Owen Davis, writing for Alternet, lists ten big victories for public schools in 2013.
He begins:
“If what’s past is truly prologue, there’s a good chance 2013 will be remembered as the year the free-market education reform movement crested and began to subside. After a decade of gathering momentum, reform politics began to founder in the face of communities fighting for equitable and progressive public education. Within the year’s first weeks, a historic test boycott was underway, civil rights advocates confronted Arne Duncan on school closings, and thousands were marching in Texas to roll back reforms.
“Perhaps we should have sensed this coming: the Chicago Teachers Union strike in the fall of 2012 foreshadowed the education struggles that would take center stage in 2013. In addition to fair contract provisions, they called for a new course for public schools: well-rounded curriculum, fewer mandated tests, more nurses and social workers, an end to racially discriminatory disciplinary policies, and early childhood education, among other demands.
“The CTU’s chief victory lay in galvanizing public education advocates across the country around a vision for public education that took full form in 2013. At the same time, the year saw reform bulwarks like Teach for America and the Common Core standards suffer unprecedented shocks.”
The tide is turning. Corporate reform is not collapsing, not yet, but it is running into a firestorm of resistance. Rough sledding ahead for the corporate reformers as the public wakes up and parents organize to stop the theft of heir public schools and the joy of learning.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Great news. There are times it seems that the monied corporations will roll us over, stealing our heritage and raping our futures with a greed that frames schools as “markets” and children as “units” rather than a sacred trust. These are dark and paralyzing thoughts, the enemies of hope and action. Being reminded that our “push-back” is gaining traction lifts me, focuses my eye on the prize. Keeps me working for a free, appropriate public education for all.
Thank you, Diane, for spreading the word. Please be healthy and live forever!
So how do we predict where those responsible for the “ed reform” disaster will train their focus next so that their actions cannot run amok like they have with public education? When people liken them to “rapists” there is often so strong a reaction but really and truly… the greed behind Enron, the mortgage/banking scandals and to public school education was fueled by the same “profit at all cost” incentives. Checks and balances need to be restored for a healthy democratic process to be restored in our govt (for the future of our nations’ children). I will be thrilled if the “reform” tide is going out and the sooner the better. I am not excited about next year if “reform” is still a live event… having to be a collector of pseudo data with Danielson SLO’s, writing cookie cutter Danielson style goals, being observed for the purposes of collecting teacher evaluation data under FFT and performing like a Pavlov dog as the introduction of PARCC testing connected to a robotic common core standard system which is rolled out all neat and tidy as if education were like a “how to manual” of how to make a bed with hospital corners! Under decades of “reformy” circumstances I am sure a good many teachers still in the profession have started to sadly daydream about how it would be preferable to work in a widget factory where your day is defined, you can actually go home knowing you did your job and then can actually spend time with your family. “Reform” teaching is all about a “gotcha atmosphere” for both students and teachers… so in this New Year, I GLADLY SAY goodbye “reformers” no public school teachers will miss you! And many of you “reformers” should be actually going to jail for some of the thievery that has gone on at the expense of our nations’ children and at the expense of the public school teaching profession.
Sadly one of the biggest achievements was left out….Florida legislatures voting down the Parent Trigger Law for the 2nd year in a row!!! Considering the monetary influence of Jeb Bush, this was an amazing achievement brought by a small group of Florida parents who worked endlessly to make this happen.
Let us hope that at least it is the beginning of the end – of such stupidity and ignorance or perhaps the greed for monetary concerns which has engulfed us for so very long.
I’m only counting five great things in this post. Am I missing something? I am searching for evidence of how parents and the public supports public education — all for good reasons. I have the PDK, AFT/Hart poll and a couple of data sets from Pew. Any suggestions?