Every state should have a write-in candidate–or a major party candidate–who shares the agenda of the Restore Recess Party.
I pledge to support the candidacy of Mark Naison for Governor of New York in 2014.
Let’s start a national movement that spreads everywhere and gets the attention of candidates who want the votes of parents, grandparents, and educators and everyone else who care about kids and the future of our society as a place of creativity and ingenuity, not a land of test-taking robots. If we organize, if we mobilize, if we make our voices heard, then the major party candidates will copy our agenda.
This is from Mark:
Why I Agreed to Be a “Write in Candidate” for the Governor of New York State of the Restore Recess Party
1. To let Andrew Governor Andrew Cuomo know there is a price for showing contempt for the parents, teachers and students of New York State and placing Data over the needs of Students.
Cuomo’s education playbook was shaped by two wealthy “Astro Turf” education policy organizations- Democrats for Education Reform, and Students First. He hoped to parlay the policy and the financial support of these groups into a future presidential run. Our little campaign is reminder how flawed those plans were2. To let the people of New York State know what would need to be done to take the huge burden of Testing out of the public schools and to make schools places where students of all backgrounds are treasured and empowered and where curriculum and teaching is tailored to THEIR needs, not the quest of the nation’s Corporations for a disciplined obedient labor force. Schools organized that way would attract and retain great teachers. We have to radically change course from the policy Governor Cuomo has chosen.
Cuomo’s education playbook was shaped by two wealthy “Astro Turf” education policy organizations- Democrats for Education Reform, and Students First. He hoped to parlay the policy and the financial support of these groups into a future presidential run. Our little campaign is reminder how flawed those plans were2. To let the people of New York State know what would need to be done to take the huge burden of Testing out of the public schools and to make schools places where students of all backgrounds are treasured and empowered and where curriculum and teaching is tailored to THEIR needs, not the quest of the nation’s Corporations for a disciplined obedient labor force. Schools organized that way would attract and retain great teachers. We have to radically change course from the policy Governor Cuomo has chosen.
Restore Recess Party New York State- Education Program
1. Restore Recess. No use of Recess or Physical Education time for Test prep
2. Cut the state testing budget in half and use the money to lower class size and fund arts programs, sports programs and school counselors.
3. No Data Sharing. No information about children can be shared with anyone outside of the school district without parental permission
4 Create a new Education Policy Committee to replace the Education Reform Commission, and require it to have a majority of currently active teachers and parents
5. End the use of student test scores in teacher evaluations.
6. Cancel all State Education Contracts with for profit companies
7. Stop all School Closings- Help Schools in Trouble, Don’t Close Them
8. End state support for the Common Core Standards- Leave that decision up to each individual school district.
9. Multiply the number of portfolio schools which require no tests at all. Let teachers and parents form them within the public school system, not as charters
10. Bring back vocational and technical education into every school district if parents and teachers support it
11. Withdraw from Race to the Top and take no Federal Funds that require more testing, more school closings, or adoption of Common Core Standards
12. Make sure all schools, especially those in high poverty areas, have strong after school programs.
13, Make Community History welcome in the schools.
14. Encourage the creation of school farms and gardens.15. Exempt special needs students from all state tests and require that they get instruction appropriate to their developmental level and aptitudes
15. Exempt special needs students from all state tests and require that they get instruction appropriate to their developmental level and aptitudes
Diane Ravitch's blog 
He’s got my vote. I’ve seen too many “Democrats” go along with privatization/screw the middle class policies.
That would be the vast majority of Democrats everywhere on levels of government, including Chuck Schumer.
The Democrats resemble the Republicans for one reason only: they want the same power grab as the GOP and therefore have shifted their politics far more to the right and even right of center in order to harvest corporate campaign funds.
I have NEVER voted Republican. There are only a handful of people on both sides of the aisle who are decent.
Don’t try to reform the Democratic party.
Form a third party and invite Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders to lead it.
Don’t get frustrated.
Don’t get angry.
Get even . . . . . .
I think a third progressive party is exactly what this country needs.
I would support your third party idea.
I’m in too. A third party sounds like the right plan to me. I’m done voting Democrat (up until now I have always been a lifelong Dem of the Progressive sort).
I’d be happy to collect signatures for a real primary run too. It would annoy Cuomo in the extreme to be primaried even if there was no real chance of his losing. How many signatures are needed? Would a movement by teachers (though unfortunately not their union) be enough to collect them? Let’s find out.
Do you or anyone know how signatures can be collected online? How many are needed to be legally considered a contender for the primary?
In #2 Mark needs to include school librarians. I hope he listens. I have asked before. It would be wonderful to have a leader who listens – We know we don’t have one now. School librarians & library programs offer students free-range choice in a world where this is more important than ever. A platform calling for school gardens should surely also call for school libraries. School librarians may need their own candidate…
Let’s do it! Go Mark! Let’s reestablish public education as the bedrock of democracy along with fair funding and tax laws. We are the middle class!! We are Mark Naison!
This list is a good start. It will help us peons get our voices heard.
However, I predict that Cuomo will end up changing his tune prior to the election. King will be the scapegoat.
We need to keep up the pressure. In the end we will be the victors and our children will reap the benefits.
If you really want to have a primary this is what needs to be done. According to the NYS Dept of Elections you need to file petitions to have the primary. You need 15,000 signatures with at least 100 signatures coming from 1/2 of the states congressional districts. There are many other requirements but they are all on the Dept of Elections website. I’m sure Cuomo will have a cadre of lawyers to challenge every signature on the petitions, so it would have to be done very, very carefully.
Reblogged this on Roy F. McCampbell's Blog.
I know in our current political climate a politician might quickly dismiss this platform and instead turn to some variant of Obama-Duncan-Gates fiasco — a little less talk of common core and more talk of choice, etc. Having said that, I think candidates in the coming electoral cycle might take a look at this platform. What I like about this platform is the specifics — parents want P.E., they are sick of testing, and they long for more options for their children than college. I might lose some of the educational jargon —portfolio schools— but other than that, no parent would object and in fact would applaud the continual repeating of four or five of this planks over and over again. The one plank I would add is placing an educator in charge of education in our country. Hillary are you listening.
Yeah!
Cuomo = Christie = Duncan =Rhee
I too will support this, BUT it must be used as an organizing vehicle and ( no insult to you Mark, since we know each other very we’ll) NOT a personal platform. By collecting signatures we can talk to people about the danger to democracy with the privatization/corporatization of education. education privatization is the bedrock of the Obama/Bloomberg/Clinton/Duncan/Tisch ( the goes on too long) program of creating an even more stratified society.
Agreed on this. The platform needs to be one of global importance.
Professor Naison forgot to include the need for school libraries and librarians. Obviously an oversight to not include this essential factor of a child’s education. Hopefully, he will “write” it in.
I don’t think he forgot. I think it’s deliberate. I am researching a certain school in Brooklyn with a garden and no school library. It’s extremely disturbing.
If New York were to succeed in this endeavor, I bet other states would happily follow along, just like they did with adopting and using Common Core. This time, it would be a good thing to copy.
Illinois needs to do the same. Running for Lt. Governor is Paul Vallas whose integrity has been called into question regarding adopting a program that research showed produced students who became felons with assault records. The other major party has Bruce Rauner whose TV ads are anti-union and pro charter school. We need an alternative to the current Democratic and Republican tickets.
Bravo, Mark!
We do need to consider the large number of teachers who, while they may be union members, may be in schools in which the union is inactive. these teachers may only be beginning to awaken to the true reform dangers or in denial about them. How do we proceed to educate those who do not read these blogs? Maybe a focus on invasion of privacy and data collection is a start.
School libraries need Mark’s support too. So often the library and the librarian are the first things to go and this needs to change. Please include having a certified school library media specialist in every school in your platform.
Thank you Diane for endorsing Mark Naison! Thank you Mark for standing up for your beliefs! We fully support you in your endeavor! Now..win!!!
Hmmm… will have to figure out how to move to New York if he’s going to be governor… right now, Indiana has Pence… needless to say, I’m in a reform nightmare
Instead of pretending and talking a big game, why doesn’t Mark put himself actually on the line and RUN. It’s all a bunch of hot air right now, which totally fits Mark’s holier than thou, ivory tower approach to everything.
Love the idea of a real progressive challenge to Cuomo, but judging from the way Naison has helmed BATs, I fear his ego is too big for him to make a good candidate. If this is going to happen Diane, you are going to have to rein him in! You should run instead!
I’m betting Mark Naison’s ego is considerably healthier than Chris Christie’s. I don’t think it’s the size of the ego, but what you do with it… hmmm…. I suppose this can apply to many things… teeheehee.
Reblogged this on maureenkeeneyblog.
Naison would bully the teachers who did not bow to him.
Maybe. I don’t know him, personally. Maybe we could find a more socially acceptable candidate who would carry this as an education platform (adding the retention of librarians) if that’s an issue. I definitely like the platform.
Whoever we put on the ballot should have some knowledge and stances on other key state wide issues as well. Otherwise, he/she won’t be taken seriously.
“Cancel all State Education Contracts with for profit companies”
I actually don’t know what states contract for, but I have a suspicion that in trying to make a point about conflict of interest and profit motive concerns, this position might have been overstated.
Conflicts of interest are rampant in all levels of government. I don’t think this could possibly be overstated. My opinion…but I see it everywhere.
However, I do see your point. There are, I’m sure, legitimate contracts. I think the idea here would be to make the process more transparent and accountable. Finally start holding our “leaders” accountable for their actions.
Yeah, what you said. 🙂
I am a public school teacher of 31 years. I do not support the candidacy of Mark Naison because of my own experiences with the BATS, a group created and monitored by Naison. I am a huge advocate for the rights of the public school teacher, but truth has to be met on both sides of any fence. Because I questioned the accuracy of a single statement someone made on the BATS pages, I was cut from the group. This is not how we unify, this is how one organization uses the very same tactics they state that they abhor to silence others because truth is not always convenient. I asked to be contacted by someone with authority within the BATS community because this greatly disturbed me. I have never heard from anyone. I do not see this as leadership potential.
I’ve heard similar reports and it’s disturbing. I’m not sure, but I have to think that the “new” aspect of the group coupled with a possible lack of adequately laid out communication infrastructure may have contributed to some of what you’ve experienced (?).
I have a great deal of respect for what Mark’s done, in terms of standing up to the machine and organizing a movement that does the same. My feeling is that the platform is more important than the individual. I’m for it and would add more.
I think it’s important that whoever runs on this platform has answers for other statewide issues, as well (as any governor should) and is electable. Even as a write in. You still need public support.
If this is to be a real challenge, Mark needs to diversify his platform. He can not be a one issue candidate. This is the governorship. Pick two or three other issues that are large items the Governor has to deal with and also have a platform. Then you will get a wider population to actually get on your side. A one trick pony will not garner votes.