Alison Grizzle was chosen as Alabama Teacher of the Year.
Read this article and watch the video and you will see why.
She teaches math at P.D. Jackson-Olin High School in Birmingham.
She is a National Board Certified Teacher.
Her school did not make AYP.
The punitive, no-brain law called No Child Left Behind claims another victim.
NCLB is the Death Star of American education.
The sooner this killer law dies, the sooner our schools will be free to educate again.
And when it dies of its massive flaws, its insatiable desire to crush schools, Race to the Top should go too.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Your teacher of the year post made me think about this:
http://www.pressherald.com/news/former-teacher-of-the-year-on-list-of-portland-layoffs_2013-05-20.html?searchterm=teacher+of+the+year
Here in Maine, our semi-Tea Party governor has shown himself to not only be damaging to schools in every respect, but to be a big “I’m taking my ball and going home” baby. He is now threatening to move his office. (see details here: http://www.pressherald.com/politics/Maine-Democrats-LePage-moving-out-of-office-over-TV.html )
Our Maine Education Association President sent a letter to the editor here, about LePage’s efforts to destroy public schools:
http://www.pressherald.com/opinion/lepages-goal-to-destroy-public-schools_2013-05-21.html?searchterm=teacher+of+the+year
Diane. Is there any truth to the Mars and Venus psychology that says when a man hears his woman complain he wants to fix it? Just as GW carried out punishing Sadam for trying to kill his father, was NCLB sorta kinda his way of fixing our schools for his wife? Again, the problem being that there is no sweeping way to fix education. But could that have been the impetus?
Silver lining: we know how to NOT approach public education now. Hope we can get it cleaned up soon.
Joanna,
Individual psychology and character may color a public figure’s actions (Obama’s pathological need for acceptance and validation from the powerful, even when at the expense of his political base, for example) but it’s far more reliable to ask yourself, “Qui bono?” Who benefits from something like NCLB and RttT? It’s certainly not children or school communities.
Combine the answer to that question with the fact that the agenda of so-called education reform – privatization, deregulation, union busting, looting and social engineering – was established well before NCLB, and psychohistory falls short as an explanation.
Joanna,
Re: “GW carried out punishing Sadam for trying to kill his father” May I suggest another explanation for the Iraq war?
How about “Pillaging Iraq in pursuit of a neocon utopia”?
Read Naomi Klein’s article, originally published in Harper’s, can be accessed here:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6930.htm
I agree with Michael. Always look for who benefits (benefit usually meaning $ and or power to control resources) from policy.
I think we should be careful what we wish for in terms of legislation to replace NCLB… Obama is seeing the light in terms of the endless war on terrorism but I’m not at all confident that he is ready to back away from RttT… We should all keep in mind that Diane’s nominee for the most loathesome politician on earth was Obama’s trusted Chief of Staff…
“Obama is seeing the light in terms of the endless war on terrorism. . . ” HA HA! That’s a good one. He’s a tool of the Military Industrial Complex like the rest of them. Go against what they want and you get JFKed.
On the elimination of these two programs, I agree. Keep voting Democrat to keep them alive. Luke Skywalker is a member of the Tea Party. May the Force be with you.
You are deceived, the tea partiers are on the DARK SIDE!!
Oh, I don’t think so, Duane. No harm in standards, though standardized testing, maybe. Vader is Arne Duncan. Obama is Sidious.
If “NCLB is the Death Star of American education then educational standards and standardized testing is Darth Sidious.
As long as this continues to be portrayed as a partisan issue, the dark forces will continue to win! Stop fighting along party lines and the truth will be revealed. Focus on the policies and not the policy-makers!
Agreed. It’s hard to vote that way though.
There is a teacher who engages her students. This is what they want. They will respond when intrigued. I recently had two students tell me that I was the first person who taught them critical thinking. They knew what it was, no one had showed them. I did not say I was doing that, they just knew what it was. That was the biggest honor of the day and for awhile. They later asked for more information which included how to use the CDE website to research every school district and individual school for years back. They had 10 year spreadsheets as examples. They were shown comparative research to detect problems. They got it right away and want more. They want to learn we have to reach them where they are now not before. Students in high school need to have a representative with a vote on school decisions. Students respond real well when asked this question. They know best and should have real input for all to do better. They are the customers, after all.
Many of the best, most dedicated, and effective teachers are facing these dire situations because of APPR and a lack of AYP, both of which are based on very poor empiricism and objectivity. This is what often happens:
http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2013/03/under-knife.html?view=snapshot
http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2013/02/run-for-your-life.html?view=snapshot
http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2013/01/that-empty-feeling.html?view=snapshot
http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_3322.html?view=snapshot
http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_17.html?view=snapshot
And if you don’t mind me saying so, I think these last two pieces really epitomize what great teachers face as they are adversely impacted by APPR and AYP:
http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_4204.html?view=snapshot
http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2013/05/getting-slammed-six-easiest-breeziest.html?view=snapshot