Joe Williams' Blog
March 4, 2008
Bizarre Unionization Stuff In Illinois
Jonathan Gyurko, the charter school czar at the United Federation of Teachers, wants to know what advice this blog has for Illinois Senator Barack Obama regarding the somewhat creepy story in the Daily Herald about the forms allegedly handed out to teachers by an Illinois charter school that supposedly sought to denounce a unionization drive at the school.
For those of you unfamiliar with the rules of the blogosphere, the UFT by contract gets to tell other bloggers what they are supposesd to comment upon on their blogs, so I'm forced to outline my three-point plan below to avoid having a costly and time-consuming grievance filed with The Blogfather.
So, Senator Obama, acting on the instructions of the teachers union which has been spending a small fortune trying to knock you out of the Democratic Primary, I present my plan for dealing with the situation:
Continue reading "Bizarre Unionization Stuff In Illinois"....
Posted by Joe Williams on March 4, 2008 8:57 PM
Can A National Ed System Create More... Local Control?
Matt Miller, building on the themes of his recent Atlantic Monthly piece about adiosing school boards, expands a bit more on his argument in this new paper from the Center for American Progress.
Hear him out:
It is only by transcending traditional local control, and by getting serious about a new national role in standards and finance, that we can at last create genuine autonomy for local schools. This autonomy should become the new definition of what we mean when we say “local control.” We need to give schools one clear, national set of expectations, free educators and parents to collaborate locally in whatever ways work to get results, and get everything else out of the way.
Right now we love, love, love local control in this country - so long as control isn't too local, if you know what I mean...
Posted by Joe Williams on March 4, 2008 4:40 PM
AFT Ed Resorts To Cheap Sensationalism
In the most blatant attempt I've yet to see on the blogosphere to artificially drive up web traffic for an education blog (even worse than when I peppered a post last year with Paris Hilton references) AFT Ed is clearly appealing/pandering to the most voyeuristic instincts in all of us when he weighs in on the extremely controversial topic of self-insuring public bond issuers.
He even plays directly to the cheap seats when he writes: I'm unsure how much the public sector needs bond insurance at all, although I understand having it allows you to avoid making certain commitments about revenue streams and repayment.
Yeah baby!
You ought to be ashamed of yourself Mr. Muir! I hope the AFT server crashes over all this traffic!
(In all seriousness, however, I think he's onto something about the bizarre willingness of school districts to let themselves get screwed out of the action here.)
Posted by Joe Williams on March 4, 2008 4:06 PM
March 3, 2008
Learning From The UFT on 55/25
Leo Casey writes on EdWize about the lessons that can be learned from the United Federation of Teachers' decades long attempts to restore pension enhancements which allow teachers to retire at age 55 if they have 25 years of experience. (Gov. Spitzer recently signed the change into law.)
The version on my screen cuts off in what I think is the most important sentence in Leo's post, but in terms of where I think he was going, there are lessons for all of us in this recent victory for the teachers union. It goes beyond merely building and using power wisely. The union win is about patience, relentless pushing across multiple budget cycles and even contract negotiations with the city, coalition-building, etc.
It is a textbook case of why the UFT is so good at what it does in terms of political advocacy.
Posted by Joe Williams on March 3, 2008 9:20 AM
February 29, 2008
My Couch Is Open Sherman Dorn
Sherman Dorn is looking for someplace to crash when he is in New York for the upcoming American Education Research Association keg party. My living room is yours, Sherman, if you don't mind a fourth-floor walk-up a couple of blocks off Times Square. My lawyer says I can technically meet your criteria of never having actually been convicted of "heinous crimes such as murder, pederasty, or wearing chartreuse" though I should make clear, as I have on this blog before, that I am pretty sure I can kick the asses of both of the Blogging Klonskies.
Sherman, seriously, mi casa es su casa if you want it. Drop me a line at joewilliams@dfer.org.
Posted by Joe Williams on February 29, 2008 10:03 AM
February 20, 2008
Obama To Vouchers: Drop Dead
Michele McNeil has the skinny on the Obama campaign's apparent NEA-Two Step. The campaign put out a statement suggesting that candidate Obama's seemingly thoughtful, measured comments on the subject of vouchers before the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week were actually just the same old, tired type of response that people have come to expect from politicians.
Michele notes:
The Obama campaign maintains that the news reports have been "misleading." However, perhaps what the campaign should be doing is emphasizing Obama's statement that he would do "what's best for kids" if the research supports it, regardless of any "preconceptions" he might have. Isn't that what we would like our candidates to say?
Exactly. What was at first a skeptical, cautious, but refreshing response now seems to the same old, same old from a Democratic candidate for office.
Posted by Joe Williams on February 20, 2008 1:47 PM
February 19, 2008
Now That's More Like It!
Regarding all the Obama/vouchers stuff. Sen. Hillary Clinton reminds us how it is supposed to work when you're running for president as a Democrat. Do whatever you can to link private school scholarships for poor people to Islamic fundamentalism. Well played!
From Elizabeth Green's story in the NY Sun:
Asked the same voucher question by the Milwaukee paper, Senator Clinton had a strong response, saying she opposes vouchers because they hurt public schools and could also open up the possibility of using taxpayer dollars to finance dangerous schools including training grounds for "jihad."
Posted by Joe Williams on February 19, 2008 11:08 AM
