@AFT - Chicago Teachers Protest RTTT During/After Biden Speech

UPDATED WITH VIDEO:

Substance REPORTS: Some AFT delegates protest Race To The Top while majority don 'Obama Biden 2012' tee shirts during speech by Vice President Joe Biden 

UPDATE: Read Biden speech, NYC Educator style:

Good Day AFT

MORE UFT Members Lisa and Gloria show solidarity with the CTU

We took most of these pics right after the Biden speech as CTU members handed out leaflets outside the hall. The first few were taken as Biden began to speak. Karen Lewis, CTU President and an AFT Ex Bd VP did not join the other AFT Veeps on the stage. Below she crosses her arms, showing displeasure at an unconditional endorsement.

Note that while most people in the audience wore blue Obama/Biden tee-shirts, most CTU members wore their red shirts.

This came in from an ed notes reader:

I just learned that Joe Biden's brother operates a charter chain in Florida I think teachers should not vote for Obama. I think the push should be to get as many teachers as possible to state they will not vote for Obama as long as he supports RttT and refuses to affirm support for public schools in a meaningful manner, and, addresses the issue of Biden's brother operating a charter chain and the possible affects in may have on this administration's education policies.

(SEE SUBSTANCE ARTICLE BELOW PICS)

David Stone writes  at Subsatnce:

Trying to send a message to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden when he addressed the American Federation of Teachers on Sunday, July 29, 2012, delegates from the Chicago Teachers Union joined by other delegates held signs protesting Race to the Top. The CTU members wore CTU red shirts, while the majority of AFT delegates were wearing blue shirts with an Obama/Biden message.
The AFT has taken no official stands against the Obama Administration's under-funded, coercive, test-driven Race to the Top education program. The resolution passed by the convention against high-stakes testing and test abuse mentions "No Child Left Behind" (the program of the Bush administration) as creating test abuse, but does not mention "Race To The Top" (the current program of the Obama administration), which requires even more testing.

David R. Stone - July 29, 2012


 Chicago Teachers Union delegates to the AFT convention (above) refused to wear the blue "Obama Biden" tee shirts that were being given away to delegates or hoist the "Obama Biden" signs, instead wearing Chicago's distinctive red tee shirts and silently holding up signs reading "Stop Race To The Top" during the July 29 speech by Vice President Joe Biden. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.