I just learned that Rob Miller, principal of the Jenks Middle School in Oklahoma, is under investigation for possibly encouraging parents to opt out of a field test.
Jenks Public Schools participated in and encouraged a movement to opt students out of field tests last April, an Oklahoma State Department of Education investigation found.
In a July 7 report provided to the Tulsa World this week in response to an open records request, the state said it had evidence that Jenks Middle School Principal Rob Miller “initiated a movement to opt out ‘teachers and students’ from all field tests administered at Jenks Middle School. This occurred while on ‘school time’ and through school district email,” the report says.
The parents at the school say that the decision to opt out of field testing was their own, and they acted without the principal being involved:
In April, the school received a flurry of opt-out forms from parents asking that their children not be subjected to field tests, which are used by testing companies to evaluate questions for future use.
They do not count in either a student’s grade or in a school’s state grade.
“Our kids are being used as unpaid subjects by CTB/McGraw-Hill (a testing vendor) without our consent or permission,” PTA President Deedra Barnes said at the time.
She said the opt-out movement was led by Jenks parents who were frustrated by too much testing and who had heard of similar efforts by parents throughout the country.
After hearing about the opt-out initiative, the state Education Department on April 24 requested numerous records under the Open Records Act related to testing from Jenks Public Schools.
The state received 529 pages of documentation, including 216 redacted email communications, as well as around 800 student opt-out letters, according to its report.
But there may be another reason that Principal Miller is under investigation. On his blog, he wrote critically about the State Superintendent Janet Barresi, a member of Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change and former dentist.
Worse, he wrote a dazzling review of Reign of Error.
He started his review with a quote tweeted by the Tulsa World’s education writer, Andrea Eger: “The truth is like a lion. You don’t have to defend it. Let it loose and it will defend itself. – St. Augustine”
Principal Miller went from there to write: “Diane is a lioness of truth who roars with authority, credibility and conviction. She leads a pride of like-minded Americans who believe that corporate reformers have gone too far and that overemphasis on testing and grading of schools has damaged public education and by extension, millions of students and teachers nationwide.”
The parents in Jenks Middle School say they initiated the opt out. In the emails cited in the story, Miller says he tried to dissuade the parents, but he did not seem to be giving them direct orders not to opt out. He walked a fine line.
Trust the parents. Oklahoma should not punish this conscientious educator who is trying to walk a fine line, both to obey his superiors and to listen to his parents.
Will he be punished for (perhaps) expressing his own thoughts? He knows the test doesn’t count.
Is there freedom of speech and freedom of conscience in Oklahoma? Or is obedience to authority, even when authority is wrong, the highest value?
Principal Miller, I hope your parents and community stand with you. Can Oklahoma bear to debate what is right and what is true?
You are my hero.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Thank you! Rob and the parents at Jenks are truly leaders in the fight against OSDE. Our Superintendent is a Jeb Bush disciple and nothing…and no one…will stand in the way of her pursuit of his vision of education reform. It’s scary here in OK. But people like Rob Miller keep telling truth to power.
Good luck to you and thanks for standing up!
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of the kids opted out by not answering 1 question on the test put in front of them?
Can a movement be started on and spread by Facebook?
The students have the power to stop this madness; they just don’t realize they have the power.
That whole school community represents the greens philosophy. I hope they change their voter registration asap!
1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect their lives and not be subject to the will of another. Therefore, we will work to increase public participation at every level of government and to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We will also work to create new types of political organizations which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process.
2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law.
3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM
Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society which utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation. To this end we must practice agriculture which replenishes the soil; move to an energy efficient economy; and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems.
4. NON-VIOLENCE
It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments. We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace.
5. DECENTRALIZATION
Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. Therefore, we support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system which is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all citizens.
6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
We recognize it is essential to create a vibrant and sustainable economic system, one that can create jobs and provide a decent standard of living for all people while maintaining a healthy ecological balance. A successful economic system will offer meaningful work with dignity, while paying a “living wage” which reflects the real value of a person’s work.
Local communities must look to economic development that assures protection of the environment and workers’ rights; broad citizen participation in planning; and enhancement of our “quality of life.” We support independently owned and operated companies which are socially responsible, as well as co-operatives and public enterprises that distribute resources and control to more people through democratic participation.
7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY
We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want.
8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY
We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines.
We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We acknowledge and encourage respect for other life forms than our own and the preservation of biodiversity.
9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY
We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.
10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.
Ten Key Values of state and local Greens
There is no authoritative version of the Ten Key Values of the Greens. The Ten Key Values are guiding principles that are adapted and defined to fit each state and local chapter.
Taken from http://www.gp.org/tenkey.php
Isn’t it funny how the Republican Party is supposedly about “limited government and local control”? Yet, they love to use the government to force people to be knuckled under by their disgusting agenda. The Republican Party loves big government. They use it every chance they can get to bully people.
Ugh. I hate to see people blame one political party or the other.
Arne Duncan and Obama are Dems. They are just as deep in all of this as any Repub.
There are 2 political parties in the US today: Us and Them. They are all in collusion against Us.
cupcake – so true, so true! You’ve hit the nail on the head! us & them – so sad!
I am more convinced by such events that the corporate education assault is an effort broader than simply making money (although profit is an institutional goal in the FIRE sector) . The government is shutting out and shutting down any intelligent dissent by cutting off citizens knowledge of what they & their partner corporations are doing in total secrecy.
The protections for teacher advocacy have been stripped for K-12 and Arne with the help of his army of billionaires and compromised media have higher education in their next sights for “reform’. Resisting the next media misinformation campaign (e.g, agitprop) is going to require a unified front -no squishy middle from everyone who cares about democracy.
You are absolutely right. The national conversation shaped by the media owned by 5 corporate entities hides the corporate assault, but one only has to look at the hundreds of charter schools that replaced public education, which failed simply because the evaluated the veteran, professional out the door. Then in came the expensive tests, and test preps, and now hi-tech and none of these things meets the principles of learning… which By the way— ARE THE NEW STANDARDS RESEARCH… WHICH WE ALSO HEAR nothing about… STANDARDIZED TESTING WAS NEVER ONE OF THE PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING.
It is a vast conspiracy.
Exactly. An ignorant America swallows the bold-faced lies put out by people who are out to wreck the democracy. E.D. Hirsch wrote that a democracy depends on shared knowledge. Years ago, I wrote an essay on OPED News, called “Bamboozle Them” and one called “Subverting The National Conversation” and this is exactly what is occurring. My author’s Page at OPED is available when you google me, and I am proud to be the NYS English Council, (NYSEC) Educator of Excellence (’98) Susan Lee Schwartz
This has been the plan for a long time. This is the frog in the frying pan game. Put them in with it cold and turn it on real slow and then it will be too late to not get cooked. They have patience and money. This is the plan explained in the classic book “Hapsburgs to Hitler” by Gulick in 1948. This is the story of how starting in 1919 in Austria fascism has been an institution since 1919 until today. You have all heard of the Chicago School of Economics right? Well, they are who created that school and it is the Austrian School of Economics, fascism, which in the classic sense is corporations and the wealthy running/and are the government like Italy under Mussolini. They want that here and as Wallace FDR’s VP during WWII said “The fascists here have wanted it since the 20’s but Hitler taught them something and that is to take time and do it without weapons.” That is exactly what is happening and Eisenhower, a 5 star general, is the one who warned us of the Military Industrial Complex. We did not listen and have become warlike and that will lead us to the same as “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.”
Exactly. You should get the OPED newsletter. Robert Reich, Chris Hedges, Paul Craig Roberts, and publisher Rob Kall are just a few of the people who regular point out the things that you did. I am not affiliated with that site and just like to post some essays and mostly links to articles that I read, but I really enjoy the ‘threads’ that intelligent literate folks like you write… especially since Kall through off the site anyone who is rude, or who seeks to derail genuine discussions. He insists on FACTS and expects links . It does not have nearly enough people who post about the scandal that is befalling teachers. I often post Diane’s blog there, and also some of Perdaily, NAPTA (www.endteacher abuse.com, and Betsy Combier’s sites, and other excellent teacher activist sites, like ‘Ed Notes’ (norm Scott’s site) and essays by Leonie Haimison.
We all need to know what is going on across the country.
Our isolation allows them to do this.
It may be that teachers will no longer be able to “walk a fine line” on Opt Out any longer. Having been fired and blacklisted from teaching in public schools in this area as a result of my publication of the odious CASE tests 14 years ago in Substance, I am aware of the risks we may face. So I’m not trying to “lead from behind”. But this may be the year when teachers are going to have to stand in solidarity for Opt Out — and then, like the teachers at Chicago’s Curie High School ten years ago and the teachers at Seattle’s Garfield High School this past school year…
Stand up and be counted.
Meanwhile, who do we have to email and write to against this Oklahoma witch hunt?
Don’t write to anyone but the voter registrar! Change to the greens all at once and see what kind of reaction that gets! We can be heard more clearly this way because the greens aren’t in it for the money!
George, why don’t we launch a twitter blitz to Rachel Maddow to watch this?
YES, YES, YES!!!! Never forget Curie & Garfield & EVERYONE do what they did–just as–if EVERYONE opted out, WHAT are the data slaves going to do…having no data? No testing, no data, no data, no VAMs, no data, no “failing” schools, no “failing” schools, no privatization. End the tesing=giving $$$$ going to Pear$on, McGraw-Hill/CTB= giving taxpayer $$$$ back to the public school students, where it rightfully belongs. Yes, WE can…& we WILL.
And–Rob Miller & Jenks Parents–YOU are Education Heroes!
Do you not realize that 20 years ago this was the illegal deprivation of DUE PROCESS eliminated the professional teachers in NYC./ Do you not realize that the savage removal of teacher in Los Angeles (LAUSD) is ongoing right now.Lenny Isenberg, who runs Per Daily.com speaks of the enormous frustration of pointing out for years, the outrageous willful destruction and lawlessness that allows critters like Deasy and the people who run the Los Angeles schools
where they can lie, scam, steal and cheat … and the nation goes ho-hum. “Everyone is aware of what is happening, he says.
In fact here is the due process violation explained by newly elected Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board President Dr. Richard Vladovic, who admitted that until his recent election as Board President LAUSD Board members never were given the opportunity to consider teachers’ statements or any other exculpatory evidence in teacher dismissal proceedings brought by LAUSD administration before the Board. Dr. Vladovic openly speculated that this one-sided process could have violated the due process rights of teachers facing dismissal before the Board in a procedure that held their professional careers in the balance.
COULD HAVE?
IT IS THE PROCESS NATIONWIDE IMPORTED TO OKLAHOMA.
That all of you know nothing or this insidious process that occurs because the legal representation for an American who is slandered, is missing if that person is TEACHER, and is because the UNIONS ARE COMPLICIT IN THE REMOVAL PROCESS!
NO accountability led to the financial debacle.
NO accountability led to the mortgage scandal.
No rule or regulations governing the behavior of school management led to the total lack of accountability for slandering teachers and ruining the lives of thousands of dedicated professionals.
YOU are not alone, and not the first to encounter it. THE MEDIA WOULD RATHER TELL YOU ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE GATE CRASH, or some celeb’s wardrobe malfunction. Spectacle replaced news, and an ignorant public is clueless that this is happening to you.
BY THE WAY… I wrote an essay when it happened to me in 1998 when I was a teacher celebrated by the NYS English Council, after my seventh grade practice became a cohort for The New Standards, and I was one of six in the nations honored at the end for a unique curricula that met all of the PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING, which were the real standards… that NO ONE HEARS ABOUT.
The essay, “No Constitutional Rights” written a decade ago, is in on my site “Speaking As A Teacher” http://www.speakingasateacher.com/
and can also be found on Perdaily.com and opednews.com …addresses easy to find if you google my name.
I am proud to be the NYS English Council, (NYSEC) Educator of Excellence (’98)
Susan Lee Schwartz
Rob Miller is definitely a hero. Teachers all over America would love it if the principals and Supers. in their district would stand up and fight. It is time.
I just sent Janet Barresi an email letting her know how outraged I am about her persecution of Rob Miller. Here is the link: http://ok.gov/sde/webform/contact
Have no doubt that any minion who arises from the coterie of Jeb Bush would hesitate for one second to extract revenge on anyone who questions their actions or motives — it was Jeb Bush’s modus operandi during his entire governorship.
He vowed revenge against the Florida Education Association after being twice embarrassed by having a constitutional amendment limiting class size passed twice by voters with support of the FEA against his express wishes and huge spending for propaganda against the amendment. He has since carefully orchestrated the Tea Party controlled legislature to pass every egregious ALEC law imaginable and teaching in Florida is now all but impossible due to the anti-teacher measures enforced by Bush’s prodigies in the state department of education.
I agree with George Schmidt that the time is soon coming when we will either have to stand and up say “NO!” with conviction and bravery or else abandon the public schools entirely. We have nothing but suffering, mentally and physically exhausted teachers who live in fear and approach their job with loathing and disgust every single day here in Florida. We can only martyr ourselves in solidarity with our children so far before falling victim to the health-destroying psy-ops employed by Bush and his minions.
Me, I’m actively seeking employment outside of public education. It’s impossible to continue as things are and my health is deteriorating every single day. I will not die for this job but I will continue fighting and spreading the word when and if I find gainful employment outside the horrific Florida school system.
Barresi and her complicit newspaper, the Oklahoman, often attack Jenks and other districts in the Tulsa area. These schools have leaders who are extremely outspoken about the Lindsey Nicole Henry scholarship (sending special education students to private schools with public money) and other reforms. She doesn’t have a leg to stand on here, and has miscalculated how this will play with voters.
There is a lot of this happening now around the country. Teachers are being told that their jobs are at risk if they encourage kids to opt out. Where are the unions on this? It’s time they stepped up. Far past time.
Why is anybody surprised about this? Teachers have been shut up and put out for years.
When you work in this field and you stick your head up they will smash it down just like the game. False criminal charges, no big deal for them. Terminate you without cause, so what is what they say. Brave is what he is. Risk is what he took. Now can we raise enough hell like with the iPads that they stop and at least think for a minute what they should do from fear as that is all that works with idiots like those punishing this person. This is unfortunate, yet so very true. If you sit back and let them do this they will do more. If you confront them they like the easy sneaky way not the public exposure, so use the exposure and make them itchy.
As a JMS opt-out parent, I can attest that this was a parent-led move. Of course Principal Miller had contact with Ms. Barnes and those who had questions, but there’s a difference between answering questions and instigating trouble. Barresi’s vindictiveness is well established; her SDE had earlier published personal details of students appealing the withholding of their diplomas. These details included troubled home life and disability information — all identifiable by name for the world to see.
Jenks parents are nowhere near finished standing up for our kids by challenging the takeover of our classrooms by the corporate assessment complex. And Barresi is gone after Nov. 2014, if not in the primary. It’s just a question of how many backs she’ll try to stab on the way out.
Yet once more. Are scholars and educators to run our schools or politicians, politicians inside and outside the public school arena?
Do we believe in the efficacy of democratic principles or in fascist principles? Does anyone, teachers included work best when top down autocrats force them into a cage or when freedom of intellect, creativity, working together to make a great organization work best. History should certainly tell us the answer.
Again, also, may it be brought to your attention the book “Why Nations Fail”, a scholarly treatise on the subject. For me the principles therein are cogent and have tremendous importance to what is happening in our nation now, not just in the public school arena but throughout our society. Even if one does not read the whole 400 plus pages, a few chapters should grab your attention.
Rob Miller is a true Bad Ass.
I am very humbled that Diane chose to post this story. We truly have a State Superintendent in Oklahoma who is out of control. Thanks to all for your words of support and encouragement! I also want everyone to know that my district leadership and BOE are 100% supportive. This is clearly an attempt by one of Jeb’s Chiefs for a Change to silence a critic. Thank you, David for sending a response to our SDE. I think Barresi needs to know the size of the army she is about to engage with. Collectively, we are impossible to stop. And, Teresa, I truly am proud to be called a Bad Ass!
Rob Miller, you are a true educator that stands for his children and their parents. I admire you and am fighting COMMON CORE with all that I have. I will be sending Supt. Baressi and Gov. Fallin an e-mail telling them that I support what you did. Keep up the good work!
Lenny is a great brave person to do what he does. He has helped more teachers through their misery than anyone and given them good advice even if the do not take it which is depressing as they continue to believe the lies they are told that take the teachers to destruction. Go to perdaily.com and you can read his posts. There are over 400 of them and he has the largest data base of falsely charged and falsely and illegally terminated teachers there is other than LAUSD’s.
In 1995 the first teacher came to me at the Chanda Smith settlement in Federal Court and told me of the false charges of child abuse for whistle blowing. It was hell but we finally had the issue audited by the California State Auditor. The audit is available on their website and is Oct. 1997, 96121. LAUSD agreed with the state of California to cease and desist this behavior and today it is worse than ever. This is of concern nationally as this is happening across the nation. It also seems that the districts seem to prefer to take this to high time, at LAUSD meaning nearing the “Rule of 80”, high wage teachers at the top of the scale and, unfortunately, at the top of their professional abilities. This I have seen since 1995 when we estimated “Teacher Jail” at 4-600.
All teachers should be glad of a Lenny Isenberg and what he does to help those who are tragically effected by these false often criminal charges of the worst sort. When they have called me, and I have been at Lenny’s and heard the same thing, they are beyond imagination the pain they are in as no one believes what has happened to them and now Lenny and for a long time I took. They first cannot believe that you know. They then have to understand that they are not the only ones. This is a lot better known now than before. Still, when your life, reputation and income is ruined what do you think that does to you? One thing if you abused someone another if you are falsely charged and through my experience the younger the students they teach the worse it is on that person as that personality is not prepared for war of this kind.
I hope there are more Lenny’s out there, are there? Please let us know if you are out there. I, for one, would like to know after doing this since 1995 and Lenny is the only other one I know of so far.
They are petulant such that slow boiling frogs does not provide the instant gratification, the only validation these tyrants value, and so absurdities like this take place. I welcome them as they continue to be a weapon handed us by the enemies of education itself that we can easily use against them.
Wow… Unless the SED has aligned themselves silently with corporate reformers that have gone too far, then it’s more like “Go figure…”
CitizensArrest must have read and understood “The Art of War” and marshal arts. This is how to stop the billionaires. We are doing that in L.A. since we forced Aquino to resign with no warning. For once the billionaires did not have game advantage. We moved first and decisively with full information lying in wait for the opportunity. Use their power on them. Use their documents on them to prove what liars and cheats they are and that they have no credibility at all as credibility is the coin of the realm not money when the war starts. Only warriors win wars not talkers and b.s.ers. Talk is cheap in our world.