[pathways-teach] Fwd: [New post] Breaking News: New York Teachers’ Union Votes No-Confidence in State Commissioner John King
- From: Marjorie Stamberg <marjoriestamberg@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: pathways-teach@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 17:59:42 -0500
New York State Teachers' Union (our state-wide union) just took a
"no-confidence" vote on John King and demanded his resignation. He's the
state edu commissioner. They particularly criticize the way Common Core
was rolled out and ask for a 3 year moratorium on the tests.
See Diane Ravitch's blog post below. My own opinion is, I think it's not
just the implementation -- you cannot separate Common Core from the whole
high-stakes testing obsession.
dianeravitch posted: "On Saturday morning, the Board of Directors of
NYSUT--the New York State United Teachers--voted unanimously for a
resolution of "no confidence" in State Commissioner John King. This is
tantamount to calling for his removal. The implementation of Com"
New post on *Diane Ravitch's blog*
<http://dianeravitch.net/author/dianerav/> Breaking News: New York
Teachers’ Union Votes No-Confidence in State Commissioner John
King<http://dianeravitch.net/2014/01/25/breaking-news-new-york-teachers-union-votes-no-confidence-in-state-commissioner-john-king/>
by
dianeravitch <http://dianeravitch.net/author/dianerav/>
On Saturday morning, the Board of Directors of NYSUT--the New York State
United Teachers--voted unanimously for a resolution of "no confidence"
i<http://www.nysut.org/news/2014/january/nysut-board-approves-no-confidence-resolution>n
State Commissioner John King.
This is tantamount to calling for his removal.
The implementation of Common Core testing in New York state was widely
recognized as a fiasco. Many legislators, including the leader of the State
Assembly, have called for a delay.
King's high-handed tactics, his refusal to listen to the public, and his
lack of experience as an educator have set off widespread protests among
teachers, principals, and parents.
This is the press release from NYSUT:
ALBANY, N.Y. Jan. 25, 2014 - New York State United Teachers' Board of
Directors approved a resolution Saturday that declared "no confidence" in
the policies of State Education Commissioner John King Jr., therefore
calling for his removal by the Board of Regents. NYSUT's board also
withdrew its support for the Common Core standards as implemented and
interpreted in New York state until SED makes major course corrections to
its failed implementation plan and supports a three-year moratorium on
high-stakes consequences from standardized testing.
The union's board acted unanimously Saturday morning at a meeting in Albany.
"Educators understand that introducing new standards, appropriate
curriculum and meaningful assessments are ongoing aspects of a robust
educational system. These are complex tasks made even more complex when
attempted during a time of devastating budget cuts. SED's implementation
plan in New York state has failed. The commissioner has pursued policies
that repeatedly ignore the voices of parents and educators who have
identified problems and called on him to move more thoughtfully," said
NYSUT President Richard C. Iannuzzi. "Instead of listening to and trusting
parents and teachers to know and do what's right for students, the
commissioner has offered meaningless rhetoric and token change. Instead of
making the major course corrections that are clearly needed, including
backing a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences for students
and teachers from state testing, he has labeled everyone and every
meaningful recommendation as distractions."
The resolution states that the board declares "no confidence in the
policies of the Commissioner of Education and calls for the New York State
Commissioner of Education's removal by the New York State Board of Regents."
NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira said the union has been sounding warning
bells since 2011 about the over-emphasis on standardized testing and the
state's rushed and unrealistic timeline for introducing curriculum and
assessments tied to the Common Core state standards. She said NYSUT is
seeking:
- completion of all modules, or lessons, aligned with the Common Core
and time for educators to review them to ensure they are grade-level
appropriate and aligned with classroom practice;
- better engagement with parents, including listening to their concerns
about their children's needs;
- additional tools, professional development and resources for teachers
to address the needs of diverse learners, including students with
disabilities and English language learners;
- full transparency in state testing, including the release of all test
questions, so teachers can use them in improving instruction;
- postponement of Common Core Regents exams as a graduation requirement;
- the funding necessary to ensure all students have an equal
opportunity to achieve the Common Core standards. The proposed Executive
Budget would leave nearly 70 percent of the state's school districts with
less state aid in 2014-15 than they had in 2009-10; and
- a moratorium, or delay, in the high-stakes consequences for students
and teachers from standardized testing to give the State Education
Department - and school districts - more time to correctly implement the
Common Core.
"The clock is ticking and time is running out," Neira said. Students sit
for a new battery of state assessments in just a few months. It's time to
hit the 'pause button' on high stakes while, at the same time, increasing
support for students, parents and educators. A moratorium on high-stakes
consequences would give SED and school districts time to make the necessary
adjustments."
The resolution will go to the more than 2,000 delegates to the
600,000-member union's Representative Assembly, to be held April 4-6 in New
York City. The resolution underscores NYSUT's longstanding, strong
opposition to corporate influence and privatization in public education and
calls for an end to New York's participation in InBloom, a "cloud-based"
system that would collect and store sensitive data on New York's
schoolchildren.
*New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000
members. Members are pre-K-12 teachers; school-related professionals;
higher education faculty; other professionals in education, human services
and health care; and retirees. NYSUT is affiliated with the American
Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.*
*dianeravitch <http://dianeravitch.net/author/dianerav/>* | January 25,
2014 at 5:58 pm | Categories: Administrators,
superintendents<http://dianeravitch.net/?cat=109328069>,
Common Core <http://dianeravitch.net/?cat=5169620>, New
York<http://dianeravitch.net/?cat=4614>,
Teachers and Teaching <http://dianeravitch.net/?cat=5458677>, Teachers
evaluations <http://dianeravitch.net/?cat=52595427>,
Testing<http://dianeravitch.net/?cat=12>| URL:
http://wp.me/p2odLa-6YB
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