Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/515703
State Council honors members and students, stands for learning over testing and holds elections By Cynthia Menzel In a jam-packed weekend, the 800 members of CTA's State Council of Education elected new leaders, discussed issues that impact student success, and took positions on more than 200 bills. CTA President Dean Vogel kicked off Council by noting the 50th anniversary of the Elementary and Sec- ondary Education Act (ESEA), which was intended to deliver new resources to schools that served low-income students and to help close achievement gaps for students of color. Between 1965 and today, things went terribly wrong as changes like No Child Left Behind led to the overreliance on test scores. "It was a complete disaster," said Vogel. "These laws have turned test scores into the goal — rather than learning and becoming a good citizen." He thanked delegates and all who joined with fed-up parents in NEA's Wave of Action to tell Congress to "Get ESEA Right This Time!" The theme of meeting student needs carried through- out the weekend. Executive Director Joe Nuñez discussed work in transforming the profession with projects such as CTA's Instructional Leadership Corps. The ILC, he said, "exemplifies the power of teachers leading professional development. Educators are forming groups to help other teachers with curriculum and instruction strategies around the implementation of the California Standards and the Next Gen- eration Science Standards. This group of 180 accomplished educators has held more than 250 trainings in local chapters and districts across the state, providing instructional support to more than 6,700 teachers." New leadership team elected State Council delegates elected Pittsburg elementary teacher Eric C. Heins as CTA's 55th president during the April meeting. A 24-year teaching vet- eran and K-5 teacher, Heins is currently serving as CTA's vice president. "It's time to stop substituting testing for thinking and let students discover and experience the wonder of learning," he said. "I look forward to working with my fellow officers and all educators to ensure all California students get the public education they deserve." State Council delegates also elected Theresa Montaño, a Chicano stud- ies and education professor at CSU Northridge, as vice president, and Los Angeles elementary school teacher David Goldberg as secretary-treasurer. The new leadership team will take office June 26 and will serve a two-year term. Read more about them at cta.org/leadership. CTA's officers honor three California Teachers of the Year. From left: Vice President Eric Heins, Christopher O'Connor, Erin Rosselli, President Dean Vogel, Amy Laughlin, Secretary-Treasurer Mikki Cichocki. CTA & You State Council 54 www.cta.org