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New study: NOLA charter schools deliver inequitable educations
A new study from Stanford University says that the proliferation of charter schools in New Orleans has “created a set of schools that are highly stratified by race, class, and educational advantage, operating in a hierarchy that provides very different types of schools and to different types of children.”
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- Publications and Reports
BESE okays controversial test scoring
BESE Report - October, 2015 With elections looming and several members facing tough re-election fights, the last thing that members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education wanted was a contentious issue in this week’s meeting.
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Public Hearing: Higher Ed, Lower Debt
Wisconsin Representative Cory Mason (D-Racine) and Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) have introduced the Higher Ed, Lower Debt bill, which would allow Wisconsinites to refinance their student loans at lower interest rates. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has reported that it could save the average student loan payer $172 per year, while those with higher loans could save much more. The bill will be receiving a public hearing this Wednesday, October 7, at 10:00 a.m. in room 300SE of the state Capitol. Come pack the hearing with supporters of affordable higher education!
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AFT-Wisconsin statement on the end of Scott Walker's presidential campaign
AFT-Wisconsin President Kim Kohlhaas, a teacher in the Superior School District, issued the following statement today in response to Scott Walker's announcement that he is ending his presidential campaign: "Today marks the end of Scott Walker's illusions that the American people want to buy what he's selling. AFT-Wisconsin members and other working Wisconsinites have been getting the word out about the damage that Walker has done to this state...
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UW merger with tech colleges a bad idea
Be sure to check out the op-ed by retired Milwaukee Area Technical College instructor and former Local 212 Executive Vice-President Charlie Dee that lays out why the secretive plan to merge the Wisconsin Technical College System and the UW Colleges would be a disaster: "The first thing a responsible committee would do is research what happened when other states tried this. It would discover that mergers in Minnesota, Georgia, Alaska, Connecticut and New Jersey have failed to produced expected savings, but instead have created myriad problems."
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AFT: Wisconsin universities shaken by anti-academic policies
AFT published an in-depth article today on Scott Walker's attacks on the UW System - and how AFT-Wisconsin members are fighting back: "It's hard to miss the rumble out in Wisconsin: The battle between labor and its union-bashing foes has been loud and long. But for faculty and staff of public colleges and universities, the Wisconsin story is even worse... 'People have been demoralized, and everyone recognizes the new challenges, but it has galvanized a lot of people to become active in the union,' says [UW-Green Bay union member Jon] Shelton." Read the full story at aft.org - and share
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AFT-Wisconsin statement: Scott Walker Presidential Announcement
Madison, WI: Statement from AFT-Wisconsin President Kim Kohlhaas, a teacher in the Superior School District, on Scott Walker’s announcement of his presidential campaign:
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AFT-Wisconsin release: JFC budget a disaster
Governor Scott Walker’s proposed 2015-17 budget for the state of Wisconsin, introduced earlier this year, was jam-packed with shameful attacks on working Wisconsinites. Since then, Republican majorities on the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee (JFC) have been finding ways to make a bad budget even worse. Now that the JFC has wrapped up budget deliberations, its budget proposal will be taken up by the state Senate and Assembly, then head to Governor Walker’s desk for his signature. Here's what AFT-Wisconsin President Kim Kohlhaas had to say:
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Joint Statement on Gov. Scott Walker's Higher Education Attacks
I'm proud to share with you a joint statement from Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Sara Goldrick-Rab, professor of educational policy studies and sociology at UW-Madison and a member of AFT local 223, United Faculty and Academic Staff. Randi and Sara, two committed educators and unionists, strongly condemn Scott Walker's attacks on higher education, which will slash essential state funding and threaten the bedrock of academic freedom upon which higher education depends. Please share this statement widely and help us get the word out about the danger facing every university in the UW System, from
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AFT-Wisconsin press release: UW System union members condemn funding cuts, attacks on academic freedom
Madison, WI: Responding to the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee’s expected vote to slash $250 million in UW System funding and remove legislative protections for academic freedom and shared governance, union members in the UW System condemned the funding cuts and called on System and campus administrations to protect academic freedom. “Today’s move by JFC Republicans to pay for Scott Walker’s tax breaks for his wealthy donors by slashing public education is shameful,” said Eleni Schirmer, a UW-Madison graduate student and co-president of the Teaching Assistants’ Association, AFT local 3220.
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Members organize for success in technical college recertification elections
The results are in, and the message is clear: strong unions matter. Once again, every AFT-Wisconsin local union that pursued recertification was victorious, showing that even with the game rigged, union members still know how to organize for success. (You can read AFT-Wisconsin's press release by clicking "more" below.) Congratulations to members of the following AFT-Wisconsin local unions for their election victories! Local 212 - faculty and PSRP at Milwaukee Area Technical College Local 243 - full-time faculty and PSRP at Madison Area Technical College Local 395 - faculty at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Local 2308 - faculty at Blackhawk
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- Take Action
Vote on April 7!
Wisconsin's spring non-partisan election will be held on Tuesday, April 7. A state Supreme Court race is on the ballot, as well as a proposed amendment to our state constitution and many local races for school board, mayor, and city council. AFT-Wisconsin, along with other state labor organizations including the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, has endorsed Justice Ann Walsh Bradley for Wisconsin Supreme Court, and a "no" vote on the proposed constitutional amendment to take the selection of the Court's Chief Justice out of the hands of Wisconsin voters. Justice Bradley has a proven track record of standing up to special interests
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AFT-Wisconsin member and Marine veteran calls on Scott Walker to apologize
When Scott Walker compared 100,000 peaceful protestors - teachers, parents, police officers, fire fighters, students, nurses, and more - to the terrorists in ISIS, it hit home for William Schuth, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a member of AFT local 3220, the UW-Madison Teaching Assistants' Association. William has created a petition calling on Walker to apologize for his remarks: "Gov. Walker, veterans and service members who risked their lives to fight terrorism deserve better than that. Americans who speak up for their rights deserve better than that. Please, Gov. Walker, show some courage: publicly take ownership
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AFT-Wisconsin members and leaders rally, testify against latest attack on unions
Scores of AFT-Wisconsin members joined the thousands of Wisconsinites that converged on the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 24, to protest legislation designed to weaken private sector unions. ( Be sure to check out our post on what you can do to stop so-called "right to work" legislation!) And while union members and community supporters rallied outside, many more were making their voices heard inside the Capitol, registering their opposition to the bill, offering testimony about why it's wrong for Wisconsin, and holding a Solidarity Singalong in the rotunda.
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Five things you can do this week to stop "right to work"
So-called "right to work" legislation meant to attack private sector union workers is being fast-tracked through the Wisconsin Legislature this week. Our sisters and brothers in the private sector stood shoulder to shoulder with us when Scott Walker attacked us in 2011; now it's our turn to show that we remain united. Here are five things you can do to take action:
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2014 AFT-Wisconsin Scholarship Winners
AFT-Wisconsin members highly value and honor education. As part of our values, we offer scholarships for children and grandchildren of current or retired AFT-Wisconsin members who will be attending technical colleges or universities. This year a $1,000 university scholarship and a $500 technical college scholarship were awarded.
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AFT delegates vow to fight attacks on teachers, unions
AFT convention delegates on July 13 unanimously passed a special order of business—recommended by the executive council—to fight back against attacks on unions and teachers like Vergara v. California and Harris v. Quinn, and to fight forward to reclaim the promise of America.
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LFT asks Jindal to intervene in Pastorek feud
(Baton Rouge – August 10, 2009) The state’s largest education organization is asking Governor Bobby Jindal to step in and mediate the ongoing dispute between State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek and some advocates for public education.
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Welcome to the Indiana Federation of Teachers, AFT/AFL-CIO
Dear IFT Members: I saw where Gov. Mitch Daniels and his cronies are boasting about their $2.2 billion budget surplus. You and I know where it came from. The vast majority of their windfall came from the pockets of working men and women, public education, and social services. Once again these actions beg the question: What are you willing to do about it? Are you going to throw up your hands and simply accept what they have done to public education or are you willing to stand up and fight for what you believe in and have dedicated your life
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