This is a 2-minute video of Professor Yohuru Williams, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Fairfield University in Connecticut. In the video, he refutes the ridiculous claim that children in poverty and children of color can be helped by standardized testing, a claim recently advanced by corporate reform groups in an effort to reduce the number of students opting out of tests.
Dr. Williams is a historian and a member of the Board of the Network for Public Education.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Dr. Williams addresses the flawed thinking of reformers. Testing does not improve outcomes for students, and it has nothing to do with civil rights. “Reformers” understand how to manipulate, and they know civil rights is a hot button issue so they frame their testing agenda with it. The government and “reform” are unwilling to invest in minority communities, and they are not willing to do the much harder and costly work of improving public education. Instead, they have subjected minority communities to marketplace ideology. This destroys, not builds, communities and neighborhood schools, and investors profit from the destruction of local communities and schools.
LikeLike
AGREE with retired teacher. The education landscape in the USA does not serve our students and this country. It’s all about marketing BAD IDEAS by the DEFORMERS who have no CLUE whatsoever about what “good” teaching is all about. Education is the USA has been reduced to profits for the few, drill and skill by computer, and ridiculous standards and testing.
LikeLike
“Support, don’t destroy”
When public school is closed
Community’s dispersed
And chaos is imposed
And progress is reversed
For public school contains
The core of what is good
To maximize the gains
Support is what we should
LikeLike
Anybody remember the “segregation academies”?
Their whole argument can be summed up in one word: “choice.”
Followed by the small print: “consequences be damned.”
😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting video, especially in light of the fact that I am involved in the discussion about developing community schools in my district. No one involved in the discussion denies that our families need these services, but there are many legitimate questions about whether the schools are the best place to provide them. The state is providing us with several million dollars to establish the community schools, but are completely mum about whether they will provide sustainable funding. These things are very expensive, and I worry that it will be just another program that gets established, only to disappear a few years later.
Of course, if there were jobs out there with a livable wage, fewer of these problems would exist in our schools. Although I like the idea behind community schools, I worry that the movement may result in putting the onus on schools to meet all needs of our kids, rather than having everyone step up to the plate.
LikeLike
“Of course, if there were jobs out there with a livable wage, fewer of these problems would exist in our schools.”
It is beyond me how minimum wage workers can even hope to support themselves. It is more than obvious that wages have failed to keep pace with the rise in prices even for those who have “middle class” jobs..
LikeLike
Yes. When jobs are available the “feckless” poor become productive.
On the other hand, the immoral hedge fund managers’ productivity is limited, solely, to strangling world economic growth.
LikeLike
The United States has to eliminate hedge funds. Huffpo’s “The Vultures’ Vulture; How a New Hedge Fund Strategy is Corrupting Washington”. Harvard-trained, of course.
“The billionaire hedge fund managers are working the halls of Congress with civil rights groups….” With palms out to Wall Street and Silicon Valley, no group that claims to be working on the behalf of kids, minorities, the elderly, etc. is beyond temptation e.g. PTA, Democratic politicians, BAOE,
LikeLike