Call to Action! Save our Schools!

If you are as frustrated about the current educational policies as I am, there is something you can do!  Oakland teacher and author of the "Living in Dialogue" blog Anthony Cody has drafted a petition to the President asking him to reconsider his administration’s stance on education policy in light of his recent comments on the way in which his own children are taught and assessed.  I encourage you to read the text of the letter below and go here if you agree and wish to sign the petition.

"President Obama, Save Our Schools

Greetings,

President Obama, 

On March 28, 2011, you said the following: 
"... we have piled on a lot of standardized tests on our kids. Malia and Sasha, my two daughters, they just recently took a standardized test. But it wasn't a high-stakes test." 

"Too often what we've been doing is using these tests to punish students or to, in some cases, punish schools. ...one thing I never want to see happen is schools that are just teaching to the test. Because then you're not learning about the world; you're not learning about different cultures, you're not learning about science, you're not learning about math. All you're learning about is how to fill out a little bubble on an exam and the little tricks that you need to do in order to take a test. And that's not going to make education interesting to you." 

We agree with what you have set forth as a vision for education here. Unfortunately, this vision is exactly the opposite of the education policy your office has promoted nationwide. By encouraging states to tie teacher pay and employment to test scores, and continuing the punitive, ineffective “turnaround” strategies of No Child Left Behind, your administration has increased the amount and importance of standardized tests given to children in our public schools. 

Mr. President, what’s good for Sasha and Malia’s education is good for public education. The vision you proposed aligns with the Guiding Principles of the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action. We hereby request that you endorse these principles, and more importantly, we implore you to bring the policies of your Department of Education into line with your vision. We furthermore invite you to address citizens concerned about these issues at the Save Our Schools rally at the Ellipse in Washington, DC, on July 30th.

[Your name]"

If that doesn’t feel like enough and you are still fired up, visit the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action website and consider joining me in the March July 28 – 31.   I would love to see you there!