When the AFT offers a road map on how to shut down Parent Power efforts, it offers a nice PDF document to do it. Apparently in a fit of celebration during last month’s TEACH 2011 conference, the nation’s second-largest teachers union offered up a presentation on how its Connecticut affiliate managed to make the state’s Parent Trigger law a little less harder for parents to use. (Dropout Nation is doing everyone a courtesy by making it available for public consumption; the orginal is still available at the AFT’s Web site. At least, for now.)
One thought on “The AFT’s Real Feelings About Parent Power”
Comments are closed.
I reviewed the PDF file linked to, which is a PDF of a “powerpoint” presentation.
There is nothing in this power point which is in any way nefarious. Yes, they want to decrease the influence of “Parent Power” efforts, but note that “Parent Power” is a particular political advocacy group made up of religious, charter and for-profit groups who want public dollars to support their alternatives to public schools.
Note also, “Parent Power” is not the same as parent power within the schools. The AFT power point noted that they worked specifically to set up groups working directly with actual parent groups associated with lower performing schools to ensure that parents are kept in the loop and have substantial influence. Seems to me that that is precisely what must happen.
Now, of course, will the AFT process help improve outcomes in the schools? That is the ultimate question, and one which has not been answered in the positive for public, private, for-profit, online, or charter schools either.
I certainly have yet to see, and I expect neither I nor anyone else will ever see an honest appraisal of education by any advocacy group. The sole purpose of these groups is for their own power and benefit, the schools being a conduit for their ultimate goals.