PBS高端访谈:芝加哥罢工第二天 教师工会对决财政拮据的学校

 　　JEFFREY BROWN: And we head back to Chicago and the national spotlight¹ focused on a teachers strike in the nation's third largest school system.

　　Chicago teachers walked the picket² lines for a second day as contract talks resumed. The union spokeswoman said the teachers had agreed to just six of 49 articles in the proposed contract.

　　One of the most contentious³ remains⁴ the issue of tying teacher evaluations⁶ to student test results. Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel has pushed that idea and other reforms.

　　And on Monday, he drew support from an unlikely quarter. In Portland, Ore., Republican vice⁷ presidential nominee⁸ Paul Ryan said, "This teachers union strike is unnecessary and wrong. We know that Rahm is not going to support our campaign, but on this issue and this day, we stand with Mayor Rahm Emanuel."The man at the top of the Republican ticket, Mitt⁹ Romney, criticized the strikers and accused President Obama of siding with them. But Mayor Emanuel, the president's former chief of staff, rejected any attempt to use the strike as a means to attack his one-time boss.

　　MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL, D-Chicago, Ill.: The president is committed, has done one of the most important things with Race to the Top to make sure that we have accountability in our system and the best-qualified teachers in our schools. And that's exactly what we're trying to do here.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Announced in 2009, the Race to the Top competition seeks to encourage performance-based standards in state and local school districts. At least 30 states have begun using student test scores to evaluate teachers, but the move has often ignited tensions with teacher unions and administrators¹⁰.

　　In Washington, D.C., teachers agreed to implement¹¹ a merit-based pay system in 2010, and New York state educators did the same earlier this year. But those agreements were reached only after years of difficult negotiations¹³.

　　And, in Los Angeles, the union and school district officials are now in talks over how to implement a new teacher evaluation⁵ system.

　　And for more, we're joined by Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation¹⁴ of Teachers, whose membership include the Chicago Teachers Union.

　　And Roy Romer, who served as superintendent¹⁵ of the Los Angeles Unified¹⁶ School District from 2001 to 2006 and before that as governor of Colorado. He's currently senior adviser¹⁷ to the College Board.

　　Randi Weingarten, I want to start with you.

　　When you look at the Chicago strike—and I know you're out there now in Chicago—what are the one or two more most important issues that you find resonating at the national level that affect teachers everywhere?

　　RANDI WEINGARTEN, American Federation of Teachers: Right.

　　It's really about the—saving the heart and soul of public education for all kids who need public education. And when you're on the streets talking to teachers, they are determined¹⁸ to have the tools they need to help kids and for kids to have the resources they need to succeed.

　　And what struck me, no pun intended, was how resolute¹⁹ teachers are and paraprofessionals are about, this is a fight to ensure that kids, their kids, their communities have what they need.

　　And I'm seeing that across the country with the need to increase standards so that we're doing much more project-based learning and deep and richer learning, something that I know Roy has been advocating, but yet at the same time poverty increasing and the cuts in schools almost making it—making it incredibly hard for us to do our jobs, and then being blamed when we can't do our jobs.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Well, Roy Romer, at a more specific level, a lot of this seems to be around things like hours of the day, the number of hours worked, and teacher evaluations. What do you see when you look at Chicago?

　　ROY ROMER, former superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District: I think we need to extend the hours of the school day.

　　I think we just need that more time to do the job for those children. I think the real issue out there is whether you use tests for a part of the evaluation.

　　I think we need multiple measures to evaluate teachers. We have got to do a better job of evaluating teachers. And we ought to use tests to determine what progress a student has made.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Randi Weingarten, speak to that specifically, yes.

　　RANDI WEINGARTEN: Right.

　　So, Roy, you know I love you.

　　ROY ROMER: Yes.

　　RANDI WEINGARTEN: But the teachers have already agreed to the longer day. The issue is making sure that that day is actually used for the right things.

　　And right now in Chicago, a city, by the way, that's had mayoral control for 15 years, a city that has tremendous management rights and top-down authority—but between—what the teachers were telling me is between 15 and 25 days, the equivalent of 15 to 25 days, are being used for test prep.

　　Now, as Roy knows, we think that there should be multiple measures and evaluations and that we need to have evaluations that go to both, have I taught it and have kids learned it?

　　So, the issue is really making sure an evaluation system is comprehensive and fair and about continuous improvement, not tied significantly to one measure, meaning these old tests that no longer measure what kids are supposed to know and be able to do.

　　ROY ROMER: Randi is right that the old tests are inadequate²⁰. We need better tests, but a test's primary purpose is to help the child learn during the next period of instruction.

　　But we also need to evaluate teachers and test data ought to be a part of multiple measures. You have got to be very careful and cautious how you do this, because, otherwise, they will game the system.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Well, let me stay with you. A lot of the focus has been—in Chicago and beyond—has been whether the teachers unions are resisting changes and reforms such as that. You have argued that in the past. Where do you see the resistance and how does it play out?

　　ROY ROMER: Well, Randi has been one of the persons who has been trying to move unions forward on this. But I have got to tell you, there's a lot of variety of opinion.

　　And we ought not be in this strike out there. We ought not. We ought to be settling this on the negotiating table. And we have to include some multiple measures for teacher evaluation. Hopefully, Randi is out there and she can bring this to an end. It ought to be brought to an end by negotiation¹².

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Randi Weingarten?

　　RANDI WEINGARTEN: Well, look, no one—and no one wants a strike. And it is unfortunate that it has gotten to this point. And it was unfortunate all the things that led up to it, including the mayor's taking away a raise, trying to unilaterally implement the extended day.

　　But the parties are working hard at the table. I went over to the bargaining table for a bit today. I'm in Chicago to really do not only a fact-finding, but obviously to support the teachers and the paraprofessionals.

　　But let me just say the teachers want to be in classrooms, but they want to make sure that they have the tools to do their job. And they want to make sure the kids have the tools to do their jobs.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: But, again, I want to go—broaden it more naturally, Randi Weingarten.

　　RANDI WEINGARTEN: Right.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: There's a sense out there—and you hear it from politicians and you hear it from people on the street—that the teachers union is resisting such changes, specifically the teacher evaluation and such things as that. And we see it in different cities.

　　RANDI WEINGARTEN: Right. It's just not true. Look, people have been asking me this all week long.

　　There are districts upon districts and unions upon unions that have agreed to teacher evaluations throughout this country. You have had Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey²¹ all change their teacher evaluation systems this year with the work of teacher unions.

　　What the teacher unions have asked for is that teachers are actually being treated fairly and they actually have the tools and conditions they need. And what you're seeing is you're seeing a lot of big city mayors resist that because they don't want to spend the money on it.

　　Ultimately, if we're going to change to have these new standards, which is what Roy and I have both championed, so that kids are applying knowledge, not just knowing things, we need to have the time to make sure that that gets done right, and same with evaluations.

　　You can't just have a press conference and say we now have a new evaluation system. We have to actually make sure we do these things correctly and collaboratively. And that's what teacher unions throughout the country are trying to do—or at least the teacher unions that I'm involved with are trying to do.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: So why do you still see resistance and why is there that sense abroad that...

　　ROY ROMER: Well, the teachers union in Chicago, I don't think has the approach that Randi Weingarten does.

　　I think she's on the right track. Namely, we need to have this multiple evaluation. We ought to involve teachers in designing the system. But we ought to do it and do it quickly and get those kids back in school in Chicago.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: All right.

　　RANDI WEINGARTEN: Right. And, unfortunately, unfortunately—I'm sorry to interrupt, Roy—I think that's what is happening at the bargaining table now.

　　But why did it take a strike deadline to do that? These folks have been bargaining for months and months and months. And just in the last few days, I have seen real progress. I have been monitoring it a lot, been on the phone all last weekend.

　　No one wants a strike. A strike hurts everyone. But we want to make sure we get it right for kids. And that's what the Chicago teachers...

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Let me ask Roy Romer, has—you have been on the political side of this as well and have actually...

　　ROY ROMER: Yes.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Is there a political shift under way? I mean, you can't help but think about this in the midst of a campaign. And here we have a he Democratic mayor, Rahm Emanuel, ties to the White House, has been part of the reform. The unions have been friends, allies to the Democratic Party. And here's a fight.

　　ROY ROMER: This is a local issue.

　　I don't want to get national politics and debate in on it. I think city by city, state by state, we need to solve these problems. And I think we can solve these problems. We're making progress.

　　But the key thing is we have got to think about these kids. They're not getting a good enough education. We need to be radical²² in the change that we are bringing to the table.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Randi Weingarten, do you see yourself in some sense fighting both parties now?

　　RANDI WEINGARTEN: Look, I think Roy is right. This is a local issue. It has national ramifications²³.

　　But you noticed the first thing Mitt Romney, who doesn't want to invest in public education—the first thing did is try to nationalize this issue and try to get President Obama in there.

　　And President Obama rightly said or his campaign rightly said this is a local issue that has to be solved at the negotiating table. One size doesn't fit all.

　　But we do want to make sure that teachers are the best they can be. We want to make sure they get support. And we want to make sure the kids get what they need so that they can achieve their dreams.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: All right, Randi Weingarten, Roy Romer, thanks both very much.

　　ROY ROMER: Thank you very much.

　　RANDI WEINGARTEN: Thank you.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: And, for the record, we invited Mayor Emanuel to appear on the program this evening. His office didn't respond to our request.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 picket   

n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫

参考例句：

• They marched to the factory and formed a picket.他们向工厂前进,并组成了纠察队。
• Some of the union members did not want to picket.工会的一些会员不想担任罢工纠察员。

3 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

6 evaluations   

估价( evaluation的名词复数 )； 赋值； 估计价值； [医学]诊断

参考例句：

• In fact, our moral evaluations are merely expressions of our desires. 事实上，我们的道德评价只是我们欲望的表达形式。 来自哲学部分
• Properly speaking, however, these evaluations and insights are not within the concept of official notice. 但准确地讲，这些评估和深远见识并未包括在官方通知概念里。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

9 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

10 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

11 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

12 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

13 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

14 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

15 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

16 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

17 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

18 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

19 resolute   

adj.坚决的，果敢的

参考例句：

• He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
• The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。

20 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

21 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

22 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

23 ramifications   

n.结果，后果( ramification的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These changes are bound to have widespread social ramifications. 这些变化注定会造成许多难以预料的社会后果。
• What are the ramifications of our decision to join the union? 我们决定加入工会会引起哪些后果呢？ 来自《简明英汉词典》