David Gamberg, superintendent of the Southold and Greenport districts in Long Island, Néw York, here defends childhood and the value of play against the endless barrage of high-stakes testing coming from federal and state officials.
He writes:
“The curiosity and creativity of a child is at stake. They should be full of wonder. They should be given the proper time and space to venture into the world of others as they read for pleasure, dabble in watercolors that know no bounds, or expend the boundless energy of a little boy or girl on the playground without the fear of being cut short in the name of preparing for a high stakes test. The experiences that children should be engaged in are being sacrificed at an alarming rate…..
“The idea that we must designate scores to a narrow band of testable content areas (math and English Language skills) as future predictors of global competitiveness is about as sensible as mining for fool’s gold in the desert. The future of our nation more likely hinges on educating a generation of well-nourished children, who arrive at school excited by the prospect of being socially and emotionally engaged in learning that is joyous. School must promote the use of time that is filled as much with singing, dancing, drawing and running as it is with experimenting in science or practicing essential skills in reading, writing, and math.
“I call upon our elected leaders and policymakers to fashion a more balanced and sensible path forward. The current plan that looks at one side of the educational ledger is as misguided as it is destined to produce a generation of children who fail to fully experience childhood to the detriment of our civil well being in the years ahead.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Still waiting for Gamberg’s “therefore”: “Therefore, Southold and Greenport district will no longer administer high-stakes testing.” Pleading with lawmakers is a lost cause. Only active resistance will help at this point. Gamberg is in a position to do enormous good if he would take the lead to do so. Yes, he could be risking his job. But (a) other opportunities will very likely open up for people willing to put themselves out there and (b) even if not, as captain of the ship, he has a responsibility not to navigate the ship into harmful waters. The safety of the ship is his responsibility even if he must sacrifice his own safety. Superintendents can no longer write supportive letters and make nice speeches while still forcing abusive testing on students and teachers. They have to get out and lead as they were elected (or even appointed) to do.
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Just read the original post. It is spot on. Finally our school leaders are not only beginning to “get it”, but also courageous enough to speak out about it. Dienne has a point, but the bottom line is that our elected officials are the real culprits here. They are the ones who pass the laws that are harmful to our children and it is time to hold them accountable. As long as we blame the “Reformers” and don’t call our legislators to task for passing these laws that have allowed our public schools to be sold off to the Corporate Baggers, then this will continue unchecked. I have said all along that it will be the parents and students themselves who will finally turn this around. We ALL need to stand together to fight for our future.
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David is a brilliant leader and a true advocate for our children.
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I really have trouble with the idea that we have a right to expect educational professionals to sacrifice their careers as if that is the only honorable way to stand up to the abuses we see today. Is that what being an effective leader really entails?
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