AFT-Speeches

Al Shanker shares with the International Federation of Free Teachers'' Unions the various challenges facing educators in the United States and the programs the AFT has established to try to face them. One challenge he mentions are the changing demographics in America. Another is federal funding for public schools and the various federal education laws to which public schools must adhere. In order to deal with these issues, the AFT has partnered with other labor unions through the AFL-CIO to increase its political leverage and with other community groups that share common goals and interests.  read more »

Al Shanker explains what the AFT believes should become part of the Democratic Party platform. These platform ideas include provisions of federal funding to support the requirements mandated in federal education law; federal effort to keep college and university tuition costs down; focus on the development of early childhood education programs; expansion of the National Labor Relations Act to cover public sector employees; economic recovery measures; and several other issues.

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.

In this profile of Al Shanker, various colleagues, rivals, and critics, like Terry Herndon, William Simons, and David Seldon, are interviewed about Shanker. John Merrow and Barbara Reinhardt also interview Shanker himself on a variety of educational and personal topics including Jimmy Carter's performance, corporal punishment, test score decline, and busing and school integration.

Shanker expresses the views of AFT on the Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1980. He points out the strengths and weaknesses of the Act, he also expresses that in order for the Act to truly work, it must be infused with several million dollars.