We are all aware of the destructive policies that are being pushed into the schools, despite any evidence for their value and considerable evidence that they do harm.
The good news is that parents and educators are pushing back, in city after city and state after state. The resistance to overtesting, to attacks on educators, and to privatization is growing, as Mark Naison reports here
Next year, it will blossom and grow.
If you are part of a grassroots group supporting your public schools, please send me the name of your group and website.
We will continue the pushback.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Well said! Pass it on a million times over!
Assessments are cutting in to the limited instructional time in our classrooms. At this point, we are collecting data to support loss of instructional time, due to excessive testing. Loss of instructional time translates into limiting our students’ opportunity to learn the content. Seems like a no-brainer! Need to stop soon, or an entire group of kids will be cheated beyond measure.
I have a Facebook group “Florida Parents and Educators for Legislative Change” where people post articles about public education and politics in Florida. We also try to keep track of our Legislators voting record on education issues. This year we have a newly elected House member who is an experienced educator as part of our group. For people who do not use Facebook or who would prefer to remain anonymous, I recently started a blog site http://floridaparentsandeducators.wordpress.com where people can access the same information and contribute to the discussion.
Indiiana has the “Indiana Coalition for Public Education.” Website is “icpe2011.com/” We need all the help we can get. The Republicans are furious the Glenda Ritz beat Tony Bennett and are even talking now about making her position appointed rather than elected. THe REPA vote today even takes authority away from her and gives it to an appointed state board.
Thanks, Susie Gahan
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Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education:
http://www.savesacramentopublicschools.org
We’re also on facebook and active there, again “Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education .”
Citizens to Preserve Public Education. We are located out of Muskegon, Michigan and initially came together because the first school district run by a for-profit company has popped up in our county. The truth about what is happening there is being hidden from citizens under a veil of secrecy and misinformation.
We have a parent group in Chicago called Parents 4 Teachers that advocates for teachers and public schools: http://parents4teachers.net/ and on Facebook.
Also in Chicago–19th Ward Parents, Raise Your Hand!, P.U.R.E.
(Parents United for Responsible Education, & its founder, Julie Woestehoff, was a founder of Parents Across America), K.O.C.O.
(Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization). In Rockford, IL, a group called W.E.E. (Watchdogs for Ethics in Education) helped rid the school district of its Broad superintendent.
I see it here in Michigan. For the first time in my memory, online news articles about education are flooded with people, consisting of often 80-90%+ of the total comments, pushing back and saying that they like their public, community schools and don’t want them run by or harmed by for-profit corporations. I hope that we are nearing rock bottom and that this sign of a change in public sentiment will precede some better ed policy here in my home state and across the country.
Over 1500 people have signed up on facebook to call The White House weekly. And I’m sure we have others who aren’t on facebook calling too!!!! (Next goal is 2000 next week.)
In Douglas County Colorado, here are some key groups that are helping fight the good fight: The Strong Schools Coalition (http://strongschoolscoalition.com), TaxPayers for Public Education (http://www.taxpayersforpubliceducation.org/), and a great Facebook Page that helps teachers and community members SPEAK out: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SPEAK-for-DCSD/113649758761679.
People are waking up, reading the facts, and taking action! We hope to have a turn around here in DougCo in the next election cycle as we vote out the Board of Education!
One term of my retirement contract was “irrevocable.” That now seems to be meaningless.
However, if the contract is broken for those retired, then the retired people may return to work at the present rate of pay and still have accumulated sick days.
I retired with over 400 sick days. I will gladly return to work and start using my sick days.
Lynn (MA) Parents Organizing for a Better Education wants to improve and support the Lynn Public Schools.
Yes, what education needs is the truth. The public might support “choice” and “accountability” (who doesn’t?) but I feel certain they don’t know that their public schools are being overtaken by privateers who siphon public money into private pockets. Also, I’m sure they don’t realize that they will lose all control over these schools and their children might be denied access or asked to leave.
I notice that the NAACP is getting involved in some states. That’s wise because in countries that have already privatized their schools, the children of color, the poor, and the disabled are often left behind and assigned to schools that no one else chooses.
Our public schools are the bedrock of our democracy and must be strengthened and preserved.
Not if Arne and Obama have anything to say about it:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/12/05/13department_ep.h32.html?tkn=MPZFXd3GdnuTyAfrHZKCwwz5poLCYWcx8Vbs&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
Duncan’s made it clear that he and Obama are aligned with Jeb Bush and ALEC on school reform. Let’s hope we can throw enough sand and monkey wrenches into the gears of Congressional approval to stop them.
And then let’s start electing parties that really care about public schooling.
What parties are those? People out there, let’s start running for local offices & follow the model of Glenda Ritz!
Both the Green and Justice parties support public education. Check out their platforms.
A small but growing number of us in CT call ourselves Truth In Education. We have no website, but we use the Pelto blog as a sort of rallying point.
We have a Facebook page in Florida that is 40,000 strong. (http://www.facebook.com/PublicEdMatters) It was started by parents to prevent the passage of a single piece of legislation (Senate Bill 6) but has continued to work on pro-public education issues, in coalition with our more formalized organizations: Fund Education Now, Parents Across America, PTA, Florida Education Association, etc. Together we are stronger!
Here in S. Indiana it is Save Our Schools Supporting Traditional Schools on Facebook! Everyone is welcome to join and share what we know!
Hello, Diane-
The name of my grassroots effort is the Michigan Alliance for Special Education and we fight unapologetically hard for children with disabilities. In addition, I fight for all children and for public education. The MI Alliance for Special Education has a website and a Facebook page. We have held two rallies on the steps of the MI Capitol and as recently as 8-29-12. I also have a Facebook page titled the “Special Education Wall of Shame” and both Arne Duncan and Rick Snyder are currently posted.
In Wisconsin, a new grassroots parent-led group has just formed to push back against the impending return of the ALEC-sourced “Special Needs Scholarship Program” which was stymied in the state legislature last year. Our group is Stop Special Needs Vouchers, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StopSpecialNeedsVouchers
In Wisconsin, a new grassroots parent-led group has just formed to push back against the impending return of the so-called “Special Needs Scholarship Program” which was stymied in the state legislature last year. Our group is Stop Special Needs Vouchers, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StopSpecialNeedsVouchers
Parents and educators in Northern New York State are organizing as well. We are concerned about the future of our children and our rural/small city communities in particular, and with the inequity of New York State educational funding in general.
We have a site called http://www.fairfundingforstudents.org and are hoping to network with the grassroots throughout the state. We must call on the Governor and State Legislators to stop policies that balance the State’s budget on the backs of poor and lower middle class students in a diversity of rural, small city, and urban schools statewide. There is a survey on our website (www.fairfundingforstudents.org) to gather information from advocates so that we can communicate and coordinate to save our schools.
It is challenging to get people to realize what is happening! Several studies (including one from NYS School Superintendents and one from NYS School Business Officials) show that close to 40 public schools will be insolvent this year, and over 200 will be in this boat in the next two years Links and further information are at http://www.fairfundingforstudents.org .
Please help us spread the word to sign the petition and write to Governor Cuomo (who has Presidential ambitions and connections …. and thus implications beyond New York State as well)!!!! We are hoping to get further statewide and even national attention on a Sign-On petition for fair funding. The petition is moving towards 6000 signatures from people all across New York State.
http://signon.org/sign/governor-cuomo-address?source=s.icn.em.cp&r_by=6268329
There is also a Facebook Group, Equity in State Aid for Schools: http://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolequity/
I am an education activist in upstate New York. I will be attending the rally in Washington D.C. In April. I have a Facebook group entitled “Won’t Back Down Censored My Comment”, which I began after that happened to me. I wanted MY page to be what people found when they searched “Won’t Back Down” ( the movie) on Facebook. I am also part of many other activist Facebook pages.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/398228900240406/
We are Concerned Teachers of Chautauqua County (CCTC) on Facebook, small but growing, and maintaining hope in spite of incredible money pouring into the opposition. We are opting out our kids, staying active in our local union, and voicing our concerns to anyone who will listen. THANK YOU for giving us a voice, Diane! You are fighting the good fight. We just want to know what to do now!
There will be more actions you can take in 2013. Stay ready and stay tuned.
Meanwhile link up with other groups, like Parents Across America.
We have several groups in SC. I am a member of Charleston Area Community Voice for Education, a PAA chapter. We also have SC Teachers and Parents for Education. Both have FB pages under those names. SC has two other groups and I will ask them to post here.
So, United Opt Out has the big rally April 4th-7th at the US DOE. What if we all hold rallies on a state level at the same time, say on that Saturday when most people can attend? Grassroots groups can join together in each state and meet up at the statehouse or state DOE. What an incredible message we could all send. What do you think, Diane?
Great idea!
We have a group in Sumter, SC called the Sumter Education Task Force (SETF). We are an affiliate of PAA. We have a FB page as well as a blog. We are somewhat new so we are learning as we go. Your book has been quite informative and helpful. We are passionate about keeping the public voice in public education. Several of us Opted out last year, but we are hoping to make a stronger push this year. We are also attempting to keep our community informed about what is taking place in public education.
Thank you for all you are doing!