Rosa: “I Would Opt Out”

March 21, 2016 //

Betty Rosa, the newly elected chancellor of the New York Regents, met with reporters after her election.
When asked, she said that if she were a parent and not a member of the Regents, she would opt her. Her children are grown.
In a secret ballot, Rosa received 15 votes, with two abstentions.
It is a new day in New York. Rosa’s election is a sharp rebuke to the corporate reformers who have controlled the state for many years.

Categories Education Reform, New York, Opt Out, Resistance

17 Comments Post your own or leave a trackback: Trackback URL

KrazyTA says:

March 21, 2016 at 5:57 pm

The title of the article accessed by the link in the posting:

“Rosa, new head of New York education policy: As a parent, ‘I would opt out’.”

Further down in the article:

[start]

Rosa chose her words carefully Monday. In response to a question about whether she would like to see the number of opt-outs decrease this year, Rosa talked about restoring trust between the State Education Department and parents.

“I want us to get to a place where we comfortably take and examine the current tests and move forward in a way that parents have a sense of full trust,” Rosa said.

But as the chancellor-elect, she stopped short of telling parents they should have their children take the tests.

“My recommendation is that parents should be informed and that parents should make their own personal decisions,” Rosa said.

[end]

Note the third paragraph. A faux “education reformer” minding her/his words would have said: “But as the chancellor-elect, she stopped short of telling parents they should have their children opt out of the tests.”

I am getting a bit more than cautiously optimistic…

😎

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Susan Lee Schwartz says:

March 21, 2016 at 8:57 pm

WOW! Dare we dream that an educator at the top, might grasp what we a the bottom need to enable learning.

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SomeDAM Poet says:

March 22, 2016 at 7:25 am

“In Good Company”

Rosa Parks refused
To give her seat to white
Refused to be abused
And stood her ground to fight

Rosa has enthused
She’d have her kids opt out
A tactic that’s been used
Successfully , no doubt

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Chiara says:

March 22, 2016 at 8:24 am

Boy, that’s refreshing. A dissenter at the top. How did that happen?

She must immediately retract and recite the approved paragraph 🙂

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- SomeDAM Poet says:
  
  March 22, 2016 at 11:27 am
  
  How did that happen?, indeed.
  
  That’s the billion dollar question.
  
  I fear there is more here than meets the eye.
  
  Cuomo has already tried (and failed) to calm parents’ fears with claims that the tests are “meaningless to students’ and a postponement of the implementation of the latest evaluation system for teachers.
  
  Rosa is only one of many regents (and in a minority on the testing issue) and Cuomo might figure that a “token” on the board may help with his efforts. Throwing the dog a bone, as it were.
  
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  - dianeravitch says:
    
    March 22, 2016 at 12:13 pm
    
    Poet, that’s a fine bone
    
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  - ciedie aech says:
    
    March 22, 2016 at 12:20 pm
    
    Just a token bone? 🙂
    
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  - dianeravitch says:
    
    March 22, 2016 at 1:21 pm
    
    The difference between Rosa and Tisch is like night and day. Two years ago, she was a dissident, now she leads the state board. Give credit where it’s due: the opt out parents and educators.
    
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- SomeDAM Poet says:
  
  March 22, 2016 at 12:24 pm
  
  I never said Andrew Cuomo was smart.
  
  After all, this is the fellow who also believed that saying the ‘tests are meaningless” would satisfy anti-testing parents.
  
  I will remain skeptical until I see some evidence that Rosa will really make a difference in policy.
  
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Robert Rendo, NBCT says:

March 22, 2016 at 8:40 am

I am truly shocked Ms. Rosa would declare such a thing, but her statement does embody the whole notion that parents have a democratic voice in government, and if they are not listened to in the more conventional way by legislative-making politicians in their legislative-making chambers, then they will be heard with their votes and their civilized protest through opt-out.

It’s that simple.

Whether one agrees with opt-out or not, the parents are NOT going away. They never were. They are a permanent institution in our society, as permanent as the stars, galaxies and universe itself . . . As unstoppable as procreation and life cycles, molecules spinning, and AARP finding you when you turn 50. They are an ultimate life force, even more than the biggest monied interests, I think.

One may ignore them inevitably at one’s own peril . . . .

Parents will have a dominant voice because they will not be ignored. If a parent so much as perceives that their child is being harmed, they will react like a grizzly bear protecting her cub.

John King will still have to learn the hard way. I cannot say enough bad things about him and the guy who appointed him, as well as the House that confirmed the appointment.

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- Susan Lee Schwartz says:
  
  March 22, 2016 at 9:25 am
  
  Exactly, Robert! The enormous success of any school rests on the cooperation and intentions of the parents , when they are on board so that their children learn.
  
  The problem is that local control of public schools in the 15,880 school systems is becoming a thing of the past, as legislatures take over the system and dictate everything.
  I listened to a story on NPR where parents were distraught over mandates from above which sent their kids hither and yon, so that, each day one woman had to travel to 3 separate schools at great distances from each other.
  
  The other issue that I see is that how the brain learns is a complex subject, which is why teachers need a college education. The charlatans at the top have been able to bamboozle parents, so that until the poop hits the fan, and the schools fail, parents are often in the dark.
  
  But it takes a long time for parents to see the light, and it takes organization to bring them to some consensus. THAT is the ‘hard way.’
  http://www.opednews.com/articles/BAMBOOZLE-THEM-where-tea-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-110524-511.html
  
  The EDUCATIONAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX https://dianeravitch.net/2015/10/24/the-educational-industrial-complex/ with their vast wealth and ownership of the media, changed the conversation so that ‘teaching’ and ‘teachers’ became the focus, not learning, and parents were confused. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Learning-not-Teacher-evalu-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-111001-956.html
  
  Teachers know quickly that the shinola they are forced to use in their practices (i.e classrooms) are anti-learning, but the mandates for their ‘teaching’, are often magic elixirs, no evidence required.
  http://www.opednews.com/articles/Magic-Elixir-No-Evidence-by-Susan-Lee-Schwartz-130312-433.html
  
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Robert Manley says:

March 22, 2016 at 9:19 am

Rosa would opt out because she knows the tests are not valid measurements of children’s learning at a particular grade level within New York State standards.

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- Duane Swacker says:
  
  March 23, 2016 at 7:49 pm
  
  “. . . the tests are not valid measurements of children’s learning at a particular grade level within New York State standards.”
  
  Doesn’t make any difference whether it is a particular grade level or a particular standard, the TESTS MEASURE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
  
  There is no standard of measurement, no instrument of calibration (and no, having graders “calibrate” to a rubric is not a true calibration but a bastardization of that term), no agreed upon standard of any kind of the teaching and learning process. IT’S ALL A BUNCH OF BULLSHIT.
  
  Until, as Máté Wierdl pointed out, that we confront these lying, deceiving bastard edudeformers with the fundamental falsehoods with which they sell their wares we will get nowhere.
  
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  - Susan Lee Schwartz says:
    
    March 27, 2016 at 10:26 am
    
    No one confronted the seriallaifrs as they trounced the civil rights of tens of thousands of teachers. Look, throwing teachers into the street still goes on in Brooklyn.
    http://www.bxtimes.com/stories/2016/13/13-ps89-2016-03-25-bx.html
    
    Not a shred of accountability for anything, so how can anyone expect them to end their rampage.
    
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retiredbutmissthekids says:

March 22, 2016 at 4:59 pm

Great news!
As to Cuomo statement–“the tests are meaningless to students.”
True that–then WHY are we giving them in the first place?!

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- ciedie aech says:
  
  March 25, 2016 at 4:28 pm
  
  YES. WHY OH WHY??
  
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Janice Blaber says:

March 23, 2016 at 9:59 am

Hey,

I just signed the petition “Hawaii Board of Education: ESSA should help us eliminate high stakes testing and bring back REAL LEARNING.” and wanted to see if you could help by adding your name.

Our goal is to reach 500 signatures and we need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here:

https://www.change.org/p/hawaii-board-of-education-essa-should-help-us-eliminate-high-stakes-testing-and-bring-back-real-learning?recruiter=58641379&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive

Thanks!
Janice

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