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NPE Action Fund Endorses Khem Irby for Guilford County, North CaroIina, School Board

By dianeravitch
April 8, 2018 //
2

 

The Network for Public Action Fund endorses Khem Irby for School Board in District 6, Guilford County, North Carolina.

Khem Irby has received the Network for Public Education Action’s endorsement for the District 6 seat on the Guilford County School Board in North Carolina. Khem’s background in education and advocacy makes her an ideal candidate for the board.

She currently works as an elementary after-school teacher, and serves as the Secretary for the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) Educational Support Personnel. Khem is also President of the Board of Parents Across America (PAA), a national non-profit grassroots organization that connects public school parents across the country.

Khem told NPE Action that her highest priority would be to make decisions that are student-centered, giving priority to those with the greatest need. She is committed to developing policies that will put schools on a path of ending the school-to-prison pipeline.

Based on her own experiences as a mother, Khem supports a nation-wide moratorium on all charter schools. She said that as a former charter school parent who witnessed too many disparities in charter schools in New York City, she can not support this model of schooling. Similarly, her position on virtual learning is informed by her own experiences. From watching her own child participate in the virtual learning process, she concluded that this it is not the best option for students.

She told us that these programs “take away from the many to give to the few, therefore, I cannot support them,” adding that “we must strive to demand that every public school is a great school and choice.”

To win a seat on the Guilford County School Board, Khem must face a Democratic challenger in the primary on May 8th, and if successful, she will face a Republican challenger on November 6th. Please support Khem in her primary campaign, and ensure she gets on the general election ballot.

Categories Education Reform, North Carolina, NPE Action Fund, Parents

Do You Want to Opt Out of State Testing? Here is Help

By dianeravitch
April 5, 2018 //
1

State and local officials are trying to break the Opt Out Movement. Nothing so terrifies the testocracy as parent refusals of tests.

If you want help in opting out, go to this site.

Opt out is the  most powerful tool available to parents. Don’t let them take it away.

Categories Opt Out, Parents, Resistance, Standardized Testing, Students

New York Parents: Don’t Be Bullied, Opt Out

By dianeravitch
April 4, 2018 //
9

 

A Message from NYSAPE (New York State Allies for Public Education):

 

Please TAKE ACTION NOW CLICK HERE and share your stories with NYSED and the Board of Regents. ASK them to CORRECT the MISINFORMATION and INTIMIDATION being spread on opting out of the 3-8 grade state tests.

Despite the fact that Commissioner Elia has acknowledged that parents have the right to opt out of the state tests, NYSAPE has been flooded with emails from parents sharing stories of misinformation being disseminated by their school districts regarding test refusals. Many stories detail intimidation and bullying, as well as false claims that schools or students will be punished for opting out.

Here is the reality: NO student will have a low score entered into their records for opting out, NO school will be identified as failing because of high opt out numbers and NO school will lose funding.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) and Board of Regents MUST HEAR from you regarding intimidation and misleading information being spread in your school district regarding your right to refuse the NYS Grades 3-8 state tests.

Here is the truth according to NYSED: “To comply with the federal law, one school academic accountability calculation still must be based on the percentage of all students who pass state tests.… But New York’s plan also creates a new “core subject performance index” that reflects the results only for the portion of students who actually take the state tests [emphasis added] If the result using the index calculation is better, that performance measure can be used to determine whether a school is targeted for additional funding and academic support. In essence, both of these measures are looked at,” Schwartz [of NYSED] told the Regents… “if we have schools that have high achievement but also have high rates of non-participation, those schools will not likely end up on our list of those schools that need to be focused upon.” [1]

Schools have a legal obligation to administer the state tests. HOWEVER, parents have the legal right to opt out their children free of coercion or penalties of any sort.

We are imploring NYSED and the Board of Regents to address these issues!

We refuse the state tests because we do not want to have our schools focus on test prep, and have our children subjected to biased, flawed exams. We demand that our schools focus instead on creating a meaningful, student-centered learning environment. If you’re in doubt about what to do, check out the video of one of our founders, Jeanette Deutermann, available here.

If you do decide to opt your child out of the tests, here’s a NYSAPE TEST REFUSAL LETTER to send to your child’s teacher/s and building principal.

Time is of the essence, as state testing is around the corner! Please TAKE ACTION NOW CLICK HERE and share your stories with NYSED and the Board of Regents. ASK them to CORRECT the MISINFORMATION being spread, and to stop the bullying of our children.

Thank you, NYSAPE

Categories Education Reform, New York, Opt Out, Parents

Freeport Teachers Association Urges Parents to Opt Out Their Children Out of Testing

By dianeravitch
April 3, 2018 //
15

Well, here is a breath of fresh air.

The teachers in Freeport, Long Island, New York, issued a statement explaining why parents not only have the right to opt their children out of the state tests, but explain why the tests are pointless.

Some important state and local officials have engaged in tactics meant to intimidate parents—threatening their their children and their school will suffer punishment if they dare to opt out.

The Freeport Teachers Association says these are false threats. Parents have the right to opt out.

The tests are meaningless because they are scored over the summer, and the results are returned when the students have a different teacher, who will learn nothing about individual students from the scores.

The tests continue to have no value for children with disabilities and English language learners.

The FTA goes further to urge parents to opt their children out of the tests because it is the only way to force the state to change to a more useful form of assessment.

Parents, you and you alone have the power to compel change. Use it!

For their courage and professional integrity, I place the Freeport Teachers Association on the Honor Roll of this Blog.

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Categories Courage, Education Reform, Honor Roll, New York, Opt Out, Parents, Standardized Testing, Students

Parent Founder of Long Island Opt Out Explains Why She Fights against the Tyranny of Testing

By dianeravitch
March 25, 2018 //
6

 

Jeannette Deutermann is the parent who founded Long Island Opt Out, and whose tireless activism inspired parents and education activists across the state. In this powerful video, she explains why she did it.

She saw that the tests were destroying her children’s spirit and love of learning. The more she learned about the uselessness of the state tests, the more determined she became to protect her children.

Jeannette is a gifted and passionate organizer. She joined with dozens of independent parent and educator groups across the state, which created a coordinating organization called NYSAPE (New York State Allies for Public Education).Through their efforts, 20% of the students in grades 3-8 have refused the tests for three straight years. They objected not only to the tests but to the developmentally inappropriate, highly standardized, lockstep Common Core.

In response to the Opt Out Movement, the state shortened the exams, which had stretched over two weeks for many hours and promised to revise the Common Core. State testing begins April 10-11, and the Opt Out Movement will once again reach out to parents across the state.

Opt out rates in the state have been highest on Long Island and upstate in rural communities. The Education Department in New York City has discouraged opting out and warned schools that low participation rates will harm their school.

Jeannette is a brilliant grassroots leader who is fighting not only for her kids but for all children in the state.

The test scores serve an insidious purpose: they are used to label and stigmatize students, teachers, and schools. They are essential to the privatization movement, which uses low scores as a pretext—not to help schools—but to close them and replace them with privately managed charter schools.

Please watch the video, tweet it, and share it on social media. Join the Movement to restore the joy of learning!

The video was filmed in Brooklyn and produced by professional videographer Michael Elliott with the assistance of Kemala Karmen. It was sponsored by the Network for Public Education.

https://www.facebook.com/carol.c.burris

 

Categories Accountability, Education Industry, Opt Out, Parents, Privatization, Students, Testing

Please Respond to This Research Survey about Opt Out

By dianeravitch
March 23, 2018 //
6

 

Reseachers at Teachers College, Columbia University, are conducting research about the Opt Out Movement.

Please consider participating in their survey if you are interested in the efforts of parents to keep their children from taking state tests as a protest against the overuse and misuse of standardized testing.

The survey was designed by two professors: Oren Piemonte-Levy and Nancy Green Saraisky.

For further information, you can contact:

Oren Pizmony-Levy, PhD
Assistant Professor of International and Comparative Education
Department of International and Transcultural Studies
Teachers College, Columbia University
525 West 120th Street
370 Grace Dodge Hall
Box 55
New York, NY 10027

Tel (office): 212-678-3180

Email: pizmony-levy@tc.columbia.edu
Website: http://orenpizmonylevy.com/

Categories Opt Out, Parents, Research

NYSAPE: Schools with High Numbers of Opt Outs Will NOT Be Punished

By dianeravitch
March 7, 2018 //
7

 

The leaders of the Opt Out Movement in New York, which has been highly successful in urging parents to opt their children out of state testing, issued a press release to counter the threats against opting out. 

New York State Allies for Public Education says that no schools or students will be penalized.

The state standardized tests are meaningless. They provide no diagnostic information to help students or teachers. They are cloaked in secrecy. They have no function other than compliance with an unjust law.

Unjust laws are made to be broken. So are stupid laws. Requiring students to take a lengthy standardized test every year is pointless. No other nation does it. We do it because Congress was wedded to the failed ideology of No Child Left Behind.

Opt out.

Categories Accountability, New York, Opt Out, Parents, Testing

Reader: The Power and Importance of Opting Out of Mandated State Testing

By dianeravitch
March 4, 2018 //
14

Trudy Jermanovich writes:

“I’m a retired teacher with 35 years experience teaching all grade levels and several subjects including “gifted” students. Luckily, most of my experience was before high stakes testing destroyed the autonomy of teachers. These state tests are primarily a vehicle for grading and closing some schools, diverting students to privately controlled charter schools, or to private schools through a state voucher system. This practice leads to further economic and racial segregation in our society. The yearly state tests are not indicative of anything except the social class of the parents. To be designated as a “gifted” child, there are a battery of tests and teacher observations which are required so that additional public funding is allocated to that student. Frankly, I would bet that often it is the parents of gifted or high achieving students who see through this farce and choose to have their child “Opt Out” of the yearly standardized state tests. The money and time which has been diverted to the collection of student data is a prime cause of many problems in our public schools. Becoming involved in the “Opt Out” movement is one way that concerned citizens can voice their outrage and help “the system” return to trusting the professionals in the classroom I urge everyone to seek out their state and local Opt Out group and stand up for real public schools before it’s too late. I want to thank all the people around the country who continue their support for this important movement.”

Categories Opt Out, Parents, Standardized Testing

Florida: The Parents’ Opt Out Guide

By dianeravitch
March 3, 2018 //
7

 

Testing season has started in Florida.

Test scores are used by the privatization industry to seize public schools and punish teachers.

Deny them the data!

Here is a guide written specifically for Florida parents about how to opt out of testing.

Starve the beast!

Opting out against punitive and pointless tests is the most effective way to make your voices heard.

Categories Education Industry, Florida, Opt Out, Parents, Privatization, Students, Testing

Detroit: Families, Students, and Teachers Speak Out Against “Choice”

By dianeravitch
February 20, 2018 //
8

 

At a town hall meeting in Detroit, students, families, and teachers spoke out against the damage caused to them by the false promise of “school choice.” Allie Gross covered the meeting for the Detroit Free Press.

One parent described the wonderful school attended by his child with cerebral palsy; it was to save money.

“In 2008, Alfred Wright enrolled his son, Timothy, in kindergarten at Oakman Elementary/Orthopedic, a small school on the Detroit’s northwest side that specialized in teaching students with special needs.

“Timothy had recently been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and the school — which came with spacious hallways, discreet changing rooms, small class sizes, and an on-site nurse — seemed like the perfect match.

“And, according to Wright, it was. For five years, he watched his son thrive in the close-knit and accepting community. Oakman not only was prepared to accommodate Timothy’s needs but it helped Wright, as a parent, better understand his child.

“But then the seemingly unexpected happened. In spring 2013, Roy Roberts, Detroit Public Schools’ second emergency manager, announced that Oakman would be one of six schools to close the following school year. It would add to the list of nearly 100 district schools that had shuttered since 2009, when the state took over DPS due to finance.

LWright and the rest of the parents were given two traditional public school options: one that was 1.2 miles away and the other that was 2.4 miles. Both choices fell within the bottom 5 percent of schools in the state for academic performance. More notably, neither were handicap accessible.

“All of the things we feared happened,” Wright said, explaining how issues at Henderson Academy, where Timothy ultimately ended up, ranged from bullying and isolation to a lack of knowledge and preparedness when it came to educating students with special needs.

”This reality — instability, uncertainty and inefficient resources — is why on Tuesday night, Wright and Timothy made their way to Wayne State University’s Law School to participate in an Education Town Hall hosted by the #WeChoose Campaign. A movement made up of 25 organizations from across that country — including the NAACP, Advancement Project, Dignity in Schools and Journey for Justice Alliance — the group is working to support racial justice and end educational inequality via, among many things, town hall gatherings that bring attention to what the group sees as “the illusion of school choice.”

“Parents, students, and educators do not choose the sabotage of their neighborhood schools, school closings, zero tolerance policies that target black and brown students, punitive standardized testing school deserts,” the group’s mission statement explains. “We choose equity, not the scam called school choice.”

 

 

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Closing schools, Detroit, Education Industry, Failure, Parents, Privatization, Students, Teachers
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