Share My Lesson – from the AFT

To help you prepare for possible school closures, Share My Lesson launched a new community for educators, school staff, parents and community members to find and share ideas, tips, resources and free lessons. This Remote Learning Community has content on the coronavirus, learning-at-home lesson plans for teachers and parents, and resources on social-emotional learning, mental health and trauma-informed practices.

In this online community, you can:

• Join a discussion based on the grade or subject you teach to share ideas and ask the community for advice.
• Upload a lesson plan or resource to the Remote Learning Community that would be helpful for other educators or parents across the country.
• Stay up to date on all new coronavirus resources for school preparation and closure.

Finally, the AFT just published an important checklist of questions you should ask your school or school district now to ensure everyone is prepared for distance learning. This checklist covers important questions on topics such as technology access, preparation and training, and technology support for English language learners and for students with disabilities. Use this checklist to ensure your school, students and parents are prepared.

The health of our students and staff remain our top concern. As such, all WTU sponsored Professional Development will be cancelled through Friday, March 20, including the special PD sessions for Flagway Games and Equity.

We'll review information and recommendations from local health authorities and determine early next week whether classes can resume on Saturday, March 21.

You can still register for Spring Professional Development Courses here. WTU’s professional development courses are all research-based, peer-to-peer and solution-driven. They all help teachers build content knowledge and mastery of pedagogical strategies.

If you have questions, please contact Sarah Elwell at [email protected].

A school closure is not accountability; it is failure. At a time when our city is investing millions of dollars to expand capacity and programming at our highest performing schools, it must also invest in our most at-risk students. If DCPS touts equity as one of its priorities, closing a school rather than providing resources that will improve student outcomes is the wrong decision for the city to make.

Washington Met is an alternative school that provides unique services to middle and high school students who have not found success in the traditional school environments. It is the only alternative program for middle school students; 100% of the students that attend the school are classified as economically disadvantaged; over 30% of students receive special education services. Closing this school and further destabilizing the students in this community is not in the students’ best interest.

The Washington Teachers’ Union is disappointed to learn of Chancellor Ferebee’s decision to close Washington Metropolitan Opportunity Academy effective at the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Over the past few weeks, since the announcement of the potential closure, the feedback from stakeholders and the DC community has been clear – Washington Metropolitan should not close.

We, again, call on Chancellor Ferebee, Mayor Bowser, and the City Council to stop the closure of Washington Metropolitan Opportunity Academy.

Elizabeth Davis, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

DC City Council

Committee of the Whole & the Committee on Education

Teacher Turnover in the District of Columbia Public and Public Charter Schools

December 4, 2019

I am Elizabeth Davis, president of the Washington Teachers’ Union. The Washington Teacher’s Union represents over 5,000 active and retired teachers. We are dedicated to social and educational justice for the students of the District of Columbia and to improving the quality of support, resources, compensation and working conditions for the public servants and proud teachers who educate our students. Many of our WTU members live and pay taxes in the District and have kids or family members that attend DC schools. I am a DC teacher and DC resident.

In spite of the dedication and best efforts of our teacher members, far too many students in the District of Columbia are stymied in reaching their full potential because of the barriers they face in our schools and in our communities. The barriers our students face are real and the resulting achievement gaps that are present in the District of Columbia are striking. It is time that we acknowledge the truths about our educational systems in our city and directly confront the challenges our students face.

See our presentation here.

Read our full statement here.

DC City Council

Committee of the Whole & the Committee on Education

Academic Achievement, Graduation Rates, & Test Scores

in the District of Columbia Public and Public Charter Schools

November 22, 2019

Testimony of

Elizabeth A. Davis, President

Washington Teachers’ Union, AFT Local 6

The Washington Teacher’s Union represents 5,000 active and retired teachers. We are dedicated to social and educational justice for the students of the District of Columbia and to improving the quality of support, resources, compensation and working conditions for the public servants and proud teachers who educate our students. Many of our WTU members live and pay taxes in the District and have kids or family members that attend DC schools. I am a DC teacher and DC resident.

In spite of the dedication and best efforts of our teacher members, far too many students in the District of Columbia are stymied in reaching their full potential because of the barriers they face in our schools and in our communities. Despite the rhetoric you have undoubtedly heard over the past few weeks and months surrounding the District’s performance on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), the release of the District’s 2019 graduation rates, and our student’s performance on PARCC, we have not made “real progress” across the District nor should we continue to embrace the “bold” reform policies that our city has embraced for over the past decade.

The barriers our students face are real and the resulting achievement gaps that are present in the District of Columbia are striking. It is time that we acknowledge the truth about achievement gaps and graduation rates in our city and directly confront the challenges our students face.

DC City Council

Committee on Housing & Neighborhood Revitalization Public Hearing on

Bill 23-433, the “Rental Housing Act Extension Amendment Act of 2019”

November 13, 2019

Testimony of

Elizabeth A. Davis, President

Washington Teachers’ Union, AFT Local 6

Good morning. I am Elizabeth Davis, president of the Washington Teachers’ Union. I am here to talk about Bill 23-433, the “Rental Housing Act Extension Amendment Act of 2019.”

The Washington Teacher’s Union represents more than 5,000 active and retired teachers. We are dedicated to social and educational justice for the students of the District of Columbia and to improving the quality of support, resources, compensation and working conditions for the public servants and proud teachers who educate our students. Many of our WTU members live and pay taxes in the District and have kids or family members that attend DC schools. I am a DC teacher and DC resident.

In spite of the dedication and best efforts of our teacher members, far too many students in the District of Columbia are stymied in reaching their full potential. It’s not because of the instruction that our students receive. It’s because of the barriers they face in our schools and in our communities. Barriers like the inability to have a safe and affordable place to live.

DC City Council

Health Public Oversight Hearing

“The Not-For-Profit Hospital Corporation”

Friday, October 25th at 11:00am

Testimony of

Elizabeth A. Davis, President

Washington Teachers’ Union, AFT Local 6

Good morning. I am Elizabeth Davis, president of the Washington Teachers’ Union. The Washington Teacher’s Union represents more than 5,000 active and retired teachers. We are dedicated to social and educational justice for the students of the District of Columbia and to improving the quality of support, resources, compensation and working conditions for the public servants and proud teachers who educate our students. Many of our WTU members live and pay taxes in the District and have kids or family members that attend DC schools.

The core mission of the Washington Teachers Union is to raise the standards of the teaching profession by promoting conditions vital to effective services for all students. In spite of the dedication and best efforts of our teacher members, far too many students in the District of Columbia are stymied in reaching their full potential.

For too long we’ve measured the success of our school system and of our teachers on the achievement of our students, as measured by a single test. It’s time we stop and begin to look at – and confront – the challenges that our students and families face holistically. Children across our city, but primarily in low-income communities of color, contend with the consequences of under- or unemployment, crime and violence, homelessness, and a lifetime of economic privation and hardship. These conditions impact their academic achievement and are, in part, at the center of the immense achievement gaps that plague our city.