{"id":2317985,"date":"2024-08-02T04:30:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-02T08:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teachers-union-all-in-for-wrecking-learning-fawns-over-harris\/"},"modified":"2024-08-02T04:37:06","modified_gmt":"2024-08-02T08:37:06","slug":"teachers-union-all-in-for-wrecking-learning-fawns-over-harris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teachers-union-all-in-for-wrecking-learning-fawns-over-harris\/","title":{"rendered":"Teachers Union All-In For Wrecking Learning Fawns Over Harris"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fteachers-union-all-in-for-wrecking-learning-fawns-over-harris%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2317985&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Last week&#8217;s American Federation of Teachers (AFT) convention essentially served\u200c as a \u200ccampaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris, \u2062who received the union&#8217;s \u2062endorsement. \u2063The AFT\u200b spent the week\u2063 praising Harris while \u2062criticizing school \u2064choice \u2063advocates, avoiding discussions\u2064 on critical issues like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-calls-for-crist-running-mate-to-be-disqualified\/\" title=\"DeSantis Calls for Crist Running Mate to Be \u2018Disqualified\u2019\">learning loss due<\/a> to extended school \u200bclosures, chronic\u2064 absenteeism, and \u200bdisciplinary problems\u200d within \u2063schools. Despite receiving $189.5 \u2064billion in federal \u2063relief funding, students continue\u200b to struggle academically, with significant learning \u200cgaps persisting for\u2062 eighth graders. The union appears\u200b more focused on political agendas than addressing \u2063educational failures it\u2062 has \u200bpartly caused. <\/p>\n<p>Although President Biden was initially\u200b slated to\u200c speak at\u200c the event, Harris addressed the \u2064audience,\u2062 which included\u200d some dissenters \u2064regarding her stance on \u200cIsrael. AFT President Randi Weingarten urged members to refrain from protesting during Harris&#8217;s speech \u2063to avoid negative media attention. Weingarten emphasized the\u2064 historical significance of Harris\u2019s\u2064 candidacy while \u2064trying\u200d to maintain\u200d harmony \u2064among <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/better-call-saul-actor-urges-colleagues-to-stay-on-strike-not-to-ask-for-exemptions-do-the-hard-thing\/\" title=\"&#039;Better Call Saul&#039; actor urges colleagues to stand firm on strike, avoid seeking exemptions: &#039;Embrace the challenge&#039;\">union \u2063members<\/a>, who fear a second Trump presidency \u2062due to his pro-school\u200b choice policies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Last week&rsquo;s American Federation of Teachers (AFT) convention was, effectively, a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris.&nbsp;The labor union formally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aft.org\/news\/aft-votes-endorse-kamala-harris-president\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">endorsed<\/a> Harris last Tuesday, and it spent much of the week <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aft.org\/press-release\/afts-weingarten-vice-president-kamala-harris-speech-union-members\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heaping praise<\/a> on her while demonizing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-red-wave-of-conservative-women-elected-to-congress\/\" title=\"The Red Wave of Conservative Women Elected to Congress\">school choice<\/a> and its champions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The union did not spend the week talking about how to solve the devastating learning loss caused by the school closures it intentionally prolonged. It also did not meaningfully address fixing the chronic absenteeism crisis or the total breakdown of discipline that has led to many of its members being unsafe at work. Neither did Harris, who focused on student debt cancellation, gun control, and repeating a false narrative about Florida&rsquo;s parental rights law.<\/p>\n<p>If students were doing well, the AFT and Harris would want to shout it from the rooftops. But there is painfully little to brag about for government-run schooling. Four years since the Covid-19 lockdowns, and after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pandemicoversight.gov\/data-interactive-tools\/data-stories\/states-received-1895-billion-relief-schools-heres-breakdown#:~:text=To%20help%20K%2D12%20schools,schools%20to%20address%20students%20needs.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$189.5 billion<\/a> in federal relief funding for K-12 schools, students are still struggling.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dfipolicy.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ESSER_Learning_Loss_Morabito_Zimmerman-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies<\/a> exposed several big-city districts&nbsp;that wasted money on things like beach trips and DEI &ldquo;reparations&rdquo; while student learning suffered. A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/uploads\/recovery-still-illlusive-2023-24-student-achievement-highlights-persistent-achievement-gaps-and-a-long-road-ahead_NWEA_researchBrief.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new study<\/a>&nbsp;from the NWEA found that 8th graders are a full academic year behind in reading and math.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The union would rather push extremist politics than try to fix a problem it helped create. For a union that claims to care about <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AFTunion\/status\/1818270323327795232\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">#RealSolutions<\/a>, it doesn&rsquo;t seem to offer any &mdash; besides, of course, voting for Kamala Harris.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>President Biden was initially scheduled to speak on the final day of the conference, but Harris appeared in his stead. It was a clever swap, sparing Biden from having to struggle in front of the cameras again and granting Harris stage time in front of a large and friendly audience.<\/p>\n<p>But not all the attendees were happy to see her. Noting that some delegates opposed Harris&rsquo; position on Israel, which conflicts with the union&rsquo;s official position in support of a ceasefire, AFT president Randi Weingarten stood on the main stage and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AngelaLMorabito\/status\/1816283317336932494\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">begged audience members not to protest<\/a>&nbsp;during Harris&rsquo; speech.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>Here&#8217;s Randi Weingarten BEGGING teacher union members not to protest during Kamala Harris&#8217; speech. <\/p>\n<p>Why? Because the media would see it. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/K0tSMWoQFx\">pic.twitter.com\/K0tSMWoQFx<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&mdash; Angela Morabito (@AngelaLMorabito) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AngelaLMorabito\/status\/1816283317336932494?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 25, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;This is the first female African American AAPI candidate for the presidency of the United States,&rdquo; Weingarten said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m asking all of us to use our moral obligation to each other to not protest inside the hall.&rdquo; She lamented that the media would &ldquo;zero in on the disagreement.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Weingarten and Harris both have an incentive to keep each other happy.&nbsp;Teacher union bosses are terrified of a second Donald Trump term, due to his ardent support of school choice and his opposition to the leftist agenda. They want another ally in the White House, and they know a Harris administration would be one.<\/p>\n<p>In return, Harris needs the AFT to mobilize its members and money for her campaign. The AFT&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/americansforfairtreatment.org\/resources-and-data\/aft-where-do-your-union-dues-go\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shelled out $46.9 million<\/a>&nbsp;on its political efforts last year, according to Americans for Fair Treatment. The union even held a bus tour to get out the vote for Biden in 2020. That support is invaluable, as are the votes of the AFT&rsquo;s members, who are now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aft.org\/about#:~:text=The%20AFT%2C%20an%20affiliate%20of,than%203%2C000%20local%20affiliates%20nationwide.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1.8 million strong<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Early signals show union bosses seamlessly transitioning their support from Biden to Harris. Earlier this month, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AngelaLMorabito\/status\/1816262115474178118\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AFT Massachusetts emailed members<\/a>&nbsp;to announce it was &ldquo;going all in to stop Donald Trump and elect Democrats up and down the ballot.&rdquo; The union solicited volunteers for its get-out-the-vote team, which would make calls and knock on doors in neighboring states for Biden&rsquo;s reelection. <\/p>\n<p>A union official who confirmed the authenticity of the email also noted that the campaign efforts planned for Biden would now all shift to Harris. The union, just like the Democratic party, is seamlessly swapping one for the other.<\/p>\n<p>The union&rsquo;s business is politics, and business is booming. Meanwhile, the symbiotic relationship between politicians and union bosses leaves students falling further behind and families demanding a way to opt out of the corrupt system.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Angela Morabito is a former U.S. Department of Education press secretary and a visiting fellow at the Independent Women&#8217;s Forum.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last week&#8217;s American Federation of Teachers (AFT) convention essentially served as a campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris. The labor union officially endorsed her on Tuesday and spent the week praising her while criticizing school choice and its advocates. Instead of addressing the significant learning losses resulting from prolonged school closures, the union ignored pressing issues like chronic absenteeism and safety concerns for its members. Harris also focused on topics such as student debt relief, gun control, and misrepresenting Florida&#8217;s parental rights law.<\/p>\n<p>If students were thriving, both the AFT and Harris would likely be eager to highlight their success. However, there is little to celebrate regarding public education; four years after COVID-19 lockdowns and with $189.5 billion in federal aid for K-12 schools, students continue to struggle. The Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies revealed that several major urban districts squandered funds on unnecessary expenses while student performance declined. A recent NWEA study indicated that eighth graders are now an entire academic year behind in reading and math.<\/p>\n<p>The union seems more inclined to promote extreme political agendas than address issues it has contributed to creating. Despite claiming a commitment to #RealSolutions, it appears to offer none\u2014other than supporting Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n<p>President Biden was originally slated to speak on the final day of the conference but was replaced by Harris instead\u2014a strategic move that spared Biden from potential scrutiny while giving Harris a platform before a supportive audience. However, not all attendees welcomed her; some delegates expressed dissent regarding her stance on Israel, which contradicts the union&#8217;s official support for a ceasefire. AFT president Randi Weingarten implored attendees not to protest during Harris&#8217; speech due to concerns about media coverage highlighting their disagreements.<\/p>\n<p>Weingarten emphasized this moment as significant given that Harris is &#8220;the first female African American AAPI candidate&#8221; for U.S. president and urged unity among members during her address.<\/p>\n<p>Both Weingarten and Harris have mutual interests in maintaining their alliance; teacher union leaders fear another term under Donald Trump due to his strong backing of school choice policies opposed by many in their ranks\u2014they see an ally in a potential Harris administration.<\/p>\n<p>In return, Harris relies on the AFT\u2019s mobilization efforts\u2014financially and through member engagement\u2014for her campaign goals; last year alone, the AFT invested $46.9 million into political activities according to Americans for Fair Treatment data\u2014including organizing efforts aimed at boosting voter turnout for Biden in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Recent communications indicate that unions are smoothly transitioning support from Biden toward Harris; earlier this month, AFT Massachusetts informed its members about intensifying efforts against Donald Trump while rallying support across various Democratic candidates\u2019 campaigns\u2014including soliciting volunteers for outreach initiatives previously aimed at Biden\u2019s reelection which will now pivot towards supporting Harriss\u2019 candidacy instead.<\/p>\n<p>The business of politics thrives within these unions as they maintain close ties with politicians\u2014yet this relationship often leaves students lagging behind academically while families seek alternatives outside this flawed system<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1883,"featured_media":2317986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-2024-07-31-at-3.01.44-PM.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[35136,4021,36106,36977,36976],"class_list":["post-2317985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-education-policy","tag-harris","tag-teachers-union","tag-union-advocacy","tag-wrecking-learning"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-2024-07-31-at-3.01.44-PM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1883"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2317985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2317986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2317985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2317985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2317985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}