I am often asked what teachers and parents can do to get across how absurd the “reform” ideas are.
Most important is to reach the public, to enable the public to understand what is happening, and how little evidence there is for any of the reformers’ claims or their strategies.
But here is another tack.
The most effective tool of all may be humor.
The New South Wales Teachers Federation in Australia has begun to create videos to spoof the nonsense that they are dealing with, some of it part of the Global Education Reform Movement (as Pasi Sahlberg of Finland named it) and some imported from the USA.
This video is a mock press conference in which “government officials” explain their verbose and nonsensical plans. It is very funny!
I understand that their next video will feature an interview with an American “education expert” on the glories of privatization.
We really must learn from our friends in Australia. Once something becomes ridiculous, it is hard to take it seriously.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I wonder if the NSWTF has contacted Wilson as an advisor for their videos. New South Wales, home of Noel Wilson, author of one of the most important and damning studies ever done on educational standards, standardized testing and sorting/separating students-grading practices, “Educational Standards and the Problem of Error”.
Come join me in reading, analyzing and discussing his dissertation in order to learn just how nefarious these standardized practices in education are. Please come over to “Promoting Just Education for All” at revivingwilson.org to help me disseminate the findings of this study. I’ve posted an introduction, course of study, and the abstract and a discussion of the abstract. I will be posting a summary of chapter 1 and a discussion in the next few days.
Thanks,
Duane
Terrific!! Thanks for sharing this!
It can be very enlightening when people learn about what’s going on across the globe in education, because those who are on a witch hunt here act as if poverty and other matters impacting education are endemic to America when they are not.
So interesting to learn that federal mandates are issues in Australia, too. (It’s also fascinating that Aussies are in some ways more similar to us, with their Department of Education, principals and exit signs, than to the English, with their MInistry of Education, head masters and way out signs!)
I agree, sometimes we need humor to get us through these tough times. I hope everyone has seen this blog of a “billionaire reformer”: http://laststand4children.blogspot.com/ “Reform Catz” hehe…
Teachers are incredibly creative. (We have to be.) I wish there was a repository, a site or a blog where we could post ideas; similar to these in Australia, and our colleagues who are more media or computer savvy can then create something based on those ideas.
When you find something that is wonderfully creative that should be shared, send it to me and I will post it.
This was quite, quite good!