Back-to-School Tour: A Chance to Listen and to Learn

Several years ago, United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) president Dennis Kelly and his politically active membership supported the establishment of the city's "rainy-day" fund, a set-aside during flush economic times to help provide funding for public education during inevitable economic downturns. The union worked on other fronts, as well- securing access to child development education for all 4-year-olds, and a parcel tax that has enabled the district and the union to maintain their ma...

Aft Urges Putting Health First in Case of Flu Outbreak

[...] many schools across the country already have started preparing activities for students if they have to spend time at home due to H1N1.

O'connor 'Raises the Bar' in Middle Schools

Called "Our Courts," the new site includes lesson plans, online games and other activities to help guide students through such touchstones as the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, levels of the court system - all searchable by state social studies and language arts standards.

Does Social Networking Hurt Student Grades?

NO It's a learning opportunity, not a student liability BY JOSEPH ZECCOLA TWO RECENT STUDIES on the impact of social networking sites on students' grades have sparked debate about whether it's productive for students to spend time on these sites. Jim Cummins, one of the great authorities on teaching English language learners, states that when teaching ELLs, "the learning process must be observed through the twin lens of cognitive engagement and identity investment."

Say What? Let Parents Hear You Calling

Other ways to use phone systems include announcing: * Upcoming parent meetings, extracurricular activities and school events. * Standard district- or school-specific information, such as bus schedules or school lunch menus, for example. Ask a fellow employee who has a warm or distinctive voice to help you record messages that are fun as well as informative. * Updates on the progress of teams and the school in special events such as spelling or geography bees, charity drives or athletic playo...

The Trickle-Down Effects of Economic Stress

Drinking is up, as are teen pregnancies and homelessness. Since 2004, the city's homeless coordinator has seen the number of students living out of cars and motels double.

Help Children Cope in Unsettling Times

TEACHERS AND OTHER STAFF can help students feel more in control over their lives during tough economic times by letting them know what's going on, how outside events may affect them and how to deal with their reactions. [...] assess what level of support children need.

Teachers' Lounge

[...] arrange three hard plastic protractors on the 8 1/2" x 11" area of your photocopier. [...] she has students survey the entire reading, then read the questions at the end of the chapters.

Latino Students Face Barriers to School Success

Among those recommendations: * Invest in the future of Latino children with expanded early childhood education initiatives. * Connect Latinas with role models and engage them in god-setting. * Ensure that all students can pursue and are prepared for postsecondary educational opportunities. * Ensure that school environments are culturally inclusive and free of racial, ethnic and gender discrimination. * Help Latino parents get more involved in their children's education. * Improve efforts to p...

Edward Moore Kennedy: 1932-2009

Debunking the Myths About Healthcare Reform

Placing caps on out-of-pocket expenditures (including co-payments) and limiting extravagant spending by insurance companies are some of the new proposals to hold down rising healthcare costs for many working families. Since 2000, employee contributions to company-provided health insurance have increased more than 120 percent, and out-of-pocket costs for deductibles, co-payments for medications, and co-insurance for physician and hospital visits have risen 115 percent. Skyrocketing healthcar...

One Family's Hopes and Struggles

BEFORE HIS SON SAMUEL was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Dan Habib rarely thought about the inclusion of people with disabilities. Inclusion is an accepted best practice in special education, but the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms "is still happening inconsistendy throughout the country" Habib points out.

Gains On Test Brighten Future in Baltimore

Baltimore schools were able to lower class sizes, secure more school and classroom resources, and provide better professional development for teachers.

Aft Voices

Celebrate Inclusive Schools Week

Aft Puts Teacher Voice in 'Race to the Top' Planning

[...] she added, "charter schools must meet the same standards for academic performance and must ensure access for all students, regardless of their test scores, language proficiency or disabilities." [...] she also pointed out that standards need to be part of a program that includes a content-rich curriculum with aligned assessments, model lesson plans, professional development, time for collaboration and planning during the school day, and measures to ensure that teachers get what they ne...

Aft Comments On $3.5 Billion School Improvement Fund

Late this summer, the U.S. Education Department unveiled proposed rules for dispersing School Improvement Grants, which are targeted at the lowest-performing Title I schools that have been identified for improvement, corrective action or restructuring.

The Opportunity

The things that helped him flourish in public schools, Cueva remembers, are things a lot more students still need - sheltered learning environments, for example, that mix high expectations across the academic spectrum with language support when necessary. Soon, the sophomore was boosting her academic skills in a lOth-grade "recovery program" for stu- dents struggling academically, preparing to navigate the demands of Regents exams that all New York students must pass, and working her way thr...

Transforming Teacher Induction

The professional development program was designed specifically for newly hired teachers and created by the Educational Issues Department of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers Health and Welfare Fund. Danza, who holds a bachelor's degree in history education, will be headlining a new TV reality show in which he co-teaches with a certified teacher in a city high school.

Back to School Tour 09

AFT KICKED OFF an eight-city back-toschool tour on Aug. 27 that included visits to a variety of public schools, as well as meetings with elected officials, community leaders and AFT affiliate leaders to discuss ways they can work together to improve teaching and learning. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL G. HALLE San Francisco September 4 The tour rolled into town just in time for the city's annual breakfast in anticipation of Labor Day with Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.

Taking a Stand for Good, Green Jobs

Taking a stand for good, green jobs BECAUSE OUR MEMBERS are teaching America's next generation of workers, the AFT has joined the Blue Green Alliance, a coalition of labor unions and environmental groups with big plans to expand our nation's prosperity and leave the planet in better shape.

A Milestone for Early Childhood Educators

THE DRTVE TO BRING competitive compensation to the early childhood education workforce took a major step forward last summer when the United Federation of Teachers reached a two-year contract agreement with New York state and the state's Office of Children and Family Services for New York City's 28,000 home child care providers.

Meeting the Needs of Homeless Children

Stuff the Bus started in the summer of 2007 with a goal of distributing 1,000 backpacks filled with notebooks, paper, pencils and other items to help homeless children be as well equipped as their classmates on the first day of class.

Heading Back to School in Style

Roberdia Diane Irving, an AFT member at Gateway Elementary School in St. Louis, was selected for the grand prize because she is described as the "the type of person who possesses a special style, class, dedication and love with all the many hats she wears."

2010 Census: Getting a Full Count

"More than $300 billion per year in federal and state funding is allocated to communities, and decisions are made on matters of national and local importance based on census data, including healthcare, community development, housing, education, transportation, social services, employment, and much more," the AFT resolution points out.

Is It Time to Get Back Into the Market?

[...] in the face of lower prices, many of us took the chance that saving some gains was a better choice than risking retirement or college or the housing fund to be heroic in the face of further paper losses. Prices will be higher when you are finally confident that it's OK to invest again; and in the meantime the money you took out of the market is probably sitting in a money market account earning almost zero interest.

The Electric Company: It's Back!

Through these many oudets, the "Electric Com- pany" focuses on four primary education objectives - decoding, vocabulary, comprehension of connected text, and motivation -all taught through showcasing the fun and power of words in print, demonstrating the personal and social rewards of self expression, helping each child recognize that literacy is for "kids like me," and providing opportunities to practice literacy skills.

Building Blocks to Job Success

THE EDISON SCHOOL of Applied Technology in Rochester, N.Y., has teamed up with Unions and Businesses United in Construction (UNICON) to create a program aimed at equipping students with essential workplace skills and exposing them to the fundamentals of job responsibility.

Where to Find It

Through Youth Garden Grants, the organizations will award five $1,000 prizes for gardening supplies and equipment, along with 95 prizes of $500, for projects that show educational focus and curricular integration, provide nutritional education, raise environmental awareness or support service learning. The 68-page primer is aimed at boosting understanding of - and participation in - the process of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification, an ambitious, voluntary progr...