The Press Got it Wrong says Ravitch

The editors and reporters at the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and Education Week, were flat out wrong about what Randi Weingarten said in her speech, says Education commentator Diane Ravitch on the Huffington Post today. We agree with Ravitch. The speech has particular relevance in DCPS, but its import was distorted by editors and even reporters who seem strangely locked into paradigms that prevent them from recognizing common sense when the source is a teacher union president.

Weingarten Proposes "A New Path Forward"

In a comprehensive speech at the National Press Club, AFT president Randi Weingarten charted a new path for public education reform. With clear reference to ill conceived strategies "that fixate on the supposed silver bullet of doing away with bad teachers," born of her frustration with Michelle Rhee's approach, Weingarten offered instead an integrated approach with four components: 1. a new template for evaluation, standards and student outcomes, 2. a new expedited approach to due process, 3. a focus on the conditions teachers need to be successful, and 4. relationships of trust and respect for teachers. "The problem with the so-called "bad teacher" refrain isn't just that it's too harsh or too unforgiving," Weingarten said, "The problem is that it's too limited. It fails to recognize that we have a systems problem." The film clip of the speech can be viewed at the AFT's "A New Path Forward" web site .