[Xmca-l] Re: Opt-out movement

Greg Thompson greg.a.thompson@gmail.com
Mon Mar 30 10:26:07 PDT 2015 

Interesting Peter, the line that showed up on my gmail list was:

"Be very suspicious of civil rights groups."

Seems a strange landscape we are navigating.

​-greg

On Mon, Mar 30, 2015 at 9:36 AM, Peter Farruggio <pfarruggio@utpa.edu>
wrote:

> Be very suspicious of civil rights groups that support the status quo of
> test and punish neoliberal policies. Ravitch here shows that ALL of the 20
> signatories are funded by the Gates Foundation
>
>
> http://dianeravitch.net/2013/08/29/do-civil-rights-groups-want-more-high-stakes-testing/
>
>
>
> -----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 9:45 AM
> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: Opt-out movement
>
> 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=Articl
> > > > e
> > > >
> > > > 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
> > >
> >
> >
>
>


-- 
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

More information about the xmca-l mailing list