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- bvaliant May 29
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Where Can I Find Resources for my Local Group of Activists?
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Groups of advocates for the public schools are forming across the country. This discussion thread will serve as an archive of resources. Research, white papers, flyer templates, etc. are needed by those who would like to restore local control of their public schools, end high-stakes testing, lower class sizes, adequately fund their local schools, stop the corporate takeover of public schools, or support research-based, high quality programs for children.
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The following comes to us from Dov Rosenberg, Instructional Technology Facilitator from Durham, NC.
How to Explain to Parents that Testing & Privatization are Harmful to Public Education
High stakes tests & charter schools make public schools less effective:
A) High stakes tests do not effectively gauge student ability,
are harmful to children, and make public schools less effective.B) Less than 20% of privately-managed public schools (charter
schools) are successful; they also segregate children and minimize
the decision-making power of parents & the community, ultimately
making public schools less effective.High-stakes tests do not effectively gauge student ability:
- *Constrict wide expanses of knowledge into only what can be measured by a multiple choice test.
- *Many contain nonsensical questions, have multiple correct answers, or have no right answers at all (look up Pineapplegate).
- *With hundreds of millions of American kids taking the same test,
ethnic & regional differences aren’t considered, making them
unavoidably culturally biased. - *Unduly reward the superficial ability to retrieve info from the short-term memory.
- *Pass/Fail status is often determined by politicians while test scores are often manipulated for political purposes.
- National Academy of Sciences, 2011 report to Congress: “Standardized tests have not increased student achievement.”
- Measure only low-level thought processes, trivializing true learning.
- Hide problems created by margin-of-error computations in scoring; scoring errors can have life-changing consequences.
- Curricula constructed from high-stakes tests are based on what
legislators assume children will need to know in the future. Countless
previous attempts at predicting the future have ended in failure. - Are often only marginally aligned with curricular standards.
- Provide minimal feedback that is useful to classroom teachers.
- Penalize test-takers who think in non-standard ways (common in children).
- Test results are not able to predict future success.
- Claimed to be used as a diagnostic tool to maximize student
learning, but are actually used to punish students, teachers, &
schools.
High-stakes tests are harmful to children:
- *Minimal time for socializing & physical activity b/c recess
& PE are cut in favor of test prep, particularly affecting
low-scoring students. - *Testing anxiety has lead to sickness, vomiting, & even incontinence in the classroom.
- *Excessive testing stifles the love of learning.
- *Year-end tests require sitting still & staying focused for 3.5 hours, which leads to behavior problems.
- *Encourage the promise of extrinsic motivators such as rewards for
high scores (bribes) & punishments for low scores (threats). - Pressure to pass tests has lead to stimulant abuse in teenagers.
High stakes tests make public schools less effective:
- *The lowest & highest achievers are left out as instructional
resources are focused on learners at or near the pass/fail threshold. - *Fewer opportunities for kids to enjoy creative classes that make them love school.
- *Arts & other electives are cut in favor of test prep &
testing, particularly affecting students from low-income families. - *Children don’t receive adequate instruction in non-tested areas like science, history, geography, government, etc.
- *Divert billions of state taxpayer funds from public schools to pay
huge testing firms like Pearson & ETS (Educational Testing
Services). - *Divert precious time resources to test facilitation, preparation (such as begging proctors to volunteer), & administration.
- *As top private schools have rejected high stakes testing, more
affluent families have moved their children out of public & charter
schools, where high stakes tests are unavoidable. - When test scores trigger automatic retentions, much older students in classrooms can cause additional behavior problems
- On norm-referenced tests, nationally, 50% of students are below
average, by definition. Thus, requiring all students to be at or above
“grade level” is statistically impossible. - Give testing firms control of the curriculum
- Test scores are used to evaluate teacher effectiveness in lieu of more effective administrator observations
- Reduces teacher creativity & autonomy, thereby reducing the appeal of teaching as a profession
- Minimize teachers’ ability to accomodate multiple learning styles and provide adequate differentiation
- Create unreasonable pressure on students & teachers to cheat as
well as on administrators & school districts to ”game the system”
Less than 20% of charter schools are successful:
- *Even the pro-charter documentary “Waiting for Superman” notes that only 1 in 6 charter schools succeed.
- *Charter schools can artificially inflate their published success
rate by deflecting low-scoring kids back to public schools, usually
Charter schools segregate children:
- *Most charter schools are racially homogenous.
- *Without diversity requirements, charter schools can market to specific demographics, ultimately segregating communities.
- *Children from the same neighborhood often go to different schools,
don’t know each other, & don’t play outside together. Alienation
negatively impacts neighborhood communities.
Charter schools minimize the decision-making power of parents & the community:
- *Private control, as opposed to elected control via school board, leaves curricula to be defined by a corporate agenda.
- *Corporate-controlled charter school home offices are often centralized out of state.
- *One more thing for parents & kids to worry about as they wait for acceptance letters.
- *Undermine a fundamental democratic principle that the people
closest to (& therefore most knowledgeable about) problems are the
best positioned to deal with them.
Charter schools make public schools less effective:
- *Taxpayer dollars are deflected from public schools into charter
schools where they’re utilized w/o transparency or accountability. - *Charter schools have the freedom to select high-achieving kids w/
few needs so low-achieving kids w/ high needs get deflected &
ultimately concentrated into an underfunded local public school. - *Charter schools aren’t obligated to provide special services for
high-needs kids so they often get deflected & ultimately
concentrated into an underfunded local public school. - *Only families who can navigate application processes can apply to a
charter. Families w/o the time or know-how to “work the system” (often
very poor and/or immigrant families) are ultimately concentrated into an
underfunded local public school. - Private entities have already tried running school districts according to corporate models & seen disastrous results.
- *Minimal time for socializing & physical activity b/c recess
& PE are cut in favor of test prep, particularly affecting
low-scoring students. - *Testing anxiety has lead to sickness, vomiting, & even incontinence in the classroom.
- *Excessive testing stifles the love of learning.
- *Year-end tests require sitting still & staying focused for 3.5 hours, which leads to behavior problems.
- *Encourage the promise of extrinsic motivators such as rewards for
high scores (bribes) & punishments for low scores (threats). - Pressure to pass tests has lead to stimulant abuse in teenagers.
High stakes tests make public schools less effective:
- *The lowest & highest achievers are left out as instructional
resources are focused on learners at or near the pass/fail threshold. - *Fewer opportunities for kids to enjoy creative classes that make them love school.
- *Arts & other electives are cut in favor of test prep &
testing, particularly affecting students from low-income families. - *Children don’t receive adequate instruction in non-tested areas like science, history, geography, government, etc.
- *Divert billions of state taxpayer funds from public schools to pay
huge testing firms like Pearson & ETS (Educational Testing
Services). - *Divert precious time resources to test facilitation, preparation (such as begging proctors to volunteer), & administration.
- *As top private schools have rejected high stakes testing, more
affluent families have moved their children out of public & charter
schools, where high stakes tests are unavoidable. - When test scores trigger automatic retentions, much older students in classrooms can cause additional behavior problems
- On norm-referenced tests, nationally, 50% of students are below
average, by definition. Thus, requiring all students to be at or above
“grade level” is statistically impossible. - Give testing firms control of the curriculum
- Test scores are used to evaluate teacher effectiveness in lieu of more effective administrator observations
- Reduces teacher creativity & autonomy, thereby reducing the appeal of teaching as a profession
- Minimize teachers’ ability to accomodate multiple learning styles and provide adequate differentiation
- Create unreasonable pressure on students & teachers to cheat as
well as on administrators & school districts to ”game the system”
Less than 20% of charter schools are successful:
- *Even the pro-charter documentary “Waiting for Superman” notes that only 1 in 6 charter schools succeed.
- *Charter schools can artificially inflate their published success
rate by deflecting low-scoring kids back to public schools, usually
Charter schools segregate children:
- *Most charter schools are racially homogenous.
- *Without diversity requirements, charter schools can market to specific demographics, ultimately segregating communities.
- *Children from the same neighborhood often go to different schools,
don’t know each other, & don’t play outside together. Alienation
negatively impacts neighborhood communities.
Charter schools minimize the decision-making power of parents & the community:
- *Private control, as opposed to elected control via school board, leaves curricula to be defined by a corporate agenda.
- *Corporate-controlled charter school home offices are often centralized out of state.
- *One more thing for parents & kids to worry about as they wait for acceptance letters.
- *Undermine a fundamental democratic principle that the people
closest to (& therefore most knowledgeable about) problems are the
best positioned to deal with them.
Charter schools make public schools less effective:
- *Taxpayer dollars are deflected from public schools into charter
schools where they’re utilized w/o transparency or accountability. - *Charter schools have the freedom to select high-achieving kids w/
few needs so low-achieving kids w/ high needs get deflected &
ultimately concentrated into an underfunded local public school. - *Charter schools aren’t obligated to provide special services for
high-needs kids so they often get deflected & ultimately
concentrated into an underfunded local public school. - *Only families who can navigate application processes can apply to a
charter. Families w/o the time or know-how to “work the system” (often
very poor and/or immigrant families) are ultimately concentrated into an
underfunded local public school. - Private entities have already tried running school districts according to corporate models & seen disastrous results.
- *Corporate-controlled charter school home offices are often centralized out of state.
- *One more thing for parents & kids to worry about as they wait for acceptance letters.
- *Undermine a fundamental democratic principle that the people
closest to (& therefore most knowledgeable about) problems are the
best positioned to deal with them.
Charter schools make public schools less effective:
- *Taxpayer dollars are deflected from public schools into charter
schools where they’re utilized w/o transparency or accountability. - *Charter schools have the freedom to select high-achieving kids w/
few needs so low-achieving kids w/ high needs get deflected &
ultimately concentrated into an underfunded local public school. - *Charter schools aren’t obligated to provide special services for
high-needs kids so they often get deflected & ultimately
concentrated into an underfunded local public school. - *Only families who can navigate application processes can apply to a
charter. Families w/o the time or know-how to “work the system” (often
very poor and/or immigrant families) are ultimately concentrated into an
underfunded local public school. - Private entities have already tried running school districts according to corporate models & seen disastrous results.
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FairTest Fact Sheets
FairTest has authored many helpful fact sheets. Please feel free
to use and share this information so long as FairTest is credited.http://www.fairtest.org/fact sheets
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Parents Across America has put together a collection of position papers and other documents: http://parentsacrossamerica.org/position-papers/
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FAQs on Parent Trigger Law:
Parent Trigger & "Won't Back Down" Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there controversy surrounding the movie “Won’t Back Down”? Manyby Dov Rosenberg on Thursday, August 30, 2012 at 12:04pm ·
people believe that the film “Won’t Back Down” promotes the idea that
privatizing public schools will improve them, inflaming a political
climate in which teachers are unjustly disparaged and blamed for the
effects of poverty and the inequality of educational resources &
opportunities for children across the United States. What is “Won’t Back Down” about?The
film tells a story about a group of parents and teachers who use a law
often referred to as the Parent Trigger, in order to take over a school
that is failing their children. Parent Trigger legislation, promoted by
conservative organizations like the American Legislative Exchange
Council (ALEC), has been passed in several states, including California,
Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, (NOT Pennsylvania, where the film takes
place) and is being considered in others
(theparenttrigger.com/in-your-state). While the movie is billed as being
“Inspired By Actual Events,” it is nothing more than an inspiring work
of fiction. Actual efforts to use the Parent Trigger have been driven by
billionaire-funded supporters of public school privatization, and have
sparked acrimony and division. None of these efforts has actually
improved a school
(parentsacrossamerica.org/2012/08/beyond-the-parent-trigger-hype-and-propaganda-just-the-facts).
Some consider the film to be a publicity campaign for "Parent Trigger"
legislation to the many state legislatures that have yet to introduce a
version of this bill, which exists as law in only a few US states. The
Parent Trigger does not improve the educational opportunities for
children, it only improves the financial opportunities for charter
school management organizations. Who Is Behind “Won’t Back Down”?“Won’t
Back Down” is produced by Walden Media (owned by Philip Anschutz) and
is distributed by 20th Century Fox (owned by Rupert Murdoch). Mr.
Anschutz also co-produced the controversial film “Waiting for
'Superman'” in 2010, which is often derided by educators as being
“anti-teacher.” After taking over his father’s drilling business in
1961, he became a natural gas billionaire and major proponent of laws
that permit hydraulic fracturing (commonly called “fracking”) across the
nation. He also contributes to organizations that oppose rights for gay
people and support the teaching of creationism in schools. What does the Parent Trigger law say?The
Parent Trigger Law enables parents, when they present a petition to
local authorities with at least 51% of parent signatures, to force one
or more of the following actions:The school district replaces the leadership & half the staff (district turnaround):
This process has yet to show any results. Firing our way to the top
does not work, especially without any protocols in place for replacing
fired teachers. And what if teacher quality isn't the central problem?The school is closed:
This is tragic for students and the community at large. Schools are
places where all of the children in a community come together for a
common civic purpose. When the school is closed, kids become confused
and worried. Parents have to figure out where to send their kids instead
and what additional transportation and social problems come with a new
school.An outside agency is hired to convert the public school into a charter school:
According to a major study, only one in six charter schools are more
successful than nearby public schools and have even less accountability
to parents. If a parent is unhappy at a public school, they can go to
the principal, or the superintendent, or the school board, or the media.
At a charter school, parents can go no higher than the charter school
board. If a child is being treated or has been expelled unjustly (which
sometimes happens in anticipation of state tests to ensure higher
scores), the parent must either return the child to the local public
school or search for another charter school. Either way, the parent is
alone. How did the Parent Trigger law originate?The
Parent Trigger was first conceived by a LA-based organization called
the Parent Revolution, founded by a charter school operator and funded
by the Broad, Walton, and Gates Foundations. The legislation was
introduced in California by then-State Senator Gloria Romero, who now
heads the California branch of the pro-privatization organization,
Democrats for Education Reform. Have Parent Trigger laws worked in the past?The
first time the “parent trigger” was tried, Parent Revolution sent
operatives into Compton CA, to ask parents to sign a petition saying
that their local elementary school should be turned into a charter
school. Some parents who signed the petition later said they been
misled, the effort was mired in lawsuits and ultimately fizzled
(nytimes.com/2011/09/24/education/24trigger.html?pagewanted=all). More
recently, operatives trained and paid by the Parent Revolution urged
parents at the Desert Trails School in Adelanto CA to sign two different
petitions: one calling for smaller classes and other positive reforms,
the other demanding that the school be turned over to a charter
operator. After the organizers submitted only the charter petition to
the authorities, nearly 100 parents asked to withdraw their signatures.
Yet a judge has ruled that parents cannot rescind their signatures and
the conversion to a charter school should go forward. Even Gloria
Romero, the author of the Parent Trigger law, has criticized the
organization’s tactics, and said that presenting Adelanto parents with
two different petitions to sign was “needlessly confusing”
(news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2012/02/24/california-school-district-rejects-parent-trigger-petition). What’s wrong with the Parent Trigger?The
idea of “choice” has been used by groups like ALEC, who seek to use
methods such as the Parent Trigger to turn public schools over to
privately-managed charters. This is not real choice and it is not parent
empowerment. Most parents want to see their neighborhood public schools
strengthened, with small classes and less emphasis on standardized
testing. Even Ben Austin, head of the Parent Revolution, has admitted
that most parents are not interested in turning their school into a
charter, but would rather focus on improving their existing public
schools
(edsource.org/today/2012/new-year-brings-new-expectations-for-parent-trigger-law/4479).
But there are many ways that districts can provide more and better
choices within the existing public school system. Should a public school
that is built with taxpayer funds be handed over to a private concern
because 51% of current parents signed a petition? If a local firehouse
was ineffective at putting out fires, or a police station at fighting
crime, would we choose to hand these public services over to a private
company, or would we demand that our elected leaders improve them? What about Teachers Unions? NC
is a right-to-work state, which means that there is no collective
bargaining or striking allowed. It is frustrating for teachers in states
where unions are not even allowed to hear the media’s narrative
regarding public education as though the parents are fighting the
teacher’s unions to save their kids. Union disputes are generally
characterized by labor vs. management scenarios where labor demands
higher pay and better benefits while management is concerned only with
the bottom line. For teachers, management means the school district,
state, or US Dept. of Ed. Labor represents teachers and they want the
same thing as management; the success of every child in his or her
classroom. We cannot help our children with more “us vs. them” rhetoric.
Most teachers want to work with parents and “management” in order to
best support and educate their students. All of us want our schools to
improve, but the Parent Trigger will not accomplish this. The film,
“Won’t Back Down” is a deceptive attempt to promote a legislative agenda
that will hurt students and teachers without improving the quality of
schools." What about Parent Empowerment?Parents
usually have less input into charter schools than public schools.
Moreover, a major study shows that most charters do not get better
academic results. Many impose harsh disciplinary procedures and
frequently push out students who need extra help, often just a month or
two before state tests are administered. Organizations like Save Our
Schools, Parents Across America, and United Opt Out support true parent
empowerment with real solutions devised from the ground up, not imposed
from on high
(parentsacrossamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/LSCmodel1-28-12.pdf). How Can I Help?Last
spring, Florida parent groups, including Parents Across America, banded
together to fight Parent Trigger legislation that had been introduced
in the state legislature. By holding rallies and press conferences,
calling elected representatives, and speaking out about how the Parent
Trigger benefits charter operators and not children, Florida parents
prevented the legislation from being passed
(miamiherald.com/2012/03/09/2685824/tense-fight-over-parent-trigger.html).
Speak out in your state to give real parents a real voice. We need real
change in our schools, not false solutions. Originally prepared by Leonie Haimson for Parents Across America, August 2012
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A great idea from Deborah Meier:Deborah Meier It's hard to reform. I decided never to send e-mails full of typos! And I just sent one with at least.... many!
You
are right. Although the same is true for teachers. But there are
exceptions. To improve the odds, they need to build a sufficiently
strong base among parents and neighbors plus a few media people and one
or two key V.I.P. in the town/city, etc. for their bravery to have a
shot at over-coming. That's why every school should create--whether
official or not--its own board of directors, friends of with the clout
to stand behind the school.
Deb
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Fight Club/Arnold Dodge
Fight Club
“Let them call me rebel, and welcome; I feel no
concern from it. For I should suffer the misery of devils were I to
make a whore of my soul” ~ Thomas PaineAs a former teacher, principal and superintendent for 37 years – and
now a professor of education for the last five – I worry about the
passivity of many of my present and former colleagues in the face of an
unprecedented attack on educators. Those who know nothing about my
profession are involved in identity theft, as they remake teaching in
their image, while vast swaths of the educational community remain
silent, watching helplessly.I find myself asking repeatedly: Where is the outrage? Do we not all
know that the policy makers from the White House to the state house are
setting an education agenda designed to shutter schools as we know
them? Do we not hear daily of another state succumbing to the blackmail
that is Race to the Top money by creating draconian measures to
evaluate teachers? Do we not see the narrowing of the curriculum, the
push-out of the arts and the marginalizing of social, emotional and
developmental approaches to addressing youngsters’ needs? Are we
looking the other way when standardized test score results eclipse the
needs of children who have home life, learning and language challenges?
Are we unaware that privatizing education is not just a dream that
neoliberals had, but now has become a reality? Are we so preoccupied
that we fail to see the “reformers” are turning our schools into
factories?How can this be happening?
Then it dawned on me. Educators don’t know how to fight. We
nurture, we listen, we’re empathic, we look for the best in people. We
do not, however, have the fight instinct. As a result, with the
exception of pockets of vocal activists scattered around the country, we
are witnessing the extinction of our profession right before our eyes.
We know that the soul of our work is being corrupted by those who would
corporatize, monetize, and reduce our work to a number, but we don’t
know what to do about it. So we remain silent and obedient. Lambs to
the slaughter.I say, “No more!” Our conscience as committed educators cries out
for action. We need a call to arms to defend the profession we love.
We are in a crisis that calls for a special set of skills to defend our
schools, our teachers and, most importantly, our children, from a
juggernaut that grows more powerful and dangerous each day. Call it the
educator’s version of Stand Your Ground: We are threatened by deadly
force and we have a right to fight back in kind.An Immodest Proposal
I propose that we teach each other how to fight. We organize “fight
clubs.” They can be formal or informal, short term or longer. We meet
in our schools and in our homes or in any environment where we can talk
and share. The goal of the gathering is to develop the best
strategies, approaches, and techniques to articulate a message of
resistance to fight the hostile takeover of our schools by the
politicians, the business community and the media. We take our
inspiration from the seminal teachings of Paolo Freire and Henry
Giroux. We draw strength from the work of those like Tina Rosenberg,
who, in her book, “Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World,”
chronicles how peers around the globe, fighting against tremendous
odds, have created social
revolutions.I offer these suggestions to get things started in your community’s chapter. Feel free to add, subtract and modify at will.
Lessons for fighting . . .
- Don’t be fooled by calls for action to ward off the “soft bigotry of
low expectations.” That is a ruse to get you on board the standards
train.
- Stay strong and find allies to support you when you speak. Good to
have them in the same room or at the very least to mention them as
supporters of your position.
- Make sure that your arguments are evidence-based, both in your
criticism of the fraudulent data that comes from the reformers and when
you cite your own references to support your position.
- Learn to get up at meetings and voice your opinion. Do not let
someone talk you down. Keep on message. And keep responding to their
comebacks.
- Say it with confidence. Believe in yourself and your message.
- Make sure your message is clear. For example: teaching is too
complex and children’s development too volatile to reduce teaching and
learning to numbers, whether they are test scores numbers for students
or evaluation numbers for teachers or principals.
- Hone your talking points based on the particular form of oppression
that is polluting your work environment, e.g., standardized tests,
evaluations, tenure abolishment, scripted and narrowed curriculum, etc.
- Learn how to go toe-to-toe with even the most aggressive or
influential adversary. Speak truth to power wherever and whenever you
can. Policy makers and politicians should be on your dance card.
Practice this with others.
- Polite fiction is the enemy of your truth. This is no time to be nice.
- Develop some kind of recognizable symbol that will identify your
group and your mission – a logo, a bracelet or just a turn of phrase.
Whatever it is, it should remind people of your message.
- Use any medium you can – face-to-face, the Internet, social media, etc.
- Stay angry
I submit these suggestions for the consideration of my colleagues who
feel helpless in the face of an assault. If we can franchise fight
clubs throughout the country we will better position ourselves to
protect one another and protect the work we love. We will also be able
to hold our heads up high and know that we are fighting for a just
cause.It’s getting crazy out there. We need some common sense from those
who are knowledgeable about the issues and courageous enough to take a
stand for our teachers and our schools.Thomas Paine would be proud.
- Don’t be fooled by calls for action to ward off the “soft bigotry of
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One of the best "One stop shop" for education activist resources is http://www.fundeducationnow.org/resource-room/voucher-school-programs/, a Florida group.
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Hoosier Voices has some tips for writing to your legislator. This makes it pretty simple:
Writing a letter to your elected representative can seem like a daunting and unproductive task. Yet, letter writing is one of the most important communication tools on which your representative counts. Here is a quick and easy 4-step method to follow when writing letters to your representative.
Dear Rep. _______,
The first sentence should identify who you are and what relation you have to your representative. This takes a little more than saying “Hi, my name is _______”. Here is your opportunity to say whether you are his constituent or not, your job and or family role, etc.
The next sentence specifically identifies the ONE bill that you are contacting your representative to discuss. Include the bill number and the common name of the bill. It is important to keep this part simple and stick to the concept of ‘one letter, one bill’.
The next sentence describes the action you wish your representative to take and why you want them to vote for or against the bill. Remember two or at the most three well-defined reasons are more than enough in your letter.
The last sentence is to thank them for their time and for reading your letter.
Sincerely,
Your name
Your address, city, state, and zip code
By following this 4-step method, letter writing to your representative can be highly effective for very little time investment, Just remember to keep your letter as simple and clear as possible so your letter can have the maximum impact. -
Paul Thomas explodes all of the basic reform myths. Keep this one handy. http://atthechalkface.com/2013/03/15/test-based-accountability-international-comparisons-standards-mania-lessons-ignored/
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Toolkit for Activists
The Network for Public Education has added resources to the education activists toolkit at http://www.networkforpubliceducation.org/npe-tool-kit/
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Assessment that supports learning
From Monty Neill
We have a short blog on "Seeing the Learning," segment 9 of the wonderful video, A Year at Mission Hill, http://www.fairtest.org/assessment-supports-education-short-video-mission.
This segment is on authentic portfolio assessment. The film beautifully
documents the rich, student center, project-based teaching and learning
at a Boston K-8 public school.