Funding

Address to NYSUT Representative Assembly

jruss — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:21:18 -0500

Al Shanker delivers this address to the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) organization. Shanker begins by discussing various laws affecting funding to schools. He then turns to reform efforts. He talks about the teacher shortage and ways to recruit new teachers. He mentions the need for higher salaries, smaller class sizes, and increased time away from students. He notes that these are difficult to achieve but that giving teachers independence and respect is one easy way to make the job more attractive. read more »

Institute for Educational Policy Studies: “Teacher Unions: Past, Present and Future Influence”

jruss — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:21:18 -0500

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 »

International Federation of Free Teachers' Unions (IFFTU) Speech

jruss — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:07:00 -0500

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 »

Little Rock Economic Conference

jruss — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:49:41 -0500

In this brief speech, Al Shanker discusses with then President-Elect Bill Clinton and Vice President-Elect Al Gore some of the challenges facing American education. He states that standards have been lowered to the point that high school diplomas are virtually meaningless. He compares the U.S. to other countries that have higher standards and also treat other problems differently. He notes that many European countries have early childhood education programs, and he advocates for a national day care program in the U.S. read more »

Meet the Press

jruss — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:21:18 -0500

Al Shanker takes questions from a panel of interviewers on topics including merit pay, teacher recruitment and retention, President Reagan's record on education, federal funding for education, AFT political endorsements, affirmative action and racial quotas, teacher education and examination, and incentives.

Proposed Rules on "Nondiscrimination Under Programs Receiving Federal Financial Assistance through the Education Department"

jruss — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:43:47 -0500

In this testimony, Al Shanker urges the U.S. Department of Education that rules concerning bilingual education not be adopted. He states that the rules as written would cause undue financial burden on local schools to meet federal mandates with little federal funding. He further argues that the assessment methods for selecting students to receive bilingual education are flawed, and he notes the lack of teachers able to teach bilingual students. The rules address teacher training, which Shanker applauds, but he finds fault with their specifics. read more »

Statement before the Democratic Platform Committee

jruss — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:07:00 -0500

Al Shanker advocates that the democratic presidential candidate adopt the AFT''s program on a number of issues. The AFT''s ideas include: expanding the federal government''s role in funding education; increasing access to post-secondary education through tuition assistance; creating a system of federal daycare centers run through the public schools; providing federal financial assistance to state and local governments, especially for welfare and medical costs; and extending federal collective bargaining laws and pension protections to public employees. read more »

Statement on Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and Related Issues

jruss — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:07:00 -0500

Al Shanker testifies before the Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education on the reauthorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Shanker supports the law''s reauthorization, but he has many suggestions for how it could be improved. His ideas address a variety of topics including financial support for disadvantaged students; bilingual education; and research funding. He also urges lawmakers to enact revisions that acknowledge the existence of collective bargaining agreements so that the law is no longer in conflict with existing labor contracts.

Statement to Democratic Party Temporary Platform Committee

jruss — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:05:51 -0500

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.

Testimony on Limit on Bilingual/Bicultural Immersion

jruss — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:40:37 -0500

In this testimony, Al Shanker discusses Titles I and VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. For Title I, he recommends funding for basic skills training and a literacy initiative. For Title VII, he asserts that the bilingual education program should remain but urges that its transitional nature be enforced so that the program is used to move non-English-speaking students into English-speaking classrooms. Shanker also calls for more funding to train teachers in bilingual education settings. Finally, Shanker discusses the flaws in desegregation programs.