Education Reform Briefs

From the American Federation of Teachers, 11/15/99

AFT Wins Puerto Rican Teacher Bargaining Vote

The AFT-affiliated Federacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico is now the bargaining agent for the more than 37,000  teachers across the island. The Nov. 9 victory was overwhelming, and so was voter turnout--nearly 85 percent. With remarkable consistency of strength throughout the 84 school districts in the Puerto Rico public school system, the Federacion polled more than 73 percent of the vote and 60 percent of the total eligible unit, well beyond the required 50 percent-plus-one for certification. No runoff will be necessary. There were 22,156 votes cast for AFT; 8,024 for NEA; and 1,255 ballots that were challenged or void. Total eligible: 37,105.

This Puerto Rico collective bargaining representation election is the largest teacher organizing campaign for our union in nearly 40 years--since the AFT won collective bargaining in New York City.

From the American Association of School Administrators, 11/9/99

National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform Coming Soon

Superintendents with a question about school-wide reform or searching for that one model program perfect for their districts' needs will soon have the world at their fingertips.

Once fully operational, the National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform will collect, analyze, synthesize and disseminate information on comprehensive school reform in K-12 institutions. Superintendents will be able to access all information themselves or request a search by clearinghouse reference specialists.

The clearinghouse is operated by George Washington University, in partnership with the Council for Basic Education and the Institute for Educational Leadership, under a grant by the U.S. Department of Education.

From the Center for Education Reform, 11/12/99

"One Florida Initiative" Announced by Gov. Bush

On Tuesday [Nov. 9], Florida Governor Jeb Bush announced a multi-phased plan called the "One Florida Initiative" to increase minority enrollment in colleges and universities. The plan will improve resources in under-performing schools and reform university admissions policies.  It focuses on improving low performing schools by ending social promotion and promoting accountability, while providing incentives and rewards for improvements.  This program offers both the resources and flexibility for schools to succeed.

From the National PTA, 11/1/99

Archway-Mother's Cookies Partners with PTA

Archway-Mother's Cookies has become an official sponsor of National PTA and is heralding the relationship on bags of its "1,2,3" and "A-B-C" brands of cookies. Information promoting membership in National PTA appears on product packages and on in-store displays.

Archway-Mother's also made a contribution to each state PTA to help cover the cost of upgrading existing computer software and hardware. Free cookie samples were provided to 2,000 attendees at National PTA's 103rd annual convention in June.

From the National Association of State Boards of Education, 11/8/99

Supreme Court Intervenes in Cleveland Voucher Case

On a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that kept new students from participating in the Cleveland voucher program while the case moves through the courts. Students enrolled in the program as of last year were already allowed to continue receiving the tuition subsidies. It should be noted that the ruling was not on the constitutionality of the voucher program itself, although many observers believe the vote could be telling in terms of any voucher case that finally does reach the high court.

From the Family Research Council/Ed Facts, 11/12/99

Education Funding Finale Falls Short

Congressional leaders were unsuccessful in their attempt to grant states and localities full flexibility with funding under two Clinton education initiatives, the class-size reduction program and Goals 2000. In a deal closed Nov. 10 between Congress and the White House on the Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill, the class-size reduction program was raised to $1.325 billion, with only a quarter of that amount permitted for other activities to promote quality teaching. Meanwhile, the expired Goals 2000, which the House has voted to eliminate in years past, will continue another year at $491 million.

From the American Federation of Teachers, 11/8/99

AFT Stalwart Supporter of School to Work

The AFT and the National School to Work Office have teamed up to create "School to Career--One Path to Better High Schools." Included in this multimedia package, tied to the AFT recommendations for creating and implementing quality school-to-career initiatives, are a 20-minute video featuring successful high school programs, a workbook for evaluating current initiatives, and a round-up of popular reform programs with evidence of effectiveness. Copies of the program have been sent to many local, state and national union leaders.

From the NSBA School Board News, 11/9/99

CA Offers Monetary Incentives to Implement Peer Review

Under a new [California] program, districts that let the state know by June 1 that they intend to implement a "peer assistance and review program"--and negotiate the details with the local teachers union--will receive $2,800 per teacher. They'll also get funding from the state's mentor teacher program which has been replaced by the new program.

So far, 500 districts, half the districts in the state, have said they intend to implement the program, which was spearheaded by California Secretary of Education Gary Hart.

If districts wait until the program's second year, they'll only get $1,000 per teacher plus funds from the mentoring program.

From the Education Intelligence Agency, 11/8/99

NEA and NCATE in Cahoots?

National Education Association President Bob Chase held a press conference Wednesday to announce union support for a virtual hiring ban on uncredentialed teachers in the nation's public schools. Chase explained to reporters that insisting on the required credentials would not only put better teachers in the classroom, but would create market pressures to raise salaries, thereby attracting better candidates. Indeed, Chase called for a national requirement for teachers to graduate from a teacher education program certified by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), which is coincidentally run by Arthur E. Wise, until recently the chairman of NEA's nonprofit subsidiary, the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE). Wise's claim to fame is that, according to his bio, he "helped to create the U.S. Department of Education."

It doesn't take an economics degree to realize that NEA's efforts to increase demand for teachers (through class size reduction) while restricting the supply (by insisting on credentialing through NCATE programs) inevitably leads to shortages, followed quickly by inflation. Under Chase's plan, teacher salaries will most assuredly rise. Unfortunately, there is no reason to believe that putting a stranglehold on the labor supply will lead to better teachers, better schools or better students. Public education is in enough trouble without an OPEC-like cartel in charge of the teacher pipeline.

From Education Week, 11/17/99

Edison Schools Goes Public with Stock Offering

Edison, which was founded in 1991 by Christopher Whittle, manages 79 schools serving some 38,000 students. It is perhaps the most closely watched entrant in the nascent business of for-profit management of public schools and charter schools. The company's IPO was viewed by some observers as a milestone for the for-profit education industry.

"This is a momentous event," said John M. McLaughlin, the editor of The Education Industry Report, a newsletter that focuses on for-profit education companies.

Despite the stock's modest performance, he said, the budding K-12 management industry now has a prominent company that is publicly traded.

The closest venture to it among publicly traded companies is Tesseract Group Inc., which operates charter schools and preschools. That company's stock has performed poorly since its troubled relationships with the Baltimore and Hartford, Conn., school systems under its old name, Education Alternatives Inc.