Edison under fire
Union strength brings pay raises to Dallas teachers
Math scores up, verbal scores down on SAT
UFT's new curriculum matches standards
K.C. pact boosts salaries, professional development
'Albert Shanker: Labor's Educator' opens in Detroit
Syracuse union wins privatization case
Suit takes aim at drug costs
New pact for Puerto Rico school employees

Edison under fire

Hard times and hard questions continue to swirl around Edison Schools, the nation's largest for-profit public school management company. This year, Edison has suffered what amounts to staggering "no-confidence" votes in key segments of both the public education and investment communities.

In August, the Dallas School Board voted to end its contract early with Edison to manage seven elementary schools in the district. "Academic performance at Edison schools has not been at a level we desire," said school superintendent Mike Moses, who also pointed to the high costs associated with Edison management--$39 million a year--in his recommendation for early termination of the contract at the end of the current school year. Overall, students at Edison schools have neither met nor exceeded the performance of students attending comparable schools, the district reports.

This was only the latest in a series of setbacks.

The AFT estimates that at least 29 Edison schools either have not been renewed or have beeen scrubbed. They include both charter schools and schools run under a contract with the district, a total of 11 contracts. Along with Dallas, Edison operations are being cut in San Antonio and Sherman, Tex.; Hamden, Conn.; Boston; Macon, Ga.; Wichita, Kan. (two of four Edison-run schools); Trenton, N.J.; Minneapolis; Mt. Clemens and Lansing, Mich.

Even the company's much-publicized new contract to run 20 schools in Philadelphia has been shrouded in controversy. Schools under Edison management have opened with insufficient supplies, and discipline at the schools has been a problem since the company cut back on noninstructional staff who help keep order in the classrooms, hallways and common areas, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers reports.

The Philadelphia contract also did little to allay Wall Street's concerns. The company has been hit hard by investors and now faces a possible delisting from the NASDAQ market now that shares fetch less than $1. Stock in the company has plummeted from more than $36 a share in February 2001 to under 36 cents last summer. The company also shook confidence when it revised earnings, largely because the company overstated revenue. The latest setback for the company came early into the school year, when Edison announced it was suspending plans to build a new headquarters in New York City.

Union strength brings pay raises to Dallas teachers

Normally in August, the large Dallas Independent School District still has hundreds of job openings for teachers. This year, still a few weeks before school was scheduled to start at the end of August, that number was well under 100. The main reason: higher starting salaries.

New teachers in Dallas this year will earn $37,000, plus a $1,500 "signing bonus," which makes the district's starting salary one of the highest not only in Texas but also throughout the South. Starting salaries in Dallas are now about $10,000 higher than they were fewer than five years ago, a direct result of the Alliance-AFT's victory to win exclusive consultation rights for teachers.

Before consultation--the closest thing to collective bargaining in Texas--teachers fought for 0.5 percent raises, and they had to progress through 28 steps to reach the top of the pay scale, says Alliance president Aimee Bolender. This year, in addition to the higher salaries, the scale has been compressed to 10 steps, so a teacher with a master's degree can earn almost $60,000 after a decade in the district.

The union looked at research which shows that students learn more when they're taught by a certified teacher, Bolender says. "But to get certified teachers to the district, we have to have good salaries. It has really paid off this year." This past June, for example, the district had more than 1,000 applicants, compared to 150 last year.

One of those successful applicants was Meshallyn Hepburn, who took the job in Dallas over other offers. "The fact that it was the highest paid of any district I looked at cinched it for me," says Hepburn, who is teaching at Edna Rowe Elementary. "Because the pay is good, I'm more likely to stay in Dallas."

Bolender knows that it is important not only to pay new teachers like Hepburn well but also to help make their transition into the profession as smooth as possible. So union and district officials have been working hard to offer more mentoring and support so the newcomers stick around after their first year or two.

In addition to better salaries across the board, Dallas teachers in September also received a $250 stipend to help pay for those out-of-pocket expenses that educators incur every year in buying supplies for their students. Even more significant, every teacher will also get a laptop computer. The aim is to allow teachers to access resources such as the district's curriculum and lesson plans on the Internet and give them another tool to use in their jobs.

Right now, Bolender says, the union and district leaders are enjoying an excellent working relationship, with everyone focused on improving student achievement. "We understand what we have to do, and we're acting collaboratively as a team to get there."

Math scores up, verbal scores down on SAT

First the good news: This year's SAT math scores rose to a 32-year high. On the flip side, verbal scores declined in 2002 and are barely above what they were 10 years ago.

The 2002 average national scores were 516 in math (up two points from 2001) and 504 in verbal (down two points). Comparable scores in 1992 were 501 math and 500 verbal.

Officials of the College Board, which produces the SAT, say the results show the success of efforts to get more students to take tougher math courses. "This year's scores confirm that efforts made to improve math education in the United States are paying off," says College Board president Gaston Caperton. "It is time to put that same kind of concerted energy [into] ensuring that students reach their potential as skilled readers and writers."

The College Board report indicates that course-taking trends in math and English have been headed in opposite directions over the past decade. As the accompanying chart shows, there has been a significant increase in students taking precalculus and calculus courses, while enrollment in English composition and grammar courses in high school has dropped.

The College Board also reported that participation in the SAT continues to expand. Forty-six percent of the class of 2002--an all-time high--took the test. Test taking among minority students also reached a new high--35 percent.

In conjunction with its release of the 2002 scores, the College Board also announced formation of the Commission on Writing in America's Schools and Colleges. "Writing is a critical part of students' experience beginning in elementary schools and continuing through junior high, high school and into college," said Arlene Ackerman, the superintendent of schools in San Francisco and the commission's vice chair.

UFT's new curriculum matches standards

The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) in New York City has stepped up to the plate to fill a major void--the absence of a curriculum that matches the state's new academic standards.       In September, the union unveiled the first phase of the UFT Learning Connection. Designed by teachers for teachers, the Learning Connection "is a curriculum initiative that seeks to improve instruction in New York classrooms by providing teachers with the necessary tools to teach students to high standards," UFT president and AFT vice president Randi Weingartern says.

The UFT set aside $2 million over a five-year period to develop, field test, revise and now publish and disseminate grade-by-grade curriculum resource guides in the major subject areas. The UFT also offers professional development for their use.

"The biggest input that has been lacking in the education reform movement is a standards-based curriculum," says Weingarten. "A huge amount of attention has been focused on establishing standards and assessments, but neither of those things alone will increase student achievement without a curriculum that is aligned to them."

New York City school chancellor Joel Klein called the curriculum guides "an important resource for teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators and other school staff as they work to improve student achievement."

AFT president Sandra Feldman also praised the UFT's curriculum resource guides, which, she said, will "breathe life into the state and city standards.

"The union's work can serve as a model for educators across America to bridge the existing gaps between standards and assessments."

In addition to the print versions of the curriculum guides, there will be CD-ROMs, a Web site and professional development provided for teachers.
 

K.C. pact boosts salaries, professional development

A new three-year contract negotiated by the Kansas City Federation of Teachers (KCFT) should help boost student achievement and help the district recruit and retain quality teachers.

Under the agreement, both the starting and top salaries for the district's teachers will increase, with beginning salaries rising to about $29,250 and the top salary exceeding $56,000. The contract also includes longevity pay for the first time.

"Salary is key to attracting good teachers for our children and keeping experienced ones from transferring to other higher-paying districts," says KCFT president Judy Morgan.

By combining the recently negotiated salary increase with a 6 percent salary increase received last fall, most Kansas City teachers will have seen their paychecks increase by around 12 percent in less than a year. The district also agreed to pick up an 11 percent increase in health insurance premiums and to improve the contract's vision insurance benefit.

Also negotiated was language on professional development that will focus teacher training on improving student achievement. The provision allows teachers to keep most of their planning periods and sets aside some of the planning time for targeted professional development activities. "The negotiations were absolutely grueling, but I think we came away with an agreement that will really benefit the kids," Morgan says.

State law requires that every Kansas City school establish a professional development committee made up largely of teachers, Morgan says. "We're stressing to our members the importance of these committees. Our goal is to make sure teachers use them to plan practical, hands-on professional training." The agreement covers 2,300 teachers, librarians and counselors.

'Albert Shanker: Labor's Educator' opens in Detroit

For the man who was a seminal force in organized labor in education, the tribute is fitting. The sparkling exhibit at the entrance of the Walter P. Reuther Library on the Wayne State University campus in Detroit pays tribute not only to Albert Shanker the heralded union leader but also to Albert Shanker the Renaissance man who changed the face of American education with his leadership of the AFT.

"He was just exciting to be around because his mind was always working and he was interested in so many things," said AFT president Sandra Feldman at the exhibit's opening on Sept. 12. "He was a voracious reader; he loved food; he loved art; he loved music; and he was always teaching."

Born in 1928 in New York City to Russian-Jewish immigrants, Shanker rose to become president of the United Federation of Teachers in New York City, where he led the successful battle for collective bargaining rights. He was first elected president of the AFT in 1974 and served in that capacity until his death in 1997.

Along the way, Shanker set the standard for teachers' rights and responsibility in the American classroom. He also became a force on the national level as an adviser to U.S. presidents and as a thoughtful and principled member of the AFL-CIO executive council.

As the exhibit demonstrates, there was much more to Al Shanker than unionism. The two dozen panels at the exhibit display a man of conviction and compassion who was jailed for fighting for teachers' rights. And the panels show a personal, softer side.

Shanker's legacy lives on in AFT today, Feldman said. "It lives in the belief in what we stand for and the commitment to fight for what we believe."

Also attending the opening were AFT secretary-treasurer Edward J. McElroy, AFT executive vice president Nat LaCour, Michigan Federation of Teachers and School Related Personnel president David Hecker, AFT vice presidents David Gray and Ruby Newbold, and several members of the AFT staff.

The exhibit, entitled "Albert Shanker: Labor's Educator," will be on display through June 2003 at the Walter Reuther Atrium at Wayne State University.

Syracuse union wins privatization case

School districts in New York state are not allowed to contract out the core educational functions of their schools, but that didn't stop the Syracuse city school district from hiring a private company to run an alternative program for dropouts and disruptive youth. The Syracuse Teachers Association (STA), however, challenged the legality of the district's actions and won an appeal in August that forced the district to shut down the program, operated by Alternatives Unlimited Inc.

"This is a huge win for everybody--the kids and the Syracuse Teachers Association," said STA president Kate McKenna.

In his ruling for the New York state education department, official Richard Cate wrote, "This is clearly not a matter of contracting for peripheral services such as security services or a recreational program, but is the very core function of the school district." Cate rejected the district's argument that the Syracuse Alternative Learning Academy was providing only "supplementary" services. In March 2001, the district awarded a $500,000 contract to Alternatives Unlimited, which hired uncertified teachers to provide instruction.

A Baltimore-based company started by a former superintendent of the Baltimore County schools, Alternatives Unlimited runs a number of charter schools around the country--and not without serious problems. In Cleveland, the Ohio department of education revoked the company's charter after teachers at their school walked out protesting the lack of books and supplies and the company's failure to pay them. In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., Alternatives Unlimited shut down their school after just two months, forcing more than 100 students to transfer to other schools.

In Syracuse, the privately run program will be replaced by a "second opportunity school," planned with the union's input and staffed by certified teachers and STA members.

Suit takes aim at drug costs

Unwilling to stand by idly while a large drug manufacturer gouges families and other consumers, the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) has filed a class-action lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline. The suit charges the pharmaceutical company with illegally maintaining a monopoly on Augmentin, an antibiotic proven effective in treating middle-ear infections in children.

GlaxoSmithKline, the suit alleges, has engaged in unjust practices to suppress competition from generic alternatives, which could be offered to consumers at a lower cost than Augmentin. "Parents of children who need this medication should have it at the lowest cost possible," NYSUT executive vice president Alan Lubin says.

Filed on behalf of its 480,000 members, the NYSUT suit seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief under federal and state antitrust laws. "The shamefully high cost of prescription drugs in our state is forcing New Yorkers into an intolerable position," says Lubin, an AFT vice president. "Some parents are being forced to decide between buying clothes to keep their children warm and buying prescription drugs to keep their children healthy."

Lubin, who chairs the New York State AFL-CIO Task Force on Prescription Drugs, says the suit is part of NYSUT's "three-pronged approach to attacking the high cost of prescription drugs in New York state."

In addition to taking legal action, NYSUT is lobbying lawmakers to pass legislation that would put a cap on prescription drug costs. The state federation also is "pushing the state for new regulations to limit drug advertising, which encourages some people to seek out prescription drugs that they don't really need," Lubin notes.

New pact for Puerto Rico school employees

School employees represented by the Federacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico ratified a new contract in August that includes a $6,000 per year raise for teachers over the next three years and a 50 percent increase in the employer contribution to their health plan. A total of 39,328 teachers, counselors, social workers and librarians voted in their respective schools with 21,410 voting in favor of ratification. Above, federacion president and AFT vice president Jesus Delgado, left, discusses the new agreement at a press conference. Pictured with him is Puerto Rico secretary of education Dr. Cesar Rey Hernandez.

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