(Baton Rouge – October 14, 2013) The state’s highest education board should seriously consider delaying the full, consequential implementation of Common Core State Standards until problems threatening the success of our children and educators are addressed, according to the Louisiana Federation of Teachers.
(Baton Rouge – October 1, 2013) A recent full-page advertisement purchased on behalf of the East Baton Rouge Parish school Board violates the confidentiality of teachers’ evaluation results and should never have appeared, according to the East Baton Rouge Federation of Teachers.
(Baton Rouge – September 18, 2013) Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal joined Florida Governor Jeb Bush in Washington today to push their failed voucher agenda and rail against a Justice Department lawsuit aimed at requiring the state to follow existing desegregation agreements.
Monaghan: “It is easy to see why all roads lead to the courtroom.”
(Baton Rouge – September 3, 2013) Claims by the State Department of Education that its new system of teacher evaluation is fair and accurate are belied by real-world evidence, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said today.
(Baton Rouge – August 29, 2013) Trying to forestall an expected avalanche of lawsuits against local school boards, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers will ask a state judge to rule that Louisiana’s teacher tenure law violates due process guarantees in both the Louisiana and United States Constitutions
(Baton Rouge – August 22, 2013) New surveys demonstrate that parents overwhelmingly favor public education as the best choice for children, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said today. The results call into question continued efforts to privatize the state’s education system and judge teachers by standardized test results, he added.
A new nationwide survey shows that parents overwhelmingly believe that strong neighborhood public schools are a better choice for our children than vouchers or charter schools.
“Parents believe that public schools are the single most important institution for their community and for the nation,” said Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan. “This survey shows that 77 percent of American parents support public schools, an opinion that cuts across political and class lines.”
(Baton Rouge – July 17, 2013) Louisiana should take advantage of a U.S. Department of Education offer to extend the timetable for implementing Common Core Standards, according to the Louisiana Federation of Teachers.
Federation President Steve Monaghan said that the idea behind Common Core may have merit, but that like so many other education reforms that have been imposed recently, teachers and school systems have not been adequately prepared for the change.
(Baton Rouge – July 16, 2013) Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan was injured in a fall over the weekend and, while expected to make a full recovery, may be out of the office for several weeks.
Monaghan fell from a ladder while working on repairs to his Baton Rouge home on Friday, and fractured two vertebrae in his back. Full recovery is expected to take from six to eight weeks, though he may return to work sooner.
(Baton Rouge - June 14, 2013) Apparently flaunting the will of the Louisiana Legislature, the Louisiana Department of Education is reportedly determined to distribute a small, one-time stipend for certificated classroom teachers based on a flawed and inaccurate teacher evaluation system.