Black Lives Matter At School Makes Educator Unions Stronger

Jesse Hagopian is a Seattle teacher, anti-racist activist and co-editor of Teaching for Black Lives who helped organize the founding actions of “Black Lives Matter at School.” He recently talked to Socialist Worker's Danny Katch about the importance of this year’s BLM at School week of action, set for February 4-8, as the initiative spreads …

Continue reading Black Lives Matter At School Makes Educator Unions Stronger

A White Supremacist Murdered Two At My Supermarket: Kentucky teacher speaks out against racist violence and the school-to-prison-pipeline

In October, two Black grandparents were gunned down by a white supremacist in a Kroger supermarket in Louisville, Kentucky, sending shock waves through the Black community. The shooter was recorded on surveillance video trying to get into a predominately Black church just before the killing. Michelle Randolph, who teaches fourth grade in a school with …

Continue reading A White Supremacist Murdered Two At My Supermarket: Kentucky teacher speaks out against racist violence and the school-to-prison-pipeline

The “Fight for 15(%)”: Seattle educators prepare to strike for living wages & social justice

As students and teachers prepare for the start to another school year in Seattle, the contract negotiations between the union, the Seattle Education Association (SEA), and the school district are heating up—and many are now wondering if they will boil over into a strike. In a recent article in the Seattle Weekly titled, "Is a …

Continue reading The “Fight for 15(%)”: Seattle educators prepare to strike for living wages & social justice

Standardized Testing Battle in Seattle: Union votes for a complete moratorium on all standardized tests!

I am bursting with pride for my union. The Seattle Education Association voted at this week's Representative Assembly to support a resolution calling for a moratorium on all standardized testing!  This vote comes in a long line of organizing and opposition to high-stakes testing in Seattle. In 2013, the teachers at Garfield High School voted …

Continue reading Standardized Testing Battle in Seattle: Union votes for a complete moratorium on all standardized tests!

From May Day to Testing Day: Puerto Rico’s Teachers Battle for the Schools Their Students Deserve

On May Day, thousands of Puerto Rican teachers, parents, and students launched strikes and boycotts to push back against austerity measures that would close nearly 300 schools, lay off 7,000 teachers, convert public schools into privatized charters, and cut public sector pensions. I spoke with Mercedes Martinez, President of Teachers Federation of Puerto Rico, about …

Continue reading From May Day to Testing Day: Puerto Rico’s Teachers Battle for the Schools Their Students Deserve