On February 28, 1994 I became a member of a fellowship that would transform my life...

On February 28, 1994 I became a member of a fellowship that would transform my life… #UCLA http://t.co/3pi5WfcFKv pic.twitter.com/8dqswlKICu

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 28, 2014

Everything comes full circle

On February 28, 1994 I became a member of a fellowship that would, one day at a time, transform my life via a spiritual plan of action. Everything good in my life today is a direct result of my involvement with that community. Ironically, I was introduced to that fellowship’s basic text at a meeting held at Ackerman Union at UCLA earlier that winter. I returned to UCLA in Fall Quarter 2013 (eighteen-some-odd years later). I am graduating this quarter, making this the 20th anniversary of when I joined the fellowship, and the 19th of when I was ignominiously forced out of school by the job I held at the time.

Commemorating twenty years in the fellowship, and finishing my degree after a nineteen year hiatus is quite exciting. As a Classical Civilization major I like to joke that I timed both events to correspond with 2014 — the year marking the anniversary of the death of Divus Augustus — in order to impress UCLA’s Professor Mellor.

While today is certainly cause for celebration, that must wait since there are more pressing things at hand. May Athene Amboulia guide me through my Classics 152A paper this weekend, and assist my efforts in this — my final quarter at UCLA.

Today no schools has ever been shut down because parents opted out of testing...

"Today no schools has ever been shut down because parents opted out of testing. They’ve been shut down because parents opted in." Ceresta Smith

Schools Matter: Where Do Corporate Welfare Charter Kingpins Send Their Children to School?

Schools Matter: Where Do Corporate Welfare Charter Kingpins Send T...: One answer here from Tamarac Talk : By: Sharon Aron Baron Imagine your neighbor owns a Ford dealership, however not only will he not d...

Bill Gates and Steve Barr are trying to take over UTLA, again

Bill Gates and Steve Barr are trying to take over UTLA, again by Robert D. Skeels

Bill Gates and Steve Barr are trying to take over UTLA, again

Billionaires and corporations will stop at nothing to bust unions and privatize education. For decades Steve Barr has made his living doing their bidding. Their latest attempt is supporting a candidate for UTLA President whose policy advocacy matches their own. Knowing how unpopular Barr and his backers are, Bill Gaffney's narrative has been one of revisionist history and obfuscation of facts. We aim to let people know the truth.

FALSE: Steve Barr had nothing to do with the widely despised Parent Trigger law.

FACT: Steve Barr was on Parent Revolution's Board of Directors before, during, and after the trigger law was passed. In the Los Angeles Times he boasted about he would use it to convert public schools into charters.¹

FALSE: Steve Barr has a successful track record of turning schools around

FACT: Steve Barr has never turned a school around with either Green Dot or Future Is Now. Their latest attempt to turnaround New Orleans’ John McDonogh High School was an abject failure, leading charter friendly officials to shut Barr down.² Their experiment at Locke³ in Los Angeles has been just as grievous.

FALSE: Steve Barr supports unions and Green Dot has unionized teachers.

FACT: Green Dot's Asociación de Maestros Unidos (AMU) is a company union. In over a decade of existence AMU has never had single case of successfully defending a teacher against termination. Article 4.1 of AMU's contract⁴ with Green Dot Corporation's unelected Board of Directors sums up AMU's impotence neatly.

It is understood and agreed that the Board retains all of its powers and authority to direct, manage and control to the full extent of the law. While input from the staff will be considered and decisions will be derived in a collaborative model; final decisions will rest with the Board.

FALSE: Green Dot founded Los Angeles Parents Union, not Parent Revolution.

FACT: Parent Revolution and LAPU are officially registered DBAs of Los Angeles Parents Union⁵. Los Angeles Parents Union was founded by Green Dot's⁶ Steve Barr and Ryan Smith to increase charter market share. Green Dot's CEO, Marco Petruzzi, remains a current board member of Parent Revolution.

FALSE: The Gates Foundation funds Future Is Now/Teacher Action Network to empower teachers.

FACT: The Gates Foundation provides FIN/TAN with huge grants⁷ to strip teachers of their hard won rights and replace them with ineffectual “thin contracts,” that leave both students and faculty vulnerable.

FALSE: Charter schools are public schools.
FACT: Federal and State Courts, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the National Labor Relations Board have all determined¹ that with the narrow exceptions of charters run by “public universities and municipalities”, that charter schools are “private entities”. On the other hand, Forbes says charters are great for corporate profits.⁹

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1 http://articles.latimes.com/2009/may/11/local/me-greendot11

2 http://dianeravitch.net/2014/01/22/oprah-charter-school-star-in-new-orleans-is-closing-down/

3 http://www.examiner.com/article/green-dot-s-locke-charter-reality-bites-and-the-press-starts-to-get-it

4 http://www.amuanimo.org/important-documents/AMU%20Contract%20PDF%202013-%202016.pdf

5 http://www.scribd.com/doc/65809661/Los-Angeles-Parents-Union-DBA-LAPU-or-Parent-Revolution-2008-Form-990

6 http://www.scribd.com/doc/25496653/Green-Dot-Public-sic-Schools-Los-Angeles-Parents-Union

7 http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2011/07/the_scaled_down_contract_boon_1.html

8 http://bitly.com/bundles/rdsathene/f

9 http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2013/09/10/charter-school-gravy-train-runs-express-to-fat-city/

Attrition is yet another way privately managed charter schools game the system

So Steve Barr's proxy Bill Gaffney now claiming Barr had no role in Parent Trigger and Parent Revolution?

So @SteveBarrLA's proxy Bill Gaffney now claiming Barr had no role in #parenttrigger @parentrev? #LAUSD http://t.co/4D0jePDNDt

— PESJA Los Angeles (@PESJA_LA) February 26, 2014

He is either completely misinformed about his new masters, or lying. Don't just take my word for it, the Los Angeles Times has also documented what Barr did.

NAME Position Statement on Arizona's Anti-Gay Bill

February 25, 2014 -- The Board of Directors of the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) has just released the following position statement opposing the passage of Arizona's Anti-Gay Bill, and we encourage NAME members and other advocates for equity and civil rights to read, discuss, share, and act: 

NAME Position Statement on Arizona's Anti-Gay Bill

The National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) joins with advocates of civil rights across the state of Arizona and amplifies our nation's founding principles of liberty and justice for all by calling on Arizona Governor Brewer to veto the pending "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" (House Bill 2153/Senate Bill 1062). 

Known by many as the "right to discriminate" or the "do not serve gays" bill, this anti-gay legislation uses the concept of religious freedom to make it illegal to sue a business (including an individual, company, or church) for refusing to serve gay and other customers if the business owner believes that doing so violates their religious beliefs.  That is, discriminating against such groups as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals because of religious beliefs would be allowable if this bill becomes law. 

NAME condemns Arizona lawmakers for using the constitutional right of free exercise of religion, which we cherish and hold dearly, as a cover for discriminating against certain groups in society.  The truly American value of religious freedom has everything to do with protecting the dignity, liberty, and agency of every human being, and should not be the basis for denying such protections for anyone, including and especially those groups that already experience discrimination and injustice. 

NAME chose Arizona as the site of our 2014 annual conference in order to support the important work of educators, students, and advocates who are defending the right to a quality, relevant, empowering education in a time when ethnic studies is under intense attack in the Tucson Unified School District and beyond.  We will be shining a national spotlight on ways that Arizona leads the nation in its racially unjust approach to education.  We hope that Arizona will not again lead the nation in undermining the rights and dignity of its very own communities with the proposed, unjust approach to legalizing discrimination against LGBT Arizonans.   

Governor Brewer has the opportunity to hold Arizona lawmakers accountable by reprimanding the legislature for even imagining this bill, and NAME calls on her to veto the bill and, instead, to insist that Arizona reaffirm its commitment to nurturing every one of its communities and peoples. 

NAME urges its members and allies to raise your voice and demand the veto of this bill.

Noriko's Random Bits: The Schools Our Communities Deserve

Noriko's Random Bits: The Schools Our Communities Deserve: After a long day at school, I make my way to a local middle school where our district superintendent approved a co-location (more than one s...

The Impact of Proposition 209 and Our Duty to Our Students

I'm so glad my university is finally taking a stand on the racist Proposition 209, and is thinking of ways to encourage diversity!

---

Office of the Chancellor

To the Campus Community:

Nearly two decades have passed since Californians voted to end affirmative action in admission to public colleges and universities. Today it is clear that we have suffered for it.

With each passing year, campuses all across our state — and, increasingly, as copycat laws are passed, the nation — fail to accurately reflect the growing diversity in our communities. Too often, many of our students of color feel isolated, as strangers in their own house. Others feel targeted, mocked or marginalized, rather than recognized and valued.

At UCLA, our students are bold, confident and among the sharpest anywhere. We are proud when they convey their thoughts, experiences and feelings — as they have done recently in several now-viral videos and by organizing town halls and rallies.

Anyone still unconvinced by the true impact of Proposition 209 need only listen to our students’ powerful first-hand accounts. Their words, of course, are much bigger than UCLA — and it’s not surprising that they have found a national audience. We need only to look at the remarkable and numerous accomplishments of alumni from now-underrepresented groups who attended UCLA before Proposition 209 to fully recognize the disservice we do to California and our nation when other talented and deserving students are absent from our Bruin family.

Working within the letter of the law, we have tried to address the issues caused by Proposition 209. In recent years, UCLA has begun evaluating the full range of each applicant’s academic and personal achievements, within the context of opportunities and challenges each has faced. And yet we continue to fall far short of the diversity California’s public colleges and universities enjoyed before voters approved Proposition 209 in 1996.

While it’s important to understand that Proposition 209 is the underlying cause of many of these issues — and a cause that some leaders in our state are now looking to reverse — simply hoping that things will get easier is unacceptable. We must and will continue to search for new and innovative ways to achieve diversity within the confines of the law, but as Californians we must also rethink a flawed policy and find a way to better serve our students.

We must do more. We have a responsibility to do better.

Today I call upon my UCLA faculty colleagues to re-examine the creation of an undergraduate general education requirement focused on diversity. Ours is the only UC campus that does not have one. We have no excuses. Let’s make this happen in 2014. While it will not impact the diversity of our campus to the extent we would like, a diversity requirement would enrich all of our students’ experiences here and better prepare them to live and work in a complex global environment. We owe it to our students to effect curricular changes that add to the understanding and appreciation of our nation’s diversity.

I also want to assure you that our previously promised efforts to strengthen campus diversity and equity are well underway. The Moreno Report Implementation Committee, chaired by Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh, is fully engaged in its work and will give me a full update at the end of this academic year. With the help of the committee, we also are finalizing a job description for the new position of vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion, and we expect to announce the search by the end of next quarter.

In addition, we will soon post positions for two diversity officers who will report to the new vice chancellor and investigate any reported allegations of racial and ethnic bias or discrimination among our faculty as well as providing education and training.

Try as we might to overcome racism, bigotry, isolation and anger, we know we’re going to confront them again, on our campus and in the world beyond. The offensive flyer sent to our Asian American Studies Center recently was another horrifying reminder. What matters is how we respond. We must support each other. We must listen to one another.

Make no mistake: Conversations about race can be very difficult. They are inevitably emotional. They can make people defensive. They sometimes lead to accusations. But we cannot be afraid to have these conversations, because they are so critically important to our university and to society. And if we cannot have productive discussions about race here, on a campus with the world’s thought leaders and with students committed to knowledge and inquiry, then where can we?

While we may have different ideas on strategy, we all want a campus that embraces and elevates each of us. And that’s why we must continue talking, debating and looking for solutions.

Most important of all, we must learn to trust one another. I also appreciate that trust is earned, and we must and will work harder to earn it, even among our critics.

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block
Chancellor

Elect Lisa Karahalios AFT Vice President UTLA

Elect Lisa Karahalios AFT Vice President UTLA by Robert D. Skeels

Bill Gates and Steve Barr's corporate candidate for UTLA plays fast and loose with the truth

Saw a corporate candidate for UTLA president publish the following lie today: "Mr. Barr has started schools that are teacher-driven and wall-to-wall unionized in partnership…"

Most of us don't consider Yellow Unions actual unions. Furthermore, nonprofit corporations with unelected boards are anything but "teacher-driven." We know the truth about poverty pimp Steve Barr and the corporate empires he has forged. The "union shop" lies need to end here and now!

Here are two essays on Green Dot's special yellow brand of company unions:

Dana Goldstein "Hearts" Yellow Unions and Company Crafted Contracts

Right-wing Reactionary “Guggenheim on Unions, Green Dot”

Here is a compendium of information about the so-called "teacher-driven" corporate schools mentioned above.

Charter Schools are NOT Public Schools!

The corporate candidate's impassioned email also lauded Barr's former schools. Schools that despite getting millions more in funding, and having the ability to pick and choose their student population have results like these:

Fall 2010 Locke Senior High Admissions into the California State University system: system: 88% were NOT proficient in mathematics and an astonishing 98% were NOT proficient in English.

For more on this see:

Perfidious Petruzzi calls for accurate evaluations of Green Dot Charter Corporation?

---

Update: More mistruths and mendacity from the corporate candidate today. All of which are refuted here.

I didn't fall for anything. Say what you will. I'm sorry, but your "privatization" claims about unionized charter schools don't hold up. Please go speak to teachers within unionized charter schools before forming an opinion. We can agree to disagree in this area. 

Unions, yellow or otherwise, do not determine whether a school has been or is privatized. What determines privatization is its governance model. If a school is not run by a government entity (eg. LAUSD, UCLA, etc.) then by definition it is a private institution. Especially in the case of schools governed by nonprofit corporations, like Green Dot and FIN. This has been repeatedly stated by Federal and State Courts, the Census Bureau, and the National Labor Relations Board. There's no need to agree to disagree, Gaffney's claims have been disproven in court multiple times.

Again, please do your due diligence before making claims about stakeholders in education and myself. Just so you know, Mr. Barr is not the founder/ instigator of the Parent Trigger law and all its negative consequences on public education. 

Patently false! Steve Barr was on the Board of Directors of Parent Revolution (née Los Angeles Parents Union (LAPU)) before, during, and after the Parent Trigger was formulated with help from ALEC, Schwarzenegger's staff, and others. He was completely immersed in the process.

Parent Revolution (and its founders) took Green Dot's Parent's Union concept of sustained parent engagement and social and political capital empowerment in partnership with the CTA and changed its original purpose to pass the Parent Trigger law through Gloria Romero. 

Again, abject lies. Ben Austin was hired by Green Dot to run LAPU. Both Marco Petruzzi and Steve Barr were on the board of LAPU when the name change occurred, there was no hijacking involved. Green Dot's Petruzzi is still on their board. LAPU was created to deceive parents into supporting the privatization of more schools via the corporate charter model. Unfortunately for dissemblers like Mr. Gaffney, I have a copy of the infamous Annenberg Document that proves who founded LAPU. Also, they still have both names on their 990 forms, and if you type http://parentsunion.org into a web client, guess what site comes up?

http://www.scribd.com/doc/25496653/Green-Dot-Public-sic-Schools-Los-Angeles-Parents-Union

"Social and political capital empowerment"? Please Mr. Gaffney, at least right-wing billionaire Eli Broad admits on his foundation's 990 forms what he provides funds to LAPU/Parent Revolution for: "To support efforts to help Charter Management Organizations apply for new LAUSD schools under LAUSD's School Choice Resolution"

See http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2011/09/eli-broad-pays-parent-revolution-to.html for more on this.

Although I do genuinely support organizing and empowering parents, I do not support Parent Revolution's strategies and also the way the Parent Trigger law is written that allows them to continue.

Steve Barr played a role in that. The only thing Barr has ever empowered are the bank accounts of his billionaire backers. As are you Mr. Gaffney by being associated with a group that is funded by the Gates Foundation, The Moriah Fund, and The New Schools Venture Fund.

Respectfully, Bill

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So @SteveBarrLA's proxy Bill Gaffney now claiming Barr had no role in #parenttrigger @parentrev? #LAUSD http://t.co/4D0jePDNDt

— PESJA Los Angeles (@PESJA_LA) February 26, 2014

He is either completely misinformed about his new masters, or lying. Don't just take my word for it, the Los Angeles Times has also documented what Barr did.

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Bill Gates and Steve Barr are trying to take over UTLA, again by Robert D. Skeels

SKrashen: Invest in libraries and librarians

SKrashen: Invest in libraries and librarians: Sent to Los Angeles Times, Feb 24. Research and common sense tell us that we get better at reading (and writing, spelling, grammar and voc...

Vote for a Friend of Bilingual Education—Anne Zerrien-Lee UTLA North Area Director, NEA

Vote for a Friend of Bilingual Education—Anne Zerrien-Lee for #UTLA North Area Director, NEA. https://t.co/n2qHNzunZf pic.twitter.com/4C7z1MY4Jc

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 25, 2014

The UTLA Board of Directors needs more members like Anne Zerrien-Lee. PLEASE VOTE FOR HER IN THE NORTH AREA. She recently won this award from the UTLA Bilingual Education Committee:

Friend of Bilingual Education

bestowed upon

Anne Zerrien-Lee

For her leadership, dedication, support and continuous advocacy towards ensuring educational success in two languages for our bilingual students in order that a fair and sovereign society be realized with full inherent linguistic and cultural rights presented on this day, February 14, 2014 at Los Angeles, California.

What kind of community activist is Anne? Here's one of myriad anecdotes. When the grocery workers were on strike, she organized UTLA solidarity pickets at her neighborhood markets on her own! They were very popular, showed solidarity, and proved that we can self-organize without waiting for "leaders" to tell us what to do.

Some very important considerations for UTLA voters

South Area UTLA
When vile poverty pimp Ben Austin and his fellow privatizers of Parent Revolution (pRev) issued a challenge to UTLA to meet with them after the crimes pRev committed at Weigand ES, only one teacher/UTLA officer showed up to stand alongside all the displaced Weigand teachers. That person was Ingrid Carol Villeda. I know, I was there. She faced pRev fearlessly and spoke truth to their corporate power. That's the kind of courage and activism we need defending our communities from reactionary privatization groups like pRev! Please vote for her and her entire slate for South Area UTLA BOD.

VOTE: VILLEDA, Miranda, Bravo, Brooks!

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Central Area UTLA
Two of the Los Angeles social-justice educators and activists that I admire most because of their long record of principled struggle: Kelly Flores and José Lara are running on a slate with their colleagues Zulma Tobar and Ngwoke for the UTLA Central Area. José and Kelly are undisputed champions of students. Their work for immigrant rights, ethnic studies, adult education, SRLDP, early education, indigenous rights, bilingual education, anti-privatization, and so many more social justice venues is peerless. It was their leadership that spawned OccupyLAUSD, which forced Deasy and the district to answer for their wrongheaded budget priorities and threats to cut programs that our communities depend on. Please vote for Lara as Central Area Chair, and the rest of the slate for BOD.

VOTE: LARA, Flores, Tobar, Ngwoke!

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North Area UTLA
The wildly popular Repairs Not IPads campaign has single-handedly exposed the corporate spending priorities John Deasy, the nonprofit industrial complex (NPIC), and edreform plutocracy to a wider public. Our schools are without libraries, are unsafe, unsanitary from BIC, and unready for earthquakes, but Deasy would rather spend our bond money to pad Pearson plc, and Apple, Inc.'s bottom lines. The Repairs Not iPads page, which now has over 4,100 likes, is in the newspapers, on the television, and in the public consciousness. The page was started by UTLA teachers who, tired of internal finger pointing, took decisive, principled action. Imagine how much good it would do if the innovative teachers behind Repairs Not iPads were running for leadership positions in the union? Guess what? One of them is—Matthew Kogan is running for North Area Chair. Vote for him and his experienced slate to see more of this effective activism.

VOTE: KOGAN, Zerrien-Lee, Pott!

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Billionaire Boys Club once again tries to infiltrate UTLA!
I haven't endorsed anyone for UTLA president, but I can tell you who I now adamantly oppose! Right-wing poverty pimp Steve Barr has thrown the weight of his billionaire funded FIN/TAN School Privatization organization behind candidate Bill Gaffney. Given the irreparable damage Barr and his ilk have done nationwide—most recently in New Orleans—it's astonishing that any self respecting educator wouldn't reject overtures by these privatization pushers. Shame on Bill Gaffney for betraying our students, our communities, and his fellow union members.

SAY NO TO THE GATES FOUNDATION'S CANDIDATE, SAY NO TO GAFFNEY!

SKrashen: Please take a closer look at the Common Core

SKrashen: Please take a closer look at the Common Core: Sent to the School Library Journal 2/23 Librarians may be "findings aspects of the common core to celebrate"("What's ha...

LAUSD's own facts demolish Deasy and Daily News' defense of iPad Profligacy

From KPCC

"Even life-cycle repairs such as roof or air-conditioner replacements will inevitably exhaust available bond funds. Officials estimate those repairs will run over $13 billion over the next fifteen years, much more than the remaining bond funds."

How can John Deasy and his stenographers at the Daily News keep saying we can afford "both" when they must be aware of simple fact mentioned above? There's not even enough money for necessary repairs. Deasy is so afraid of being confronted on these questions, that he's avoiding an interview with Univision.

None of this includes the funds needed for earthquake retrofits!

The only explanation is that Deasy and his well heeled supporters are placing Pearson plc's corporate profits above the safety and health of both LAUSD students and those educating them.

Join Repairs Not iPads today and fight for a LAUSD with student-centered priorities.

Why corporations want our public schools (from YES!)

Why corporations want our public schools (from YES!). pic.twitter.com/szW5Q3vBcx
— Stephen Krashen (@skrashen) February 23, 2014

Infographic: Why Corporations Want Our Public Schools

Univision wants Deasy to answer questions about his corporate priorities in light of Repairs not iPads phenomenon

@DrDeasyLAUSD W are requesting an interview with U ABT the teacher’s campaing #repairsnotipads http://t.co/nGOCB8LwMg pic.twitter.com/DbmFwPUx83

— Univision LA (@NU34LA) February 21, 2014

Univision wants to interview Deasy about the Repairs not iPads phenomenon, let's pressure him into doing it! Retweet, repost, and demand he answer to the press about his wrongheaded corporate priorities.

Corps member sums up Teach For America tenets in a phrase—"Survival of the fittest"

Corps member sums up @TeachForAmerica tenets in a phrase—"Survival of the fittest" #resistTFA pic.twitter.com/Bt97DUTOUe pic.twitter.com/uXNmCZc686

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 23, 2014

Rest easy TFA missionaries! Wealthy white reactionary Andy Smarick rides to your aid with vapid snark and non-facts!

Rest easy @TeachForAmerica missionaries! Wealthy white reactionary Andy @Smarick rides to your aid with vapid snark & non-facts! #ResistTFA

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 22, 2014

Right-wing charter profiteer Andy Smarick was mocking working class students of color for considering self determination and resisting their Teach for America colonizers. Needless to say, I know who is is and let him know his bigotry and ignorance weren't welcome on the #resistTFA hashtag.

SKrashen: Our focus should be on protecting children from the impact of poverty

SKrashen: Our focus should be on protecting children from the impact of poverty: Published in the Wall Street Journal, February 21. Response to: "A progressive education" (Editorial, Feb. 14) Your editorial s...

CORE and Jacobin present Class Action: An Activist Teacher’s Handbook

After many delays, Class Action: An Activist Teacher’s Handbook is finally ready. Backers of the initial Kickstarter (and those who order within the next week) should receive their print copies by the end of the month. The booklet will be distributed to educators and school support staff in Chicago, New York, Portland, Newark, Washington DC, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and elsewhere in March to help support rank-and-file activity.

Our project with the Chicago Teachers Union’s CORE Caucus and other allies ran long — the final supplement is 118 pages, more than the 50 we had budgeted for. But it was so fantastically designed by Remeike Forbes, and the photography by Katrina Ohstrom and written contributions by CTU President Karen Lewis, economist Dean Baker, Jacobin editors Megan Erickson and Shawn Gude, Joanne Barkan, Lois Weiner, and many others were so strong, we couldn’t bring ourselves to cut it down more or reduce our planned run.

Unfortunately, this produced a budget shortfall, which we hope to overcome through the sale of a limited set of print booklets and the help of our readers.

Article exposes reactionary extremist David F. Welch, plutocrat funding Vergara suit

Article exposes reactionary extremist David F. Welch, plutocrat funding #Vergara suit #LAUSD http://t.co/j5qW765rL4 pic.twitter.com/5ESmaWCX2E

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 21, 2014

David Welch: The Man Behind Vergara v. California By Bill Raden and Gary Cohn

Going into Week 8 of my final quarter at UCLA. A lot of work to do, but it's getting very close.

Going into Week 8 of my final quarter. A lot of work to do, but it's getting very close. #UCLA #classof2014 pic.twitter.com/Zv2UFubCSN

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 21, 2014

First Albright, now Clinton. Sad my university hosts two mass murderers of near eastern peoples in two months.

First Albright, now Clinton. Sad my university hosts two mass murderers of near eastern peoples in two months. #UCLA pic.twitter.com/UGByIqbvPo

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 19, 2014

Caution! We're 'those people' that President Barack Obama warned you about

Caution! We're "those people" that President @BarackObama warned you about. #UCLA #humanities http://t.co/MiSK4g8MZg pic.twitter.com/lpmP8gxO5A

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 19, 2014

Senior UCLA—I #ResistTFA because Freire said “We need to say no to the neoliberal fatalism…”

Senior #UCLA—I #ResistTFA because Freire said “We need to say no to the neoliberal fatalism…” http://t.co/VJnIsm24CW pic.twitter.com/syGkVsYvsf

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 18, 2014

I'm class of 2014 #UCLA and I #ResistTFA because in 1983 I spent more than 5.5 weeks just for Navy Boot Camp! pic.twitter.com/SwwTHPnT4B

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 18, 2014

We #ResistTFA because even clown college is substantially longer than 5.5 weeks. http://t.co/QJDSJEmgAR

— PESJA Los Angeles (@PESJA_LA) February 18, 2014

Learn about the ResistTFA Campaign. It was the top trending item on Twitter!

Book Talk: Alfonso Gonzales presents 'Reform Without Justice'

Alfonso Gonzales (Lehman College, CUNY) discusses his new book, Reform Without Justice: Latino Migrant Politics and the Homeland Security State.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Haines Hall 144
CSRC Library
UCLA 

Placed within the context of the past decade's war on terror and emergent and countervailing Latino rights movement, Reform without Justice addresses the issue of state violence against migrants in the United States. The book explores post-9/11 migration control policies and Latino migrant activism through the lens of neo-Gramsican theory and includes interviews with over 60 migrant activists in Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, DC, as well as with deportees in Mexico and Central America.  It questions why it is that, despite its success in mobilizing millions, the Latino immigrant rights movement has not been able to effectively secure sustainable social justice victories for itself or more successfully defend the human rights of migrants. Reform without Justice concludes by discussing how Latino migrant activists - especially youth - and their allies can change this reality and help democratize the United States.
Joining the discussion will be Leisy Abrego, assistant professor of Chicana and Chicano studies; Alvaro Huerta, CSRC visiting scholar; and Raymond Rocco, associate professor of political science.

About Author:

Alfonso Gonzales is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Lehman College of the City University of New York. Gonzales received his training at the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles (Ph.D. 2008), and in the Latin American Studies Program at Stanford University (M.A. 2002).
 

Gonzales migrated to the United States as a child from Tijuana, Mexico. He has 20-years of experience as an organizer and strategist among migrant activists. Like an entire generation of Latino migrant activists and intellectuals, Gonzales became passionately interested in politics with the rise of Proposition 187, a 1994 California ballot initiative that sought to deny unauthorized immigrants vital public services.

Cost: Free and open to the public

Special Instructions

Parking Information: The closest parking lot is Structure #2. Visitors may purchase daily parking permits (Currently $12) by stopping at the Information & Parking kiosks (cash only) or by using a "Pay by Space" pay station. The closest information booth to Structure #2 is located on Hilgard and Westholme Ave. To use a Parking Pay Station: Simply drive to a self-service Pay Station location (there is one located in Structure #2). Please read the posted signs and screen prompts for Pay by Space. Pay Stations allow you to select the time you need to spend on campus and pay accordingly (all-day passes can also be purchased). UCLA maps and driving directions

Download File: 02-19-14-AlfonsoGonzalesBT-1w-a4g.pdf
Sponsor(s): Chicano Studies Research Center, Department of Political Science

Dr. Stephen Krashen defends libraries at LAUSD Board Meeting

Dr. Krashen, Professor Emeritus of USC, and world renowned language acquisition expert speaks in support of more libraries and librarians in LAUSD. February 11, 2014.

This is such important information that doesn't get disseminated because corporations can't make big profits off of children going to libraries and reading books. The research is indisputable, we need to advocate for what works!

Action Alert: #ResistTFA Twitter Chat and Photo Campaign!

WHEN: Monday, February 17th

TIME: 8:30PM EST

OUR GOALS: 

• Get #ResistTFA trending to draw people to critiques of TFA
• Reach as many potential TFA applicants and supporters

WHAT TO DO: 

• Simply Tweet why you do not support TFA, and make sure to add the #ResistTFA hashtag to your Tweet
• Share any articles, blog posts, opinion pieces critiquing TFA
• Share, Share, Share our event!

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/423535351109949/

Follow us on Twitter: @SUPEnational

Also, we're running a photo campaign. We hope to eventually compile all these photos together to create a short video clip to share as a part of our campaign. Check out a few of these examples. And of course e-mail us your own! What could be better reason to take a selfie? 

Deasy says depriving PSO and AAPL of profits violates LAUSD kids' civil rights. I say these things violate them

Deasy says depriving PSO and AAPL of profits violates #LAUSD kids' civil rights. I say these things violate them. pic.twitter.com/sVcaUtWZcw

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 16, 2014

ebooks comprise 0.5—7.8% of school library collections, so #LAUSD's iPad fiasco isn't just unethical, it's immoral. http://t.co/O3R9S48XnN

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 16, 2014

LAUSD man discovers ONE WEIRD TRICK to getting a PhD with just 9 credit hours!

#LAUSD man discovers ONE WEIRD TRICK to getting a PhD with just 9 credit hours! http://t.co/DQ7gdSKFZg pic.twitter.com/BCBWG6eKKJ

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 14, 2014

Doctoral Students HATE Him!

Former Gates and Broad Foundation affiliated man discovers ONE WEIRD TRICK to getting a PhD with just nine credit hours!

Discovery by neoliberal bagman John Deasy reveals healthy donations to convicted felon Robert Felner can earn one a Doctoral Degree from a major university in only 9 credit hours. Read this shocking account of how you can rapidly gain a PhD without years of arduous coursework or having to write a cogent dissertation. Free bonus—learn how to become Superintendent of country’s second largest school district without ever teaching in a public school using this sneaky trick! Corporate profits guaranteed! Learn more » http://j.mp/deasytrick

Monica Garcia's anti-intellectual, anti-library stance tantamount to book burning

FYI @monica4lausd your denying #LAUSD children access to books is not "leadership," it's educational injustice and cultural genocide!

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 12, 2014

Reactionary @Monica4LAUSD opposes libraries for #LAUSD kids, wants those funds to go to charter execs & tech profits. pic.twitter.com/QN19ctqPlx

— PESJA Los Angeles (@PESJA_LA) February 12, 2014

Scores of juried studies on benefits of school libraries, but ZERO research on Pearson's #CCSS apps for iPad. #LAUSD http://t.co/wOhxj2rgtL

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 8, 2014

Tragic: CWC Corporate Charter schools pay executives $200K plus salaries, but too cheap to get crossing guards

Tragic. CWC Corporate Charter schools pay executives $200K plus salaries, but too cheap to get crossing guards #LAUSD http://t.co/3GAkKTP4Gs

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 12, 2014

Tragic. CWC Corporate Charter schools pay their well heeled executives $200K plus salaries, and hold lavish events for their staff, but they're too cheap to get crossing guards. This sad incident is the inevitable result of putting public money into private hands.

Discussion on fb

4LAKids - TUESDAY’S BOARD MEETING: Six votes in search of a consensus

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: TUESDAY’S BOARD MEETING: Six votes in search of a ...: I watched Tuesday’s festivities from the comfort of my couch and my fuzzy slippers, consuming mass quantities of NyQuil and drinking gl...



Best part of SMF's introduction commentary: "thought [sic] Ms. Garcia opposed it vigorously and continued in her vitriol toward boardmembers disinterested in her “leadership”."

Photo retweeted by UCLA's Powell Library

I didn't even know the library had its own twitter account!

Powell #UCLA pre-rain. HIS114B TA note on paper "your writing is concise & elegant"—first time accused of the former! pic.twitter.com/64Bvmuh7LH

— Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) February 6, 2014

Thanks for the great shot! MT @rdsathene: Powell #UCLA pre-rain. pic.twitter.com/qUKD6ZUaWr

— UCLA Powell Library (@UCLA_Powell) February 7, 2014

EmpowerED 2014 – Elevating Student Power in Los Angeles

Hannah Nguyen article on GenYNot about the conference

Official Conference Website

2014 ARE Conference

More Details

My UTLA Endorsements for 2014

I typically stay out of UTLA internal politics. Unlike the nonprofit industrial complex (NPIC), and our own government, unions are intensely democratic institutions where the members really demonstrate self governance. However, with the forces of neoliberalism on the verge of privatizing the remains of public education, I realize that public sector unions are the last bastion against the plutocracy crushing the remains of the public commons under their well-heeled jackboots. In the past year I've watched sectarian groups rise up in UTLA. The divisiveness and disruptiveness of their tactics have undermined UTLA's ability to serve as a buffer between the ravages of finance capital and our community. In the light of this, I decided to compile a list of people that have proven themselves as activists and champions of public education. They are people who have worked hand in hand with the community to stave off neoliberal policies, fight privatization, advocate for underrepresented students like ELLs and Special Needs, and more. I may revise this list slightly, but for the most part, it is complete. I've kept the names in the same order they appear on UTLA's roster.

UTLA President

There are many people running for this position, too bad José Lara, Sean Abajian, and Lisa Karahalios' names aren't among them.

UTLA NEA Vice President

M. J. (Mary Jan) Roberts: a tireless advocate of children. She really should be the LAUSD Superintendent, then we'd see some real changes.

UTLA AFT Vice President

Lisa Karahalios: smart, savvy, and indefatigable. There's rarely an event she is not a participant in. The depth and breadth of her policy insight exceeds even mine. Honestly she should have run for UTLA President. Moreover, she was a Classics major!

UTLA Elementary VP (multiple endorsement)

Juan Ramirez: champion of ELLs and luminary in Spanish speaking community. Co-founded La Educación radio and newspaper.

Robin Potash: articulate and savvy organizer. Her work on Prop 39 issues, on exposing CCSS faults, and with Jackie Goldberg on Transparency, Equity, and Accountability for Charters (TEACh) is crucial.

Fernando Bravo Ledezma

UTLA Secondary VP (dual endorsement)

Colleen Schwab

Francisco R. Martinez Avid immigrant rights supporter, and all around activist. We had great conversations during OccupyLAUSD

UTLA Treasurer

Tim Delia

UTLA Secretary (dual endorsement)

Tomás Flores: an excellent supporter of bilingual programs, and active member of Raza Ed.

David Lyell: was instrumental in the struggle to save LAUSD Adult Education, and contributed to my school board run.

UTLA Board of Directors - North Area

Matthew Kogan: (FOR AREA CHAIR) his organizing capabilities have proven time and again that we can energize the community for real change.

Anne Zerrien-Lee: there is no better activist, writer, or advocate for children than Anne. She is one of those very special people that one feels privileged to know.

Jeff Pott

UTLA Board of Directors - South Area

Ingrid C. Villeda: (FOR AREA CHAIR) has led the fight on many key social justice issues and isn't afraid to take on billionaire backed right-wing organizations like the vile Parent Revolution.

Maria Miranda

Ayde Bravo

Ayesha Brooks

UTLA Board of Directors - East Area

Ingrid Gunnell

Mila Lopez

Gloria Martinez

Gillian Russom (FOR AREA CHAIR)

Amelia Velasquez (FOR AREA CHAIR)

Adrian Tamayo

UTLA Board of Directors - West Area

Daniel Moran: perhaps the most unsung hero in our communities, Dan has worked tirelessly on behalf of students and does tremendous research for those of us that write about education issues.

Noah Lippe-Klein

UTLA Board of Directors - Central

Kelly Flores: incredible educator and activist, really should be on the list of presidential candidates. We need Kelly's voice advocating for those who need representation in our district.

Zulma Tobar

Paul Uchenna Ngwoke

Jose Lara: (FOR AREA CHAIR) hands down the best organizer in UTLA, maybe even in Los Angeles! Board Member of the El Rancho Unified School District. José should be running for UTLA president, but we'll have to settle for him as area chair.

UTLA Board of Directors - Valley East

Linda Everhart

Bobby Vinas

Victoria Casas

Alex Orozco: (FOR AREA CHAIR)

UTLA Board of Directors - Harbor

Ginger Rose Fox: (FOR AREA CHAIR) when you think arts advocacy, think Ginger Rose Fox.

Donald A. Willis

Jennie Duggan

Philip A. Gross

UTLA Board of Directors - Adult Ed

Ernest Kettenring

UTLA Board of Directors - Bilingual Ed

Cheryl Ortega: we're fortunate to keep our most experienced, dedicated individual at the helm of UTLA Bilingual Education.

UTLA Board of Directors - Early Childhood Education

Juanita C. Garcia: another person whose contributions to our community and students goes without the praise it deserves.

UTLA Board of Directors - Substitutes

Fredrick “Rick” Bertz: we don't always agree, but Rick works hard and is passionate about education. He will do the substitutes proud.