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TURN, Teachers Union Reform Network, is a consortia of progressive AFT and NEA local union leaders that meets throughout the year to discuss and analyze the current state of affairs in both education and teacher unions' role in education reform. I first became aware of this network in April of 1997 when, in a effort to understand more about the politics of education, I had begun reading an article in The American School Boards Journal entitled, Can Teachers Unions Really Reform Themselves? I called Rochester Teachers Association president and TURN director Adam Urbanski to ask him what the network was all about. Adam, a fellow NYSUT member and progressive union leader shared the mission of TURN with me. That one conversation opened the door for future collaboration between TURN and the STA. As an "official guest" to TURN meetings over the last year I have gained both practical and philosophical support for our work here in Syracuse. When faced with the huge budget deficit last spring, TURN members shared a laundry list of strategies they had used to overcome some of the same difficulties in their locals. One TURN-generated idea that allowed for over 40 STA members to be recalled was the "unrestricted leaves of absence" that I proposed to the superintendent and the school board in March which was later adopted in July. A portion of every TURN meeting is dedicated to discussing contract language that is meant to improve both the quality of the educational experience of children and the scope of professional participation in substantive decision making of teacher union members. Contract language developed in districts that have made a commitment to partnerships that call for changes in business as usual provide models for those of us who may have gotten stalled after some very progressive groundwork (like the PRC's) or locals that haven't even gotten that far. Information gained here will be examined by the Unit I negotiating team as we prepare for our upcoming sessions with the District. Additionally, TURN members challenge each other to find ways to demonstrate that the impact of their discussions and contract gains translates into better learning environments for kids and working environments for their members. What I have come to discover is that the perspective of the original article was centered around a narrow and literal focus of what TURN was interested in reforming. Its mission was/is not reforming teachers unions per se but rather unions' role in the arena of education systems reform. TURN members consistently return to discussions and actions that support developing strategies for themselves and other union leaders to help their locals bring about changes to current education systems. TURN is a kind of clearing house for the philosophical explorations and discussions of practical applications that precede successful implementation of practice in the areas of professional development, teacher quality, compensation, privatization and many other issues. Embedding language around these issues into contracts and practice in an effort to improve education quality for children, is the ultimate mission. At the joint AFT/NEA Conference on Teacher Quality last September, Sandy Feldman, president of AFT and Bob Chase, president of the NEA, congratulated the efforts of TURN leaders to provide a support network for locals tackling education reform issues. Sandy has repeatedly called for locals to begin or redouble their efforts to address this critical issue. The proposed Regents' standards and assessments exacerbated by the political climate in which funding is delivered, bring this to a critical mass here in Syracuse. We do not have time to waste; the threats to a free, quality, public education for all children are real. I ask STA members to join in the conversation locally at our Leadership Conference on November 20th. Let's put the initiative back into the hands of those closest to the kids in the classrooms. Let's not waste any more time. --McKenna
TURN Mission Statement Teacher unions must provide leadership for the collective voice of their members. Teacher unions have a responsibility to students, their families, and to the broader society. Teacher unions are committed to public education as a vital element of American democracy. What unites these responsibilities is our commitment to help all children learn. We affirm the unions' responsibility to collaborate with other stake holders in public education to:
Improve on an ongoing basis the terms and conditions under which both adults and children work and learn.
Editor's note:Log onto the TURN website before our Leadership Conference to get a more in-depth look at the network. [This article was recently published in the November 16th issue of STA's Open Line newsletter] |