Wendy Lecker is a civil rights lawyer who lives in Ciponnecticut. She worked on the lawsuit for more funding for high-needs schools in New York, called the Campaign for Fiscal Equity and has just agreed to become the lawyer for the Campaign.
In this terrific article, she asks whether there is any superintendent in Connecticut brave enough to stand up with such leaders as Joshua Starr of Montgomery County, Maryland, Heath Morrison of Charlotte-Mecklenberg, North Carolia, and John Kuhn of Texas, all of whom have forthrightly criticized the misuse of standardized testing.
Is there one? Two? Please speak up.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Could we also ask for more teachers and principals and parents to speak up?
Now we have leaders who are brave enough and informed enough to speak out.
Imagine the power of our collective voice.
Could it be the right time for the rest of us too?
What does it mean to speak up? I maintain a blog on the topic, I speak about it every chance I get, to groups of parents, to friends, to anyone who will listen. Most people that I talk to have no idea at all what is being done to education. When I explain some of the provisions of NCLB, or RttT, they are appalled, but then do nothing, probably just assuming that the concern is overblown. It feels a lot like spitting into the wind. So what does effective “speaking up” mean?
Ditto every word you said.
How to speak up? I’m not sure.
What goes viral, what resonates, what captures the interests of others? I check this blog to find out. Diane keeps us informed.
When lots of parents and friends start hearing the truth about the misuse of standardized testing from those of us on the ground and in the trenches the big picture will come together for them, just as it did for us. It takes time. Our parents and friends and policy-makers need to hear it from multiple perspectives and multiple voices.
It does feel like spitting into the wind sometimes. But I honestly think the wind may be changing direction a bit. This holiday party circuit I heard more people say, “I’ve been hearing abut that from other educators too.” This year more people tell me they’ve read about it and they’re starting to be concerned about it. My favorite this party season was, “Have you heard about Diane Ravitch? She changed her mind . . ”
Word is getting around.
I have been explaining to my friends and family all the implications of the latest educational initiatives as they politely listen, and sympathize, but the conversations usually end with a shrug and “well, what can you do?” It is so hard to succinctly explain concepts that have been tagged with phrases which mask the issue, and make it difficult to argue with like “accountability” or “anti-bullying.” I think the best way to deal with it is to act locally and focus on local DATA! I was able to explain to my district – after great effort- that the program they picked to address bullying is developmentally inappropriate, not aligned with the sex ed curriculum, misaligned with our district and worse – may actually be damaging to students. The focus for parents and teachers going forward absolutely has to be on demanding valid and reliable data that suggests the need for particular practices in our own districts, and even more importantly, data that proves its effectiveness. Too often, flawed surveys are cited as rationale for practices which in no way reflect our own situation, and then ineffective or worse, potentially damaging activities, continue without adequate checks in place!