Of New School

VOL. 50 — NO. 8 POSTMASTER: All forms 3579 are to be forwarded to Detroit Federation of Teachers, 2875 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit, MI 48202 MAY 2012 Mumford Protests “Theft” of New School More than 200 students, parents and teachers took to the sidewalk cation students would continue to attend Mumford. outside Mumford High School April 2 to say, “No way.” One senior said Covington was taking away all the stability she No way to taking Mumford’s new $50 million school into the EAA knew – the teachers who knew and cared about her. district. “How do I know my teachers are com - “We are opposing the taking over ing back?” she said. “You’re taking of Detroit taxpayers’ schools,” said everything I know away from me.” teacher Bernadette Taliaferro. “We Covington said Mumford diplomas paid for these schools. Especially weren’t worth the paper they were these new schools we paid for printed on. But a Mumford alumni, who through the bond issue.” Taliaferra got a 26 on his ACT, disputed that. He and her children graduated from said the previous graduating class col - Mumford. lected more than $700,000 in scholar - Marquise Adams, 18, is a graduate ships. of Mumford but came out to support Edna Reaves, DFT executive vice pres - her alma mater. ident and a former Mumford teacher, “I think it’s wrong because they queried Covington but said he was short built the school for these kids,” she on answers. said. “Now they’re taking it over. We “Some of the students asked questions worked hard to get a new school.” he honestly could not answer,” Reaves Dr. John Covington, chancellor of the Educational Achievement Au - said. “The bottom line is he has no plan. He could not answer any of thority, did not appear prepared for questions April 2 at a special meet - these questions and therein lies the problem.” ing at the school. He did not know which current teachers would Reaves and the other attendees said they would continue to fight continue to teach at Mumford. He did not know whether special edu - until Mumford remains a DPS school. Drive-by Observations Will Equal Lawsuits, Not Teacher Effectiveness By Keith Johnson ahead of the curve and ensure that the shot, as testament to how effective a Detroit Federation of Teachers President evaluation process would be more than a teacher performs in her classroom. What’s “gotcha” system. worse, they will attempt to incorporate or more than two years the DFT has For two years our efforts fell on deaf these drive-bys into THIS YEAR’S report tried to convince the district to honor ears until the state legislature, led by anti- to the Michigan Department of Education, Fthe collective bargaining agreement union Republicans, passed bills designed despite the fact that the majority of our and NEGOTIATE an evaluation tool and to make it easier to fire teachers. One members haven’t even been observed as of process that would provide an accurate drive-by observation could not be used to the printing of this article. mechanism for evaluating teaching per - fire you without due process and just This will prove to be costly to DPS. formance and give support and direction to cause. That protection was eliminated by First, the contract is clear that the evalua - Detroit teachers. the new tenure act. tion tool and process MUST be jointly de - In the 2009 negotiations, we anticipated With their backs against the wall and the veloped by the district AND union. The sweeping reforms in teacher evaluation clock ticking, DPS leaders are attempting district’s labor chief doesn’t seem to be - due to federal mandates under the direc - to force an evaluation process that will lieve that "jointly developed" means the tion of Arne Duncan. Our intent was to get allow for a drive-by observation, a snap - See PRESIDENT, on Page 2 Page 2 Detroit Teacher May 2012 DFT Well Represented at AFT Michigan Convention All 20 of the DFT’s elected delegates Democrats take back the state house of tending were President Keith Johnson, attended the AFT Michigan Convention representatives, electing Michigan Executive Vice President Edna Reaves, on April 28 at Supreme Court justices that are labor Secretary Felecia Clark, Treasurer Kur - the Marriott friendly, and passing the “Protect Our tis Brown, Jan Curry, Mark Moroni, Renaissance Jobs” constitutional amendment. Steven Portnoy, Lisa Scott, William Center. They The 20 delegates were: Ivy Bailey, Gardner, Wendy Newberry, Michelle were joined by Debra Washington, Cynthia Matthews, Puryear, LaShawn Sims, Vanessa Parnell the DFT officers Vida Bonacci, Deborah Pruitt, Terrence and Michael Schenk. DFT staffers Mark and executive Butler, Vanessa Rasheed, Yolanda Stew - O’Keefe and Patrick Falcusan also at - board, which are art, Marcus Walton, Thomas Wilson Jr., tended. automatic dele - Miranda Washington, Wanda Lundy- Elected from our local as AFT gates per our Colquitt, Joyce Burrell, Dan Lake, Michigan vice presidents were: David Hecker constitution and Michael Weiszbrod, Renee West, Brenda Keith Johnson, Edna Reaves, Ivy AFT Michigan President bylaws. Burack, Melaine Tillman, Joseph Ques - Bailey, Wendy Newberry, LaShawn The conven - nelle and Rebecca Szymaszek. Sims, Steve Portnoy, Michael tion stressed the importance of having DFT Executive Board members at - Schenk and Patrick Falcusan. Drive-by Observations Will Equal Lawsuits PRESIDENT, from Page 1 principals to do the evaluations. These parties must agree. The district doesn’t get President’s Report “consultants” won’t know the teachers, to simply let the union know what it wants won’t know the school climate and cul - to do, then do it. ture, and will be little more than gap-fillers The proposed evaluation process allows for the district’s own ineptitude in per - for no growth or support. Nor does it allow Keith forming its due diligence as well as honor - for teaching performance to be seen in var - ing the contract. ious contexts. A true evaluation takes a Johnson Attempting to do these drive-by obser - comprehensive look at teacher perform - vations and mask them as comprehensive ance at various times of the school year, evaluations over the next seven weeks will teaching different subjects, particularly in not stand up to legal scrutiny. Teachers not the case of elementary teachers who teach school year, and if not, when was the last retained or recalled from layoff as a result English, reading, writing, math, science time they had been observed. NONE of of these drive-bys will file lawsuits against and social studies. them had been observed this school year. the district for imposing a process not Secondary teachers should be viewed The last time they’d been observed ranged jointly developed and one that may even with different classes at different hours from seven years ago to NEVER! be arbitrary and capricious. and periods so the evaluator sees how the Last week I did a walkthrough of several The DFT is prepared to take the legal teacher and students interact in various schools to see how things are going as we action necessary to make sure our mem - contexts. enter the final weeks of the year. At one bers do not pay for the district’s arrogance, The evaluation should identify areas of school, the principal, who is one of our stubbornness and irresponsibility. improvement and the support and assis - more effective leaders, was doing observa - tance to facilitate the improvement. The tions that day. I met with her at the end of goal of evaluations should not be to get rid my visit and asked about the results of her of struggling or novice teachers but to help observations (this was about 11 a.m.). them become effective teachers. That said, She observed six teachers that morning if a teacher is not effective and will not im - and was pleased with what she saw. When (ISSN 0011-9695) plement the steps to improve, the process I asked how long she spent in each class - The Detroit Teacher is the official publica - should include a fair and comprehensive room her response was about 15-20 min - tion of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, method to remove him or her from em - utes. What qualifies as a true assessment American Federation of Teachers Local ployment. of the effectiveness of teachers? What if 231, AFL-CIO. Two weeks ago I came to the office on a the observations were not satisfactory? The Detroit Teacher is published monthly, Sunday, randomly went through my phone Should such teachers be deemed ineffec - except for July and August, for $4 per year by The Detroit Federation of Teachers, log, and called 18 teachers who have tive after a 15-minute visit? I say no. 2875 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit, MI 48202. called me during the course of the school The district is accelerating the process Periodical Postage Paid at Detroit, MI. year. I asked if they had been observed this of evaluating teachers by hiring retired May 2012 The Detroit Teacher Page 3 Updates . What Every Member Needs to Do DFT Vice President By Edna Reaves Named DFT Executive Vice President Wanda Lundy-Colquitt was appointed It is not news that teachers and union members are being at - DFT vice president on April 16. She fills tacked by Lansing. In the last 18 months, dozens of laws have the vacancy left by Edna Reaves when she been passed by the legislature to attack the teaching profession. became DFT executive vice president on Now is the time to join forces and send Lansing the message March 12. Reaves replaced Mark O’Keefe, that we are not Al-Qaeda. We are not a threat to homeland secu - who filled the vacancy created when Vito rity.

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