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Photo of AFT President Randi Weingarten addressing TEACH 2023

The AFT has always been a solutions-driven union, and our new campaign, launched during TEACH on July 21, proves it once again with a fresh, practical approach to strengthening public education. As AFT President Randi Weingarten pointed out during her keynote speech, the $5 million, yearlong campaign, “Real Solutions for Kids and Communities,” stands up against attacks on public schools and offers real-world solutions to build up, rather than break down, our communities.

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Randi Weingarten at a Massachusetts high school

Summer is upon us, and parents, children and teachers are winding down from what has been an exhausting and fully operational school year—the first since the devastating pandemic. The long-lasting impact of COVID-19 has affected our students’ and families’ well-being and ignited the politics surrounding public schools. All signs point to the coming school year unfolding with the same sound and fury, and if extremist culture warriors have their way, being even more divisive and stressful.

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What unions do

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In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.

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The bill, An Act Empowering Students and Schools to Thrive (or the Thrive Act, for short), would equip local communities with the tools and resources that students and schools need to succeed, and dramatically reduce the harm caused by the high-stakes, punitive use of standardized tests, such as state takeovers and denying students high school diplomas. “This bill is about lifting up students, lifting up schools, and lifting up communities,” says Kontos. “And it’s about freeing students and educators from the shackles of punitive, high-stakes standardized testing. Like the Student Opportunity Act, the key to victory will be grassroots advocacy and organizing, and AFT MA members must be front and center in those efforts.”

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Hope is on the way!  We are hoping most of our staff are vaccinated or have appointments to be vaccinated.  If you have not yet been vaccinated or are unable to find an appointment, please reach out for help.  We have several members that have gone above and beyond to help staff get appointments.  Dr. Lang was able to get 2 members appointment in addition to Sue Rosa having 58 members vaccinated with unaccounted for vaccine!  Dr. Lang and Sue Rosa will try to help get those 58 individuals appointments for the second dose but if you are able to set up your own appointment, that's okay as well -

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The link below will explain pool testing.  The Union encourages all members to sign up for this important mitigation effort in the fight against Covid 19.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6aky6ZyHQs


Thank you!

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Dear AFT MA Leaders,

See the information release from Governor Baker below.  Keep in mind that President Biden said that additional vaccines would come to the states via the pharmacy delivery system.   CVS has announced that they would be offering appointments through their stores as the vaccine availability increases.


https://www.wpri.com/health/coronavirus/biden-directs-states-to-prioritize-teachers-for-vaccines/



Subject: RELEASE: Baker-Polito Administration Announces K-12 Educators, Child Care Workers and K-12 School Staff Eligible for Vaccine Appointments Starting March 11th & Vaccine

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State education Commissioner Jeff Riley hopes to bring elementary school students back into classrooms full time as early as April.

The comments come shortly after President Joe Biden said the goal for in-person learning time for students should be five days a week. Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Riley said he supports that goal, especially because COVID-19 health metrics inside schools have been improving.

"At some point, as health metrics continue to improve, we will need to take remote and hybrid learning models off the table

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On February 12, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released two resources for schools: Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Mitigation and The Science Brief: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in K-12 Schools that add to CDC’s existing guidance for K-12 schools in opening for in-person instruction and remaining open.

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SBRC also known as Standards Based Report Card is currently a hot topic in the CPS.

We want to gather evidence to find why this is a hot topic.  Is this what's best for middle schoolers?  Will this eventually reach the high school level?  What do colleges feel about SBRC?  


A quick google released the following info:


https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/rethinking-report-cards/

The article talks mostly about switching for elementary students (2013 article). But at the middle school level, it's trickier.

 

From the article abover re: middle school using standard based report cards...

  • "Although

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