart-move-or-a-gamble/

And on the subject of spending, the Friedman Foundation has come out with a staggering study which claims that,

America’s K-12 public education system has experienced tremendous historical growth in employment, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. Between fiscal year (FY) 1950 and FY 2009, the number of K-12 public school students in the United States increased by 96 percent while the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) school employees grew 386 percent. Public schools grew staffing at a rate four times faster than the increase in students over that time period. Of those personnel, teachers’ numbers increased 252 percent while administrators and other staff experienced growth of 702 percent, more than seven times the increase in students. (Emphasis added.)

To read more and download the study, go to http://www.edchoice.org/Research/Reports/The-School-Staffing-Surge--Decades-of-Employment-Growth-in-Americas-Public-Schools.aspx

For a rare and fair mainstream media analysis of education issues facing us in California, Ken Malloy at CBS Fresno put together a five part series that is well worth watching. To watch “The State of Education,” go to http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story/Special-Report-The-State-of-Education/dLDoabahFEm3mMZSzLUGBw.cspx

The National Council on Teacher Quality has a monthly online newsletter that is worthy of your attention. The current issue has interesting piece, “How We Stopped Guessing and Hired Smart,” written by a middle school math specialist. To read it and the rest of the November newsletter, go to http://www.nctq.org/nl/emailPreview.jsp?nlIdentifier=294#Avictoryfortransparency

As always, we at CTEN want to thank you for your ongoing support. Please visit us regularly at www.ctenhome.org.  We do our best to keep our website up-to-date, but if you need information and can’t find it there, please send us an email at cteninfo@ctenhome.org or call us at 888-290-8471 and we will get back to you in short order. 

Sincerely,

Larry Sand
CTEN President