President Ianuzzi Responds and I Reply

The following is from Richard Ianuzzi, President of New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) in response to my letter of October 31. My reply follows.

Michael:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and I apologize for the delayed response--I write these myself! Having spent 34 years in an elementary classroom, I appreciate the endless piles of papers--at least mine included some "artistic" projects!

I understand your uneasiness about test scores. Without getting into the fine line between raw scores, growth models and value added, suffice to say there is much uncertainty. A Task Force (with one third practitioners) is working on how the multiple factors impacting scores should be considered. Their recommendations are to guide the Regents in setting regulations, currently scheduled for July. What is clear is that value-added will not be in place in NY for several years and only then if it is a model that accurately addresses factors impacting the classroom. While in theory the model has potential, needless to say, it does not exist today.

You have every right to be skeptical about those who claim to embrace reform when their actions don't show a real appreciation for what goes on in the classroom. For this reason, NYSUT was careful to significantly limit the role of standardized test scores (20%) and to leave additional multiple measures to local collective bargaining (which may or may not include testing) for an additional 20%. It is also the reason we used our leverage to move the process into legislation and away from unilateral decisions from the Board of Regents.

You are right, our profession is under attack by both parties. While their is much to distrust, taking a lead in reform instead of waiting for bad "reform' to happen was our strategy.

I hope this sheds some light on our thinking.

Again, thanks for your thoughts!

Regards, 

Dick

11/16/10

 Hi Dick,

Thanks for your reply. While I am encouraged by what you say, I remain concerned over the lack of response to the current framing of the American teacher and the teacher's unions. I've been in the classroom for 26 years and the climate has never been this bad. Bad isn't the right word, though. The climate is vicious. Andre Agassi in the November 22 issue of Time Magazine said this when asked who he would choose as 2010 person of the year:

"The nominee is: the American student. I deserve better. Far better. I need my teachers to be better trained and held accountable for their performance. I want you to expect excellence from me. My future is at stake, and I'm not equipped for a 21st century world. If you all lay aside your agendas, you can create a groundswell that will lift me to college and beyond. If only there were a children's union."

The absolutism in his remark reflects the absolutist attitude the country has bought: teachers are bad and the union (made up of teachers) is to blame.

To every anti-teacher and anti-union talking point, there has been zero response. We are political pawns and the Democratic Party has thrown us under the bus in its cowardly shift to the right.

Unionism is built on passionate action. Where's the passion? Where's the action? This is a game of perception management and we're losing because we're not playing. When I read the union magazines I see all this great stuff that's going on. But we're talking to ourselves while too many people on the street believe unions and teachers aren't just the problem; teachers, not just some, are incompetent and the union is evil.

The union's assets can respond to "Waiting for Superman,"  and the political and editorial framing. If every local was involved in a carefully crafted letter writing campaign our voices would reach the public ear. I'm sure there's any number of other activities that would put, at least, some doubt where there is so much certainty. Not everyone buys the current propaganda. We still have supporters out there.

Why aren't we hitting back at the NY Times? Why has that newspaper's editorial board turned so rabidly against us? Why haven't they said anything about the disaster that Klein and Bloomberg made of the NYC school system, as was brilliantly reported by Diane Ravitch in her book? Where is this, supposedly liberal, media agenda coming from?

All the legislative dealing in the world won't save us from public opinion, and the corporatists and privatizers are in the ascendancy. I'm starting to worry that we're getting to the point where the ladder won't reach the top of the hole because when all these reforms also fail, and they will because a child is not a standardized part on an assembly line, we will still be stuck with the blame. Especially if we're seen as a passive, easy target.

As Diane Ravitch said, "Since we can't fire poverty, we can't fire students, and we can't fire families, all that is left is to fire teachers."

Let's fight back. Our target is the corporate model that dehumanizes our students into hollow test takers.

Most sincerely.

Michael Lambert

Gloversville Teacher's Association

11/20/10