Thread by @karenvaites, This is a really important story.I'm glad to see the @nytimes spotlight [...]

This is a really important story.

I'm glad to see the @nytimes spotlight on it, c/o @DanaGoldstein @elizashapiro.

Not so sure about its headline, tho.

1/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/us/coronavirus-teachers-unions-school-home.html

Online School Demands More of Teachers. Unions Are Pushing Back.

Educators say they want to teach from home during the pandemic, but are fighting to limit work hours and counter demands that they consider unreasonable.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/us/coronavirus-teachers-unions-school-home.html

When some unions are securing agreements for only 3-4 hours of work per day and v limited face time, as article notes (LA's agreement detailed here in @EdSource)...

Is that "resisting new demands" or successfully negotiating less work for same pay?

2/ https://edsource.org/2020/la-unified-teachers-union-reach-agreement-over-distance-learning-guidelines/628559

LA Unified, teachers’ union reach agreement over distance learning guidelines

Teachers have flexibility under the deal, which outlines how distance learning will continue for the rest of the school year.

https://edsource.org/2020/la-unified-teachers-union-reach-agreement-over-distance-learning-guidelines/628559

One other thought, on community attitudes.

This line is spot-on... up to a point.

"Complicating matters, there is little agreement among parents on what they want from teachers right now."

I think "what they want from schools" is more accurate.
3/

Yes, parents are VERY fragmented about how much schooling they expect / want. Every day, we see threads like the one below with varied opinions.

BUT... are those attitudes an accurate gauge of how parents feel about the union approach? I think not.

4/ https://twitter.com/laura11D/status/1252580679277326336?s=20

https://twitter.com/laura11D/status/1252580679277326336?s=20

I know parents who are hesitant about their capacity to support high volumes of scheduled synchronous instruction for K–1s... but were still disappointed to hear that unions were behind local resistance to virtual classes.

Also, parents shocked to hear unions seeking $...
5/

reimbursement for home wireless or cell phone costs. Comments like:

"But they don't have to pay for transportation now. Their costs have gone down, and salaries haven't!"

"But T's have always texted before about work matters, right?"

6/

I think it's a mistake to commingle attitudes about instruction with attitudes about union demands.

I sense that many parents with incomes in jeapordy are very sympathetic with individual teachers' challenges, but not so sympathetic with the union muscle-flexing.

7/

Ultimately, what makes this article so important is that it highlights the role of unions in what they have seen of their school systems.

District leaders and individual teachers have been talking about their efforts to stand up instruction being stymied by unions for weeks.

8/

And many parents have had no idea that unions were taking activists roles in many districts. Which is what makes this piece so very important.

Again, thank you to @DanaGoldstein @elizashapiro for the good, balanced coverage of the issue.

9/

My read of the average person's attitude is along the lines of...

Cut teachers lots of slack. Don't expect instruction to be the same. Sure, it could be fair ease up on things like evaluations.

But DO plan instruction for my kids, as best you can.
10/ https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/04/20/should-teachers-be-evaluated-during-coronavirus-school.html

Should Teachers Be Evaluated During Coronavirus School Shutdowns?

At least 20 states have issued guidance or waived requirements for teacher evaluations this school year due to the challenges of remote learning.

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/04/20/should-teachers-be-evaluated-during-coronavirus-school.html

It's hard to get a representative sample of teacher attitudes, but I see too many positive tweets like this to believe that teachers are resistant to the shifts happening right now.

Ts are stretched & exhausted, mind you... but I see much positivity.
11/ https://twitter.com/mandercorn/status/1252625546099425280?s=20

https://twitter.com/mandercorn/status/1252625546099425280?s=20

. @cgewertz did a nice job of capturing teacher attitudes here... and the fact that many, probably most, T's are working herculean hours while managing the burdens of childcare and personal stress... which must be said in this overall convo.

12/ https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/04/16/exhausted-and-grieving-teaching-during-the-coronavirus.html

Exhausted and Grieving: Teaching During the Coronavirus Crisis

The nation’s teachers are trying to cope with an armful of new stressors as they struggle to make the shift to remote learning for the rest of the school year.

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/04/16/exhausted-and-grieving-teaching-during-the-coronavirus.html

In general... things are about to get messy in K–12, as budget pressures force hard decisions.

@Daarel's pieces on expected drops in state funding is an important read:

13/ https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/03/19/districts-states-brace-for-crash-in-k-12.html

Districts Brace for Crash in State K-12 Revenue Due to Coronavirus

The fiscal impact from the pandemic could threaten everything from teacher raises and new programs to long-term efforts to overhaul school aid formulas, funding analysts warn.

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/03/19/districts-states-brace-for-crash-in-k-12.html

With 'precipitous drops' in funding to districts, good info about how unions are influencing the dynamic, and affecting what is or isn't happening for kids, feels really important. I hope @DanaGoldstein @elizashapiro will keep reporting on it.

14/ https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/04/13/how-will-coronavirus-affect-school-spending-9.html

How Will Coronavirus Affect School Spending? 9 Questions Answered

No school district will escape the financial fallout brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Here are key questions and answers about what to expect in the turbulent months and years ahead.

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/04/13/how-will-coronavirus-affect-school-spending-9.html

And generally, I hope all coverage takes care to explore community attitudes about union asks, and not just about instruction and/or individual school experiences, because I think there's an important distinction at play.

15/15

HT to @alexanderrusso, I hadn’t seen this before, and it’s germane.

16/
https://twitter.com/alexanderrusso/status/1252651907761528834?s=21 https://twitter.com/alexanderrusso/status/1252651907761528834

https://twitter.com/alexanderrusso/status/1252651907761528834?s=21

“Teachers’ availability for student interactions via email or online platforms varies across districts.”

@JennyManriqueC’s overview of district-union agreements for @thegrade_ is timely!

17/17 https://kappanonline.org/manrique-russo-how-teacher-contracts-shape-remote-learning/

Four hours a day; how teacher contracts are shaping remote learning - kappanonline.org

While the COVID-19 pandemic has put a magnifying glass on issues such as the digital divide and the challenges of remote learning, the crisis has also tasked teachers with learning new methods of...

https://kappanonline.org/manrique-russo-how-teacher-contracts-shape-remote-learning/

Interesting thread with teacher reactions:
https://twitter.com/matryanelateach/status/1252565549437026304?s=21 https://twitter.com/matryanelateach/status/1252565549437026304

https://twitter.com/matryanelateach/status/1252565549437026304?s=21

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