This article describes what a grass-roots rebellion looks like.
It describes a growing revolt against failed education policies.
It reviews the mounting protests by students, parents, teachers, school boards against senseless mandates.
It even shows clueless Secretary Duncan both embracing and not embracing the so-called “parent trigger” that was defeated twice by Florida’s parents.
This is how a revolution against the status quo begins.
With spontaneous actions by all affected.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I found this article about an hour ago and sent it out to my all my listservs. I was just about to send it to you. We should all send it out.
Here in Maine, the big push for virtual charters appears to be fading; but then again the governor is pushing hard to remove the state’s limits on the number of new charters, and he’s just as antagonistic to the public schools (grades were passed out last week).
So while the news that we’re seeing an organized resistance is great, I’d venture we’ll see the empire strike back soon.
Status quo is slowly crumbling. But what do we do now? Simply getting rid of the “test’ is good but doesn’t solve the problem. Ranking and sorting of students existed in the classroom long before the test. And it was done by mini chapter, standardized tests.
It is time to 1. Take kids from where they are, 2. Teach real learning, beginning with the childs personal background, 3. assess for the purpose of educating the student. 4. Assess real demonstrated learning, 5. Take students into the community for so many teachable moments and on and on….. read our 2 books for more
Speaking of The Status Quo:
I had forgotten what it meant to have a bad hair day! I’m sorry, Duane, I couldn’t get past their hair.
Thanks, Duane–very entertaining!
I’m convinced that the critical mass moment is here for change because the very first time I wore my t-shirt with the logo “Public Education Is Not For Sale” from The Public Education Network, people came up to me to talk. They wanted to share their story, ask questions, and also wanted to know what they could do!
I can tell that the rheeformers are getting nervous about backlash: in Connecticut we are being bombarded with radio and tv messages urging us to tell our legislators to stay the course on school reform.