JOIN US TODAY
Oct. 29,
for a special
SHARE MY LESSON
professional development & networking opportunity at AFT Headquarters
555 New Jersey Ave. NW 4:30-7pmThis is an exclusive WTU member event that will provide an opportunity for you to learn first-hand about all of the valuable curriculum, teaching tips and other resources available at Share My Lesson. School teams and principals are invited.
REFRESHMENTS, FUN AND
PLUs INCLUDED!
Free round-trip transportation is available from schools with 10 or more Call David Street at 202-293-8600
To RSVP: info@wtulocal6.net
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TIME: Apologize to teachers
 Time magazine is using its cover to blame teachers for the problems in America's schools. And the cover doesn't even reflect the magazine's own reporting. The Time article itself looks at the wealthy sponsors of these efforts. And while it looks critically at tenure, it also questions the testing industry's connections to Silicon Valley and the motives of these players.
The cover is particularly disappointing because the articles inside the magazine present a much more balanced view of the issue. But for millions of Americans, all they'll see is the cover and a misleading attack on teachers.
CLICK HERE to sign the petition and join us in telling Time to apologize to educators for this misleading cover!
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City Council Candidate Hagler: For Teachers
and Children
The WTU has endorsed Graylan Hagler for an at-large seat on the D.C. City Council. A lifelong social justice advocate, Hagler wants to end the excesses of standardized testing and give ALL children the chance to excel academically. His vision of teaching and learning is aligned with that of the WTU.
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Challenge your students to 'Speak Truth to Power'
 Looking for ways to help kids shake off the holiday vacation cobwebs? Consider "Speak Truth To Power," a video contest that gets middle and high school students to see social justice as more than a spectator sport. No prior video experience is required and contest uploads are simple. Past winners have explored voting rights, child labor, bullying, domestic violence and more. The Common Core-friendly contest is an AFT collaboration with the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights and its curriculum on human rights defenders.
SEE CONTEST RULES AND
PAST WINNERS HERE
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VISIT THE
NEW WTU WEBSITE
Our website has a fresh, bold new look! On it you'll find a wealth of valuable resources, and documents outlining your rights as a D.C. Public School educator. You'll also have access to an ever-growing list of WTU member benefits. Check it out!
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WTU pushing DCPS officials to end delays
and move forward on contract talks
 Contract negotiations between the WTU and DCPS are still on hold as the two sides seek to reach consensus on the ground rules that will govern the talks. WTU is eager to begin negotiations as soon as possible. However, the school system does not seem to share that urgency. There are a host of important issues that your union will be looking to have addressed during negotiations, including a salary increase, much-needed changes to IMPACT, extended day, and improvements to the grievance procedure. "The contract proposals we'll put forth will be solution-driven," WTU President Elizabeth Davis says. "We want to work with DCPS to bring real reform to our schools and our classrooms, reforms that will improve teaching and learning and help all of our children be successful."
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Union Leadership Institute (ULI)
for Local School Leaders
Saturday, Nov. 1, Savoy ES, 12-4 pm
Lunch, Receive 4 Professional Learning Units (PLUs)
Session Topics:
- IMPACT Training and Support for Local School Union Teams, provided by DCPS IMPACT Office
- The Power of Collaboration
- Constructing Effective Student Assessments
- Local School Union Leadership 101: Roles, Essential Functions and Top Contractual Issues
RSVP today: info@wtulocal6.net
CLICK HERE TO VIEW HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AUGUST ULI
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Endorsed candidates for elected office in
D.C. make their case to WTU members
 Five of the seven candidates endorsed by the WTU for elected office in D.C. came to the union-sponsored "Happy Hour" at Tap and Parlour on U St. NW to meet and chat with members. The candidates, Graylan Hagler and Elissa Silverman, both of whom are running for at-large seats on the City Council; Brianna Nadeau, a candidate for the Ward 1 seat on the council; attorney general candidate Paul Zuckerberg; and Ward 1 State Board of Education candidate Lillian Perdomo, had an opportunity to make the case as to why they deserve the support of WTU member s and other educators. All of the candidates expressed strong support fo r public education and for giving educators and schools the resources they need to be successful. Two of the candidates endorsed by the union, Ward 6 city council candidate Charles Allen and Ward 3 State Board of Education candidate Ruth Wattenberg, were unable to attend the "Happy Hour."
(Photos by Edward C. Jones)
 
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Why the Washington Teachers' Union
Endorsed Lillian Perdomo for Ward 1 Board of Education...and how outsiders are trying
to steal the election
You have an important choice to make in this year's race for the Ward 1 State Board of Education seat. The WTU has endorsed Lillian Perdomo, a longtime D.C. Public Schools parent with vast experience working in our schools, while one of her opponents, Laura Whelan Phelan, is being financially backed by a group of outsiders-individuals who live in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and a number of other states.
Why are these outsiders bankrolling a candidate in a school district in which they do not live? We believe their goal is to control what education "reforms" are adopted in the District of Columbia. Some of these wealthy outsiders have a well-known reputation for supporting so-called reforms that embrace a top-down approach to the running of schools and for what gets taught in classrooms.
READ MORE HERE
HERE'S A WASHINGTON POST COLUMN ABOUT THE WARD 1 RACE
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DCPS officials present PARCC assessment update
A highlight of the Joint General Membership and Delegate Assembly meeting on October 14 was a presentation by DCPS officials on the new PARCC Assessment. Peter Weber and Morgan Hall from the DCPS Office of Data and Strategy led an informative discussion of the PARCC implementation plan. WTU leaders and members had numerous questions about PARCC, many of them related to the new assessments alignment with the Common Core standards and curriculum, and the availability of the technology needed to conduct the assessments.
 WTUs PARCC Assessment survey showed that 70% of the survey participants, mostly elementary school teachers still need further and/or basic understanding on the new PARCC Assessment. Weber and Hall stated additional PARCC PD is forthcoming during the monthly Teacher PD days. Send your thoughts, comments and questions on the PARCC Assessment to: info@wtulocal6.net. Click here to view the Power Point presentation on PARCC |
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WTU hosts educators, union leaders from So. Africa
In mid-October, the WTU joined the American Federation of Teachers in
hosting a group of educators and union leaders from South Africa. During their stay, the visitors from South Africa and their WTU hosts stopped by Luke Moore High School in northeast D.C. where they heard a presentation on the alternative school's program. Luke Moore Principal Azalia Hunt-Speight shared with her guests some of the successes of the school for young adults in need of a second chance as well as the challenges faced by the school. Many of those challenges mirrored those expressed by the South African educators, including student discipline and the school system's overemphasis on testing.
The South African delegation, which was led by South African Democratic Teacher Union leader Mugwena Maluleke, asked questions about topics such as labor issues, funding, teacher preparation and class sizes. Evelyn Stewart, the WTU building rep at Moore HS, also participated in the discussion, which was followed by a tour of the school led by Hunt-Speight.
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Union leaders read to Whittier students, give away free books as part of First Book event
WTU President Elizabeth Davis was at Whittier Education Center on Oct. 21 to give free books to students in grades K-2. She was joined at Whittier by Jos Williams, president of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO. In addition to giving out free books, Davis and Williams read to the students.
The event was sponsored by First Book, which provides new books for children in need to take home. This was the third time that the WTU has held a First Book event. More than 200 books were given away at Whittier.
READ MORE ABOUT FIRST BOOK
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