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American Teacher February 2001--News and Trends Page 2
As the union grows, so must our capacity and willingness to use new technology to better serve members and expand our organizing opportunities, says AFT secretary-treasurer Edward J. McElroy. Speaking at the AFT's Information Technology Conference 2000 in Washington, D.C., in December, McElroy noted that the AFT is a major force in education, labor and health care policy at both the national level and in state legislatures--and that the union must make sure that members participate in their union in a positive way. McElroy told the more than 150 participants at the conference that since it was formed in 1916, the AFT has moved from a "mom-and-pop" operation that focused on regions of the country to a modern, nationwide union representing 1.1 million members in five divisions. Technological advances such as the Internet, he noted, offer a tremendous opportunity to connect with members, to provide training to many more AFT leaders, to help affiliates and members become more politically involved and effective at building communities with other groups and people who share our values. The new technology, he added, is crucial to equipping the union to respond to a world increasingly hostile toward unions and the broad values we stand for, from quality housing, health care and education to a just and democratic society and securing rights of working people. While there may be a few bumps in the road, he said, change is at hand and the union must embrace the new technology to reach out and connect to members. One prime example of that, he noted, is the AFT's new membership database system, which was unveiled at the conference and is available to all AFT affiliates. The system is built for locals and state affiliates to access from any computer or Internet device via a secure Internet connection. It will provide crucial, personalized information to locals that will enable them to better interact and serve members and to be more effective in political action. The IT conference featured general sessions and workshops on industry trends and new technology, building and improving Web sites, modernizing financial records, using multimedia, developing IT strategies and more.
Every school year, teachers can expect to have a few students who suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), presenting symptoms such as inattentiveness, hyperactivity/impulsivity, disruptive behavior, poor organization and distractibility. Below are suggestions for teaching students with ADHD, from ADHD experts affiliated with Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (CHADD), a national support group.
For more information on ADHD and related issues, contact CHADD at 800/233-4050 or visit www.chadd.org or www.metadate-er.com. These tips were prepared for American Teacher by Marilyn Seiger, a freelance writer based in Somers, N.Y.
When school districts latch on to the latest "silver bullet" to reform their schools and raise student achievement, do they really know what they're doing--or what they're getting? Often they don't, and the result can be a faddish, expensive nightmare. Guidelines have been created to help districts sort out the solid programs from the one-day wonders. The "Guidelines for Ensuring the Quality of National Design-Based Assistance Providers," prepared by a blue ribbon panel of business, policy, political and education leaders, as well as experts in both school reform and quality assurance, advise schools and communities on how to select the best provider of comprehensive school reform. The guidelines emphasize a systemic approach to reorganizing and revitalizing a whole school rather than implementing individual, piecemeal programs. Also emphasized are high student achievement, strong academic standards, solid professional development programs, and meaningful parental and community involvement. The guidelines come at a time when the market for comprehensive school reform is now a $1 billion enterprise, and school communities are inundated with proposals from companies promoting their services. The blue ribbon panel, which includes AFT president Sandra Feldman, was convened by the New American Schools, an organization that has led the comprehensive school reform movement. The guidelines can be downloaded from the New American Schools Web site at www.naschools.org/ or ordered from NAS by calling 703/908-9500.
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