The December Edition

Special Message from President Carter I want to thank all of LFT members for their dedicated service to the students of Louisiana. I know that this year has been difficult and when I look around this state and see so many teachers and school employees finding success and joy in the midst of difficulty, I feel inspired. But we cannot overlook that the role of teachers is rapidly evolving, becoming in many ways more difficult. The COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted education systems across Louisiana, the country, and around the world; changing what classrooms and learning looks like on a daily basis. All school personnel have had to navigate a constantly shifting landscape with the health of students, teachers, paraprofessionals, office professions, custodial staff, food service staff, bus drivers, and the community at large at stake. MORE

Town Hall on Public Education Coming to You!

Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees (LFT) has joined with Louisiana Association of Educators (LEA), Louisiana Association of Principals (LAP), Louisiana Association of Superintendents (LASS), Louisiana School Boards Association (LSBA) and Louisiana Retired Teachers Association (LRTA) to host a series of town halls all accross the point. The new partnership is known as the Louisiana Public School Coalition.

For more information, check out our Coalition's Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/LAPublicSchoolCoalition.

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A MUST WATCH!

A summary of the Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association Supreme Court case and the damage it will do to public employee unions.

https://youtu.be/WjpPueCkF6o

Scan Alerts

Recently, some phone scams have surfaced targeting seniors. In one the caller identifies themselves as an IRS agent. Remember—the IRS never calls, they communicate by mail. Never give out social security numbers or bank information even if the caller is using IRS ID numbers and official sounding titles. If you get a call like this, hang up and call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-8477. All calls are kept anonymous.

Another phone scam concerns phone calls “regarding your pension.” These are similar to the IRS phone scams. The Freedom of Information Law that stated that pension information is

International teacher study offers lessons for U.S. schools

Findings from the 2013 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) of middle school teachers present a stark contrast between how teachers in the United States are treated compared with the working conditions of their counterparts in top-performing countries. The report comes from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

"TALIS is an opportunity for teachers to weigh in on what's needed to help students succeed across the world." AFT President Randi Weingarten says. "What is striking is that teachers in the top

Source: 11 Alive (WXIA - NBC)

Click here to view video of the investigative report: Legislators and corporate lobbyists meet in secret at Georgia resort

The Georgia Legislature has a message for voters: don’t ask us about our meetings with corporate lobbyists behind closed doors. WXIA

Brendan Keefe and Michael King, WXIA-TV, Atlanta11:04 a.m. EDT May 22, 2015

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WXIA) – The Georgia Legislature has a message for voters: don't ask us about our meetings with corporate lobbyists behind closed doors.

The 11Alive Investigators

HB 123: Parent and Teacher Empowerment Act "Parent Trigger" Proposal

Background: "Parent trigger," a concept first enacted in state legislation in California in 2010, lets the parents of students in a low-performing school collectively to petition the state or school district to allow for alternative school governance, like conversion to a charter school. Now enacted in a handful of states nationwide, parent trigger is supported by corporate backers like the Koch brothers.

A bill, HB 123-also known as the "Parent and Teacher Empowerment Act"-has been introduced in the Georgia Legislature to allow a majority of parents (more than 50 percent) or a majority of

CBS Atlanta - Teachers Union Wants Educators To Be Better Tested Before Teaching

ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) -

One of the nation's largest teachers unions wants to take the profession up a notch.

The American Federation of Teachers wants educators to take a tough written exam before they step into the classroom at schools across the country.

"We want to see our profession respected and if that's what it takes to earn the respect to attract highly qualified applicants then by all means that's what we need to do," said Ron Fowler of the Georgia Federation of Teachers (GFT).

The whole idea is to raise the bar to ensure kids get the best education possible.

Teachers in Georgia do test

Press Release

Georgia Leads the Country in Growth on National Tests

MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org

Dorie Turner Nolt, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 656-5594, dnolt@gadoe.org

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Nov. 1, 2012 -- Georgia leads the country when looking at year-to-year growth on the most recent national tests. One-year growth on the SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement (AP), and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Math, Reading and Science shows Georgia is the only state in the country to make

Kirsch says new pension report is one-sided, misleading

AFTPA President Ted Kirsch said the new PA pension report was once-sided and misleading in a radio interview with Labor Radio Show Host Rick Smith Tuesday night. Listen to the audio here. Click the headline to read more.

News

The December Edition

Town Hall on Public Education Coming to You!

Friedrichs v California Teachers Association

Scan Alerts