Words
Mean Things . . .
The
ability to use language to communicate with each other is one of the primary
things that sets human beings apart from other members of the animal kingdom. We use our words in many ways and in many
different forums. Yet, for all of our
supposedly advanced communication abilities, humans certainly seem to be very
adept at creating as much confusion as we do clarity when we try to convey
important ideas.
One
of the biggest problems we have is that the words we use can have multiple
meanings, and these definitions can be applied in different ways. Often the uses of words and the underlying
meaning of a specific word hinge on the ideological viewpoints that the
speaker, or listener, hold. It is
because of this reality that we have so much difficulty really communicating
with each other in meaningful ways. Our
challenges around language are compounded when the topics we are conversing
about are controversial or there is a high degree of emotion associated with them. Suddenly we seem to be speaking different
languages to each other, even when we are using the exact same words.
Take
the word accountability for example. For
education "reformers" this word means using test scores and other
similar measures to evaluate educators and to prove the "failures" of
public schools. By claiming to be
promoting accountability and working to provide equitable opportunities for all
students these "reformers" can advance their agenda of testing,
standardization and eventual privatization of our educational systems.
The
efforts to hold educators "accountable" are happening
nationwide. Wisconsin is no exception as we prepare
implement a labor intensive Educator Effectiveness system with questionable
validity that threatens to further undermine real educator effectiveness and
undermine morale even further. We are
starting to see some pushback from educators across the nation. Wisconsin educators should be prepared to
follow the lead of educators in places like Houston and work to make sure that the word
accountability regains its validity in education.
Seven HISD teachers and the
Houston Federation of Teachers union plan to file a federal lawsuit this week
over the district's teacher evaluation system, one of the first nationwide to
grade...
blog.chron.com
Accountability
isn't just for individual educators or public school systems anymore. "Reformers" are working to
influence all levels of education and a key element of their efforts is to
control the educational workforce through a combination of licensing,
professional development and education programs in our nation's colleges and
universities.
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is planning to move ahead
this summer with a proposal that would tie federal grants for...
insidehighered.com
Of
course accountability isn't the only word that has multiple meanings to
different people. To
"reformers" expectations means increasing standards and raising test
scores. Expectations and rigor combine
and become a collection of skills that students must achieve by a specific
grade. The only way to measure student
progress is through standardized tests which are biased towards specific types
of learners. Following this line of
thinking makes it difficult for educators to meet the needs of any student who
learns differently, has other challenges, or who isn't developmentally ready
for a specific skill at a specific time.
People talk about a culture
of high expectations,” but often fail to understand what it means, and to
examine whether it's compatible with current reforms.
shankerblog.org
The
word reform itself has taken on meanings that are different from what many of
us think of when we talk about reforming, or fixing some of the problems that
exist in our schools. Reform in an
educational context has come to mean radical privatization of our schools. Reform has become anti-educator and anti-public
education in the current context.
Educators working to make positive change within our current system
don't meet the far-reaching goals of those who claim the title of
"Educational Reformer."
Rob Walton, Walmart heir and
chair of the board of directors. Walmart isn't just reshaping work in America.
The company's largest shareholders,...
Daily Kos
That's how Scot Ross,
executive director of the progressive think tank One Wisconsin Institute,
describes the Bradley Foundation.
CommonDreams.org
Often
single words aren't enough to fully encompass a concept and we create phrases
to convey our messages. These become a
part of our societal lexicon as we talk about important issues. Career and College Ready is one of these
phrases in education that has become a driver of "reform."
Who cares about learning to
get along with others, problem solve and think creatively? What 5- and
6-year-olds need is more college-prep...
The Huffington Post|By Melissa Sher
This belongs in the
you-can't-make-up-this-stuff category.
Washington Post
Another
issue that arises is the ability of people to use language to mask our true
intentions. They use words that sound a
certain way, but in reality the real meaning of the words are completely
different. They end up talking a lot,
but saying very little of substance, or even completely misleading their
listeners and promoting ideas that sound good, but end poorly. The end result is mass confusion and misconceptions about issues that are vital to the survival of our society and
our democratic ideals. Issues like
public education become political footballs that are used by all sides, leaving
students, families and communities to struggle with the aftermath.
With
all the talk about public education, we are still struggling to define what we
really expect from our schools, educators and students. Are we looking at education as a solution to
our societal problems? Is it is way to
control the masses and create compliant and productive citizens? Is education a way to promote critical
thinking and challenge our society to be better with each generation? By turning education into a political issue
we create the potential to address these types of questions, but we also bring
in the rhetoric and misleading talk that comes with any political
conversation.
Doug Lemov is skeptical that
I'm right about education being a (relatively) ineffective way of fighting
poverty. His response is thoughtful and deserves a
paul-bruno.com
By Ryan Ekvall | Wisconsin
Reporter MADISON, Wis. — Dan Krueger says he got involved in politics three
years ago when
watchdog.org
Talk
is cheap, but can be very costly if we aren't careful listeners. It is in the listening and interpreting that
humans truly must utilize their intelligence.
Unfortunately, too many of us have become better at talking, better at
assuming, and too confident in our own opinions and knowledge to really listen
to those around us. We hear the words
and phrases and immediately jump to conclusions, form opinions and entrench our
beliefs into a Maginot Line that is both costly, and ineffective. We use language as a weapon instead of a
tool, and miss out on the vast potential that could be tapped.
The
time has come for us to step forward and truly communicate about important
issues like public education. Supporters
of public education need to clearly articulate our positions on issues and help
the public understand the definitions of the words that are being used so that
they aren't trapped by rhetoric, but instead freed by language. There is a significant amount of irony in our
inability to have intelligent, thoughtful, well reasoned conversations about
education, the very topic that should guide us in our efforts to have those
types of conversations.
Karen Lewis is President of
the Chicago Teachers Union and a leading figure in the defense of public
education. This event was sponsored by...
youtube.com
John Kuhn is the
Superintendent of the Perrin-Whitt Consolidated Independent
School District in Texas and the author of the book "Fear
and Learning in Americ...
youtube.com
Teachers are fighting the
privatization wave by connecting with families right where they live.
Bill Moyers
The
Good, The Bad and
The
Ugly. . .
The Good . . The
courts and legal system have long been a pathway to progress for those who seek
remedies that our political system struggles to provide. The decision by a federal judge to strike
down Wisconsin's
voter ID law is one of those steps towards social justice. It leaves the GOP in Wisconsin struggling to justify their
actions, and to prepare for a November election where the voters that they
tried to exclude may play a large role in, assuming that there is a significant
voter turnout.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A federal judge
in Milwaukee has struck down Wisconsin's voter Identification law, saying
it unfairly burdens poor and minority voters. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman
issued his long-awaited...
The Huffington Post|By Paige Lavender
"The reason blacks and
Latinos are disproportionately likely to live in poverty, and therefore to lack
a qualifying ID, is because they have...
Mother Jones
Tuesday's federal court
decision is a complete rejection of Wisconsin's
law requiring a state-issued photo identification, Walker and legislative leaders...
madison.com|By
Lee Enterprises
This talks about the
national level, but it holds true in Wisconsin
as well.
Democrats have to turn them
out.
Washington Post
We don't need voter ID for many reasons. There is no evidence of widespread voter
fraud. Unlike financial transactions,
firearm purchases, and other commercial transactions where fraud is more
common, investigations haven't uncovered any significant amount of voter fraud
in recent elections. We could argue that
the counting and recording of votes has been troubling, but that isn't
addressed by voter ID laws. Voter ID
laws are specifically designed to place a burden on specific groups of
people. People who have historically
been disenfranchised, and who vote as a bloc for the Democrats. We shouldn't be messing around with important
democratic rights purely for political advantage or out of a fear of different
demographic groups.
When the next 99 Assembly
members swear their oaths in January, the majority of them — at least 54 — will
be lawmakers first elected after the passage of Gov. Scott Walker’s union
bargaining law.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|By Jason
Stein
The Ugly . . . Once again, public officials should be elected by the public to act in
the public's best interests.
Unfortunately, the influence of large sums of money from small numbers
of donators guarantees that many our elected officials will be
"purchased" in future elections.
Wisconsinites Vote Big Money
Out of Elections, New Analysis Finds McCutcheon Decision Could Let Big Money In
MOVI Wisconsin Coalition...
unitedwisconsin.com
It is time for the general
public to realize the important impacts that unions have had on our society,
and the necessity to continue to have unions in the workplace. Without unions there are few, if any, real
protections for workers. This is
especially true in an economy where there are large numbers of unemployed
workers, and where companies can move around the world to find the cheapest,
most exploitable labor possible.
Postal workers rallied in 56
locations around the country yesterday, protesting the piecemeal outsourcing of
postal work to the low-wage...
labornotes.org
Why "efficiency"
and "productivity" really mean more profits for corporations and less
sanity for you.
Mother Jones
We need our political
candidates to step up and be true advocates for labor as well. While the Democrats certainly are less
aggressive in their efforts to undermine the labor movement, their actions
certainly don't do much to support the average worker in America.
As Democrat Mary Burke
campaigns for governor across the state, it is as if the battle that curbed
union benefits, eroded labor's clout and made Gov....
The Wall Street Journal|By Peter Nicholas
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