American Teacher

A Message That Travels

Kris Perry, executive director of the advocacy group known as First 5 California, said that a strong federal role was essential in California, a state where budget crises have had "a dramatic effect on early learning and the social safety net."

A Place Where All Kids Feel Welcome and Safe

Unlike regular bullying: * Cyberbullying is not done face-to-face, often leaving the target wondering who the bully is. * Electronic media et bullies operate anywhere and at any time. * The psychological distance created by electronics may lull bullies into believing they're not hurting anybody. * Kids often do not report bullying because they're afraid their computer or phone privileges will be taken away. In instances of cyberbullying, print out the evidence if you can, such as an instant ...

Access, Time and Money No Longer Impediments to Higher Education

[...] Swanson says that "when I was in studying mode, I think I was being more creative in my problem solving in my everyday life."

Afl-Cio Reaches Out to Young Workers

The AFL-CIO's executive council has adopted 10 next steps for Next Up: * Host an annual meeting for young workers; * Establish a national advisory committee; * Work with the AFL-CIO organizing department to identify best practices for new models of representation for workers in nontraditional jobs; * Provide a tool kit for creating young worker groups; * Develop a template for mentoring based on best practices; * Sponsor a video contest; * Establish text messaging and other social media proje...

Aft Booth a Hit with Early Childhood Educators

There was a new wrinkle for 2010, however, as the AFT set aside a portion of the booth space to host a "cozy corner," where early learning educators and union members could renew old acquaintances, and passersby could chat and learn more about the AFT's strategy to put critical supports, competitive compensation and a professional voice in place for the early learning community.

Aft Voices

Imagine the power of our voices speaking as one, and how our children might benefit!" -JANE SLABOWSKI Syracuse (N.Y.) Teachers Association "I feel this is an area that needs fostering and is a missing piece currently in our community.

Against All Odds

Coloradans said no to initiatives aimed at gutting funding for education and infrastructure. [...] in Massachusetts, voters recognized the need for continued investments in healthcare and public education - and defeated an attempt to roll back the state sales tax.

Collaboration has Made This District a Model for Teacher Development

THE EXTRAORDINARY partnership between the Hillsborough County (FIa.) Public Schools and its teachers union brought U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and AFT president Randi Weingarten to Tampa on Oct. 14 for a discussion on Hillsborough's groundbreaking efforts to improve teacher quality.

Connecting with the Community

Making this kind of common cause with the community and building bridges to parent groups, faith leaders, civil rights organizations and others are extremely important - and many state federations and locals have a long and rich tradition of working with die community on a wide range of issues. Here are a few examples of places where members and affiliates are connecting with their communities. * Houston 'It has to be a collaborative effort' Jennifer Moore has a 2-year-old son, a fulltime jo...

Disengaged? Not These People

Both 29 and both members of the Albuquerque (N.M.) Teachers Federation, they have put in so many hours working on community projects, throwing pizza parties, giving television interviews and winning grants that after just three years of teaching, they already feel on top of their game. Hundreds of young workers convened in Washington, D.C., in June for a first-ever youth summit: a massive brainstorming session with the AFL-CIO's three top officers on how to reach working people under 35.

Ensuring That Every Child Gets a Great Education

Public schools have an obligation to help all children learn, regardless of parental engagement, native language or family income. Parents, faith communities, business leaders and others are crucial to a successful public school system.

Giving Students a Fighting Chance

Teachers can act as role models for students or take part in programs that provide mentoring or afterschool activities," says Barrett, adding that "unions and other organizations that want to fill the gaps in the community need to think outside the box when it comes to playing a role in gang prevention.

Improving the Quality and Accessibility of After-School Programs

CITIES ARE HOME to many opportunitiesmuseums, libraries, arts facilities, sports programs and more- that are a natural fit with families' needs for high-quality programs that students can take advantage of after school, during the summer and other times when they aren't in school. A new study from RAND looks at an initiative from the Wallace Foundation to fund efforts in five cities to build systems that improve the quality and accessibility of what the foundation calls "out-of-school time" ...

Making Standards Work for English Language Learners

[...] there must be a strong commitment to make sure that ELL students have access to grade-level content from the Common Core state standards.

No Generation Gap ... They're All at Home

According to the Pew Research Center, 13 percent of the 75 million baby boomers now are in this situation; and some estimates show that nearly two-thirds of baby boomers will be taking care of an elderly parent in the next decade.

Not Waiting for Superman

GABRIEL ARANA The American Prospect The film presents teachers unions as the villains in the struggle to close the achievement gap, despite their long history of advocating for more school funding, smaller class sizes and better school resources and facilities. [...] in real life, Weingarten is the union leader most credited by even free-market education reformers with being committed to retooling the teaching profession to better emphasize professional excellence and student achievement.

One Beautiful Nation

The gathering was backed by a broad spectrum of progressive groups, including civil rights organizations, unions and environmentalists.

Parents Given Guidance On Preparing Healthy Meals

Earlier in the day, Johnson visited Detroit's Carstens Elementary School, a community school that provides a variety of academic services and other programs for students and their families, including a food bank, clothing donations and free legal aid.

Reform From Within

TEAMWORK THAT CAN trigger solid, sustainable gains across entire school systems captured the spotlight in Washington, D.C., as union leaders and school administrators from districts around the country came together Oct. 6-8 for an AFT conference on coUaborative school reform. Common threads bind these and other districts that have made a genuine commitment to collaborative change, said Saul Rubinstein of the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations and co-author of the new report "Co...

Should Sports Officials Enforce Concussion Rules?

The group is to be commended for taking seriously the major risks posed by concussion injuries, but this rule change will likely produce unintended consequences that will have a negative impact on interscholastic athletics- without the meaningful increase in safety it aims for. YES It's a needed layer of protection BY MELANIE HOUSE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY of students is the bottom line, so officials at school sports events should absolutely share responsibility for enforcing concussion rules.

Teachers' Lounge

The site includes articles about prominent Hispanics who have made contributions to U.S. culture; historical data and research material; as well as other content on music, art and literature. Looking for ways to remind her ninth-grade students to complete their homework assignments, Feldman surveyed her class and discovered that almost all have cell phones with calendars and alarms.

The Cranberry Bog That Ate New York City

The Power of Teamwork

PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN LOWELL, Mass., have put teamwork, shared decision-making and a supportive school climate at the heart of education improvement- and the results have been nothing short of stunning in many schools across the district.

Thinking Ahead

Bethune Elementary sits in the middle of the Hollygrove neighborhood- home to rapper LiI Wayne and one of the highest crime areas in the city. The activities range from conducting canned food drives for the neighborhood to volunteering as ushers at meetings and conferences throughout the city.

Weigh In!

Should students get parent consent for armed services tests? In my district, parents, on the student information form, have the opportunity to opt into the sharing of student information with recruiters.

Where to Find It

Winning teams can receive U.S. savings bonds for college; a visit with members of Congress; and an expenses-paid trip for themselves, their families, mentor and coach to Washington, D. C. in June. The campaign, developed by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the Ad Council, offers a dedicated website where parents can learn how to better navigate the college process, including financial aid, and to stay involved in their children's education.