DETROIT, MI (AP)-- The nation's second-largest teachers union says the dependence on high-stakes testing is undermining America's education system and impeding classroom teaching.
The American Federation of Teachers approved the resolution unanimously Saturday on the second day of its national convention in Detroit. The resolution says testing should be used to inform and not to impede classroom instruction.
The 2,400 delegates heard from Vice President Joe Biden and his teacher-wife Jill Sunday afternoon. Biden said says Mitt Romney doesn't treat public education as a priority and distrusts the hardworking teachers who struggle to create opportunity for the nation's young people.
The AFT represents 1.5 million teachers. It's the nation's second-largest teachers union behind the 3.2 million-member National Education Association.
Union President Randi Weingarten says anti-labor campaigns around the country threaten teachers' well-being and the group's "very existence as a union." United Auto Workers’ President Bob King told delegates Saturday that big city teachers are "miracle workers."
