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Champions of Education
Inside the AFT
Week of Sept. 28, 2009
Lively Talks with AFT's ELL Cadre The Sophisticated Side of Math Engaging Students in Civics
AFT Says New Draft Standards Are a Solid First Step The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers released draft standards on Sept. 21 that define what students need to know and be able to do to succeed in college and the workplace. The AFT supports their efforts; two groups of AFT members participated in a preliminary review of the draft standards. The organizations have invited comments from the public, teachers and other educators. "There is a compelling need for common standards that are higher, fewer and clearer," AFT president Randi Weingarten says. "We are pleased that many of the comments from teams of teachers were heard and are reflected in this draft. We expect to see even more teacher input during the comment period and in future efforts to develop standards to guide the work of K-12 teachers. We encourage math and language arts teachers from across the country to make suggestions throughout this process." [Read more.]
High-Level Officials Visit AFT To Meet with ELL Cadre A spirited dialogue between educators and key officials in both the Obama administration and the civil rights community stole the spotlight when the AFT's English Language Learners (ELL) educator cadre convened at AFT headquarters on Sept. 22. The group met with Paloma Zuleta, deputy director of the Campaign for High School Equity; Jason Llorenz, director of policy and legislation for the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators; and Ida R. Eblinger Kelley, the U.S. Department of Education's director of Hispanic Outreach and Communications, for a substantive exchange on measures of effective teaching, the home-school connection and other issues central to the debate on effective ELL instruction. Kelley called on members of the cadre to identify what they thought were the biggest opportunities for improvement. Among the areas named by educators: building family and community partnerships with schools, integrating ELL students into the life of the entire school, and extending learning time for students who enter the United States later in life. [Read more.]
American Educator Examines Elementary Mathematics On the surface, teaching mathematics in elementary school seems simple enough. But there's a lot more to teaching math than teaching how to do calculations. In order to prepare for algebra, children in the elementary grades must understand important and challenging ideas like place value and fractions. Just like teaching reading, teaching elementary math requires deep knowledge of content and pedagogy. As a result, when it comes to math instruction, it's time to reconsider the generalist elementary school teacher's role. In the new issue of American Educator, mathematician Hung-Hsi Wu advocates for having math teachers—those who teach exclusively math—deliver elementary math instruction starting no later than fourth grade. The new issue also looks at how high-poverty and high-minority schools have achieved success, and the key characteristics they share: genuine teacher collaboration, a sharp focus on what students must learn, assessments that inform instruction, and strong relationships between adults and children. [Read more.]
Online Training The AFT has partnered with Drexel University Online to offer AFT members and their immediate families a 10 to 30 percent reduction on a variety of online programs. Register for a Sept. 30 webinar (offered at two different times) to learn more about the partnership, and to receive tips on how to afford your continuing education through loan forgiveness and other funding programs for educators. Find out more on the AFT Web site.
Invite Leaders To Join If you find AFT LeaderNet a valuable resource, let your fellow leaders and activists know about the site. Fill out the online form, and we will send an invitation to register to the leader you suggest. More information is available if you want to invite a large group of leaders to join.
New AFT Project Offers Opportunities for Civics Teachers The AFT Educational Foundation is looking for civics teachers to participate in an exciting new project to build an international democracy memory bank. The Civic Voices project, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, asks students to gather oral history interviews from inspiring citizens who helped advance human rights and freedom around the world. Participating teachers will ask their students to analyze activists' stories to explore how civic ideals are realized through grass-roots efforts. The project seeks to preserve the legacy of iconic struggles and inspire future generations of citizens through the power of personal narrative. Additional information about the project, including an application for teachers who want to participate, is available on the AFT Web site. [Read more.]
Register Now for Webinar on Sustainability in K-12 Schools The AFT is co-sponsoring a webinar on education for sustainability in K-12 schools. The idea behind education for sustainability is to help students understand the interconnectedness of economic, social and environmental systems. This understanding of systems and their interconnectedness can help students create solutions that will lead us toward a better future. In the webinar, scheduled for Nov. 5 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST, educators will present case studies and share resources about how they are successfully using sustainability as a theme in diverse elementary, middle and high schools across the country. The session will provide an overview of national trends, related research and more. AFT members can register using this LeaderNet form.
Where and When AFT president Randi Weingarten will join other members of the National Labor Coordinating Committee on Sept. 29 for a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and White House financial adviser Lawrence Summers in Washington, D.C. On Sept. 30, also in Washington, D.C., she will meet with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) to discuss issues of importance to our members. Later that day, she will attend an Economic Policy Institute executive committee meeting, and also will chair the Albert Shanker Institute's board meeting. Weingarten will address the AFT Retiree conference on Oct. 1 in Washington, D.C. On Oct. 2, she will be in New York City for a meeting of the American Friends of the Yitzhak Rabin Center board. AFT secretary-treasurer Antonia Cortese will attend the Shanker Institute board meeting on Sept. 30. On Oct. 1, she will attend the National Consumers League reception and dinner honoring Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis in Washington, D.C. AFT executive vice president Lorretta Johnson will be the plenary session speaker on Oct. 4 at NYSUT's School-Related Professionals Leadership Conference in Albany, N.Y.
Last Updated 10/08/2009
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