The Big Surprise that Awaits School Reformers

A whole lot of people are gong to be surprised-none more than school reformers, the politicians that back them and the billionaires that fund both of them- by the mass movements that are going to erupt in response to school closings and abusive testing. These movements are still in their infancy, but in the next three or four years they are going to lead to massive disruptions and force many who have thus far been silent to take a stand in favor of the protesters. Mark my words. I can feel something building. And not just in Chicago. Parents all over the country are totally fed up with having e their children's school experience ruined by testing and test prep and by the way their voice is totally ignored in decisions about school closings and charter school co-locations.  And high school and middle school students are going to join them. Top down school reform has been orchestrated through well financed lobbying campaigns and networking among elites. Resistance to reform is going to take the form of strikes, boycotts, test opt outs, lawsuits, and civil disobedience- the kind of mass action characteristic of the non violent civil rights movement in its prime.