Ei-iE

Teachers and their unions should "be the engines of real change in education," Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, told thousands of educators meeting in Washington, D.C. from 13-15 July.

The AFT’s biannual QuEST conference, which provides state-of-the-art professional development and explores forward-looking education initiatives, attracted about 2,500 participants this year.

Weingarten emphasized the need for collaboration toward school improvement. She stressed that any reform must be "good for kids and fair to teachers."

“The election of a [United States] president and a congressional majority with whom we can work, along with the federal stimulus they enacted, create conditions that could fundamentally change public education,” Weingarten said. “The question is how will we change public education?"

Speaking on charter schools, Weingarten said that these schools should be held to the same standards as other public schools and they "should not be pitted against each other."

"Successful charter schools should be applauded and should share their lessons; troubled charter schools that fail their students should be held accountable and closed; and charter school teachers should be supported and given the right to union membership and voice," she said. Weingarten cautioned elected leaders not to walk away from their responsibility to help all public schools succeed "by turning entire public school systems into charter schools."

The conference took a new look at an old idea that began with Chicago's settlement houses in the 1890s and evolved into public schools being the hubs for a variety of social services. Randi Weingarten urged educators to advocate for community schools so all students can succeed.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and U.S. Labour Secretary Hilda Solis both addressed the QuEST conference. On the Employee Free Choice Act, a top priority for the labour movement, Solis said she and President Obama are strongly behind the legislation, which could help expand collective bargaining rights to more workers. She urged the AFT members, who already know the importance of strong union representation, to tell their elected leaders in Congress why passing the act is so important. “You're the best salespersons to do that with lawmakers who don't know what the labour movement is all about,” she stressed.

The AFT conference was attended by union representatives from around the world, including EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen.