This morning Governor Scott Walker signed the bill that cuts bargaining rights. The State Assembly passed the bill yesterday and on Wednesday the Senate passed the bill in a move that will live in infamy. After three weeks of high drama in Wisconsin, the home of Robert La Folette and the Progressive Party, 50 years…
DetailsI’ve written about the shameful statistics on how America treats its young for many years, and they only get worse. Last Sunday evening on “60 Minutes”, Scott Pelley, did a very sensitive and moving piece on the dramatic increase in homeless children in the current recession. Although these children are in Florida, they can easily…
DetailsGov. Dannel P. Malloy warns of “dire consequences” for Connecticut if concession talks with state employees fail. The governor issued his warning during a meeting today with 175 union leaders in Hartford. Malloy was responding to a question from CEA Executive Director John Yrchik who asked: “Governor, what happens if savings to the state do…
Details [wpvideo ZXZ8O78C] [wpvideo GisxbJvP] CEA’s new public awareness campaign celebrates teachers’ efforts and significant progress in student achievement. Teachers’ enthusiasm and dedication to their students never wane. They are as devoted as ever to striving to ensure that every student has the skills and competencies he/she needs to succeed. Teachers will not…
Details[wpvideo k1TQNhB7] As the United States has argued for South Africa, Poland and now Egypt, unions are a basic part of democratic society. Yet that is the principle under attack by Governor Walker in Wisconsin now. “The Essence of Democracy” William B. Gould IV former Chair, NLRB & professor, Stanford Univ. This week CEA members…
Details“Connecticut teachers stand together with educators and other public employees in Wisconsin,” according to CEA Executive Director John Yrchik. He was one of a significant list of labor leaders and elected officials who spoke at a State Capitol rally today in Hartford. Hundreds of working people turned out for the noon rally. Yrchik told…
DetailsThe new website for the now Health, Education & Workforce Committee presents the Republican vision for K-12 education: To ensure student success in the 21st century, Republicans are focused doing on what’s best for students, parents, teachers, and communities. This means helping children achieve their full and unique potential by equipping them with the tools…
DetailsConnecticut’s Acting Commissioner of Education George Coleman says he’s holding firm to the 180-day rule for students to attend school. Coleman reported to the State Board of Education on Wednesday, February 9, that his office has heard concerns from many school districts struggling to come up with new school calendars in the wake of school…
DetailsThe State of the Union address last week left little doubt that President Obama sees the reauthorization of ESEA as fertile ground for “bipartisan cooperation”. Few educators would dispute his spirited call for the involvement of parents and the community in their children’s education, nor would we disagree with the need to encourage our young…
DetailsThe debate on the efficacy of Value-Added Models as a measure of teacher effectiveness continues and the well-documented reservations remain unresolved, but the game changed last year when the Gates Foundation turned its attention from “small schools” to teacher quality issues. One of the key Gates initiatives is the so-called Measures of Effective Teaching Project…
Details