Re: Fw: [LiteracyForAll] Reading First and the AFT

[Alan Young <alanyoung@mchsi.com>]

I don't disagree with the characterization of AFT's active complicity and
also believe that NEA in no way did enough in trying to fight against the
onslaught of NCLB related things. But to say that NEA had early or deep
knowledge about the local embezzlement (an activity that I am sure those
convicted were trying to hide) or much of anything else of AFT internal
business is likely an unfair and quite exaggerated assertion. NEA was cut
out of most of this debate and input intentionally precisely because they
knew much ouf our leadership, while not as strong or vocal as I might like,
would still not go along with it the way AFT did. To paint both of these
unions as if they as the same is unfair, naïve, simplistic, and not helpful.
To paint either union as if they are monolithic and void of diverse opinion
and action, even in leadership positions, is also inaccurate.

I agree that with both acts of commission of the AFT and largely omission of
the NEA both unions have participated in different degrees as part of the
problem. But I will also say, especially with NEA since that is what I know,
that some efforts within the union and including some leadership moves are
also part of the solution and necessarily so.

I think the real challenge is how do we forge deep, real, meaningful,
purposeful, and strategic relationship to push for change between
scholar/activists and union leadership - local, state, and national. By only
criticizing and exposing the problems of other groups, partially and truly
valid criticisms that I agree with, what is being done by the criticizers to
change the situation? Getting rid of some of the complicit actions would be
helpful, because if they continue, it does make change harder. But the lack
of complicit actions is still not the presence of joint, purposeful,
strategic working relationships and alliances.

I have seen little from academia and scholar/activists, which I count myself
one, that shows we can organize a mass resistance/pro-after NCLB public
education plan on our own. Too few end up doing much in isolated, atomistic,
and uncoordinated ways. I believe that it is time to forge alliances and
strategic coordinated plans among the "players" which include
scholar/activists, unions and union leadership, grassroots (like CARE, PURE,
ESR, and other state-based efforts) and other education, children, social
justice organizations, etc. instead of turning on each other to the glee and
giddiness of those who oppose our efforts.

I along with a group of dedicated NEA urban presidents and leaders are
working on getting NEA to be in a position to do such (it is a difficult
internal struggle but not without some success). But it is important to have
a similar organizing effort among academics who should have been unleashing
cans of "whoopass" on all things NCLB. But instead we have many who are
silent, others who find ways to try to go along and benefit, and others who
are upset, but do not work in concert with one another.

One heartening sign has been the emergence of the Forum for Democracy and
Education which I think holds much promise as part of the strategic solution
equation. They have been holding forums which could eventually be an
organizing umbrella. They certainly deserve to be commended and I think may
hold promise we help broaden, deepen, and develop this effort and approach.

And of course, FairTest and Rethinking Schools have been pretty consistent
voices that have kept us together in terms of coordinating resistance and
solutions. They deserve to be strengthened and also must be a core part of
the strategic solution in my opinion. How can we get these voices around the
table, not for a conference, but for a national strategy session so we can
plan and coordinate our efforts. FairTest alone has done so much to keep up
the pressure, inform and coordinate us via this list-serv, and help keep our
fledgling efforts connected and afloat and all on a shoestring budget. They
could do so much more than just maintain if we support it. Who else has been
there?

Susan Ohanian and ACT-NOW and groups like Rouge Forum also help and I can
name all of those who have notable efforts, including those in Florida,
Texas, Washington, Virginia Massachussetts, California, Iowa, Ohio, and
elsewhere. But where is our coordination. If we do not find a way to
establish a coordinated scholar/activist approach and unite it with powerful
unions and other academic, educational, children's advocacy, and social
justice organizations, how do we expect to make much of a difference against
the privatized, BRT, neo-con "machine" who do not really believe in public
education

We do not have to agree on everything but need to act upon the considerable
amount we do agree on. Instead of critcizing the past, what are we doing
presently to build coalitions to change our future? What are we going to do
next? It is time to lead, not just explicate the nature of problems and
identify culprits. We must intentional build strategic relations among the
agents of change. The absence of complicit actions and missteps in no way
constitutes the presence of a strategic, coordinated, powerful plan of
action among stakeholders. If not us, who? If not now, when?

Alan Young


On 9/29/06 8:26 PM, "GERALD BRACEY" <gbracey1@verizon.net> wrote:

> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Rich Gibson" <rgibson@pipeline.com>
> To: <LiteracyForAll@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Friday, September 29, 2006 9:13 PM
> Subject: [LiteracyForAll] Reading First and the AFT
> 
> 
>> We might keep in mind that the American Federation of Teachers leadership,
>> which joined the US Chambers of Commerce, the Business Roundtable,
>> Achieve,
>> and the leadership of the National Education Association in insisting upon
>> the regimented curricula and high-stakes testing that sums up NCLB,
>> praised
>> and touted Reading First since its inception.
>> 
>> Antonia Cortese, an AFT VP, repeatedly insisted that Reading First is
>> effective, and especially effective for teachers dealing with poor and
>> working class kids, who, as I remember it, she called, "disadvantaged."
>> 
>> Cortese's home local, NYSUT, the bellweather of AFT, offered letters of
>> support for Reading First, and curricula guides as well.
>> 
>> The National Education Association leadership trailed behind AFT's loud
>> enthusiasm for Reading First, but listed the program among those NEA
>> recommends.
>> 
>> The AFT is a notoriously corrupt union, and given the nature of union
>> corruption, that is saying something. Cortese sat on an AFT executive
>> board
>> composed of thieves, and it is hard to believe she was unaware of that.
>> 
>> The top leaders of the Florida AFT , Pat Tornillo and Tony Gentile, who
>> both were key players at the top of AFT  in the development of NCLB  are
>> in
>> prison now, Tornillo for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars of
>> teachers' dues, teachers in Florida who often live in trailers because of
>> bad pay, and Gentile for molesting children. The boss of the AFT
>> Washington
>> DC local, Barbara Bullock, representing teachers in one of the most ruined
>> and impoverished districts in the US, is in jail for embezzling, again,
>> hundreds of thousands of dollars.
>> 
>> What is doubly significant about these AFT crimes is that everyone in AFT
>> leadership had to know about the embezzlement as it was going on, as did
>> the leadership of NEA. Despite repeated warnings and complaints from
>> staff,
>> the AFT and NEA both just allowed these crimes to go along, not unlike the
>> path Reading First followed.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>> 
>> 
>> 
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