“When looking across the country, Baltimore does not quite measure up,” said Diann Woodard, president of the American Federation of School Administrators, the only national education union for school administrators, including Baltimore’s. And the leader of the city principals union says many administrators are leaving the district for higher-paying jobs with less pressure in nearby school systems.
AFSA in the News
AFSA’s Letter to the Editor Published in The Hill
On Jan. 25, 2012, The Hill published a letter AFSA submitted in response to Juan Williams’ op-ed in support of school choice.
From Diann Woodard, president of the American Federation of School Administrators
The failure of our education system lies not within the walls of the public schools that serve children in crisis, but with the policymakers and policies in place that ignore the fundamental causes of low student achievement: unfair funding formulas, poverty and unproven education policies.
New Report On Principal Effectiveness In The Works
In August, AFSA commissioned the American Institutes for Research (AIR), an internationally renowned firm specializing in social science and behavioral research, to conduct a study on principal effectiveness. Specifically, the report will focus on the best methods of principal evaluation, the shared qualities that effective principals demonstrate and the need for principals to have a say in reform.
Outreach Program Provides Benefits, Assistance For Retirees
Contrary to popular belief, not all retired union members bumble around their Florida homes in their fuzzy slippers reading the Sunday comics.
AFSA Conference Energizes School Leaders
AFSA members and guests convened in San Francisco in October for the third and final AFSA Leadership Conference in the series: “Leaders in the Mirror: Embracing the Implementation of Reform.”
Two AFSA Locals Part of ‘Principal Pipeline’ Initiative
Two AFSA Locals, CSA in NYC and ASASP in Prince George’s County, MD, are in the school districts that are receiving money from The Wallace Foundation.
AFSA Regional VP Jimmy Gittings Featured in Baltimore Sun
Jimmy Gittings, AFSA Regional Vice President and head of the Baltimore local, discusses the issue of principal turnover in the Baltimore Sun.
New Orleans Public School Employees Case Finally Goes to Court
Nearly 7,500 New Orleans Public School Employees (NOPSE) and PANOPSI members have been embroiled in a wrongful-termination lawsuit for more than five years against the Louisiana State Department of Education, the Recovery School District, and the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
PANOPSI, AFSA Local 17, Goes to Court
PANOPSI, AFSA Local 17, filed a class-action lawsuit against multiple Louisiana state education officials for the wrongful termination of nearly 7,500 school employees immediately following Hurricane Katrina.