Spreading the News links from the amazing Bob Scheaffer

Happy New Year to the resistance, 

In 2007 almost no one criticized NCLB. In 2008 Race To The Top had few critics either, in 2009 there were no Anti NCLB groups on Facebook. In 2010 resistance to NCLB/RTTT was growing on Facebook. Still on my 2010 walk to DC I felt lonely and alone on most days. In 2011 8,000 people marched to DC with Save Our Schools. In 2012 Opt Out Occupied the DOE in DC, and Save Our Schools Held a School Reform Convention in DC. The point is the tide has turned, and resistance to NCLB/RTTT is growing. Opt Out is going back to DC April 4-7 for Occupy 2.0: The Fight For Our Public Schools, and Parents Across America and Save Our Schools are still marching. So start spreading the news people this is no longer a one horse town. See you in DC at Occupy 2.0 people.
I am walking to DC,
Jesse 

The new year kicks off with another excellent set of stories about the growing assessment reform movement and the many flaws of test-driven policies.

Sixth-grader Persuades WashPost Columnist to Support Testing Moratorium
  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/class-struggle/post/exceptional-dc-student-educates-me/2013/01/06/b75ce0fa-5761-11e2-8b9e-dd8773594efc_blog.html

Testing Scam Puts Public Schools at Risk
  http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-school-testing-myword-010413-20130103,0,1595639.story

Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment Op Ed -- "School Testing System Badly Needs Fixing"
  http://www.statesman.com/news/news/opinion/school-testing-system-badly-needs-fixing/nTjh8/

"The True Cost of High-Stakes Testing" -- Powerpoint presentation by Orlando School Board Member
  http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_education_edblog/2013/01/new-anti-testing-presentation-from-rick-roach.html

What Research Really Says About Florida's Test-Based "Reforms"
  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/01/09/what-research-says-about-floridas-ed-reform-model/

Gates Teacher Evaluation Scheme "Trapped in a World of Circular Reasoing"
  http://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/gates-still-doesnt-get-it-trapped-in-a-world-of-circular-reasoning-flawed-frameworks/

To Test or Not To Test -- National Opt-Out Day Debate
  http://www.mlive.com/opinion/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/two_viewpoints_should_students.html

Race to the Trough and State Regs Force Change in Model Teacher Evaluations Systems
  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/01/07/moco-schools-chief-on-new-teacherprincipal-evaluation-systems/

Test-Maker Ethical Problems in Dealing With Chicago Public Schools
  http://pureparents.org/?p=20184

Rhee-First Grades States on Education Ideology Not Results
  http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/07/1177063/-Rhee-s-StudentsFirst-grades-education-on-ideology-not-results

High-Stakes Testing Won't Fix What's Wrong with Our Educational System
  http://www.cvfarmerandminer.com/content/high-stakes-testing-and-charters-won%E2%80%99t-fix-what%E2%80%99s-wrong-our-educational-system

Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director
FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing
ph-  (239) 395-6773  fax-  (239) 395-6779
cell- (239) 699-0468 
web- http://www.fairtest.org 

No one is above the law, but Congress

I thought this one might interesting to those of us who are paying back student loans. The children of Congressional members do not have to pay back their students loans. Government by the people for congressional privilege. Congress we make the laws for other people to follow! 
As longs as the people who make the rules don't have to follow them we are a people bondage of inequity. Dr. Martin Luther King wrote in A letter from Birmingham Jail That " Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" (1963). How many many humiliations must we endure. 
I am walking to DC,
Jesse



You say you want a revolution by the Beatles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrkwgTBrW78
We sure could use one now people!

I am walking to DC

Anthony Cody wrote another excellent piece in Education week: "Education Reform Dichotomy: Big Choices Ahead", (http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2013/01/the_education_reform_dichotomy.html). Anthony ask people to respond.
My response is let us act, let us continue to fight back, let us push Civil Disobedience to the max, children are suffering. This is the time to occupy, march, sit in, disrupt, and yes for the Walking Man to Walk to DC again. Silence and apathy are not acceptable. Since NCLB's birth over a decade ago we have see our nation's schools becomes more segregated, less democratic, spend hundreds of billions on failed reforms, false choice, demoralized both students and teachers via more and more meaningless testing.
My thinking is NLCB created one lost generation, and RTTT is losing another.
I don't see side effects Anthony, but Collateral damage that David Berliner wrote about in 2007 "Collateral Damage: How High-Stakes Testing Corrupts America's Schools" Real lives have been destroyed by No excuse policy pushers.
Dialogue yes, but as Fredrick Douglas said: "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."
Let us admit the No Excuses group is not backing down, conceding nothing, and seeking more top down control. They don't see children they see proficiency scores, profits, and power. They don't dialogue, they don't listen, and they care about children. Dialogue to them is we talk you listen not us.
I am still walking, still marching, and I'll be occupying Secretary Status Duncan's DOE in DC in April at Occupy the DOE 2.0 : The Battle For Our Public Schools. After that I plan my next next walk to DC this summer.
Sincerely
Jesse The Walking Man Turner
PS Read Anthony Cody's Blog, reply, and consider following him. I have always found him to be honest, fair, accurate, and informative.

Still listen to that old marching song Ain't gonna let nobody turn me around : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5Z1trynEHs