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Many studies over the years have documented the need for smoother transitions from prekindergarten to the elementary level. A new AFT report reinforces that conclusion—and does it in a manner that puts frontline voices at the heart of the dialogue.
In her latest "What Matters Most" column, which appears in the New York Times, AFT president Randi Weingarten discusses the importance of the Ohio vote, as well as results in other states that showed voters are fed up with politicians who thought they could exploit a tough economy to advance extremist agendas. Those results are sending a message that legislators need to heed.
The citizens of Ohio took back their state with a historic vote on Nov. 8 to repeal Senate Bill 5. The vote, which marks the first time that the collective bargaining rights of public employees have been upheld on a statewide ballot, sends a clear signal that Ohioans will not sit idly by while politicians scapegoat hard-working public employees for an economic crisis they did not create.

 

This Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 5pm, our Union will be marching in Solidarity with Occupy LA and other labor groups. We will be meeting at California Plaza, on the corner of 4th and Grand.

After the march, we will have our Executive Board meeting at 7:30pm at the Plum Tree Restaurant, located at 913 North Broadway, Los Angeles, 90012.

Please click the link above for our agenda.

President Obama's bold plan—the American Jobs Act—is the right antidote to help solve our persistent economic problems, AFT president Randi Weingarten says.
Two longtime union activists and education reformers are assuming new roles in AFT's leadership, AFT president Randi Weingarten announced on Sept. 9.
Every day, educators and other public employees, and the services they provide our communities, are being attacked. From challenging collective bargaining rights, to undermining the quality of public education and higher education, to decimating pensions and trying to put healthcare coverage further out of reach, working men and women across the country are under assault. And if this has taught us one thing, it's that Elections Matter.
Calling Young Teachers
The AFT is looking for young teachers to join our Generation Y online community. This supportive network of young professionals is a place to discuss issues that affect you and your work. You can interact with other members through the forums and member pages, learn more about what is going on in schools across the nation, and find out about upcoming events and activities you can attend.
Generation Y teachers—those in their mid-30s or younger—say that to keep them in teaching, schools should be transformed into workplaces that support high-quality teaching and learning, so eager but nearly overwhelmed novices will stay in the profession and can become highly effective, according to a new report by the AFT and the American Institutes for Research.
In a March 28 speech sponsored by the Commonwealth Club, AFT president Randi Weingarten challenged those who have blamed public employees and their right to collectively bargain as a cause of their states' fiscal problems.
AFT Members Will Stand Together for 'We Are One' Week of Action
Workers' fundamental rights are under attack in a growing number of states. But as we have seen in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and elsewhere, those attacks have inspired and motivated tens of thousands of union members to stand together for their rights. The challenge now, as AFT president Randi Weingarten put it in a recent e-mail to more than 1.5 million AFT members and allies, is to take this moment and turn it into a movement. One step in that direction is a "We Are One" Week of Action, starting April 4, that will bring together members from the AFT and other unions, along with our allies, to participate in events around the country. First, take the pledge to help make a difference. Once you take the pledge, you'll see lots of ideas for how to join in the week of action.
AFT president Randi Weingarten on Feb. 24 proposed a new way to align teacher development and evaluation to due process for tenured teachers. Weingarten laid out a three-step process consisting of clear standards for what teachers should know and be able to do, a time-limited improvement and support plan for teachers deemed to be unsatisfactory according to the evaluation standards, and a hearing process that can take no longer than 100 days, which in many cases would be even more expedient.
On Jan. 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy captured and crystallized a moment in history when he told America, "the torch has been passed to a new generation." To mark the 50th anniversary of this landmark inaugural address, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has created a new website filled with groundbreaking multimedia that invites young visitors to explore the JFK legacy through such core themes as public service, civil rights and innovation.

Dear sisters and brothers,
This Labor Day Weekend marks the start of the 2010 election season. Early childhood educators, like other educators, know that their jobs and the children they serve are very closely affected by what happens in Sacramento and in Washington, D.C. That’s why we are taking action to make our voices heard.

In this week's debate, Presidential candidate John McCain argued against the long-term gains made by children attending Head Start programs. ( Read More)

In Washington, D.C. Local 1475 President calls for Asistance with degree requirement for Head Start Teachers. Going to college to complete a BA can be expensive. It can also be difficult to do when we work full-time. In May, at the AFT’s Worthy Wage Day press briefing (in which our national union spotlighted how early childhood educators are underpaid), Local 1475 president Arleen Rivera used her own experience to highlight the dilemma many Head Start teachers face when trying to obtain their BAs. Read what Rivera had to say:
 
Unions are extremely important to workers. Some workers ignore or deny the need to unionize, however there are numerous reasons why unions are important.

American Federation of Teachers has compiled a fact sheet and state-by-state salary comparison charts for child care workers and preschool teachers based on the May 2006 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics.

Are you looking for ways to help English language learners in your class succeed? Here are the tools you've been looking for. 

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Photographs and illustrations, as well as text, cannot be used without permission from the AFT.