AFT Archives | Page 2 of 4

in Politics

How To Buy A Congressional Caucus Surprise! Lawmakers In New Education Caucus Got Big Bucks From AFT & NEA

by Peter Cook 11 January 2017, 00:06

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randi Weingarten and National Education Association (NEA) president Lily Eskelsen García joined 11 members of Congress for a press conference on Tuesday to announce the formation of a new caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives focused on public education issues. This morning I held a press conference with Rep. […] More

in Louisiana

The LAROS Papers: Part II An Inside Look at NEA's Effort To Influence Education Policy in Louisiana

2 Shares39 Comments

by Peter Cook 7 December 2016, 23:25

Note: This is the second installment of a two-part series. You can read Part I here. When Kyle Serrette learned back in February that Louisiana was on the verge of winning an $8 million charter school grant from U.S. Department of Education, he wasn’t happy about the news. After all, he had spent the previous […] More

in Louisiana

The LAROS Papers: Part I An Inside Look at NEA's Effort To Influence Education Policy in Louisiana

4 Shares58 Comments

by Peter Cook 22 November 2016, 03:41

Over the past year, a small group of education leaders from across Louisiana has been secretly plotting to curtail charter school expansion, weaken the state’s accountability policies, and rewrite the law passed earlier this year to return New Orleans schools to local control. The group, which calls itself the Louisiana Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools […] More

in Politics

A Huge Wake-up Call Losses in Massachusetts, Georgia Point To Need For New Approach

1 Shares24 Comments

by Peter Cook 16 November 2016, 16:25

Anyway you slice it, last week was pretty disastrous for the education reform movement. On Election Day, two closely watched and fiercely contested ballot initiatives backed by reformers in Massachusetts and Georgia went down in defeat. The former was an effort to lift the Bay State’s charter school cap, while the latter was a proposition […] More

in OPSB

Why Is David Alvarez Flouting Campaign Finance Law? Unintentionally Ironic OPSB Candidate Promises to Bring Transparency To District

2 Comments

by Peter Cook 1 November 2016, 03:51

Post-Script: 11/01/2016 Wonders never cease! It appears that David Alvarez has finally filed his missing campaign finance reports, albeit three weeks late. His 30-P report, along with his 10-P report, simultaneously appeared on the Louisiana Board of Ethics website this afternoon. – PCC It’s November 1st – All Saints Day – and for aspiring officeholders […] More

in OPSB

AFT Is Now A Major Player In The Upcoming OPSB Races Campaign Finance Report Reveals $225,000 Contribution to PAC

1 Shares4 Comments

by Peter Cook 26 October 2016, 17:19

It’s official. The American Federation of Teachers has become a major player in the upcoming races for the Orleans Parish School Board. A recent filing with the Louisiana Board of Ethics reveals that the union has given a whopping $225,000 to Orleans Future PAC, a political action committee AFT launched in September to support candidates […] More

in Politics

Let’s Recognize AROS For What It Really Is… A Publicity Stunt Organized by the Teachers Unions

19 Comments

by Peter Cook 8 October 2016, 13:53

On Thursday, the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools (AROS) held “walk-ins” in cities across the country to call for an increase in education funding, a reduction in standardized testing, and limits on charter school expansion. The Alliance’s “Day of Action” drew plenty of media coverage, most of which portrayed the walk-ins as a genuine expression […] More

in OPSB

Is AFT Trying To Influence NOLA’s School Board Races? Ethics Board Filing Reveals Formation of New AFT PAC

11 Comments

by Peter Cook 6 October 2016, 08:00

A recent filing with the Louisiana Board of Ethics suggests that the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is seeking to influence the upcoming Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) elections. On September 16th, an AFT-affiliated political action committee called Orleans Future PAC filed a statement of organization with the state ethics board. Meladie Munch, former president […] More

in Politics

Teachers Union Endorses Foster Campbell Well duh, of course they did.

12 Comments

by Peter Cook 8 September 2016, 10:42

Given the myriad challenges facing Louisiana these days, it’s clear we need a bold, forward-looking leader fighting for us in the United States Senate. Apparently, LFT believes that no one embodies bold, forward-looking leadership like a 69 year-old white man who has held elected office longer than I’ve been alive. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen: […] More

in Reform

A Broken Record Of Lies A Look At How Reform Opponents Flood Social Media

39 Comments

by Peter Cook 18 August 2016, 13:01

I noticed something curious on Twitter the other day. Two state chapters of the Badass Teachers Association (BATs), the rabble-rousing teacher activist organization founded by Mark Naison that fights “corporate education reform,” tweeted the exact same tweet about a study on the opt-out movement at the exact same time. This had to be more than a […] More

in Politics

I Was Wrong About Hillary Time For Reformers To Go On The Offensive

36 Comments

by Peter Cook 20 July 2016, 00:46

When Hillary Clinton decided to skip an education forum hosted by Campbell Brown last fall, I wrote a piece arguing that pro-reform Democrats shouldn’t read too much into it. I insisted it wasn’t a signal that she was distancing herself from the education policies embraced by the Obama Administration. Surely, I said, Clinton just wanted […] More

in NOLA

Quick Take: What Did Teachers Gain In Morris Jeff’s Contract? The Answer: Not A Whole Lot

6 Comments

by Peter Cook 22 June 2016, 19:16

On Tuesday, teachers at Morris Jeff Community School approved a contract between the board and the United Teachers of New Orleans (UTNO). Union members and representatives of the school’s board of directors had been negotiating the contract for over a year. On Monday, board members unanimously backed the agreement. What did teachers at Morris Jeff […] More

More stories