By Pamela Cantor Education has long been central to the promise of the United States of America. But our current education system has never been designed to promote the equitable opportunities or outcomes that our children and families deserve and that our democracy, society, and economy now need. The people who built the education system in the 19th and 20th centuries believed that talent and skills were scarce. They trusted averages as measures of individuals. And many of their educational beliefs were grounded in racist stereotypes that deemed only some children worthy of opportunity. These beliefs influenced the learning and… Read more: A New Purpose for Education

05/16/2021 Back to School for All: Return, Recover and Reimagine by Randi WeingartenPresident, American Federation of Teachers Schools must open this fall. In person. Five days a week. With the space and health safeguards to do so. And my union, the American Federation of Teachers, is committed to making it happen.Weingarten speaking at AFT headquarters in Washington, D.C., May 13. School is where children learn best, where they play together, form relationships and learn resilience. It’s where many children who otherwise might go hungry eat breakfast and lunch. Parents rely on schools not only to educate their kids but so… Read more: Message from Randi Weingarten

March 13, 2021, marked a year of our experience of the Pandemic. Throughout this time you have endured many obstacles and experiences to get to this point of the year. You have gone through the reopening of schools process, experienced the summer covid surge, experienced the school board’s decisions of giving secondary students incompletes and distance learning. As workers, you have changed formats, platforms, and curriculum. You have sheltered in place, reached out to families, consoled those who were grieving, and spoke out on behalf of your students. You did all of this because you care about your students, you… Read more: Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers Local 1794

AFT President Randi Weingarten today delivered a major address on the crisis hollowing out the teaching profession—massive disinvestment in public education and deprofessionalization. In her speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., she called for reinvestment and freedom to teach. It was followed by two panels featuring education leaders who laid out pragmatic solutions. To start, Weingarten asked that Americans consider the motivations educators express about why they teach, such as “I teach because I want to change the world, one child at a time, and to show them to have passion and wonder in their learning.” Teachers… Read more: The AFT calls for freedom to teach

This week is parent conference week for our elementary schools. It’s an opportunity for teachers to discuss student achievement, academic supports, and hold strategic and focused conversations about each child. Throughout this year, teachers had to dispel misinformation, stop rumors, and remind parents we are in fact conducting In-Person Instruction, unlike many Districts in the news that have not re-opened for live instruction. Our teachers were looking forward to having conversations with parents centered on what students are being taught and student progress NOT the politics of distance learning vs in-person instruction. This opportunity was hijacked yesterday. At 4:47 PM NMUSD… Read more: President’s Message from Last Night’s School Board Meeting

Patience—counseled by former Vice President Joe Biden all election week as Americans waited for votes to be counted—finally paid off Nov. 7, four days after Election Day, when he won in Pennsylvania and gained enough Electoral College votes to acquire a new title: president-elect. The win in Pennsylvania, and just a few hours later in Nevada, meant that Biden and running mate Kamala Harris had defeated President Donald Trump. In an election that posted the highest voter turnout in decades, Biden and Harris collected more votes than any presidential ticket in U.S. history. This was the news that AFT members… Read more: Finally—it’s President-elect Biden