Photo by Miller Photography. Working on a task together are (from left) Aggoussata Boundy of New York French American Charter School in Harlem, Mary Frances Hopkins of the Opportunity Charter School in Harlem, UFT staffer Richard O’Brien and Anna Lambert of the New York City HS for Architecture, Engineering and Construction Industries in the Bronx

By Rob Callaghan

For the first time, unionized charter school leaders participated in the UFT’s annual two-day long intensive training on how to become effective school-based union leaders. The event, which took place on Jan. 19-20 in Rye, N.Y., brought together leaders from the union’s 14 functional chapters, including charter educators from Amber Charter School, Bronx Academy of Promise Charter School, New York French American Charter School in Harlem, Green Dot New York, Merrick Academy Queens Public Charter School, New York City Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering & Construction Industries (AECI), Opportunity Charter School, and the UFT Charter School.

UFT Director of Legislation and Political Action Paul Egan organized the training, which included 340 activists from the union’s functional chapters.  On Saturday morning, UFT President Michael Mulgrew addressed the assembled crowd. He thanked them for attending and provided updates on contract negotiations and the evaluation talks with the Bloomberg administration.  After Mr. Egan and President Mulgrew provided some overall context for the training for chapter leaders, charter school teachers broke out into smaller groups for a series of workshops focused on the specific issues facing unionized charter schools.

The first session, lead by UFT Vice President Leo Casey, focused on leadership development.  Dr. Casey discussed the historical background of public sector unions and public education to help provide some context for the current climate of the progressive charter school movement.  He reminded unionized charter school leaders of their important role in ensuring that charter schools are truly public schools.

James Thindwa of the Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers & Staff (Chicago ACTS) led a session on engaging the local community in their schools.  Charter school educators engaged in activities to help better understand the perspectives of parents and other members of the community.

Sunday’s session provided attendees with an overview of the roles and responsibilities of being a school leader.   The presenters showed charter leaders important ways to engage fellow teachers in their union at their schools.

Green Dot New York chapter leader Donial Rodriguez expressed how important the weekend was to connect with other unionized charters. “The training was an important opportunity to share ideas with other New York charter school colleagues and listen to their struggles,” he said.

Jacqueline Veracoechea of Merrick Academy Queens Public Charter School agreed that the training was a unique opportunity to make connections with other unionized charter leaders.

“The weekend reminded us that we are not alone as unionized charter school teachers,” she said.  “We can support each other and provide advice for each other. All in all I had a wonderful time.”

This was the first chapter leader training developed specifically for charter school leaders, and more are expected.  Currently, the UFT represents educators at 15 charter schools on 17 campuses through the Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (UFT ACTS).

Differentiating instruction

Instructor Valerie Braman leads a workshop in Brooklyn on Dec. 3

Our students come to the classroom with a variety of experiences and interests, learning at different rates and in different ways, demonstrating different levels of motivation, and representing multiple language groups. How can we meet the needs of all learners, and support students’ academic growth?

This workshop will identify key elements of differentiation instruction and how to use them in lesson design. The session will provide teachers’ opportunities to reflect on current instructional practices and develop new strategies for effective teaching of academically diverse students.

UPDATE: Due to overwhelming response for the Jan. 28 workshop, we’ve added an additional session of the professional development workshop on differentiating instruction on Feb. 11.

Register today!

• Taught by current classroom teachers
• Collaborate with other charter school teachers
• Dynamic, hands-on session
• Informal setting

The conference is FREE and open to all charter educators.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Certificates of participation will be available to all participants; these can be applied to the professional development requirement for teacher certification.

When: Saturday, January 28, 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 11, 10 a.m. – 1:30pm

Where: Amber Charter School

220 East 106th Street (between 2nd & 3rd Avenues)

Directions
Take the 6 train to the 103th Street stop.
View Map

OCS parent speaks out during Dec. 8 rally

By Rob Callaghan

Recently, Opportunity Charter School (OCS) of Harlem has been targeted by the Department of Education (DOE) for closure. The school’s charter is up for renewal and the DOE has placed the school on its “early engagement” list. The news came as a shock to parents, teachers and the school’s administration given the school’s success with students with special needs. Some parents and teachers expressed concern that OCS has been put on this list to create more space for Eva Moskowitz’s Harlem Success Academy 4, which shares space in the same building. Opportunity is one of three schools, along with Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing Arts and Frederick Douglass Academy II, which are co-located with Harlem Success schools and are on the closure list.

Last week, the entire Opportunity Charter School community rallied in support of the schools’ 5 year renewal. Parents, teachers, and students, decked out in their Opportunity colors, held a rally outside the school, chanting “5 more years!” The rally on Dec. 8 was the second such event held in the past few weeks.

On Nov. 11, the Department of Education held at a public hearing regarding the school’s charter renewal. At the meeting, students, parents, alumni and teachers took to the podium to express their unwavering support for the school’s mission and questioned the motives for shuttering the school.

United Federation of Teachers Vice President Leo Casey reaffirmed the UFT’s commitment to the teachers, parents, and students of OCS. He also noted the school’s achievements with special needs students, and questioned the motivation for closing the school, “If a decision about Opportunity Charter School is made based solely on education, and not political reasons, it cannot be closed” said Dr. Casey. He left the stage to thunderous applause from the assembled crowd.

Despite losing her voice, parent teacher association president Shire Tribble addressed the crowd with the help of math teacher and basketball coach Natasha Seabrook who read a statement on Ms Tribble’s behalf.

When asked about the event days later, Ms. Tribble questioned the logic of closing down a school like OCS, “Opportunity is the only school that serves this many students with IEPs,” she said, “OCS has been very successful serving these students, so why would they be put on this list?”

The parent leader also spoke about how important the school has been to her and her daughter “Opportunity is family-oriented and really encourages parents to take part. The teachers give my daughter one-on-one attention that allows her to be the creative person she is.”

About half of Opportunity’s students have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and many of the students entered the school having fallen behind. The school has been very successful serving this high needs population. The middle school received a B on its latest progress report and received extra credit for improving high-need students’ ELA scores. At the same time, the high school outperformed similar schools on the student performance category (i.e. graduation rates and Regents exam scores) on their most recent high school report card. Opportunity has been particularly successful graduating special education students; the school’s special education graduation rate was almost double the city’s average for special needs students.

These events serve as a reminder of the important place Opportunity has in the Harlem community. Students, parents, teachers, and alumnus are committed to making sure the school remains open to fulfill its unique vision. Third-year assistant teacher Crystal Chandler noted the vital role Opportunity serves, “It’s essential to keep OCS open. We serve every student that walks through those doors – no matter what. There is no reason we should be on this list. We are Harlem’s success!”

The New York Department of Education, which authorized the school’s charter, will make a decision on whether to renew Opportunity’s charter within the next few months. To show your support for the school community please submit comments via email to: charterschools@schools.nyc.gov

In addition, the New York City Parents Union, a citywide group of public-school parents, has started a petition to keep Opportunity open. Read and sign the petition.

UPDATE: In January 2012, the New York Department of Education granted a two-year renewal to Opportunity Charter School, allowing it to continue to fulfill its mission to serve students with special education needs.

All Smiles as teachers anticipate what a union can do for their school. "Our union will give teachers strength to be able to help students soar to new heights," as Tiffany Jones put it.

By Rob Callaghan and Dan Gursky

Management at the Fahari Academy Charter School in Brooklyn has agreed to voluntarily recognize the United Federation of Teachers as the educators’ exclusive collective bargaining representative.  The agreement comes just weeks after teachers at the school organized a union.

Fahari educators at the school announced they had organized a union on Oct. 4 A majority of the educators signed union authorization cards, and the UFT filed a formal petition on their behalf for recognition with the school’s board.  On Nov. 2, the board agreed to voluntarily recognize the union.

The school’s educators say they look forward to working with the administration to create a contract that will solidify their mutual commitment to providing the highest quality education for the students and a professional environment for the staff.  Freddy Viera, an alternative education teacher, says he is eager to work with the administration to build the best learning environment for children.  “Now that we have been recognized, we can focus our full attention on student achievement,” he says. ” I look forward to working in partnership with administration for the betterment of our students.”

Special education teacher Jeffrey Embleton notes that there is a connection between teaching students problem-solving skills and taking part in the union effort.  “As we teach students the skills to practice critical thinking and problem solving, it is essential that teachers also have the space to engage in constructive dialogue and be active participants in the process of taking ownership and practicing empowerment in our workplace.”

While organizing their new union, the teachers and staff sent a letter to the school’s board outlining their vision of a strong learning community and their commitment to Fahari’s mission of instilling in its students the “core values that are critical for academic, social and professional success—perseverance, respect, independence, discipline and excellence.”

Fahari currently serves more than 250 students in grades 5-7, but plans to expand through grade 12.

Differentiating instruction

When: Saturday, December 3, 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Where: Long Island University • Brooklyn Campus

Humanities Building • Room 607

This Saturday, Dec. 3, the Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff will host a FREE professional development workshop on differentiating instruction designed specifically for charter teachers.

The conference is FREE and open to all charter educators.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Certificates of participation will be available to all participants; these can be applied to the professional development requirement for teacher certification.

Click here to register.

Photo by Rob Callaghan. Standing at the ballot box are Merrick teacher Christine Hernandez (left); Miles Trager, UFT coordinator of charter school services; and teacher Susan Randel. Signing in to vote is teacher Crystal Boyd.

By Cara Metz

Teachers at the Queens Village school faced harsh retaliation from administration when they joined the union, with 11 teachers summarily fired. They responded with protests, and the union filed unfair labor practice charges with the Public Employment Relations Board. The teachers were vindicated when PERB issued an injunction and educators who wanted their jobs back were rehired while others chose a settlement.

Under the new contract, history won’t be able to repeat itself. The new contract contains a due-process system with arbitration for terminations overseen by a tripartite panel with a representative from the board of trustees, a union representative and an arbitrator mutually chosen by both parties.

Christine Hernandez, who has taught for 10 years at Merrick, said that she feels “proud to be part of a journey that ended in a positive and unanimous vote.”

UFT officials said they hoped the contract marks a new chapter in relations between the school’s administration and its 32 educators.

“The relationship between the UFT and the board chair at Merrick Academy, Gerald Karikari, has improved immensely,” said Miles Trager, the union’s coordinator of charter school services and negotiations. “Over the last year as we negotiated this contract, we’ve had a number of conversations that have been positive, and we all want to see the school succeed — that’s the bottom line.”

The contract is retroactive to September 2008, when Merrick educators first joined the UFT, and runs through August 2013.

“We are incredibly relieved to have a contract,” said special education teacher Susan Randel, “and look forward to working with our administration and our board toward making next year a positive and productive school year.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Teacher on November 10, 2011, visit UFT.org, for the original article.

Photo by Rob Callaghan Before ratifying their contract, educators at Bronx Academy of Promise — (from left) Reagan Fletcher, Lisa Rodgers, Jennilee De Hoyos and Danielle Viggano — read it over.

Reaching a key milestone, educators at the Bronx Academy of Promise, a charter school located in the Morrisania neighborhood, ratified their first union contract on Oct. 12.

The contract, which went into effect immediately, covers the 28 teachers and five teachers’ assistants at the kindergarten-through-grade-4 school.

Teachers first contacted the union because they wanted greater job security and to feel freer to speak up about issues that arise at the school. They went public with their campaign in March 2010 after every teacher had signed a union card and were granted voluntary recognition in April; negotiations began in August. The contract expires in June 2012.

Educators, who in the course of the union drive had already gained an increase in their salaries, saw an additional 2.6 percent raise and also gained a due process system with arbitration as the final step for grievances and terminations.

“I wanted a union mainly for job security and to have a voice in the school,” said Reagan Fletcher, a fourth-year music teacher. “The atmosphere before we had a contract was distrustful between teachers, administrators and the board, and we didn’t feel comfortable to advocate for our students without fearing for our jobs.”

Since joining the union, Fletcher says, “we have a better relationship with our board and administration. We were able to get on the committee to hire the new principal, which they never would have considered before we went union.”

The school is in the process of developing a teacher evaluation system, which will be negotiated in a labor-management committee composed of teachers, a UFT representative and the school’s principal. It will be used beginning in the 2012-2013 school year after ratification by union members and the school’s board of trustees.

Looking ahead, Bronx Academy of Promise educators also hope to achieve the same kind of salary steps that teachers in district schools have as they earn more higher education credits and have more years on the job.

“That’s our big issue, salary steps, because we want to have a home at this new school and a future,” Fletcher said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Teacher on October 27th, 2011, visit UFT.org, for the original article.

Members take part in an exercise at the conference.

By Micah Landau

After an Oct. 14 evening panel featuring UFT President Michael Mulgrew, celebrated educator Deborah Meier, Green Dot founder Steve Barr and parent advocate Mona Davids, the more than 100 charter school educators in attendance returned to UFT headquarters on Oct. 15 for a full day of workshops and panels on “building a progressive charter school movement.”

Sessions touched on a wide range of subjects — from the role of progressive leadership in New York City charter schools to how to create an effective learning environment for instruction in math and literacy — all capped off with a screening of the new documentary film “American Teacher.”

In a session on charter schools and educational justice, CUNY professor Michelle Fine argued that the once-progressive “small schools movement” had been captured by corporate interests but that unionized charter teachers can push back.

“You are the bridge over troubled waters,” she told them.

In another, on teacher, parent and student voice in charters, John Parr, from Education Evolving, contrasted the direction taken by most charters in New York with their counterparts in Milwaukee, where many charter schools are unionized teacher-led cooperatives that actively encourage parent and student engagement.

Parr encouraged New York City charters to adopt this so-called “Milwaukee Model.”

UFT Vice President Leo Casey, who oversees the union’s effort to organize city charter schools, said he was impressed by the educators, many of them new teachers, who turned out for the conference.

“We’re fighting a battle for the soul of the charter school movement,” Casey said. “It’s a difficult battle, but with leaders like the teachers who came out this weekend, I know we can win it.”

Kenya Burton, a teacher at the Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem, which organized with the UFT in October 2010, chaired the session on teacher, parent and student voice.

“It was great,” Burton said of the conference, recalling that she was particularly impressed by Renaissance Charter School’s Stacey Gauthier, who discussed progressive leadership at her school.

“I actually got her phone number and want to do a site visit to learn how to bring her approach back to my school,” Burton said.

Brittany Helpard, a middle school math teacher at the unionized Opportunity Charter School, where negotiations for a first contract are set to begin in late October, also participated. She had only the highest praise for the conference.

“Teachers, administrators and charter reform leaders came together to dialogue about how to best serve the students and families at our schools,” she said. “It was motivational.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Teacher on October 27th, 2011, visit UFT.org, for the original article.

Photo by Cara Metz. Green Dot Public Schools founder Steve Barr (on panel, second from left) answers a question while fellow panelists (from left) New York Charter Parents Association President Mona Davids, Central Park East school founder Deborah Meier and UFT President Michael Mulgrew and UFT Vice President Leo Casey, the panel moderator, look on.

By Cara Metz

More than 100 charter school teachers from around the city came together at UFT headquarters on Oct. 14 for an evening panel discussion that kicked off the UFT’s two-day fall charter conference and professional development event.

Entitled “Fulfilling the Promise: Why We Need a Progressive Charter School Movement, And How to Build It,” the panel, moderated by UFT Vice President Leo Casey, featured Steve Barr, the founder of Green Dot Public Schools and chair of Future is Now Schools; Deborah Meier, a MacArthur fellow and founder of the innovative Central Park East school in East Harlem; UFT President Michael Mulgrew; and Mona Davids, the president of the New York Charter Parents Association.

Mulgrew, who represents teachers at 14 charter schools, said that teachers from charter schools ought to work together with teachers from district schools to demand the best education for all students, no matter what school they attend. Charter and district schools need to share best practices to improve learning for all students, he said. At the same time, Mulgrew noted, charter schools need to serve all students equally — including the city’s neediest students — and operate in a transparent and publicly responsible manner.

His fellow panelists shared their experiences and perspectives on building a progressive charter school movement. Meier, whose small schools — often cited as an early model for charter schools — were based on progressive ideals for a democratic education, said that today’s school reform needs to be part of a broader social justice movement and we need to be wary of the charter school movement being co-opted by corporate reformers.

Barr, who has worked with many school communities as he opens up union-friendly charter schools across the nation, said that each school is an amalgam of many different groups or “tribes,” including students, teachers, parents, administrators and the local community. As long as these groups can agree on 80 percent of their goals, Barr said, that should be enough to accomplish great things.

Davids spoke of the need for accountability in charter schools and of the importance of parents having a voice in their children’s schools. “We shouldn’t have to go to Albany” to get a law passed to ensure that happens, she said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Teacher on October 27th, 2011, visit UFT.org, for the original article.

In another victory for the UFT’s effort to organize New York City charter schools, educators at Fahari Academy Charter School in Brooklyn announced on Oct. 4 that they have organized a union at the school and intend to join the UFT.

A majority of the educators at the Flatbush school have signed union authorization cards, and the UFT has filed a formal petition for recognition with the school’s board on their behalf and notified the state’s Public Employment Relations Board that Fahari teachers are seeking union recognition.

If the school does not voluntarily recognize the union within 30 days, the UFT can petition PERB to certify it on the basis of the authorization cards.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew warmly welcomed the Fahari teachers into the union.

“These dedicated educators want what is best for their students, and they know that having a union will help them achieve it,” Mulgrew said. “I’m very pleased they have chosen the UFT to represent them.”

Fahari currently serves more than 250 students in grades 5 through 7 but plans to expand through grade 12.

The teachers informed the school’s board and executive director, Catina Venning, of their intentions in a letter in which they outlined their vision for the school and their belief in its mission “of instilling in its students the ‘core values that are critical for academic, social and professional success.’”

“We believe that by establishing a collective voice within our school community, we will be in a better position to realize this mission and to provide our students with the best possible education to ensure that they become productive members of our society,” the educators wrote.

Special education teacher Tiffany Jones said that forming a union will help foster a positive school culture that will benefit students.

“When administration, teachers and staff work together, students excel,” she said. “Our union will give teachers strength to be able to help the students soar to new heights.”

Jones’ colleague, first-year teaching assistant Bethany Murano, echoed that sentiment.

“Being part of this union is more than coming together with my colleagues and earning the respect we deserve; it’s about creating an environment where I can be the best teacher I can be for my students,” said Murano, who teaches math. “I’ve never been more excited to be a part of something in my life!”

With the decision of the Fahari teachers to join the UFT, the union now represents educators at 14 charter schools on 16 campuses.