Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/649572
Compiled by MIKE MYSLINSKI "Measure what we value, instead of valuing what we measure." — San Juan Teachers Association President SHANNAN BROWN, speaking at the January CTA State Council meeting in a forum about looking at test scores and defini- tions and principles of quality student assessments. "ere is no evidence — zero — that these statutes are the cause of any constitutional violation, and we are confident that the Court of Appeal will fully agree with our position." — Attorney MICHAEL RUBIN, representing California's educators at the Feb. 25 hearing in Los Angeles for the appeal in the deceptive Vergara v. California lawsuit. Upheld but stayed by a Superior Court judge in 2014, the lawsuit seeks to destroy California teachers' job protections and due process rights. "There are so many really awesome teachers that deserve it more than I do." — Modest special education teacher KIM ADAMS, upon learning she is the Laguna Beach Unified School District Teacher of the Year. The dedicated El Morro Elementary educator is one of five siblings who are all teachers, the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot reported Feb. 18. "As billionaires are trying to cripple unions, our vote sends a national signal that educators are willing to invest more in our unions and in the fight for educational justice." — United Teachers Los Angeles President ALEX CAPUTO-PEARL, quoted in the Feb. 10 Los Angeles Times, aer UTLA members voted overwhelmingly to raise their union dues by about 30 percent to fight the forces trying to take over LAUSD schools. "I have two degrees, [including] a master's in education. I'm having a hard time believing I can find a second room for him. I feel like in some way I've failed. I'm trying really hard and it's not enough." — Sonoma County art teacher MELISSA JONES, who lives in a cramped one-bedroom basement flat with her 12-year-old son because soaring rents make a larger home unaffordable, as quoted by the Capital & Main investigative blog in a Feb. 24 news story on Bay Area gentrification. Quotes & Numbers 135,000 Number of teachers California would have to hire to get the state to the national average student-teacher ratio of 16:1, according to a January report by the Learning Policy Institute in Palo Alto titled "Addressing California's Emerging Teacher Shortage." 70% Decline in number of people enrolling in teacher preparation programs in California over the past decade, from the same Learning Policy Institute report. $17 billion Estimated annual savings nationwide that would occur from raising the federal minimum wage to $12 by 2020, from low-income workers not being forced by employers to rely on government assistance programs, according to a 2016 Economic Policy Institute study. 12 Number of California cities that have rent control, out of 482, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Feb. 23 in a story about an elderly Burlingame woman, 97, being evicted from a home she has rented for 66 years. 5th National ranking of California in the percentage of 2015 high school graduates who earned a score of 3 or higher in an Advanced Placement (AP) exam, which can allow them to earn college credit, the California Department of Education reported Feb. 24. W E C O M B T H E M E D I A daily for the best quotes and statistics about public edu- cation. If you discover a quote or stat you think we should highlight, send it along with your name to editor@cta.org. 13 March 2016 e Numbers