Tagged: nysut

In the 1960s, Bob Dylan, one of our lifetime’s great poets and American song writers, wrote the following lines in reference to the Civil Rights struggles:

“If all of us folks that thinks alike/If we gave all we could give/We could make this great land of ours/         a greater place to live.”

A new poll by New York State United Teachers shows a decisive number of parents say their kids haven't had enough time to prepare for standardized tests on New York state’s new Common Core learning standards.

NYSUT polled 400 parents about the new Common Core learning standards and upcoming standardized tests. Teachers say that students will be tested this month on material that has not yet been taught. State education policymakers acknowledge student test scores are expected to drop by as much as 30 percent.

Parents, teachers, unions and government officials all are weighing in on the pros and cons of standardized testing in New York State.

Many parents across New York are wrestling with the question - should they allow their children to take New York's math and English tests, part of the new "Common Core" curriculum for grades three through eight scheduled for this month.

Many listeners of this radio station awakened recently to the news that the teachers union has gone to court seeking to have New York State’s property tax cap declared unconstitutional.

The property tax cap is, understandably, very popular.  And, as president of New York State United Teachers, I suspect our decision to challenge it will be unpopular.

The New York State United Teachers Union today filed suit in New York State Supreme Court in Albany to challenge the state's the 2% property tax cap enacted in June 2011.

WAMC's Brian Shields was joined by NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi to talk about the lawsuit.