Intercepts

New Blog Design & Address, Same Content

2008-07-23T00:28:00.000-07:00

I've finally made the jump from Blogger to WordPress and given up the endless hours trying to make that old template work properly. Everything is now much easier to produce and manage on my end, with one minor complication: a new blog address.

Wordpress requires a directory for its specific files, so Intercepts will now be located at:

http://www.eiaonline.com/intercepts/

So you see, it's only a small change - from ".htm" at the end to "/" - but I'm afraid it will require you to update your blogroll, bookmarks, etc. Fortunately, I'm pretty sure I can keep this page posted here in order to direct you over there.

It'll look a little strange at first, since some of the photos I've used in the past are too large for their new home, and I've still got to paste in a few elements, and I'll see if I can transfer RSS and feed e-mail subscribers directly over, and oh, about a hundred other exasperating details, but in a week or two, it will all be back to normal.

I hope you'll enjoy the new look and the new features:

http://www.eiaonline.com/intercepts/

You Can Find Anything on Craigslist

2008-07-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

Including, apparently, an autographed copy of Plato's Republic. Or maybe it's a typo and he really meant Pluto's Republic.

The July 21 Communique' Is Up!

2008-07-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Click here to read:

1) Compare and Contrast
2) California's School Funding Guru
3) Last Week's Intercepts
4) Quote of the Week

History the Old-Fashioned Way

2008-07-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of different ways to write history, but if you like yours with a lot of kings and battles, check out John Julius Norwich's review of Roger Crowley's Empires of the Sea in today's Wall Street Journal (here's a link, but it's probably behind the subscriber firewall).

The book covers the battle for the Mediterranean in the 16th century between Christians and Turks, and even Norwich, a prestigious historian himself, sounds like a kid when recounting Crowley's descriptions of the Great Siege of Malta. And believe me, I know how he feels. I may be the only man in America with a "Great Siege of Malta" coffee mug.

If you have a boy in middle school who thinks history is boring, tell him the story of Marcantonio Bragadin, commander of the Venetian garrison at Famagusta during the Turkish siege of Cyprus in 1570-71. Here's a description of what happened to him:

"Bragadin and his men held their defenses for months, waiting for reinforcements
from Venice. Help never arrived, and the fort surrendered. The Turks offered him
terms, and when Bragadin and his officers came to deliver the keys to the fort,
the officers were all hacked to pieces. Bragadin was forced to kneel. Three
times the executioner raised his sword to cut off Bragadin’s head, but the death
blow never came. Instead, Bragadin’s ears were lopped off. Then a basket of
stones was strapped onto his back and he was paraded around the city. He was
made to carry baskets packed with earth for ten days, and each time he passed in
front of the Pasha’s tent he had to grovel and kiss the ground. Then he was
hoisted up on a ship for everyone to jeer at. Finally, he was tied to a stake
and flayed alive. His skin was stuffed with straw and mounted on a cow. The cow
was led through the streets of Famagusta bearing its grisly trophy. Bragadin had
been turned into his own scarecrow."

Bragadin's skin was retrieved by a Venetian seaman years later and returned to his family. It resides today in a tomb in the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo in Venice.

Dissident Teacher Beats the House in Vegas

2008-07-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Remember Ron Taylor? He's the Las Vegas teacher who bumped heads with the Clark County Education Association and eventually worked unsuccessfully to decertify the union in favor of the Teamsters.

CCEA expelled Taylor for his actions, but he fought it, and this week the Local Government Employees-Management Relations Board reinstated him. It also directed the union to reimburse Taylor's legal expenses, which could reach $10,000.

The union's rationale for booting Taylor is, well, ironic. CCEA Executive Director John Jasonek told the Las Vegas Review-Journal "that the case was not about dissent but about the union's right of self-preservation and the right to kick out hostile members. The union director said Taylor 'was in it to kill it,' by recruiting members for the Teamsters and trying to decertify the Clark County Education Association."

Apparently CCEA's position is that when one union does this to another it is grounds for expulsion. But when a union does it to a private business, it is a constitutionally protected right.

Who Lost Roland S. Martin?

2008-07-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

You've seen Roland S. Martin on any number of CNN shows. His column today is headlined "McCain right, Obama wrong on school vouchers" and contains this quote:

"But part of the reason why vouchers have been denounced and dismissed is
because Democrats have been far too obstinate on the issue, and have not
listened to their constituents, especially African-Americans, who overwhelmingly
support vouchers.... Obama's opposition is right along the lines of the National
Education Association, and the teachers union is a reliable and powerful
Democratic ally. But this is one time where he should have opposed them and made
it clear that vouchers can force school districts, administrators and teachers
to shape up or see their students ship out.

"It is unconscionable to ask a parent to watch as his child is stuck in a
failing school or district, and ask him to bank on a politician coming up with
more funds to improve the situation. Fine, call vouchers a short-term solution
to a long-term problem, but I'd rather have a child getting the best education
-- now -- rather than having to hope and pray down the line."

Time for a New Crusade?

2008-07-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

First the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453. Then they went on to besiege Vienna and Malta. Now they are reaching for the greatest prize - the Washington Education Association.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that Turkish hackers recently hijacked the union's web site, replacing the home page with a picture of the Turkish flag.

WEA has regained partial control of its site, but EIA has learned that new NEA President Dennis Van Roekel is convening a special meeting of the board of directors at Clermont to deal with the situation.

Who Lost Arianna?

2008-07-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what she's referring to, but Arianna Huffington said this about Barack Obama:

"What he said about the teachers union was great. You could say that was
not progressive, or not from the left. I think it's accurate, I think you need
to transform what's happening in education, which includes transformation within
the union."

The July 14 Communique' Is Up!

2008-07-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

Click here to read:

1) The Near-Future of the Teachers' Unions
2) Changes to the NEA Agenda
3) Best Wishes, Mike Antonucci
4) Last Week's Intercepts
5) Quote of the Week

Obama's Energy-Saving Speech

2008-07-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of reporting out there about Obama's AFT endorsement acceptance speech, but no one seems to have noticed it was virtually the same speech he delivered to NEA. I don't mean he covered the same ground; I mean it was the same speech.

The only substantial differences were the substitution of AFT officer names in place of NEA officer names in his opening remarks, and his inclusion of the "These Kids Syndrome" story, which, I remember clearly, he used in his speech to NEA last year. He also noted that the United Federation of Teachers operates its own charter schools, as an intro to his support for charters.

Obama has been delivering stump speeches almost daily for more than a year, and it's too much to ask for entirely new and original content every time. But hearing him repeat a speech before a core constituency of advocates can't be very encouraging for people who want education on the front burner.

And for those who think too much was made of the relative weakness of Obama's NEA endorsement vote margin, or the boos during his speech, we now have the AFT for contrast. His AFT endorsement received only one audible "no" vote, and no one booed performance pay.

Ponder or Explode?

2008-07-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what to make of Ray Fisman's piece on teacher quality in Slate, but I suspect it will cause heartburn in the usual circles.

Triple Play

2008-07-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

Three worth reading today:

* Richard Whitmire has a go at NEA with "NEA too big for its britches."

* Diana Furchtgott-Roth turns an eye on SEIU's finances, noting the union's pension for members is only 75% funded, while the pension for SEIU's officers and employees is 103% funded.

* North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley, honored by NEA as America's Greatest Education Governor last week, is so good at raising educators' salaries that one North Carolina State University senior lecturer just received an 88% pay raise. Her name is Mary Easley, and she's the governor's wife.

It's the End of Days!

2008-07-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

And it's all my fault. It's known only to Biblical scholars that one of the unmistakable signs of the apocalypse is when Fred Klonsky of the Park Ridge Education Association and Neal McCluskey of the Cato Institute agree on something - and for the same reasons!

Both assert that Obama's NEA speech doesn't mean anything because "The NEA is as Democratic as they come" (says McCluskey) and "Union teachers are not voting Republican" (says Klonsky).

I don't want to get swallowed up by boiling seas so I'll avoid a fight over this. I will, however, provide something that has been missing thus far - data!

Back in 2001, I got hold of the results of the NEA post-election survey. Here are some of the figures, which I hope will help stave off Armageddon.

Last Comic Standing

2008-07-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

The Council of Chief State School Officers has done a pretty good job over the years selecting the National Teacher of the Year. The winners all have different styles, but share an obvious enthusiasm about their work.

This year, Oregon middle school science Teacher Michael Geisen demonstrated his abilities, entertaining the NEA convention delegates with one-liners, and a routine comparing teaching to airline travel.

NEA has the video of his speech posted here.

As funny as he was, my favorite part of his presentation was when he said, "We need to collaborate on solutions and not whine about the problems." At this, the crowd rose to its feet as one and brought down the house with thunderous applause and cheering.

No, not really. In fact, about 10 people clapped weakly.

Obama Speech Buzz

2008-07-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

Back home and completely fried, I find myself inundated with reactions to Barack Obama's speech at the NEA Representative Assembly. My video of the speech is posted on the EIA home page and on YouTube.

David Hoff of Education Week has the best single source of links to the edusphere's reactions, though many more people have weighed in. Let me add a little more detail to the story of the speech and the video.

Obama could have just thanked his fans, accepted the endorsement and returned to his Butte barbecue. When he didn't, it was obvious that his speech would be the takeaway moment from an otherwise humdrum NEA convention. So obvious, that as soon as the speech ended, I left the hall, ran (in dress shoes) the mile back to the hotel, transfered the video to my laptop and began the edit and voice-over.

I didn't get the first few seconds of the speech, and because of YouTube's 10-minute limit, I elected to edit out Obama's references to his sister and his upbringing, and a short segment about health care. Something had to go, and these had the least to do with education policy.

Videotaping the speech off of a TV monitor from a handheld camera wasn't ideal, but it captured something that the official Associated Press version lacked - the reactions of the crowd. NEA has a full, unedited version of the speech behind its members-only firewall (due to campaign finance restrictions). But I've seen it, and since it has the satellite feed from Obama's side, it also lacks most of the crowd reaction, particularly during the performance pay reference. So the EIA video, though crude, gives the most complete account of the interaction of Obama and the delegates during the speech.

Now, about those reactions. There was heartburn among some viewers about the boos being the outburst of just a few people. Sherman Dorn was so impressed with the audio that he could even tell the exact number of people who booed.

For the record: The cheers Obama received dwarfed the boos. However, the boos for performance pay were loud, louder than is even indicated by the video, since I was sitting in the midst of dozens of NEA staffers and directly in front of the Illinois delegation, where cheering was the loudest. The boos began in the back of the hall and spread. They were loud enough for Obama to hear through his feed, since he commented on them, to laughter from the delegates.

The rest of the controversy about the speech concerns what it is supposed to mean. It doesn't mean Obama now stands in defiance of the teachers' unions. It doesn't really mean that much for the issue of performance pay. It certainly doesn't mean he's turning into Mike Huckabee.

Mike Huckabee wasn't booed by the delegates when he spoke to them in 2007. That wasn't because the delegates preferred him. It was because he never mentioned any of the issues about which he and NEA disagree. John Kerry had some differences with NEA in 2004, but when he gave his satellite speech, he didn't mention any of them. Kerry wasn't booed.

Obama went to the 2007 NEA convention delegate seeking an endorsement. He mentioned performance pay and was booed. After receiving the endorsement in 2008, I was certain he wouldn't mention it to them again. I was wrong. Knowing what reaction he would receive, he not only mentioned it, he amplified his feelings on it, and threw in support for charter schools for good measure.

More than 20 percent of the Democratic Party's most devoted activists - the NEA delegates - voted against endorsing Obama. A sizable group of them booed a part of his endorsement acceptance speech. That, my friends, is news.

2008 NEA Convention Episode 5: The Phantom Dennis

2008-07-06T18:30:00.000-07:00

The 2008 National Education Association Representative Assembly adjourned at 8:26 p.m. this evening - not too bad by historical standards but egregious because there were not many crucial issues to debate.

Just to illustrate: On the opening day of the convention, a video of Marvin Gaye singing the national anthem at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game was played. Today, there was a 40-minute debate about whether replaying a nontraditional version of the anthem was "appropriate."

I'll have more on all the new business items, resolutions and other business conducted at the convention in the coming weeks.

Before today's proceedings began, a video of Barack Obama's speech yesterday was replayed on monitors throughout the convention hall, and repeated several times. It was an edited version, however, and entirely by coincidence Obama's praise for charter schools and performance pay didn't make the cut.

The NEA political action committee raised $1,841,193 from 9,000 delegates over the four days of the convention.

Today's theme was to say goodbye to Reg Weaver, and to introduce Dennis Van Roekel as NEA President. In his acceptance speech, Van Roekel noted his reputation as NEA's mystery man, but unlike Weaver's accession speech in 2002, he gave little indication of where he plans to steer the union.

The following video contains a clip from his speech.

2008 NEA Convention Episode 4: A PAC of the Clones

2008-07-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

Here is an additional video from today's proceedings. It shows the general carrying-on just prior to Barack Obama's speech (available here). It also has NEA President Reg Weaver shouting "O! O!" for Obama, but he sounds more like a sea lion begging for food. Judge for yourself:

The regular business is being accomplished in an expedited manner. The constitutional amendment to allow non-educators to join NEA (what I've called the NEA Booster Club) was defeated for the third year in a row. The delegates did agree to open membership to those employed in public or private pre-school programs, but shot down an attempt to open membership to private elementary or secondary school employees.

The delegates approved New Business Item 32, which essentially directs the NEA President to send a nastygram to Domino's Pizza CEO David Brandon, castigating him for "his misguided support of merit pay for teachers," among other things. Apparently you can only get away with such opinions if you run for President on the Democratic Party ticket.

Delegates decided not to recognize Norwegian Constitution Day, withdrew a request to create an NEA MySpace account (when it was discovered that the union has had a MySpace account for, oh, about 15 months), and withdrew a legislative amendment to support subsidizing solar panels.

In keeping with the tone of the day, the delegates added "incentive pay" to the list of types of pay the union opposes. The new sentence will read:

"NEA opposes... federal initiatives that mandate or promote traditionally defined merit pay or incentive pay schemes or other pay-for-performance systems that link teacher compensation to student achievement."

It's important to highlight this sentence because you will hear a lot of talk about opposing performance pay based on student test scores, or even on a single test score. The actual language of the NEA position makes no distinction on that basis. The union opposes linking teacher compensation to student achievement, however defined.

Obama's Reference to Performance Pay Booed at NEA Convention

2008-07-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I was wrong. Barack Obama took the bull by the horns today in accepting the endorsement of the National Education Association Representative Assembly. He spoke live via satellite from Butte, Montana, with a group of local teachers behind him.

He expressed support for much of NEA's agenda - overhaul of the No Child Left Behind Act, higher pay, college tuition for new teachers, etc. - but he also specifically noted his backing of charter schools (around the 4:45 mark of the video) and caused quite a stir, including some very loud booing, when he said (around the 6:10 mark):

"Under my plan, districts will be able to design programs to give educators who serve them as mentors to new teachers the salary increases they've earned. They'll be able to reward those who teach underserved areas or take on added responsibility. As teachers learn new skills or serve their students better or if they consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well."

After the booing, Obama said, "I know this wasn't necessarily the most popular part of my speech last year, but I said it then, and I'm saying it again today, because it is what I believe."

2008 NEA Convention Episode 3: Returns for the Jedi

2008-07-04T13:25:00.001-07:00

Barack Obama once again displayed his mystic powers in winning the endorsement of the National Education Association Representative Assembly:

However, things are not all rosy in Obama-land. The delegates voted to concur with the NEA board of directors' endorsement of Obama by 79.8%. I'm not an NEA historian, but that's the lowest margin since I have been covering the union. Bill Clinton received 91% in 1996, Al Gore 89.5% in 2000 and John Kerry 86.5% in 2004. It's reasonable to assume that Obama's poor showing relative to other recent Democratic presidential candidates is due to some hard feelings left over from NEA supporters of Hillary Clinton.

Obama will address the delegates live via satellite feed tomorrow at 10:15 a.m. I doubt anyone in his campaign will know about previous margins, and I doubt anyone at NEA will inform him, so it will be the usual jolly good times. You can bet your bottom dollar no one tomorrow will mention merit pay, charter schools, or The Innovation Districts for School Improvement Act.

Meanwhile, in internal NEA elections, Becky Pringle of Pennsylvania was elected the new NEA secretary-treasurer over Marsha Smith of Maryland, by an 80%-20% margin. Princess Moss of Virginia and Len Paolillo of Massachusetts won seats on the Executive Committee. Paolillo's margin was a slim 80 votes over Donna DeKraai of South Dakota.

In other earthshaking news, the delegates voted not to endorse the city of Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Entire Weaver Speech on C-SPAN

2008-07-04T05:10:00.000-07:00

If you just can't get enough NEA speechifying, C-SPAN has posted all 47 minutes of Reg Weaver's keynote speech. It must be nice to have all that fancy equipment and tripods and stuff.

2008 NEA Convention Episode 2: A New Trope

2008-07-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

Reg Weaver delivered his final keynote speech as NEA president today to 8,909 delegates. The EIA ShakyCam™ captured the highlights:

The other speeches delivered today were run-of-the-mill, except for one statement by NEA Executive Committee candidate Donna DeKraai, who said of the union, "our biggest challenge is apathy," and then proceeded to mention the Holocaust Museum in reference to the dangers of apathy.

I can only write here what I was thinking then - Wow.

Only 8 new business items were introduced in time for Day One discussion, with only two worth mentioning. NBI 6, introduced and later withdrawn by Buffalo Teachers Federation President Phil Rumore, would have required NEA to provide a reason for terminating an employee. I don't know why Rumore withdrew the NBI, but I know it was inspired by the dismissal of Michael Butera last March.

NBI 8 asked for NEA to take a variety of actions related to children of illegal immigrants, which prompted a long and heated debate. Immigration is clearly an issue that does not conform to the usual party line positions. It ultimately passed on a close vote.

North Carolina Gov. Michael Easley received NEA's first "America's Greatest Education Governor Award." The lesson is clear: Ban teacher collective bargaining in your state and you might have a chance to take the title.

Obama and the NEA

2008-07-03T04:39:00.000-07:00

I awake this morning to all sorts of stuff about whether Barack Obama will address the NEA delegates after they inevitably endorse him for President. And more speculation about whether a President Obama would toe the NEA party line.

Just a sample:

Where Is Barack When Teachers Need Him?

Obama To Snub NEA Convention? [UPDATED]

To Pander Or Not To Pander, That Is The Question...

Will Obama Get Tough with the NEA?

These are really easy questions to answer. In 2004, John Kerry actually snubbed NEA. He told them he would appear in person at the convention, the schedule was altered to allow for Secret Service procedures, and then poof! Hillary showed up instead (shrewd move by her) and Kerry didn't do the satellite feed until the next day.

Was there a significant difference in the NEA effort for Kerry in 2004? Not that anyone noticed. So this angst over a personal appearance is a lot of hoohah.

The question of Obama's future relationship with NEA is more intriguing. NEA didn't do for him what AFT did for Hillary. In fact, NEA did nothing for him. Will he need NEA in the fall? Of course. He'll need every Democrat. Yesterday he announced support for NEA's plan to "reshape the federal role in education" by 2020. (Translation: Hide your wallet until 2021.) But his endorsement was hardly glowing.

"I applaud the NEA for its efforts to frame the agenda outlined in Great Public Schools for Every Student by 2020," Obama said. "This document provides a roadmap for educators, elected officials, policymakers, and all who care deeply about the future of our children to consider and debate in the days ahead. And it provides critical starting points for a new educational compact."

That doesn't sound like "I'm signing on!" to me.

My guess is that a President Obama would have the same sort of mostly supportive, but strained, relationship that many Democratic governors have with the teachers' unions. There is good reason to believe Obama and the NEA will not see eye-to-eye on many education issues - and I don't mean his half-assed reference to merit pay at last year's convention. I mean something from his actual record as a U.S. Senator.

NEA tracks every bill even remotely related to amending or revising the No Child Left Behind Act. In this session, the union supported 134 bills it believes will improve NCLB. It took no position on nine others.

NEA opposed 18 bills it felt would make NCLB worse. Sixteen of those bills were introduced by Republicans, and one by Joe Lieberman.

The lone Democratic bill NEA opposed? Obama's S. 114 – The Innovation Districts for School Improvement Act. You can read for yourself what the bill proposes. But this what NEA says the bill proposes:

"Mandatory use of grant funds include: 1) establishing a teacher evaluation system using gains in student test scores; 2) allowing 'community stakeholders' to have a role in designing teacher evaluation systems; and 3) providing merit pay for teachers based upon gains in student test scores." (I particularly like NEA's scare quotes around "community stakeholders.")

Obama has a thin record as a U.S. Senator, but one of his major forays into public education was singled out for opposition by NEA's powers-that-be. So if you are an NEA delegate who believes in Hope and Change, your first Hope is that Obama will Change his mind.

Episode 1 Video Now Up!

2008-07-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Pardon the jump cuts, but ironically my laptop is having trouble with lap dissolves. If you are receiving this via e-mail, the video is probably not embedded, so you'll have to click this link to see it.

2008 NEA Convention Episode 1: The Empire Strikes Gold

2008-07-02T14:42:00.001-07:00

Hello from Washington DC. I should have the video of today's open hearing on the strategic plan and budget up just as soon as I solve some technical difficulties. In the meantime, I know you'll enjoy seeing the NEA Strategy Map:

Also, you can see that NEA is experiencing the full joy of corporate sponsorship:

My hunch was correct. NEA did contribute to the Delaware State Education Association report on charter schools. DSEA asked for $30,000, but NEA only contributed $10,000.

Finally, the annual meeting committee decided not to provide treadmills for delegates. Get outside, people! It's good for you!

Packing My Bags

2008-06-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again, so I'm off to Washington DC for the 2008 National Education Association Representative Assembly. Updates will begin to appear here the evening of 2nd. If you prefer e-mail, scroll to the bottom and sign up through Feedburner.