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Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Would you like to know why education reform has been left out of the 2016 primary presidential debates?

Would you like to know why education reform has been left out of the 2016 primary presidential debates?
For 15 years now the United States Department of Education, and all 50 state Departments of Education have ignored the research, and pushed market-based education reforms that have failed over and over again. They have elevated Corporate experts and their failed ideas over educators. When I reflect I get sick thinking about the damage done to our children, their teachers and public schools in the name of market-based education reforms. 
The loss the hundreds of billions of wasted tax dollars spent on high-stakes testing and market based education reforms spent since 2002 with little or no research supporting their reforms is demoralizing. So much of the damage led by slogans claiming improvements for Black, Brown, and Poor children. Instead of putting children first these reformers put test scores and profits first. Public education is a sacred trust. They were suppose to honor that sacred trust not sell it to the highest bidder. They turned education reform for Black, Brown and Poor children into a lottery system with a trail of data that points to their reforms as the most massive failures in American Education history. Education reform should be more than take your lottery ticket parents. 
Education reform has been left out of the debates, because discussing it would mean Republicans and Democrats would have to owe up to their failure to protect and educate our children in America's public schools. We don't need their permission to discuss what our public schools need. We don't need to upset the no tough questions TV debate moderators to discuss the damage being done to our children. Parents and teachers don't need to study what works they already know.
Imagine if research mattered more to to policy makers and politicians than campaign contributions. They might discover that research indicates that school performance increases when children are engaged in outdoor learning experiences. Research documents increased academic achievement, better attitudes, better attendance, and lower behavioral problems. I love the outdoors, but growing up in the inner city and poverty meant I did not discover the woods, the rivers, forests, and mountains until I entered college. We could create schools where children play, jump, climb, imagine, row a boat, hike up a mountain. Just ask any child, any teacher or parent how can we inspire learning. They will give idea after idea rooted in reality and backed by research. 
Educators know what inspires learning. Outdoor education is just one of the many researched based ways to decrease behavioral problems and improve academics.
A 60 second trip on the water with the Walking Man.

We need a revolution to take back our public schools,
Dr. Jesse Patrick Turner

If you are interested in listening to the song this walking man listened to on his morning walk today...its Tracy Chapman's "Talking about a revolution" 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2wneBVssPc

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