Comments on: Arsonist Yells “Fire, Fire”: The New Teacher Project On ATRs http://www.edwize.org/arsonist-yells-%e2%80%9cfire-fire%e2%80%9d-the-new-teacher-project-on-atrs Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:46:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Deb Hathaway http://www.edwize.org/arsonist-yells-%e2%80%9cfire-fire%e2%80%9d-the-new-teacher-project-on-atrs/comment-page-1#comment-67080 Deb Hathaway Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:21:45 +0000 http://edwize.org/?p=2052#comment-67080 TNTP is making inroads in Colorado's school system. This "not so non-profit" institutions marginalizes existing teachers in order to bring unseasoned, untrained but willing graduates into school systems. By vilifying teachers and not holding students accountable, this "non-profit" can leverage the government to use their personnel, take credit if it works/blame others if it doesn't, and collect government fees the whole while. This is a huge money grab. TNTP is making inroads in Colorado’s school system. This “not so non-profit” institutions marginalizes existing teachers in order to bring unseasoned, untrained but willing graduates into school systems. By vilifying teachers and not holding students accountable, this “non-profit” can leverage the government to use their personnel, take credit if it works/blame others if it doesn’t, and collect government fees the whole while. This is a huge money grab.

]]> By: Phyllis C. Murray http://www.edwize.org/arsonist-yells-%e2%80%9cfire-fire%e2%80%9d-the-new-teacher-project-on-atrs/comment-page-1#comment-66030 Phyllis C. Murray Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:53:14 +0000 http://edwize.org/?p=2052#comment-66030 INSIDE EDUCATION: EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IS THE LAW By Phyllis C. Murray “The UFT filed an age discrimination lawsuit in State Supreme Court on April 7 alleging that the more than 700 teachers in the Absent Teachers Reserve (ATR) are victims of the Department of Education’s year-old school funding system that, even with an April 2007 agreement with the union to mitigate it, created a financial disincentive for principals to hire senior teachers." From "UFT Sues Tweed for Age Discrimination” On April 7, 2008, the filing of an age discrimination lawsuit by the UFT became a necessity. However, history has showed us that direct discrimination involves treating someone less favorably not only because of their possession of an attribute such as age… but because of their race, religion,and/or national origin, compared with someone without that attribute in the same circumstances. Therefore, we should look at additional demographics. One article of interest was published by “Teachers Unite in 2006. " How have the demographics of New York City’s public school population, among teachers and students, changed since you've been involved in education? Sam Anderson: Over the past 40 years New York City’s public schools have gone from being comprised of predominantly white students to one that is now predominantly Black, Latino and Asian students. However, when we look at the racial breakdown of the teaching and administrative staff, they are still overwhelmingly white to the point that nearly 80% of the teachers are white. All we have to do is look at the Department of Education’s own data. More specifically, when we look at the sixteen year record of the racial breakdown of new hires, we see the re-enforcement of white teacher dominance clearly built into the DOE’s personnel structure. Below are the data from the DOE about new hires (this was not easy to come by. But thanks to the persistent work of an Amsterdam News journalist, it is now in the public light).” http://teachersunite.net/article/December2006 Further research has provided another article of note.: ” Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and state and local fair employment practices agencies have documented a significant increase in the number of charges alleging workplace discrimination based on religion and/or national origin. Many of the charges have been filed by individuals who are or are perceived to be Muslim, Arab, South Asian, or Sikh. These charges most commonly allege harassment and discharge.”The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission “According to the EEOC, race discrimination complaints continue to be the number one complaint made to the EEOC. In 2006, a total of 27,238 such complaints were filed. The EEOC also has seen a substantial increase over the past 15 years in discrimination claims based on color, which have soared from 374 in 1992 to 1,241 in 2006.”Tresa Baldas The National Law Journal March 30, 2007 Therefore, perhaps it is more likely for one to have an inordinate number of ATRs in our public schools, to fill the daily vacancies, who represent Africans,Hispanics , Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians than any other group. Age discrimination may also be evident within this population of minorities. Hence, an age discrimination suit is needed. And in the process of further examination and collection of data, other information might surface regarding the myriad ways minorities may be excluded from equal opportunities for full employment in our public schools. Thus, even though a lawsuit has been filed by the UFT due to the large percentage of ATRs , who were 40 years or older, we need to see all of the demographics regarding ATRs. In doing this, we can examine the possibility of discrimination becoming a factor in the failure of a principal to hire from the current pool of ATRS ( for long term positions within their school) because of a teacher’s race, religion, or national origin. If the Board of Education is an equal opportunity employer, a system of the checks and balances must be put in place to ensure that there is fairness in the employment process. In that way the words " equal opportunity" will never become sheer rhetoric but a day to day living reality. After all, Equal Opportunity is the Law INSIDE EDUCATION: EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IS THE LAW
By Phyllis C. Murray

“The UFT filed an age discrimination lawsuit in State Supreme Court on April 7 alleging that the more than 700 teachers in the Absent Teachers Reserve (ATR) are victims of the Department of Education’s year-old school funding system that, even with an April 2007 agreement with the union to mitigate it, created a financial disincentive for principals to hire senior teachers.” From “UFT Sues Tweed for Age Discrimination”

On April 7, 2008, the filing of an age discrimination lawsuit by the UFT became a necessity. However, history has showed us that direct discrimination involves treating someone less favorably not only because of their possession of an attribute such as age… but because of their race, religion,and/or national origin, compared with someone without that attribute in the same circumstances.

Therefore, we should look at additional demographics. One article of interest was published by “Teachers Unite in 2006.

” How have the demographics of New York City’s public school population, among teachers and students, changed since you’ve been involved in education?

Sam Anderson: Over the past 40 years New York City’s public schools have gone from being comprised of predominantly white students to one that is now predominantly Black, Latino and Asian students.

However, when we look at the racial breakdown of the teaching and administrative staff, they are still overwhelmingly white to the point that nearly 80% of the teachers are white. All we have to do is look at the Department of Education’s own data. More specifically, when we look at the sixteen year record of the racial breakdown of new hires, we see the re-enforcement of white teacher dominance clearly built into the DOE’s personnel structure. Below are the data from the DOE about new hires (this was not easy to come by. But thanks to the persistent work of an Amsterdam News journalist, it is now in the public light).” http://teachersunite.net/article/December2006

Further research has provided another article of note.:

” Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and state and local fair employment practices agencies have documented a significant increase in the number of charges alleging workplace discrimination based on religion and/or national origin. Many of the charges have been filed by individuals who are or are perceived to be Muslim, Arab, South Asian, or Sikh. These charges most commonly allege harassment and discharge.”The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

“According to the EEOC, race discrimination complaints continue to be the number one complaint made to the EEOC. In 2006, a total of 27,238 such complaints were filed. The EEOC also has seen a substantial increase over the past 15 years in discrimination claims based on color, which have soared from 374 in 1992 to 1,241 in 2006.”Tresa Baldas The National Law Journal March 30, 2007

Therefore, perhaps it is more likely for one to have an inordinate number of ATRs in our public schools, to fill the daily vacancies, who represent Africans,Hispanics , Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians than any other group. Age discrimination may also be evident within this population of minorities. Hence, an age discrimination suit is needed. And in the process of further examination and collection of data, other information might surface regarding the myriad ways minorities may be excluded from equal opportunities for full employment in our public schools.

Thus, even though a lawsuit has been filed by the UFT due to the large percentage of ATRs , who were 40 years or older, we need to see all of the demographics regarding ATRs. In doing this, we can examine the possibility of discrimination becoming a factor in the failure of a principal to hire from the current pool of ATRS ( for long term positions within their school) because of a teacher’s race, religion, or national origin.

If the Board of Education is an equal opportunity employer, a system of the checks and balances must be put in place to ensure that there is fairness in the employment process. In that way the words ” equal opportunity” will never become sheer rhetoric but a day to day living reality. After all, Equal Opportunity is the Law

]]> By: OgamiItto http://www.edwize.org/arsonist-yells-%e2%80%9cfire-fire%e2%80%9d-the-new-teacher-project-on-atrs/comment-page-1#comment-66024 OgamiItto Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:06:23 +0000 http://edwize.org/?p=2052#comment-66024 Thank you- I am an excessed teacher, who has been trying vainly to find a new position. Last year I received 6 positive observations....I feel I have earned the respect of the students, if not my coworkers....my problem is I am qualified. I have a few years experience but no seniority, a Master's that cost me $90K.....why would a principal hire me instead of two fresh-faced "alternate path" kids who are still working on certification and degrees? The thugs at TNTP seem proud of the fat that almost 50% of these teachers stay for 5 years! Most leave to teach in fairer climes once the State has paid for their degree. I still work at the same school...for the same salary....at the same time. It's hard to explain to the students why I don't have any classes. Joel Klein says he would "rather absorb the costs" than "force" these qualified teachers on Principals. It wouldn't be fair, he says, to judge them on their school's performance if they were unable to hire whomever they choose. Well...we wouldn't want it to look as though they were poor managers. (My school, by the by, has 12 Assistant Principals, each earning over $100,000 annually. And each of whom teaches ONE class per day.) Thank you- I am an excessed teacher, who has been trying vainly to find a new position. Last year I received 6 positive observations….I feel I have earned the respect of the students, if not my coworkers….my problem is I am qualified. I have a few years experience but no seniority, a Master’s that cost me $90K…..why would a principal hire me instead of two fresh-faced “alternate path” kids who are still working on certification and degrees? The thugs at TNTP seem proud of the fat that almost 50% of these teachers stay for 5 years! Most leave to teach in fairer climes once the State has paid for their degree.
I still work at the same school…for the same salary….at the same time. It’s hard to explain to the students why I don’t have any classes. Joel Klein says he would “rather absorb the costs” than “force” these qualified teachers on Principals. It wouldn’t be fair, he says, to judge them on their school’s performance if they were unable to hire whomever they choose. Well…we wouldn’t want it to look as though they were poor managers. (My school, by the by, has 12 Assistant Principals, each earning over $100,000 annually. And each of whom teaches ONE class per day.)

]]>