[Xmca-l] Re: Opt-out movement

[Greg Mcverry]

Here is a press release of the 20 civil rights groups who have signed on to
annual testing:
http://edtrust.org/press_release/more-than-20-civil-rights-groups-and-education-advocates-release-principles-for-esea-reauthorization-the-federal-role-must-be-honored-and-maintained/

The full text is available.

For a nuanced, but with a strong pro-reform slant, here is a Fordham piece
on opt-out: http://edexcellence.net/articles/opting-out-race-and-reform

But I agree, too often #edreform is done to and not with.

On Mon, Mar 30, 2015 at 10:34 AM Glassman, Michael <glassman.13@osu.edu>
wrote:

> Hi Greg,
>
> Do you have a link on this.  I would be really interested to know what the
> thinking of the NAACP is and who is pushing this particular idea.
>
> You can also take it and flip it around.  Why are affluent and privileged
> whites - the same group that is strongly pushing and materially benefitting
> from the emphasis on testing (who runs Pearson, who is pushing corporate
> charter schools) also looking to escape it?  Why does Rahm Emmanuel put his
> children in the University of Chicago laboratory school?  Why do so many of
> the people pushing testing putting their children in Sidwell Friends
> school?   It raises some really disturbing questions I think.
>
> Michael
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-l-bounces@
> mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Greg Mcverry
> Sent: Monday, March 30, 2015 10:21 AM
> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: Opt-out movement
>
> Yet there is also data to support that the opt-out movement is really a
> movement of affluent and privileged whites.
>
> In fact the NAACP has come out strong in support of annual testing as a
> neccisity. Some go as far to call the importance of keeping annual testing
> a civil rights movement.
>
> I think the opinions of  both NAACP wrong and those who look to
> accountability based reform as a means to improving disparities between
> students of color and their suburban peers are wrong.
>
> On Mon, Mar 30, 2015 at 10:17 AM Beth Ferholt <bferholt@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Here in the NYC area it is now a large and quickly growing, as well as
> > a diverse, parent movement.
> >
> > I am generally pessimistic, despite the time I have chosen to devote
> > to this movement, but there are three very good things to come out of
> > it
> > immediately:
> >
> > The children see their parents and teachers fighting back, together,
> > because we care about them here and now -- we are present with them in
> > their daily lives, not telling them what will be good for them when
> > they grow up.
> >
> > May children enjoy joining the fight.  Their tactics are very
> > interesting, worth us thinking about, even if they are also funny.  A
> > huge march I went to this weekend had a sign that said: "Quomo, end
> > testing, eat fresh Pizza."
> >
> > The teachers I work with, no matter what their schools are allowing
> > them to do, feel deeply respected and supported by this movement,
> > during this time when most of them are wondering whether or not they
> > can remain in their chosen profession.
> >
> > Some of the NYC teachers are also opting their students out without
> > the UFT or parents' support, just risking their jobs for their
> > students, and while this cannot be widespread it creates empowering
> > stories that intergenerational groups enjoy telling and retelling.
> >
> > In NYC we find out on Wed. if students getting higher scores one year
> > to the next, on the tests, will now be the primary criteria for firing
> > teachers.  We'll also find out if all schools of education with
> > teaching candidates who do not pass the new Pearson teacher exams
> > (results are back and almost the only teacher candidates passing
> > identify as white) will be closed down by Cuomo in three semesters.
> >
> > Du Bois was writing about this, it's not new, and there is also
> > probably little we can do to change the tide, but at least in NY
> > things may look very different for public schools preK-graduate school
> > within a few short years.
> >
> > We'll see if Cuomo's budget passes on April fools day,
> >
> > Beth
> >
> > On Mon, Mar 30, 2015 at 12:48 AM, Peter Farruggio
> > <pfarruggio@utpa.edu>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Yes, it's still unsafe for teachers to boycott the tests in most
> > > places, although the local teachers union in Seattle coordinated
> > > such an action last year. But the opt out movement is led by
> > > parents, certainly with teachers supporting it in the background,
> > > and it has blossomed this
> > testing
> > > season. Certain administrators have been using bullying tactics,
> > including
> > > outright violations of parents' rights; but the resistance to
> > > incessant testing will continue to grow as parents organize and
> > > coordinate their actions nationwide. Education is and always has
> > > been political, and the politics have become harsher with the
> > > neoliberal push to privatize
> > schools
> > > and everything else.
> > >
> > > Teachers can and must play a role in defending democratic education,
> > > and that means helping to stop the testing madness. The best thing
> > > they can
> > do
> > > at this point is to find ways to educate parents about what is at
> > > stake
> > and
> > > how to exercise their parental rights. If that means conducting
> > clandestine
> > > informational meetings in church basements, so be it.
> > >
> > > See below
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > http://unitedoptout.com/
> > >
> > > http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=5528&section=Article
> > >
> > > http://fairtest.org/get-involved/opting-out
> > >
> > >
> > > Pete Farruggio, PhD
> > > Associate Professor, Bilingual Education University of Texas Pan
> > > American
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu [mailto:
> > > xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Greg Thompson
> > > Sent: Sunday, March 29, 2015 11:04 PM
> > > To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> > > Subject: [Xmca-l] Opt-out movement
> > >
> > > This is related to the other thread since one of my initial
> > > responses to the comments there was: As teachers, why not just stop
> > > paying attention
> > to
> > > all the testing and do the stuff that we know really matters?
> > >
> > > Here is one answer for why not:
> > >
> > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08ntklteK_c&annotation_id=
> > 54833ffb-0000-2b41-a517-001a11c17db2&feature=iv&src_vid=JM1ddULfdhU
> > >
> > > It is a video about a school in Chicago where 75% of the students
> > > opted out of taking a standardized test and the fallout that followed.
> > >
> > > Scary.
> > >
> > > -greg
> > >
> > > --
> > > Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D.
> > > Assistant Professor
> > > Department of Anthropology
> > > 880 Spencer W. Kimball Tower
> > > Brigham Young University
> > > Provo, UT 84602
> > > http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Beth Ferholt
> > Assistant Professor
> > Department of Early Childhood and Art Education Brooklyn College, City
> > University of New York
> > 2900 Bedford Avenue
> > Brooklyn, NY 11210-2889
> >
> > Email: bferholt@brooklyn.cuny.edu
> > Phone: (718) 951-5205
> > Fax: (718) 951-4816
> >
>
>