Her letters to the editor

These are recent letters to the editor from UFT President Randi Weingarten.

To the New York Sun, May 2, 2008

Contrary to your assertion, it is the New York City Department of Education and not the teachers' union that has made it difficult for many experienced educators working as substitutes to land permanent teaching positions (Exercise in excess,May 2).

To the Daily News Mon. April 11, 2008

Manhattan: Schools Chancellor Joel Klein is wrong in arguing that teacher tenure should be contingent on student standardized test scores. There is no independent or conclusive research showing you can accurately measure the impact of an individual teacher on a student's academic achievement - much less use student test scores, particularly those given midyear, to do it.

To the New York Sun, March 28, 2008

I want to set the record straight regarding your reference to Green Dot as a charter school operator that “bans traditional tenure.” Green Dot is actually the only charter school operator in the country that understands that a union and a contract help promote student success.

To the New York Times, March 10, 2008

Most teacher union contracts today represent a response to the one-size-fits-all industrial factory model in which management dictates to educators. More often than not, management, citing a need for flexibility, attempts to exclude all teacher input from the decision-making process. Progressive union leaders have fought to negotiate contracts that are tailored to the culture of a school and the work it does.

To the New York Post, Feb. 28, 2008

It is puzzling to see the New York Post attack the United Federation of Teachers just for running a television ad highlighting the need to balance standardized testing and test preparation with a rich curriculum promoting a well-rounded education (“The UFT’s Real Gripe,” Feb. 27).

To the Daily News, Dec. 17, 2007

Robert Gordon ("Smaller classes: the wrong investment for city schools," Opinion, Dec. 13) misses the point in arguing against class size reductions.

To the New York Observer, Nov. 30, 2007

No one wants incompetent teachers in our public schools – certainly not the highly qualified faculty who would have to cope with any shortcomings in students’ education resulting from a colleague’s poor instruction

To the New York Post, Nov. 5, 2007

The fact is that Ravitch is a fiercely independent thinker. She is a nationally recognized education expert who knows chapter and verse about the many challenges facing our nation's public schools.

To the Daily News, Sept. 3, 2007

At a time when we need all the talented educators we can find to work in New York City public schools, Chancellor Klein tells the Daily News he wants to terminate skilled, “excessed” teachers who, through no fault of their own, find themselves without classroom assignments (“He Learned His Lesson: Schools Boss Talks Reform With News,” September 3).