AFT News | American Federation of Teachers New Jersey, AFL-CIO

Union Chief Recommends Delay in Use of Test Scores

May 02, 2013

By Javier C. Hernandez

Warning that a new set of academic standards was on the verge of falling into the “dustbin of history,” the leader of a national teachers’ union called on Tuesday for school systems to postpone using new tests to evaluate teachers and promote students.
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The leader, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said teachers needed at least a year to master a new curriculum and review test materials before schools should be held accountable for results.

“Is this about deep learning or desperate cramming?” Ms. Weingarten said during an appearance in Midtown Manhattan, where she spoke before the Association for a Better New York, a group of civic and business leaders. “The only way this will succeed is if teachers have input and ownership.”

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Teaching strategies trump togas at Share My Lesson party

March 14, 2013

The Perth Amboy (N.J.) Federation/AFT substituted lessons for libations on March 9, and turned the BYOB party into a BYOL (Bring Your Own Lesson) event. The after-school social at union headquarters was an opportunity for teachers across the system to socialize, and the price of admission was simply one of their own home-brewed lesson plans to upload to Share My Lesson—making them available to colleagues across their district and throughout the country.

Carol Graff and Mallory Rohrbach

Share My Lesson was developed by AFT and TES Connect, the largest network of teachers in the world. It launched last year as a free online platform that puts high-quality teaching resources into the hands of teachers and other educators across the nation, not to mention an opportunity to collaborate with and draw inspiration from some pretty sharp minds in teaching. The site has exploded since its 2012 launch (more than 250,000 resources are banked so far, with many providing valuable help for educators navigating the tricky waters of the new Common Core State Standards), and the number keeps growing thanks to fun and innovative outreach like Perth Amboy’s BYOL social event.

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L.A. Teachers’ Union Beats Back Attempt by Bloomberg, Rhee and Murdoch to Buy School Board

March 13, 2013

By Samantha Winslow

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, not satisfied with pushing his corporate vision on public schools in his own city, was one of many wealthy outside donors, dropping $1 million on the L.A. school board races.

The Los Angeles teachers union squeaked out a victory in yesterday’s L.A. school board election, beating back corporate donors who flushed millions of dollars into an effort to unseat an independent school board leader.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, not satisfied with pushing his corporate vision on public schools in his own city, was one of many wealthy outside donors, dropping $1 million on the L.A. school board races.

But incumbent Steve Zimmer, a former teacher and community leader, defeated Kate Anderson, a parent and lawyer, by a margin of 52-48 in District 4, covering the west side of Los Angeles.

“He won because of a lot of boots on the ground: parents and teachers and others who have had enough,” said Crenshaw High School teacher Alex Caputo-Pearl.

While a majority of the board still generally supports district superintendent John Deasy, Caputo-Pearl said Zimmer’s victory reflects dissatisfaction with Deasy’s push for privatization—and a rejection of corporate cash in local elections.

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Remembered (McConnell)

February 28, 2013

Seeking Growth, Nurses’ Union Links to Teachers’ Union

February 14, 2013

By Steven Greenhouse

One of the nation’s largest nurses’ unions — the National Federation of Nurses — plans to announce on Thursday that it will affiliate with the far larger American Federation of Teachers.

Barbara Crane, the president of the nurses’ federation, said her group’s national board voted to join forces with the teachers’ union to give the nurses more political clout and money to try to unionize more nurses.

“We were not going to be able to achieve some of our goals unless we found a partner,” said Ms. Crane, whose union represents 34,000 nurses in Montana, Ohio, Oregon and Washington. “We wanted a professional union that believes in growth through organizing.”

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Long Branch Middle School Thanksgiving Community Open House

November 22, 2012

AFT Food Drive, Supporting Our Communities Impacted by Hurricane Sandy

November 19, 2012

More than 100 AFT members came together with the New Jersey State AFL-CIO yesterday in Hazlet to collect and deliver needed relief supplies for victims of Hurricane Sandy. Teams of union members unloaded the truck of supplies with the upbeat spirit that only comes from serving the community. AFT Executive Vice President Francine Lawrence and AFT-New Jersey President, Donna Chiera discuss the labor movement’s response to Hurricane Sandy yesterday in Hazlet.

Christie, teachers unions agree on merit pay for Newark teachers

November 16, 2012

Jane C. Timm, @janestreet

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Newark teachers will be paid on merit, giving teachers who ace their evaluations bonuses of up to $12,500, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten announced on Morning Joe on Friday morning.

“We all decided we needed to do something different,” Christie said. Newark schools serve 37,000 students but have struggled to attract and keep good teachers. The AFT represents Newark’s public school teachers.

The contract will provide $5,000 bonuses for teachers rated “highly effective,” with $12,500 bonuses set aside for “highly effective” math and science teachers in the most troubled schools.

Unions have long protested tying teacher pay to performance, but teachers’ grades will include peer evaluations from their colleagues, which aims to make a fair deal. “Newark teachers have more of a voice than they’ve ever had before,” Weingarten said. “This is a dynamic new contract that’s fair to the teachers and most importantly, good to the kids,” she added.

Newark, N.J., Teachers Ratify Contract

November 15, 2012

Contact: Janet Bass Office: 202-879-4554 Cell: 301-502-5222 jbass@aft.org www.aft.org

AFT’s Weingarten: “This agreement ensures that teacher voice, quality and experience are aligned with increased professionalism and better compensation.”

WASHINGTON—By a healthy margin, members of the Newark (N.J.) Teachers Union tonight ratified a tentative agreement with the Newark Public Schools that recognizes the importance of teacher voice, experience and the professional work teachers do.

The ratification vote was originally scheduled for Oct. 29 but delayed due to Superstorm Sandy. “After what we were hearing in schools after they opened, we realized that people understood the contract and that is reflected in this vote,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the NTU’s national affiliate.

Newark, N.J., Teachers Ratify Contract

AFT praises Newark Teachers Union’s contract agreement

October 19, 2012

The tentative contract agreement between the Newark Teachers Union and the school district, announced on Oct. 18, is a win for students, a win for teachers and a win for Newark, AFT president Randi Weingarten says.

The agreement “recognizes the quality of educators’ work, values their experience and training, ensures they have a say in decisions affecting teaching and learning in their schools, and makes teacher retention a priority by, among other things, adjusting salaries to allow teachers to earn more money earlier in their careers,” Weingarten says.

“It was forged through a collective bargaining process that allowed the district and the Newark Teachers Union to work through complex issues that required give and take on both sides. I commend both sides for their unwavering commitment to reaching this agreement. Throughout the process both sides maintained a steadfast focus on what Newark’s students and educators need to succeed. This collaborative approach will be critical as the agreement, once approved, is implemented.

“The tentative agreement reached in Newark is framed by the state’s new TEACH law that sets out how teachers will be evaluated. It demonstrates that collective bargaining is not only a vehicle for change, it is essential to reaching consensus on solutions that will improve teaching and learning.” Among the provisions:

Focusing the statutory evaluation process on continuous improvement in order to help all teachers improve their craft, instead of on drive by evaluations and snapshots that fail to offer educators effective and meaningful feedback and support.

Peer review and assistance for teachers to provide support and share ideas and best practices with other teachers.

Empowering teachers to come together to develop and implement changes that promote improvements at their individual schools.
Additional compensation to recruit and retain educators in high-need schools and subject areas.

Allowing teachers to earn more money early in their career by being paid more upfront for receiving approved advanced degrees.