Tuesday, January 6, 2015

What Should Happen in Education Policy- But Never Will- Until we Have a "Revolution"


People like Arne Duncan, Andrew Cuomo, Chris Christie and Merryl Tisch acknowledge that their efforts to improve the quality of teaching through school closings, teacher firings, relentless testing and Common Core,have failed miserably and instead decide to identify the best teachers and school administrators in the nation, people like Carol Burris, Liz Phillips,Jamaal Bowman, Renee Dinnerstein, Karen Jennings Lewis, Avram Barlowe, Pam Lewis, Jo Lieb, Lucianna Sanson, Terry Preuss, Amy Nicosia Morillo, Kevin Glynn and Aixa Rodriguez ( these are people I all know personally and can "vouch for") and ask them: what do we have to do to find great teachers and principals, keep them in the profession, and attract them to high poverty schools?
In no state, in no national forum, has this kind of discussion ever taken place among the most talented people who have spent their lives in the public schools.
Wouldn't it be refreshing if policy makers looked to the people who have succeeded, every day "on the ground" rather than business leaders, lawyers statisticians, and hot shot Teach for America types who thinks two years in a high poverty school qualifies them as an "expert."
Maybe this can start this in your community, your city, and in your state?
Having lawyers and politicians and business leaders shape school policies over the heads of teachers, principals and parents has been an unmitigated disaster

5 comments:

  1. To be honest it's more about what happens in the streets than about what happens in our schools. Only students walking out in mass break this cycle of dysfunctional education policy. Our political leaders took us here, and the only thing a politician really fears is losing his/her election.
    I see Education Reform parallels between the Vitetnam war and education. What ended the war was not what was taking place on the battle fields, the White House, the Senate, or Congress. What brought the end was what was going on in the streets. The Streets won over the public, and politicians began to fear losing their elections.
    It's time for students, parents and teachers to take to the streets.
    One Man Walking In The Name Of Love To DC,
    Jesse

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  2. How long have we been saying that Mark? How many years? How many speeches? How many books including mine?

    How do we get the larger number of constituents to read, listen, and follow through?

    How do we get all of us to stop preaching to the choir, or whining about the other side while we allow them to keep control of the language?

    I am tired, but I am still pissed off enough to do more.

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