By Danny Spewak
WGRZ
“NEW YORK – Under the state Constitution, every student has the right to a “sound, basic education.”
That broad clause could incorporate a lot of things, but according to a new nonprofit group and a half-dozen New York families, it’s directly violated by the state’s teacher tenure and layoff procedures.”
By Leslie Brody
Wall Street Journal
A new advocacy group is helping parents prepare a challenge to New York’s teacher tenure and seniority laws, contending that they violate children’s constitutional right to a sound basic education by keeping ineffective teachers in classrooms.
By Casey Seiler
Albany Times Union
“In the wake of a state court decision in California that has teachers unions outraged, the Partnership for Educational Justice on Tuesday announced it will file a lawsuit in Albany “in the next few weeks” challenging New York’s teacher tenure laws, including the foundational “last-in, first-out” protection.”
By Denise Jewell Gee
The Buffalo News
“Six New York State families plan to sue over the state’s teacher tenure laws.
A new educational advocacy group called the Partnership for Educational Justice announced today that it will support the families as they challenge the state’s tenure laws.”
By Evelyn Alemån Macias
The Sacramento Bee
“My 7-year-old child believed her teacher because she was an adult whom she trusted. Over time, this began to erode my child’s confidence in the subject – and in herself.”
A California judge ruled against teach tenure laws this week ruing them unconstitutional, all the while striking a blow to teachers’ unions. Writer Campbell Brown weighed in on the ruling in a new op-ed, and she joins Morning Joe to discuss.
By Campbell Brown
NY Daily News
“The case began with courageous students, because they had to endure the nightmare: grossly incompetent teachers, mainly in poor and minority schools, protected by state laws. And when the court ruling thundered down Tuesday, the impact was profoundly clear: Students, you win.”
By Campbell Brown
The Daily Beast
“You didn’t know that nine California kids were suing their state over substandard teaching at their public schools? You should—it’s an example to all who want equal access to education.”
Jonathan Cetel | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“In the fall of 2010, Dominique, known by her students as ‘Ms. D,’ voluntarily transferred to teach in one of Philadelphia’s most challenging high schools. She wasn’t alone. The principal had articulated a vision of building an excellent school by recruiting a dream team of passionate, hard-working teachers.
A small cadre of idealistic young teachers embraced the challenge of trying to turn around a high school where only 6 percent of seniors were proficient readers and just 3 percent were proficient in math. By that winter, Dominique and her new colleagues were helping their students make progress, and she was in discussions with her principal about becoming a grade group leader the following year to coach their talented but mostly inexperienced staff.”