Across the nation, parents are organizing to fight the corporate takeover of their children and their schools. The first step: organize to boycott the state tests. Without your child’s data, the machine stops running.
As parents, you have the power.
The latest report from Néw Mexico:
“Hi Diane,
As I’m sure you know, New Mexico has one of the masters of Chiefs for Change, Hanna Skandera, in the chief’s seat of our education department. We are under her thumb and trapped under her policies, which she brought with her, straight outta Florida and straight from Jeb.
This week, Albuquerque BOE member Kathy Korte organized and held a rally there to ask that she stop the reckless testing and punitive measures against our kids and schools. She responded that she was “disappointed” that we aren’t all towing her line.
It’s time to get the parents educated, motivated, angry, and active. That’s why NM Refuse the Test is pushing for New Mexico to follow New York’s lead and put parents in the driver’s seat of both boycotting the tests and taking back our schools.
You can find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/635451629832910/
and on the Web: http://nmrefuse.weebly.com/
I would truly appreciate your posting this on your blog to help get the word out to your New Mexico readers who may not be on social media.
Thanks so much. And congrats on your Jon Stewart invite!
Cheers!
—
Kris L. Nielsen”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
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Thanks Diane! Our movement is called Stand4KidsNM, http://www.facebook.com/stand4kidsnm
We are also asking parents and teachers to educate themselves on what all these tests really mean.
And of course, part of the reading materials is your latest book, “Reign of Error.”
Thanks for the shout-out. We’re watching the parent movements happening all over the country for good ideas to emulate in the Land of Enchantment.
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Kris Nielsen was a major supporter to those of us in New York that opted our children out last spring. Glad to see he is helping those in New Mexico now!! Keep up the great work-for the sake of ALL our children!!! Thanks Diane for posting this!!!
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Did you see this:
http://www.newyorkprincipals.org/letter-to-parents-about-testing
Keep the pressure on them,..
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Thank you to the parent who wrote this.
Diane, When are you going to be on the Daily Show?
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You go Chris! Thanks Diane! A BIG thanks to your Long Island Leaders for the letter to parents about testing…posted yesterday. Peg with Pen just described reforms! Many folks working hard!
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I am a huge fan of your blog and start each day by reading it; it is what keeps me going in the fight to save public education. I have been an activist for public education in New Mexico for 35 years and am thrilled that parents are finally waking up. However, I would be remiss if I did not speak out about this movement underway in Albuquerque. Not all groups that are in education “reform” are there for the good of public education. Rhee’s StudentsFirst, sounds good but we all know better. Stand for Children is not really there for students. Democrats for Education Reform are not great fans of public education. Just a caution that Stand4KidsNM should be fully vetted before true reformers embrace the group. Educators in NM are seriously leery of the group’s leader, Kathy Korte, who has been, until just a few weeks ago rabidly anti-teacher, anti-union, and not a fan of troubled students or their ” whiney” parents. As a member of the BOE of Albuquerque Schools, Ms. Korte voted against last year’s contract because it made it “too cumbersome to get rid of lousy teachers.” She ran for office on merit pay for teachers and she has been on record stating that teachers only care about their salaries and pensions. I have yet to attend a board meeting where she is not disrespectful of educators. Hopefully, you can understand why educators in Albuquerque are suspicious of this group and are having trouble embracing it.
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Dotconnector: It’s a shame. Sounds like you’re a rabid union fan who, like our state Republican education leaders, see only one side of every issue without fully vetting them. You’re correct: I voted against the union contract last year because the union – led by Ellen Bernstein – didn’t want ANY accountability for what I said were a “few” teachers who shouldn’t be teachers. I have never said ALL teachers are lousy. Go back and re-read the Journal article on the subject. I also did attack as “whiny” the FEW parents who lash out at a school for imposing rules and do so by going to the sensational “National Enquirer”-like local TV stations, who LOVE a great sensational story without being able to get the other side of the story that would be told by the teacher accused falsely of choking a student or by the parents whose children had to endure said troubled child in their classroom every day. Your facts are skewed. Maybe you’re one of the teachers who needs a good solid evaluation — and you are in need of some courage. You hide behind your “Dotconnector” and are too weak to say who you really are. I’m pro-teacher but as a parent who has encountered a few who definitely needed some help, I speak out for parents too. And my name is attached to everything I’ve done as a board member. Get your facts straight. I hope my children don’t ever encounter the likes of you in a NM classroom. And maybe you’ll come out and identify yourself? I doubt it.
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