What are DFER and Students First afraid of?
Activist moms denied admission to events at the Democratic National Convention
Contacts: Pam Grundy, 704-806-0410, shamrockparent@earthlink.net
Carol Sawyer, 704-641-2009, carolsawyer1@gmail.com
For the second day in a row, at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., a handful of moms bearing flyers and large yellow pencils made out of pool noodles were denied admission to an event sponsored and/or featuring the corporate-focused education “reform” groups Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) and Students First, headed by Michelle Rhee.
On Tuesday, Carol Sawyer and Pam Grundy, co-chairs of the locally based MecklenburgACTS.org, had signed up in advance for what was billed as a DFER “Town Hall,” and received confirmation of their registration. An hour before the program was scheduled to begin, they stationed themselves outside the entrance and distributed flyers to other attendees which questioned the effectiveness of DFER’s strategies for improving education.
Shortly before the event was to begin, Carol went to take her seat. But she was told at the door that she would not be allowed in, even though she had a confirmed registration. The reason she was given was that the MecklenbugACTS representatives were discouraging people from attending. This was patently untrue, as Carol and others were in fact directing attendees towards the entrance, which was somewhat complicated to locate.
The denial at the Students First event the previous day more closely resembled a comedy of errors, as Pam described in a Parents Across America blog post following the events.
“We find it somewhat amusing that these well-funded groups seem to regard us as such a threat,” Carol observed. “But more important, we are troubled by the way that these forums on education – a subject which is so essential to our children’s and our nation’s future – seem to be so thoroughly orchestrated that they leave no room for real debate or discussion. Many, many Democrats agree with us on issues of high-stakes testing, treatment of teachers and rampant privatization. We call on President Obama to use his influence to open up the debate to other voices and other points of view.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Ladies, thank you! If school did not just open, I would be there with you. Every time I am called to make a contribution I say no and I tell them why?
What are DFER and SF afraid of? The TRUTH..that’s what….they only want an audience they can manipulate and lie to…buy their shtick hook line and sinker or SHUT UP!
They most likely have a fresh pitcher of kool-aid at the end of each row of seats.
Reforming schools would be easy if it weren’t for all of those annoying students, teachers, and parents, eh?
Get rid of the human aspect and Gates and company are all set…biometric bracelets and Stepford teachers….the wave of the future.
Stepford teachers! Lol! That’s exactly what they want! Thanks for the great image!
LOL! Pretty menacing group!
Bullies never know what to do when someone stands up tp them.
exactly right!
They stammer, they send out the security guards. They can’t look you in the eye.
I seem to read/hear stories like this one with increasing frequency: powerful, well-funded groups that don’t want any sort of dissent, often with web-sites that don’t allow any commentary at all. The website for the Common Core is like that: it’s a fait accompli, and questions or comments from skeptics are not wanted. How cowardly, and how utterly predictable. Welcome to the “Democratic” Party, neo-liberal style.
Political Correctness Revisited????
Political Correctness Revisited???
Go Pam and Carol! … Sharon and I protested (along with others) outside a Michelle Rhee talk in Oakland, Calif., in February. We handed out flyers and carried signs, and it never even occurred to anyone to consider trying to stop anyone from going into the presentation. But just the same, a blogger with ties to Oakland’s ed “reform” establishment posted that that’s what we were doing (yes, flinging our middle-aged bodies in front of people to block them — highly likely). So this is how they respond to dissent — they try to claim that we were trying to stifle others’ free speech. They really are afraid.
The LA Times just mentioned the protestors in an article about teachers unions:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-education-dems-20120904,0,6567521.story
As usual, it doesn’t tell the whole story, and the teacher-bashers in the comments section are repeating the same old lies, like unions protect child predators. I tried to post a response, but I was not able to. That site is not as user friendly as this one, and I’m not too tech-savvy. 🙂
Others may want to try to comment. It would be nice if some of the moms who were blocked from the event would give their side of the story. The Times story doesn’t mention that at all.
” It would be nice if some of the moms who were blocked from the event would give their side of the story. The Times story doesn’t mention that at all.”
What I meant was that the moms who were denied admission may want to leave comments telling about that. The fact that they were blocked was not mentioned at all in the article.
I really need to start proof reading before I post. 🙂
Everybody stock up on pool noodles. Boycott WalMart…shop elsewhere. I am writing to company execs. very soon.
Hello,
Proud to say that some other teachers and I picketed a Rhee event (which she got $50K for) in Philadelphia last winter. We got a pretty good response from the attendees. Keep up the good work. It is very disappointing, although at this point not surprising, to see the shameful behavior of the Democrats.
Thank You! Amazing, teachers deal with parents every day under many different circumstances, yet these fine reformers are afraid to here from you. Aren’t they supposed to be the ones that care about your children and will listen to you? I guess they were just kidding.
Remember – The Delphi Technique. They have it down pat. I hope this whole sham of reform collapses soon. It’s so tiring waiting for the wholesale push-back and public outrage. Hopefully those of us who know what teaching, learning and education are won’t be too weary to pick-up the pieces, clean up the mess and truly “turn it around.”
Correction, hear not here, it’s been a long day.
People who disrupt town halls are not a threat – they’re a waste of everyone’s time. Carol and Pam, now you know.
DFER and corporate reformers should fear parents. It was parents of children with disabilities in the 1960’s and 1970’s who challenged the education establishment and their elected officials to change state and federal legislation to provide their children a free appropriate public education. It has taken parents and special educators 40 years of individual legal battles in small towns and large cities all over the country to establish equality and full inclusion for children with disabilities by leveraging protections afforded them in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Parents are public education’s greatest ally. Parents are fearless, relentless, and determined when protecting their children from harm. Parents and teachers united can defeat these bullies who have stolen the language of equality to serve their narrow, ignorant interests. So yes, DFER, both political parties and the corporate elite should fear parents as they will be the people who expose their propaganda and false promises.