Spring Conference May 13, 2006

May 17, 2006 11:49 AM

Thank you – you are the greatest educators on Earth.

I love this time of year. By mid-May you always know the end of the school year is around the corner. And the spring conference is always a great chance to see you again, hear your thoughts, your stories and celebrate our profession.

Every year, I come away from this event energized and full of new ideas. Of course, we have enormous responsibilities and face tremendous challenges. The resources and support we need to give our students the best education possible still are not what they should be.

But there are also opportunities, and if we use our common sense, we can take advantage of them, both for ourselves and our students.

That’s why the theme of today’s conference is Common Sense about Education.

What does our common sense tell us about teaching children? Well, we know a few basic truths about teaching and learning, don’t we? For instance, we know

· Every child is different. So is every teacher. Each child learns differently. There is no single “right” way to teach every child.

More common sense:

· Learning happens in many ways and many places. Sometimes the opportunity for learning is planned and sometimes it arises spontaneously. A good teacher recognizes these golden opportunities.

And because different children learn in different ways, we have resisted the administration’s every effort to tie teachers’ hands. We made some of the more blatant of those efforts illegal under our contract. And we will continue to use every tool at our disposal so you can use your considerable skills, knowledge and experience to help every child succeed.

After all, it’s just common sense.

And here’s another common sense value we know: Anything that is worthwhile takes time and hard work. It’s crucial to invest for the long term.

Ours is a profession where we continually have to balance the day-to-day against the long term. We all know that the work we do with our students throughout their school lives affects not just their minds, but their hearts, their values and their choices. Ours is a long-term investment of time, passion and commitment – one every educator makes because we want to see our students soar.

But unfortunately, our modern culture doesn’t like to think about the long-term. Too often, we are all about short-term gain – the crash diet, the get rich quick scheme, the Cliff Notes. These easy, short-term gimmicks aimed at quick results are like drugs. It might feel good now, but you could be in for a world of trouble later.

Now, life doesn’t have to be just about eating your spinach. But sometimes I wish teachers weren’t the only ones thinking about the long term.

Take this obsession with tests and test prep. Don’t get me wrong. We all understand the need for testing. But these days we drill our students over and over and over, we put the test in front of them, they repeat the drill and the numbers go up. Never mind that memorization is a key factor in early grade testing. The newspapers proclaim success – and the politicians are happy.

But like the weight loss from a crash diet, the short term learning gain may not last. And even if it did, is this what education is really about? Reducing schools to test prep factories in reading and math? What happened to a well-rounded education? What happened to social studies? Science? Art? Music and Physical Education?

Class size has been the victim of the same short-sightedness. For decades, the failure to make the long term financial investment to reduce class sizes across all grades has destined virtually every other reform effort to the dustbin of history. Until we have both smaller classes and qualified teachers, we will not fundamentally improve teaching and learning for all youngsters. It’s just common sense.

Our critics charge that reducing class size is just a ploy for us to get more members and more dues. They are right. It is a ploy.

· A ploy to give students more individualized attention.

· A ploy to enable students to do better on tests.

· A ploy to help more students graduate.

· A ploy to let teachers teach, and not just be disciplinarians.

It’s time to stop pretending that another reorganization is going to save our schools. That mayoral control is going to save our schools. That another test is going to save our schools. Common sense tells us there are no magic bullets. But without question, some reforms are more effective than others.

But we can’t just talk the talk. I’m going to call upon all of us to exercise our collective activism — despite the exhaustion we all feel at the end of what was truly one of our toughest years — to help launch our biggest campaign ever to solve the class-size problem once and for all.

Right now is an opportune moment. The city’s largest school construction program has just been funded. A gubernatorial election is coming up. And there is only one court battle left in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit, the 13-year-old case that charges that our school kids are being short-changed. It’s up to us to convince the powers-that-be not to squander this opportunity on short-term quick fixes. Reducing class sizes is a long-term investment that must start now.

Anybody who can divide can figure out that the fewer students in the class, the more time the teacher has for each one. The opposite is also true. The more students, the more they are distracted by one another, the more opportunities for disruptions, and the less time there is for teaching and learning. That is one of the most consistent findings of all the research on class size.

And here’s another advantage of small classes: the SAT’s and the Regents are now requiring more expository writing, so students need more practice writing, in class and in homework assignments. But the benefit of these assignments is only as good as the feedback the students get. And try as we might to stretch it, time is finite. It’s common sense: A teacher with 80 students can give each piece of student work far more time and attention than a teacher with 160 students.

Sam Noel knows this. He teaches English at the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice. At the last minute, he couldn’t be here, but Alan Vincent, from Lehman High School, will tell us what Sam was going to say:

My students run the gamut from Level 1s to Level 4s. Class sizes can range from 20 to 33 and the difference is huge. Kids need one on one. It’s about your caseload, not the size of the school. With 170 kids you can’t do essays. You can’t expect revisions. You spend more time on procedure rather than instruction. To its credit, our administration knows that if we want to become a better school, we’ll have to change our class sizes. Teaching is about human relations. It’s the personal connections with kids that make the difference.

Thanks Alan. If we want to improve learning, instead of adding more time to the day, burning out both students and teachers, why not reduce class sizes? It makes sense. Children get more-productive learning time [and attention]; teachers can use their time more effectively for lesson preparation and marking papers; everybody benefits!

Speaking of work time, just last month, in response to John Stossel’s snide remarks about teachers’ short work days, some Queens teachers kept logs of how much of their so-called “time off” they spent on school-related work. The result: on average they spent 15 and a half hours beyond the official work time doing school work. That means their typical workday was almost 10 hours.

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And I’m not talking about reducing class size only in the lower grades; I’m talking about at all levels, all the way through Regents classes, to help our high school students meet today’s more rigorous standards and tougher graduation requirements.

Small classes in the early grades have a lot of support. The research in Tennessee, the STAR project, is well known. It’s been called the largest, best-designed education experiment in history. It randomly assigned 6,000 children to small and large classes in kindergarten through third grade and followed them throughout their school careers. Not only did the kids in small classes do significantly better in the early grades, they held on to those gains through high school, and were more likely to graduate and go on to college.

Based on that research, President Clinton made smaller class sizes in the primary grades part of the federal budget. In New York, the City Council and the State Legislature both funded early-grade class size reduction. And in our own elementary charter school, we made tough budget choices to put two teachers in every class of 25!

But until recently it was assumed that there was no evidence that class size made much of a difference in the upper grades. Now that’s changed. There’s more and more new research that links class size reductions at all levels with higher student achievement.

In fact, when the US Dept of Education looked at national test scores, in every type of school, it found that small class size had an even stronger link to higher student achievement in the upper grades than in the lower grades. For higher order skills like writing and problem solving, a Florida study also found stronger effects of class size at the high school level than at either the elementary or middle school level.

And in secondary schools with small classes, teachers report higher morale, because they are able to finish their lessons, they have fewer classroom discipline problems and they can more readily accommodate students’ individual needs.

Even if you believe that market forces are the ultimate arbiter, take a look at private schools, where parents are willing to spend $25,000 a year and more in secondary-school tuition. At Horace Mann in the Bronx, classes average 15 students, half of what they are in nearby public schools.

In middle schools, small classes are crucial. That’s the age when kids start disengaging from schools. You can see it in their eyes — that lack of connection that you know signals a risk of dropping out.

An Education Testing Service study of eighth graders showed that smaller classes were associated, not only with higher academic achievement, but also with a much improved school social climate, including higher attendance and less theft and vandalism.

The ETS policy director said at a youth forum a few years ago that “school size is less important than class size in terms of improving discipline.” Indeed, as another expert has written, “without reducing class size, all other attempts to ensure school safety can at best offer marginal improvement.”

Robert Aiello and Stephanie Curraro can talk about that. They are social studies teachers at IS 61 in Corona. He’s been teaching two years and she has three years under her belt. They have seen the value of smaller middle school classes in creating a better school environment. Their principal drastically reduced class sizes this year by raiding his supplies budget. Listen to them:

Robert: I have one class with 28 and another with 18. It’s a remarkable difference in what they can achieve and in classroom discipline. In the big class there are 28 different voices going on at one time. Maybe one student is acting out because he can’t get my attention. When their needs don’t get addressed they lash out. When kids feel you’re personally involved in their lives they’re much more likely to succeed and much more likely to behave.

In the small class, you can really see the growth of the child from the start of year to the end. You don’t spend as much time on discipline so you can really focus on the growth, the content.

Stephanie: This year my homeroom, which is also one of my social studies classes, consists of 17 students, the smallest at IS 61. Throughout the past 9 months, these students have become a family of learners. They have learned the value of teamwork. Each student has had the opportunity to work with most of his/her classmates fostering a sense of community inside and outside the classroom. The comfortable atmosphere that a small class provides lets me arrange students in any grouping. I feel as if there are fewer distractions and the students are focused on completing their assignments. They are mostly levels 1 and 2, but they all passed the third marking period.

Sadly, Stephanie tells me the principal is going to discontinue the small classes next year because the school needs supplies. What a shame that it takes those kinds of tradeoffs to get smaller classes.

In high schools, smaller classes are the key to battling teenage anonymity and identity problems, which often lead to destructive antisocial behavior and dropping out. According to a 2001 analysis of federal data, the highest graduation rates are found where student to teacher ratios are lowest. In fact, the fewer students per teacher, the better the graduation rate. Three-quarters of high school dropouts in a recent national survey said smaller classes would have helped keep them in school.

I could go on about the research, but you know it from your own experience. The conditions that promote learning are the same at any school level. Student engagement, individual student-teacher interaction and feedback, hands-on instruction, an orderly environment and high teacher quality and high teacher morale — all matter as much for teenagers as for their younger brothers and sisters.

For all these reasons, we designed our UFT secondary charter school, which is opening in September, with a cap of 25 students, instead of 33-34 as is now the norm.

It’s great that the public and our elected representatives at all levels have been responsive to the need for small classes in the early grades. But our upper elementary, middle and high school students need help too. We must raise public awareness of the need for class size reduction for them as well.

In fact, the problem may be more acute at the upper levels. Those classes typically have not 2 or 3, but 10 more students than classes in the rest of the state. Let me give you some examples from last year’s State Ed Dept survey.

· English classes in grades 7, 9 and 11 in the rest of the state average about 21. In New York City we have around 28 students.

· Regents Physics – less than 19 in the rest of the state; almost 30 in NYC.

· Sequential Math I, a Regents class, 20 in the rest of the state; almost 33 students here. That’s 63 percent larger!

Of course, the other really big factor in student achievement is teacher quality. Some people try to make this an either-or situation, as if you can’t hire more teachers and maintain quality. You certainly can – if you make the job attractive enough. And how do you do that? Two things: pay a fair wage and provide decent working conditions. And, you tell me what’s the most important condition of all? {Hold hand to ear} Right! Small classes!

It’s common sense.

By the way, most principals agree. Eric Nadelstern, whom you heard from this morning, tells me that most principals in the Autonomy Zone have used their new authority to reduce class sizes in their schools.

Even students agree. One of the most unexpected outcomes of the 37.5-minute small group tutoring is how well the students who attend have responded. Teachers tell me that even their third and fourth graders notice the difference in the extra attention they get when they don’t understand something.

Let’s hear from Dave Thompson, a science teacher at MS 104 in Manhattan.

My kids say that the 37-1/2 minutes are very helpful because they get extra help and I can spend more time with them. One girl said to me, ‘Why can’t all my classes be like this? It’s so small. I’m actually learning’. We’ve been working with Level 1 and 2 students who have usually been placed in regular classes that are 34-plus. We are doing triage. The small-group tutoring is just a glimpse of what you can do when you lower class size and focus on what their real learning issues are.

And of course we know that parents agree. The issue of class size has united educators and parents like almost nothing else. Together with parents and some civic groups, we have built an extraordinary coalition, New Yorkers for Smaller Classes. Twice in the last three years these parents, along with many of you, have hit the streets to collect over 100,000 signatures to put a referendum on the ballot so voters could be heard on this issue. It proposes to amend the City Charter to require that 25 percent of the funds from any eventual CFE award be spent on reducing class size to the average in the rest of the state. And people were eager to sign.

So, you may ask, if it’s so popular, why did we have to collect signatures twice?

In short, City Hall doesn’t want voters to have a voice on this issue. Even though two of their education priorities — small schools and the 37.5 minute tutoring sessions — are about helping some children learn in small settings, the mayor and the chancellor have not embraced small classes for all children as their cause.

Judge for yourself. In 2003 and again last year State Comptroller Alan Hevesi audited the city’s use of state funds for early-grade class size reductions. He found that most of the money was being used for other purposes. In fact, last year, with $88 million to spend to create 1500 new K-3 classes (and thus make all the classes in those grades smaller), the city created only 20 new classes!

And in testimony to the court, this administration testified it would spend only 2% of a CFE award, on reducing class size.

So City Hall bumped us off the ballot – not once, but twice – and it now says that class size is not a proper question for city voters to decide. The coalition is fighting back; it took the city to court. We will know by September whether or not we’ll be on the ballot.

But the bottom line is this: When it comes to class size, just as it is your priority, just as it is parents’ priority, we must make it the city’s priority. And we must make sure that this CAN-DO city of ours sees it CAN HAVE both smaller classes and a quality teacher in every one of those classes.

So, the first thing we’re doing is what we do best: educate. We’re launching a major public education campaign about the importance of lower class sizes.

Our message is this: Let the voters decide.

Here’s what we’re doing. There will be informational picketing at schools and leafleting at transportation hubs across the city. There will be advertising on TV, and — in something new for us — on the Web. And we’re building a broad coalition of parents, educators and community and religious organizations.

Some of the coalition’s leaders are here on the dais with us today. (Introduce Kathleen Gomez, Tim Johnson and Leonie Haimson)

And I have a special announcement. Frank McCourt, this year’s John Dewey award winner, has volunteered to be the honorary chairman of New Yorkers for Smaller Classes.

My friends, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. For years the naysayers had a good excuse: the lack of space. Now, thanks to an effort led by the mayor, the UFT and the City Council, and the good work of the Assembly and Senate, our city schools will have, over the next four years, more than $11 billion in new capital construction funds. The mayor has already committed to building 107 new schools, which will provide 66,000 new classroom seats. If the entire $11 billion is used wisely, space will no longer be a convenient excuse.

So, if we secure the operating funds the courts have said our city’s school kids are owed, then there will be no question that the city can afford to give our students what students all over the rest of the state have — reasonable class sizes where teachers can teach and children can learn. That’s what the ballot initiative is about; that’s what the campaign is about.

This period of time is an opportunity that may never come again. We can’t take No for an answer any longer. So, speaking for our union, if we are not successful putting this to the voters, we will take the fight to Albany, to the bargaining table, and wherever else it leads us.

The city wants us to be accountable — and we are.

The city wants us to work hard to bring our students up to standards — and we do.

And every day we aim to be the best teachers we can be so we can help our students succeed.

But what really infuriates us is being held accountable without being given the respect, the conditions and the other resources we need to ensure success.

When you get home later today, I want you to turn on your computer and log on to www.newyorkersforsmallerclasses.org. That’s NEW YORKERS FOR SMALLER CLASSES DOT ORG. And click on the button on the home page that says “Let’s make small classes a big priority.” This is what you’ll see. [VIDEO]

E-mail that video to everyone you know who cares about education. Ask them to join this crucial fight. Ask them to forward the video to others.

And join us on Thursday, May 18, when parents and educators will participate in informational picketing at schools across the city. And leaflet with us the following week, on May 25, when our coalition will blanket the city with flyers.

Finally, in the next few weeks, we will launch a major television ad campaign to further educate the public on class size and to urge people all across the city to join our coalition.

We want to send one message to the city: Class Size Matters. And we want to send a message to City Hall: Either lead the way to lower class size, or let the voters decide.

We need you to join this campaign. Leaflet, talk to people, write letters, send e-mails. Spread the word in your own communities.

I can’t do it alone.

You can’t do it alone.

Parents can’t do it alone.

Frank can’t do it alone.

But together, through our collective activism, we can solve this problem. We can lower class size. And that’s just common sense.