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Friday, November 18, 2005
PAGE, GAE, Neither, Both
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Also pulled from the Youngblood discussion, a writer asks, “Where is PAGE?…Where is GAE?” These are the two large teacher advocacy groups in Georgia. PAGE is nonunion, while GAE is afflilated with the NEA (though Georgia does not allow collective bargaining).
Both groups are frequent targets of criticism, PAGE for favoring administrators over teachers, or at least lobbying from an administrator’s point of view rather than a classroom teacher’s. Teachers sometimes say the same thing about GAE. I’ve also heard complaints that GAE members don’t think they get enough benefits for the dues they pay.
Both organizations enjoy huge memberships (65,000 for PAGE, 40,000 for GAE), so obviously they have a lot of support. For those who don’t like PAGE or GAE, there is another group called MACE, which is only for teachers. The self-described “radical teacher’s union” is a fan of picketing and focuses on problems at individual schools rather than what goes on under the gold dome.
Teachers, which organization do you belong to and why? Do these organizations help teachers get what they need to succeed in the classroom?
