"Teachers Rock 2012": An Insult To Teachers

This was published 8/13/12; I'm changing the date to keep it at the top of the blog. Extra contact info below. If you have more, add it in the comments - commenters have already posted a lot of great information below! If you tweet, add the Twitter address for the concert: @TeachersRock12 

Tomorrow there will be a concert in Los Angeles called "Teachers Rock 2012." Portions will be broadcast on CBS this Friday.

The entire thing is an insult to teachers. No one who cares at all about teachers should watch, and we should all be demanding that the stars who have aligned themselves with this thing immediately pull out and disavow any connection to it. Here's why:

- "Teachers Rock 2012" is a promotional scheme for the upcoming anti-teacher movie, Won't Back Down. As Parents Across America explains:

But the storyline about the parent takeover has no resemblance to reality, says New York parent activist Leonie Haimson, a PAA co-founder. “The movie is supposedly based on a process called the ‘parent trigger,’ which purports to empower parents. But actually, the ‘parent trigger’ has a track record of 100 percent failure, and has pitted parents against parents and torn apart school communities at the two schools where it has been tried,” said Haimson. She points out that “Won’t Back Down” was produced by Walden Media, owned by conservative mogul Philip Anschutz, a major donor to anti-gay, creationist and other right-wing causes. Walden Media was the co-producer of the 2010 anti-public-education pseudo-documentary ‘Waiting for ‘Superman’.”

[...]

Grannan’s detailed comparison of the film version to real events can be found on here on the PAA web site. [emphasis mine]

- Won't Back Down is an entirely fictional account of the use of the "parent trigger" to convert public schools into charter schools. Professor Bruce Baker of Rutgers University has outlined the potential abuses of the parent trigger:

I wrote about a week ago on how some charter schools, like North Star Academy in Newark have established themselves as the equivalent of elite magnet schools – potentially engaging in activities such as pushing out lower performing kids over time.

So, my question for the day is whether these “parent trigger” policies might allow a simple majority of parents – or some defined majority share – to force a reorganization of their neighborhood school into a charter – that would subsequently weed out those other “less desirable kids?”

Baker expands on that idea in this post. Parents Across America has more facts about the parent trigger here.

- "Teachers Rock 2012" is sponsored by Walmart, the retailer owned by the Walton family. The Walton Family Foundation gave out $159 million in support charter schools and vouchers, neither of which have been shown to improve achievement when accounting for student characteristics. Walmart is one of the most anti-union corporations in America and the Walton Family promotes an anti-union, democracy distorting agenda.

- One of the three groups that will receive proceeds from the concert is Teach For America. TFA has encouraged churn in the teaching corps because of the high attrition rate of its teachers. Critics - including those who participated in the program - contend TFA recruits are inadequately prepared to teach in the most difficult schools. Diane Ravitch shares more about TFA.

It's clear to me that the celebrities who have attached their names to "Teachers Rock 2012" have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. It's especially disheartening to see that many of them are members of unions - like Actors Equity, the American Federation of Musicians, or AFTRA - and yet they are willing to get behind a project with a barely concealed anti-union agenda.

Among the listed performers:

• Dierks Bentley: Twitter and Facebook
• Fun.: Twitter and Facebook
• Josh Groban: Twitter and Facebook
• Carrie Underwood: Twitter and Facebook
• Meryl Streep: Twitter and Facebook
• Jennifer Garner: Twitter and Facebook
• Matthew Morrison: Twitter and Facebook
• Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl: Twitter and Facebook
• Usher: Twitter and Facebook
• Maroon 5's Adam Levine: Twitter and Facebook
• Garth Brooks: website

Politely tell them what you think about their participation in this anti-teacher, anti-union production.

Here's a nice piece about Teachers Rock 2012 spelling out its anti-union and anti-teacher point of view.

UPDATE: I assume all of the stars of Won't Back Down are members of SAG-AFTRA - the AFL-CIO affiliated union for screen actors. Why in the hell are our fellow union members participating in an exercise in union bashing?

Holly Hunter's involvement is particularly galling; she was one of the original signers of the Solidarity Campaign when an actor's strike was looming in 2008.

So she was all for union solidarity when it affected her career. But when it affects teachers? Meh...

ADDING: Jose Vilson lays it all out nicely.

Diane Ravitch has more. Here's a comment from her post:

OK—so here’s what I’ve been able to find out as far as ways to contact people. I think it’s wonderful to use all types of media—Twitter, Facebook, whatever—but the more personal, the more influential. So, if you feel comfortable making phone calls, keep trying that way. Send emails, tell friends, use friends’ emails (j/k), every way you can to get this message to these folks.

1. Dave Grohl: Manager—Gabby at 323-856-8222
2. Adam Levine: Receptionist will take message at 310-776-7640
3. Jack Black: email tosjackson_asst@WMEentertainment.com
4. Meryl Streep: publicist’s voice mail at 212-277-7555
5. Viola Davis: email to ewolff@apanewyork.com
6. Morgan Freeman: email to stan@sra-pr.com

Here’s a little script I wrote for phone calls, easily adaptable to email:
My name is ______________________ (Caitlin Casement) and I am ______________________ (a 25 yr veteran teacher from Los Angeles). I heard that _________________ was participating in the “Teachers Rock” event. I wanted him/her to know that I feel his/her participation would have NEGATIVE effects for public schools. I am very glad that he/she cares about the teachers in our public schools, but one of the organizations benefitting from this event has done serious harm to the teaching profession—Teach for America. Like performing, teaching is a difficult and demanding profession, requiring more than just talent but years of serious study and practice. I know how hard ______________________ works to make every performance special for the audience. Teachers perform for some of the toughest audiences every day. It’s not for amateurs. Teach for America gives the impression that teaching can be a short-term, low-skilled job that can be learned in weeks. That hurts the teaching profession and has a direct effect on children’s lives. Please let ______________________ know that I hope he/she will reconsider participating in this event.

Remember, we don’t have to have huge numbers to be effective—these are not people looking for controversy. If you’re local, call CBS and tell them that you plan to protest at the event. (It’s okay if you’re not sure. Just sound sure.) Be courteous and nice (although I did tell one receptionist that she had a grown-up job now and had to act like a grown-up after she hung up on me), but be firm and convincing in your message. Try to keep your words positive—rather than say that these groups are “destroying” education, try saying specific things you object to that they’ve done.