AFT-Speeches

Al Shanker testifies before this sub-committee of the Committee on Education and Labor of the U.S. House of Representative. He warns against adoption of two house bills, H.R. 3564 and H.R. 4949 which deal with regulation of standardized tests. Similar legislation had recently been passed in New York, and Shanker had witnessed firsthand the negative consequences of the law. One proviso in one of the bills required the graded tests to be sent to students so they could see where they had erred.  read more »

Shanker addresses the subcommittee on the Youth Act of 1980. He states that he is in favor of the legislation however in his speech he points out some short falls that were proposed in the legislation. He makes comments on both the Youth Education and Training in both Title I and Title II.

Al Shanker discusses the history and development of teachers' unions in the United States. He traces the changing focus of teachers' unions from collective bargaining to larger questions of education policy to an expanded approach to politics. Shanker argues that teachers should pay attention to energy, trade, and commerce policies, for instance, because these policies affect the taxes which fund the public schools. Shanker believes that interest and involvement in the larger political picture will help put teachers in a position to enhance public opinion of education.  read more »

Shanker addresses the committee on Legislation S. 2286. He expresses that AFT supports with some reservation the Administration’s initiatives. Throughout the speech he offers suggestions on how to make the legislation better.

During this speech Shanker Addressed several key issues; Public v. Private Higher Education, Inflation and its effects on Quality Education, and Political Clout.