No
Diane Ravitch (Again)
However.
. .
Madison seems to be a cursed
location for Diane Ravitch. She had to
cancel her previous engagement here due to illness, and now has a knee injury
to deal with.
In an earlier post, I shared
with you the fact that I took a bad fall, landed on my knee, and tore the ACL
ligament. The MRI showed the damage was even more extensive than it first
seemed. I not on...
dianeravitch.net
However, Texas
superintendent John Kuhn (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFgrt95OD0U)
and Chicago Teachers’ Union president Karen Lewis (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vRjZzerWmY)
will speak at Monona Terrace on May 1st at 7:00 pm.
The “Reclaiming the
Conversation in Education” sessions led by Edgewood
College’s School of Education
will still be held prior to the speakers.
This will offer public education advocates an opportunity to connect
with each other and should be a powerful event.
Talking
the Talk. . .
The
need to "Reclaim the Conversation in Education" is one that is
increasing in importance with every passing day. We are facing attacks on public education
that are unprecedented in nature. The desire
of many so called "reformers" isn't to really fix our education
systems, but rather to destroy them and replace them with a new, privatized
system. This new system will return us
to a time of segregation, inequity and a disparity in educational opportunities
that we haven't seen since the end of WWII.
The
attacks on education are coming from the same sources that are seeking to
return our entire social structure to a pre-New Deal America condition. Those claiming to want to "reform"
our society use the language of Progressivism, but they fail to back up the
talk with policies that substantially support the ideals that they supposedly
believe in. They use data from studies
to justify their actions and policies, but often misuse or misrepresent the
evidence. The resulting policies are
geared to resolve problems that have been misidentified, misinterpreted, or
that may not even exist in reality.
I see it often claimed that
the high rate of child poverty in the US is a function of family
composition. According to this view, the reason childhood poverty is so high is
that there are too many unm
demos.org
» Privatizing struggling Milwaukee schools doesn’t
pay off, report to be released April 24 says |...
wisconsinsfuture.org
Their
words resonate with the ideals that America was founded on, almost to a
fault. Remember that the ideals that we
are so proud of were based on a narrow view of who the rights, freedoms and
privileges applied to. Women, minorities
and the poor were excluded from power either through design, or by
omission. Too frequently, the policies
that political, social and economic "reformers" are promoting are
guilty of these same flaws and prejudices.
They have targeted many areas of our society for "reform," and
we have felt the effects strongly here in Wisconsin.
In
recent years we have seen increased efforts to "reform" the
educational systems here in Wisconsin. We find ourselves following the same pathways
that other states have followed, often with disastrous outcomes. As a nation we should have learned a long
time ago that standardized testing, standardized curriculum, cuts in funding
for public schools and the privatization of education don't work for most
students. Yet, we continue to see these
types of policies promoted across the country.
We
know that political, social and economic patterns tend to be cyclical in
nature. We often talk about a pendulum
swinging back and forth when we talk about policies and trends in most areas of
our society. This is as true in
education as it is in any other field.
For example, phonics instruction gives way to Whole Language, which then
blends into a Comprehensive Literacy System, which then gives way to new ways
of teaching literacy skills. Instruction
in all aspects of education changes based on our social, political and economic
climate as well as the changes in our understanding of the biological and
societal influences on learning.
Given
that reality, why are so many educators and supporters of public education so
concerned about the recent efforts to "reform" our schools? In fact, I often hear fellow educators say
that we need to weather the storm and wait for the "pendulum" to
swing back towards a climate that is more supportive of public education,
educators and all students.
Unfortunately, we are currently engaged with opponents who want to cut
the string and eliminate the ability of the pendulum to swing back. This isn't a debate like the "good old
days" where we are arguing about subtle differences, or whether to focus
on one aspect of teaching and learning over another. The current struggles around education
revolve around the goals of "reformers" to absolutely, permanently
and irrevocably crush those who oppose them.
These
efforts to "reform" our public schools into oblivion have coalesced
around a few major areas. The first is
the use of standardized tests to identify and define success for our students
and our schools. These testing
requirements have given ammunition to those who claim our schools are failing
by putting numbers to a collection of Achievement and Opportunity Gaps that
have been a part of our schools and society forever. By putting concrete numbers in place
"reformers" are able to point to the gaps in test results as evidence
of the need to make drastic changes to our education system.
Identifying
and emphasizing Gaps isn't a negative thing in itself. Educators have known about these Gaps for
years and have received little support in their efforts to address them. What is problematic is the fact that so much
emphasis is being put on improving test scores, as if a better test score is a
real indication of a better educated and well equipped student. In fact, the way that most of these tests and
evaluations are set up the Gaps we have will not only continue, but will
expand. Take ELL students for
example. Once a student becomes
proficient in English they are exited from the program. This means that the only data we have on ELL
students will always contain test results from students who are developing
their language skills. Throw in the fact
that for the highest stakes tests, students are usually tested exclusively in
English and you can see how we will always have huge Gaps between ELL students
and students who speak English as their first language.
The
tests themselves are problematic in many ways.
They are developed by companies with little input from actual classroom
teachers. When used to define success
for students they limit the ways that instruction is delivered by forcing
educators to spend time preparing students for tests instead of providing
engaging and informative lessons. They
funnel money away from classrooms and into the coffers of test making
companies. School districts are forced
to spend millions of dollars to have access to tests so that
"reformers" will have data to use against the schools.
Around the country, students
are now taking preposterously lengthy standardized tests related to the Common
Core Standards Initiative. To the...
The Daily Caller
First-grade teacher Kelsey
Lewis has seen students in her Lee
County elementary school
cry, have panic attacks and vomit during...
naplesnews.com|By JESSICA LIPSCOMB
Along
with the tests come curriculum and materials created by test making companies
to "help" educators improve their students' test scores. The freedom of educators to use the
strategies and materials that fit their students' needs best is being eroded by
the waves of initiatives that are supposed to improve outcomes for
students. We sit in professional
development sessions and read articles published by the companies who are
selling their product. We spend hours
learning about "new" ways to teach our students that are really just
repackaged strategies we've used for years.
Real conversations about ways to reach our most at-risk students are
pushed aside so that we can do "deep-dives" into
"unpacking" the Common Core State Standards. In the end, educators are left no more
effective, but certainly demoralized and confused.
A
third area where "reformers" have focused their attacks have been
educators themselves. Whether by
supporting union busting initiatives or by promoting mechanisms to hold
educators "accountable" there is clearly an anti-educator sentiment
among many "reformers." Once
again we see the power to drive education "reform" wielded by those
with little or no direct experience or contact with actual students in real
classrooms. Data is used, and systems
are created to analyze educators efforts, but these are flawed and impractical. The new Educator Effectiveness initiative in Wisconsin is a perfect
example of a system that will eat up time and resources while failing to
improve education.
Well-funded misinformation
campaigns succeed in part by leaving no rock unturned in the quest to...
neatoday.org
The evidence against VAM is
at this point overwhelming. The refusal of school reformers to acknowledge it
is outrageous.
Washington Post
Why the conventional wisdom
about America's
teaching corps is wrong.
Washington Post
We are seeing these
attacks on educators take their toll.
Educators are retiring early, moving to new professions, or are stressed
and demoralized. Educators are in
positions where we directly interact with students and families who are often
under significant amounts of stress and who are struggling to make ends
meet. When those who are supposed to
help these students/families are put under stress themselves it becomes more difficult
for help to be delivered.
American teachers feel
stressed out and insignificant, and it may be impacting students’ educations. Gallup’s State Of
America’s Schools Report,...
The Huffington Post|By Rebecca Klein
Wake County Public Schools
held a press conference Thursday to talk about the alarming increase in
mid-year teacher resignations.
wncn.com|By
WNCN Staff
All of the testing, the
standardization of curriculum, the pressure to meet standards and to stay on
track to be "career and college ready" put significant strain on our
students. We are creating environments
that are more stressful, and therefore less learner friendly, while increasing
expectations. This is truly unfair to
everyone involved in the educational process.
With the constant focus on
testing and data, we rarely discuss the important 'unmeasurables' -- including
the emotional realities of children's lives.
AlterNet
Money is the final way
that "reformers" seek to gain complete control over our educational
system. Education is a costly enterprise
that requires significant investment on the part of our society. In times of budget struggles we always see a
movement to cut costs and to reduce spending.
Education is one of the areas that has been targeted over the years as a
place to save money. At the same time we
can also see how there is money to be made in education. Even in the most challenging of financial
times there are those who find ways to make a profit, whether it is good for
our students, schools and society, or not.
The U.S. Department of
Education is forecast to generate $127 billion in profit over the next decade
from lending to college students and their...
The Huffington Post|By Shahien Nasiripour
Around 45 people lined up to
do the unexpected at the Eau Claire
school board’s meeting Monday night — instead of complaining about school...
leadertelegram.com
All of these "reforms"
are made possible because our public schools are, public. We are governed by elected officials and must
follow rules that are developed by public officials. This is one of the strengths of public
education, the fact that we are accountable to the public in ways that our
private counterparts are not is a positive.
This means that all students are supposed to be welcomed into our public
schools, no matter their race, gender, disability, income level, etc. It means that we are responsible to our students,
families and community, and must work to provide the best opportunities
possible for students to achieve.
Unfortunately, it also
means that our public schools are vulnerable to those who would manipulate
public opinion in order to promote an economic, political, or social
agenda. These groups see an opportunity
to win victories at a basic, fundamental level, that will allow them to control
the fabric of our society. By dominating
the dialog about topics like education they can dictate the direction that we
take in a number of ways. They are
working to eliminate their competition and to monopolize power at all levels of
government. This is why Act 10, Voter ID
and other initiatives are so problematic, especially when combined with an
effort to control how education is delivered in Wisconsin.
How new candidates get
recruited and trained to run for city, county and state office is increasingly
being handled by interest groups.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|By Erin
Richards
Supporters of private school
vouchers have spent about $10 million on political campaigns in Wisconsin since 2003,
including $2.4 million in support of Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a new report
released Monday...
postcrescent.com
What
this means for educators and supporters of public education is clear. We can't afford to wait for things to change
in our favor. If we allow things to
continue on the current trajectory, the pendulum will continue to move further
to the right. Instead, we must do what we did in 2011-12
and begin working to defend the things that we believe in.
Anthony Cody here describes
teachers as "reluctant warriors," as men and women who...
dianeravitch.net
We
must also use existing systems to make our voices heard. This means attending school board and city
council meetings. It means writing
letters, calling and emailing local representatives. It means participating in campaigns and
sharing our ideal publically. It means
getting involved in our local schools and speaking out about the
"reforms" and initiatives.
One concrete example that
people in Madison
can participate in is in the creation of your local school's SIP (School
Improvement Plan). According to MMSD,
"Every school is required to develop, refine, and receive approval on a
yearly SIP. Created by the School-Based Leadership Team (SBLT) with input from school staff, families, community members,
and district administration, the SIP is a plan that defines a school’s
targeted work for the year to raise achievement for all of its students. It is
aimed at measurable goals, and it is monitored throughout the year."
The group of families, staff and community
members (SCAPE) that has been organized in my school community is planning on
becoming very active in this process. We
hope that by providing a SIP of our own we can influence the direction that our
school takes in terms of curriculum, professional development, emphasis on
testing and other areas of concern to us.
The MMSD website specifically says, "We hope you'll join your
school to learn more and give your feedback about your School Improvement
Plan. See your principal for information
on getting involved in the process."
I encourage concerned citizens to do just that.
The
Good, The Bad and
The
Ugly
(Wisconsin
Political Edition). . .
The Good . . While it hasn't been given the coverage it deserves, the investigation
into the activities of conservative groups in their support of Governor Walker
is of significant interest, especially as we gear up for the November
elections. The fact that the GAB is a
non-partisan group with several members either former Republicans or even
appointed by Walker
lends credibility to the investigation.
The state Government
Accountability Board voted unanimously to authorize the investigation of
fundraising and spending by Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign and his conservative
allies during the recent recall elections.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|By Patrick
Marley
Chair's 2013 November Removal
Followed June 2013 Unanimous Vote to Investigate MADISON,...
onewisconsinnow.org
The disclosure by Francis
Schmitz is intended to counter conservatives' claims that they are being
targeted because they backed the Republican governor.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|By Daniel
Bice
The Bad . . . I'm always terrified when I actually seem to agree with Senator
Grothman on anything. Fortunately it is
an extremely rare occurrence. However, his
point that we should be encouraging people to contact their elected
representatives is right on point, even if he refused to respond to anyone that
I know who has tried to contact him (and who live in his district).
The conservative senator
suggests that not all communications between legislators and...
madison.com|By
Lee Enterprises
The kickoff for Scott
Walker's 2014 campaign promises more of the same rhetoric and demagoguery. In other words, he will attempt to make us
proud to be Wisconsinites, while doing little to actually make Wisconsin a better place
to live. He wants us to ignore the fact
that he fell well short of his promised 250,000 new jobs, that the businesses
that have been created are almost entirely non- job producing, and that the
rights of the state's citizens are being restricted on a regular basis.
By Rebecca Kemble on Apr 15,
2014 By: Rebecca KembleWisconsin governor Scott Walker opened his 2014
reelection campaign this morning in typical...
progressive.org
www.ScottWalker.com It had
gotten pretty bad four years ago. Over 130,000 jobs lost. A deficit over 3
billion. And taxes going up. Wisconsin's
future looked ...
youtube.com
Asked Wednesday after
speaking to the Wisconsin Hospital Association if he would commit to serving a
full second term, Walker
dodged the question.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|By Patrick
Marley
The Ugly . . . Meanwhile the Republican party continues to slide further to the
right. I believe Abraham Lincoln had
some strong feelings about preserving our union and a state's ability to secede
from it.
State Sen. Dale Schultz
retires, shaking his head at how the Republican Party has changed.
urbanmilwaukee.com
Wisconsin Republicans will
vote on whether to include the threat of secession into their party platform.
msnbc
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