Last night, I spoke at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. It was an emotional outing for me because it was the first time I had given a public lecture since my knee surgery last May. I used a cane, leaned on a few strong arms, worried about whether I would be able to stand at the podium for an hour. But I was buoyed by the warm reception, the beauty of Connecticut, the friendly staff, and the excitement of returning to the fray, not electronically, but on the ground, in a state where “reformers” control the Governor’s office and major cities.

I was very happy to meet so many teachers, principals, and scholars who had come from across the state. I was especially pleased to see my friend Jon Pelto, who is Connecticut’s premier education blogger and provides not only the inside scoop but encouragement to beleaguered teachers.

Jon wrote about the event here.

Since most of you were not there, I will tell you that I urged massive opt outs from standardized testing with the hope that the opt outs would lead to a permanent moratorium on high-stakes testing. The testing sets the stage for privatization, which has become a threat to the future of public education. Most testing is now designed to evaluate teachers, not students, and this practice, so beloved by Arne Duncan, has no evidence behind it and much evidence to show that it is inaccurate. It demoralizes dedicated, hardworking teachers. It must end.

There was much more, but that’s the takeaway.