Educational Change

Citizenship Education in American Schools

jhelpap — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:26:45 -0500

In this symposium article Shanker speaks about educating students in American Citizenship. He proposes the question of whether or not it is the educators job to adjust the students to the society that we have or prepare them to live in a changed society. There is dialogue on the last few pages from Dr. Stephan Fain, Professor at Florida International University, Simine Heise, Project Manager for Dade County Public Schools and Wilhimenia Tribble, director of Employee Management Development for the Metro-Dade County Government.

Illinois Federation of Teachers Convention

jhelpap — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:26:45 -0500

Shanker speaks before the Illinois Federation of Teachers. He addresses them on the issue of Professionalism; he states that the reason why bills like tuition tax credits are passing is because people no longer believe that public education is viable. Teachers and administrators need to be professional to help turn that opinion around.

Action Program of the AFT

jhelpap — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:58:01 -0400

In this speech to the Hawaii Federation of Teachers, Cogen talks about the objectives and goals of the New Action Program; some of which include fair pay for all teachers, being joined with teachers in the area of civil rights and giving teachers and educators in society thier due respect.

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 »

Address to the American Association of School Administrators Annual Convention

jhelpap — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:26:44 -0500

Shanker speaks to the American Association of School Administrators . He states that the 1980’s will be the worst economic times the country has seen, and that this economy will dictate whether public education succeeds or fails. He also touches on how educators and administrators need to be respected. He speaks about how teachers need to organize on the political front and improve the image of public education in order to gain respect.

Address: AFT Convention

jruss — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:49:52 -0500

Al Shanker begins by highlighting the AFT's growth and success since the last convention. He then discusses the upcoming presidential election between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale and details why he is optimistic for a democratic win. He further argues for the AFT and labor's involvement in Mondale's campaign. Next, Shanker turns to education reform, stating that the AFT has led the discussion on innovative school reform while the NEA has remained traditional in its responses to bad reports of school status. read more »

AFL-CIO Convention

jhelpap — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:26:45 -0500

This is an excerpt from a speech that Shanker gave that talks about how the freedoms to assemble and unionize in Nicaragua have been suspended.

AFT Conference on Building Alliances for Youth at Risk

jhelpap — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 11:19:48 -0400

Shanker speaks on building alliances for youth and strengthen ones that are already in place to help youth be more effective in society.

AFT Convention: Keynote Address

jruss — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:16:49 -0500

This document is comprised of two speeches. The first is the keynote address at the 1990 AFT convention. Al Shanker discusses what has been accomplished in the two years since the previous convention. He comments on the growth of the union, noting how they now represent professional teachers, paraprofessionals, school-related workers, health care workers, and city and local employees. read more »

AFT Leads the Revolution in Education

jhelpap — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:43:55 -0400

In this speech to the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, Cogen welcomes them to the AFT and tells them they must fight to form a strong union. He states that the AFT regards Louisiana as their "prime hope for unionism below the Mason-Dixon line."

AFT Local President's Conference

jhelpap — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:26:45 -0500

This is a presentation that Shanker talks about how to run a local union. He also touches on creating peer assistance programs which will develop positive processes for locals. which in turn will improve the image of teachers. He then opens it up for questions.

AFT Sixty-Third Convention Address

jhelpap — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:11:20 -0500

Shanker address begins by going through what the federation has experienced in the previous decades. He then addresses the new decline in public education they will be seeing five years in the future. He discusses the energy crisis in America, tuition tax credits, and vouchers. He also discusses bringing health care workers in to the federation. At the end of the speech he talks about the successes of AFT in that previous year and how they will continue to succeed in the future.

AFT State Federation Presidents Conference

jhelpap — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:11:20 -0500

Shanker addressed 7 key points with the federation presidents. They include; the decline of public education, the declines in birth rates and enrollment, the declining regard for public school teachers, he says that teachers need to build a “mystique” for themselves in order to be more highly regarded. Shanker said that educational schools need to be built up and upgraded, not destroyed. He addressed the attacks on public education as well as texts that would underscore the anti-public education mood.

Albert Shanker Speech at the Brookings Institute, May 1994

jhelpap — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 09:48:32 -0500

In this speech, Shanker addresses the booklet entitled What are students abroad expected to know about Biology? He compares the state of the education system in other countries to the one in the United States. He is certain that if the United States does not establish standards like those of other prominent countries, the system of public education in the United States will fail.

Alternative Assessment Conference

jhelpap — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 11:29:33 -0400

Shanker talks about the differences between student achievement in the United States verses other countries in the World. He talks about reexamining our current system to find ways to make it better.

American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education: "Professional Relationships: Reality and Action"

jruss — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:27:17 -0500

Al Shanker discusses the need for changes in teacher training, and he calls for teacher colleges to join together with teachers, parents, administration, supervisors, and other interested parties in a coalition Shanker has formed to accomplish various education goals. Shanker cites a danger in criticizing teacher training and public schools to the point that small, independent education experiments are justified. Rather, he advocates for partnership over criticism and for improvement within the system instead of moving outside of it. Shanker further acknowledges that the situation many teachers encounter in urban school systems forces them to employ survival techniques rather than the teaching techniques they have learned in their training. This proves, he asserts, that training needs to adapt to address the real world situations teachers are going to encounter. One suggestion he has is to establish an internship program, placing teachers in the classroom to gain experience. Shanker also briefly touches on issues like testing, early childhood education, and lobbying the government for more funding.

American Education Research Association Annual Conference

jhelpap — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:26:45 -0500

Commentary between Albert Shanker, John Goodladd and the then Governor Bill Clinton. It regards the issue of educational research and evaluation and different programs that helped to shape education in certain states.

American Federation of Teachers Convention Speech, 2000

jhelpap — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:36:52 -0400

At the 76th annual AFT Convention, Feldman addresses the issues of turning around failing schools, school vouchers, high-quality early childhood education, teacher salaries and the quality of teachers in the profession.

British Columbia Teacher

jhelpap — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:18:16 -0500

The panel is analyzing teachers unions within the educational community.

Building a Movement of Militant Professionals

jhelpap — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:13:20 -0400

In this address to the Kenosha Teachers Union, Cogen describes the qualities of a dedicated teacher; angry, militant unionist, and teachers who demand obtaining a professional status. He references the AFT cooperative organizational program "Co-Org" and the importance of organizing and collective bargaining.

California Commission on Teacher Credentialing

jhelpap — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:18:16 -0500

Shanker talks about testing students. He then talks about how the current education system cannot just be fixed, it needs to be overhauled; teachers need to be given raises, class sizes need to go down, teachers need to be given professional development opportunities and schools need to be organized differently.

california english: “Improving Our Schools: Drastic Change or Fine Tuning? An Interview with Albert Shanker”

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

Al Shanker answers Berkeley Education Professor Ken Lane's questions about education reform. Shanker believes that the recent focus on reform is good, but he thinks that not enough is being done to enact change. He states that recent efforts at reform change only slightly the way education has worked for years. Instead, Shanker calls for a drastic overhaul of the entire educational model. He says we need to engage students in ways other than reading and listening, noting that different students learn differently. read more »

California Legislature on the Commission on the Teaching Profession

jhelpap — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:26:45 -0500

These are the remarks of Shanker before the California Legislature on the report of the commission on the teaching profession. This took place at Santa Monica Community College. He talks about how to attract and retain competent teachers. He talks about how the reputation of the field is that the professionals in it are very low caliber. He then makes suggestions on how teaching professionals can turn that opinion around.

Carnegie Forum

jhelpap — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:18:16 -0500

Shanker is optimistic about the recent Carnegie Report because it calls for changes to public education that will make a positive impact.

Celebrating UUP's 25th Anniversary

jhelpap — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:20:06 -0400

In this speech, Feldman recognizes the United University Professions of the State University of New York, for celebrating their 25th anniversary. She also congratulates them on their recent contract negotiations. She also discusses the future of public universities, faculty tenure, and the unpreparedness of incoming college freshman. She challenges the union members to step up and get involved.

Changing the Culture of American Schools

jhelpap — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:18:16 -0500

In this speech, Shanker starts by talking about the importance of CED reports, which signify the public’s political commitment to schools, education reports and sophisticated analysis that help to develop priorities when it comes to education. He also talks about changes that are happening in Public Education and those that are still needed.

City Club Forum, Cleveland City Club

jhelpap — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:18:16 -0500

Shanker speaks about recruiting people to the field of teaching by raising salaries and providing a better working environment. Shanker expresses the need for the field to gain a good reputation again.

Civil, Human, and Women's Rights Conference

jhelpap — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:32:45 -0400

In this speech at the 1998 AFT Convention, Feldman addresses the issue of education being fundamental to civil rights, to human rights, and to women's rights. Feldman also addresses the issue of vouchers being called a "civil right" by politicians.

Collective Bargaining - The New York Way

jhelpap — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:24:59 -0400

In this speech before the Oregon Federation of Teachers, Cogen talks about collective bargaining and how it is absolutely essential to put teachers on the "professional" level they need to be. He also talks about how achieving collective bargaining in New York has paved the way for other unions to achieve it as well.

Collective Bargaining and the New Status of Education

jhelpap — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:07:40 -0400

In this speech, Cogen explains how collective bargaining is raising the economic, as well as the professional status of the teacher and is thereby shifting the focus in education back to the children in the classroom.

Collective Bargaining for New York City Teachers

jhelpap — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:20:45 -0400

Cogen talks about the collective bargaining agreement between the United Federation of Teachers and the Board of Education. He says that this contract is going to be the forerunner in improving professionalism for teachers in the way of professional standards.

Collective Bargaining Negotiations in New York City, 1962-63

jhelpap — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:38:12 -0400

In this speech made at the 1963 AFT convention, Cogen references a report done by Dr. Mark Schinnerer about the dying education system in New York City. He goes on to explain the efforts and negotiations that the United Federation of Teachers are putting together to fight the "dying" education systems all over the country.

College Board Western Regional Office

jhelpap — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:44:36 -0400

This is a summary of a speech that Shanker gave at the symposium, in it he talked about addressing the needs of education in the 1990's.

College Board, National Forum

jhelpap — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:18:16 -0500

In this speech Shanker addresses educating the class of 2001. He is delivering the speech to the members of the College Board at the 1988 National Forum in Washington D.C. He addresses envisioning “students as workers” and creating a structure that allows schools to be independent.

Committee on Education and Labor

jhelpap — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:02:26 -0400

Shanker is addressing the commitment of AFT to national and community service and its expansion.

Committee on Education and Labor; Subcommittee on Select Education

jhelpap — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:18:16 -0500

In this speech Shanker is speaking before the Committee on Education and Labor; Subcommittee on Select Education. He is speaking on the vital issue of the federal role in sponsoring educational research and development.

Conference of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education

jhelpap — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:11:20 -0500

Shanker's addresses calls for the need of union strength in higher education. He states that the survival of public higher education is primarily a political issue. It depends on what legislators do. He says it also depends on appropriations, tax structures and financial decisions. Survival is a matter of public policy. He defends this stance throughout the speech.

Conference on Inflation, Health, Education, Income Security and Social Services

jhelpap — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:11:19 -0500

Shanker talks about the then current administration wanting to cut education spending to trim inflation. He says that it should be increased. He touches on areas such as: Bilingual Education, Emergency School Aid, Adult Education, Higher education and Tax Reform.

Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and Association of School Administrators Annual Convention

jhelpap — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:26:44 -0500

Shanker speaks to the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and the Connecticut Association of School Administrators at their annual convention in Hartford Ct. He speaks on the country’s political problems as well as how educators are not as strong as they need to be politically. He tells educators to organize together, to be against tuition tax credits and to save public education.

Consultation on Competitiveness

jhelpap — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:18:16 -0500

Shanker is speaking at the Carter Center at Emory University. He is speaking on the 5th anniversary of “A Nation at Risk” and how after five years there hasn’t been much progress in terms of improvement of student achievement. He says that schools need to be supported by the business community and need to change.

Council of AFL-CIO Unions Professional, Scientific, and Cultural Employees

jhelpap — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:11:13 -0400

In his opening remarks, Cogen is appaulding the creation of the Council of AFL-CIO unions for Professional, Scientific, and Cultural Employees. He talks about the goals of the council and the activities the council will take part in.

Day Care Alliance National Council of Organizations for Children and Youth

jhelpap — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:11:19 -0500

Shanker is speaking to the Day Care Alliance National Council of Organizations for Children and Youth. He is speaking about the dangers of putting children (especially young children) in overcrowded classrooms. He also talks about standardizing day cares and early childhood programs across the country. Shanker also stresses the importance of hiring paraprofessional staff who are qualified to work in a bilingual setting.

Denver Speech 1

jhelpap — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:29:47 -0400

In this speech before the Denver Federation of Teachers, Cogen expresses the importance of Collective Bargaining. He also warns teachers about NEA contracts or working without a contract. He explains that this is not only unfair to teachers but can be fatal to their career.

Education Commission of the States

jhelpap — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:26:45 -0500

Shanker talks about national testing for teachers, merit pay, board certification for teachers, and having a better teacher to student ratio.

Education International Constituent Congress

jhelpap — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 10:06:30 -0500

In this speech, Shanker addresses three main points; the future of Education International, teacher trade unionism and professionalism in education. This is a transcript from a video recording of the speech.

Education International: 1998 World Conference

jhelpap — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:11:38 -0400

In this speech at the opening ceremony of the Education International 1998 World Conference, Feldman welcomes the attendees to the conference on behalf of the American Federation of Teachers. She speaks on the struggle to improve public schools and public education as a whole.

Education Leadership: “On Restructuring Schools: A Conversation with Al Shanker”

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

Al Shanker answers questions about his vision of how schools need to change. He thinks that a new system of incentives must be developed to encourage educators to take charge of their own school reform efforts. Shanker believes that one aspect of restructuring involves different roles for teachers. He also sees a role for technology and speaks of creating a national lesson plan database. Shanker also discusses the role legislators have played in school reform.

Educational Testing Service Conference

jhelpap — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:07:51 -0400

Shanker addresses whether or not students today are educated enough to compete successfully with other world economic powers. He talks about NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) assessments.

Empire State Federation of Teachers

jhelpap — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:56:00 -0400

In this speech, Cogen talks about how the collective bargaining experience in New York City has changed the outlook of education all over the country.

Finance Committee on Tax Simplification Legislation

jhelpap — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:26:45 -0500

This is Shanker’s testimony before the Senate Committee on Finance on the topic of tax simplification. He talks about President Reagan’s tax plan and some of the implications of that plan on public education.