UFT blasts DOE for sowing “terrible atmosphere of fear” around the new evaluation system
UFT Secretary Michael Mendel sent a blistering email to Chancellor Dennis Walcott and his deputies earlier today charging that the manner in which principals and networks are practicing and preparing for the new evaluation system in schools “has been a disaster and that it has created a terrible atmosphere of fear around both the new evaluation system and the Danielson protocols.” He noted that in many parts of the city, teachers are being told that the new evaluation system is “a done deal,” even though many of the details are still be negotiated. In some cases, he said, teachers are being told that starting in January there will no longer be pre- and post-observations. “In many places,” he said, “eight or nine administrators are walking into a teacher’s room without warning, writing notes in the back of the room and leaving.” Mendel reaffirmed the union’s full commitment to a new evaluation system that supports professional growth throughout a teacher’s career and provides for a fair and honest evaluation process. But, he said, the present structure of the DOE and past practice since September 2011 “demonstrate that you cannot and will not roll it out successfully.” Mendel said that if the DOE does not insist that everyone “learn together in a non-threatening way,” the new evaluation system will be doomed to fail. “And let’s be clear,” he concluded. “This failure rests squarely on the DOE’s shoulders.”
It looks as though the rhetorical fight is escalating.
12 comments:
Don't hope too much for the UFT to act with integrity towards its members. Be prepared for the BIG SELLOUT and betrayal by Mulgrew. The UFT does not have any reasonable explanation for agreeing or negotiating with the DOE on the new evaluations. The DOE has a consistent track record of covering up for corrupt, incompetent administrators. The DOE has a consistent record of mismanagement under Bloomberg. The DOE and Bloomberg have not bargained in good faith with the UFT on a new contract. Bloomberg has slandered the UFT and teachers on multiple occasions with his public comments ant through his connections with the captains of the news media. Bloomberg has scapegoated teachers and uses their job security as a bargaining ploy; he has bullied and bluffed his way in negotiations with the UFT. How is that good faith bargaining? It is the ultimate in dirty politics and dirty bargaining. IF the UFT agrees to anything without a contract, then Mulgrew has acted corruptly towards the UFT membership. Mendel's rhetoric is just a distraction from what he intends to do to us. Watch what the UFT does and not what the UFT leadership apparatchniks say. There has been \ a huge divergence between what they say and what they do.
Thus, if we already know it's going to fail, do not agree to it. The rank and file do not want an "I told you so" from the UFT leadership after all the damage these bogus evaluations will incur. Damn whatever the millions they claim the city will be missing out on. Let the public know that that money will not be making the children's education any better. Mendel and Mulgrew must fight back and do it in the ring of public awareness and opinion.
Agree to nothing and let your teachers know that no new evaluations nor Danielson are in place.
This has been going on for 2 years at the school level. The principal (who is now retired) warned the staff that with the new evaluation system" the DOE is looking to fire people."
Based on Mendel's last statements, it seems to be a done deal and the UFT is aware that it will be used as a tool to scare and fire teachers, and there'll be little to nothing they can do.
He's just iniating the media narrative on behalf of the UFT that it is the DOE's fault, and again they won't do anything about it.
UFT, Inc. does not work as we understand unions should work.
Someone wrote this piece years ago...
http://richgibson.com/UFTinc.htm
I've already been evaluated twice using the new evaluation method this year and my results are posted on aris. No post observation meeting just a 1-4 rubric I can view in aris. No comments just numbers on what I need to improve....good luck to everyone when this is finalized. Even if it's not agreed on it has already been given the green light at my school. #'s will be converted from test scores and the new rubric to either an s or u in June.
I agree with the skeptics here - Mendel and Mulgrew are engaging in some pre-APPR CYA. They're setting the stage to say "See, we warned about this beforehand."
But of course they were the ones who agreed to the precursor to this years ago - the Teacher Data Reports.
They were the ones that oversold the Danielson rubric as the best thing in schools since the chalkboard.
They were the ones who agreed to APPR in the first place, dropped the lawsuit against the Regents and NYSED when Tisch and King decided to make the test component 40% and an automatic "I" if a teacher comes up "ineffective" on that component.
The collaboration of Weingarten when she was here and now that she has moved up the career ladder to the AFT, the collaboration of the rest of the Unity and New Action people on so many of these things, has set the stage for a lot of damage.
They'll blame Bloomberg and the DOE for it. Maybe they'll get away with that.
But the truth is, none of this stuff could have come to pass without the help of Mulgrew, Ianuzzi, Mendel, Casey, Weingarten and the rest of the collaborators at the UFT, the NYSUT, and the AFT.
Word has been leaked. Mulgrew has already decided to sell out the teachers and go with Bloomberg's evaluation plan. He was mentored by Randi Weingarten on just how to scratch and claw his way up the education career ladder.
Nobody believes the UFT will fight this. Wow.
To what extent is the UFT playing internal politics here with an election coming? We already know that New Action will endorse Mulgrew in exchange for executive board seats. So a vote for New Action is a vote for Mulgrew. MORE must fight this on 2 fronts to cut into the Mulgrew vote percentage which is a key indicator of any unhappiness within the UFT that might count for something.
What is the UFT's best strategy? Hold the election fast and then sell out?
Make some deal that they can sell -- maybe some money is tossed on the table as bribe money like Newark and then hold the election?
Or maybe they have no worries at all and don't think MORE is enough of a threat to pay much heed?
How many uft members ever heard about MORE???
These evaluation systems don't really evaulate a teacher. Again, it shows how little is understood about teaching and how complex the demands of the career are. Teaching and business model evaluations are a poor fit.
They don't want to evaluate teachers. They want to fire us to save the city money.
Agreed.
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