Frank Riessman
An interview with Dr. Frank Riessman on his book Up From Poverty: New Career Ladders for Non-Professionals.
Riessman's resume and work at New York University New Careers Development Center.
The book is dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr. Riessman says King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference were looking for new kinds of jobs for poor people. He refers to the current strike by health workers in New York. Says we train the trainers. Paraprofessionals - new professionals. More people on welfare than any other city in the USA. This is a poor city. Many of them want to work if we had good child care centers manned by the poor themselves. Welfare rights movement people want jobs. Local 1199 won 1% in a contract for training and upgrading. One million dollars is going to go for training and upgrading. A large number of people on welfare are working part time and a lot of part-timers need welfare.
College training along with the job. To allow people get new careers without having to leave their jobs. Call for college training in the course of the job allowing people to get new careers while still working and not losing their job. He talks of issues in nursing. An example of teachers and teachers aides. An example of nursing. Nurses aides to LPNs.
RFK introduced legislation for training for new careers. A leading advocate. Support for new careers in health, education, and welfare. Untimely death. He and Dr. King were leading proponents of getting people to move up the ladder. They inspire us. More applicants than spaces for them The myth that the poor are lazy.
Riessman says Mitchell Ginsberg of the Welfare Department is one of the great men in America, but he has not let the people and the unions have the input they need. 10,000 para-professionals to be hired in NYC in the schools. At least 6,000 will be fulltime and concentrate on remedial reading. The current lack of teachers. Teachers are coming up the ranks as para-professionals. That is what is needed. Riessman comments on learning from reality and practice. There has to be a basic change in the educational system.
Riessman mentions union leader Victor Gottbaum. We want to change the nature of health services in poor communities. Community control is working with the community.by professionals and para-professionals and neighborhood people. Changes are occurring in the police and correction agencies.
National new careers association. Real education and accountability and monitoring of legislation and expand it to make it happen. Three goals of new careers movement in the U.S. A leap in learning in education. Needs to be expanded. People can go to the New York Paraprofessional Association. Local poverty agencies or community action programs. The Board of Education.
IS201 would like to see 3 to 1 of paraprofessionals to teachers in assisting teachers. There will be opportunities in the research fields - in computers and vocational education and housing. Discussion of waste in all programs in America - not just poverty programs.
Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection
WNYC archives id: 150922
Municipal archives id: T5959
