Gus Morales, head of the Holyoke Teachers Union, is the antithesis of the Teach for America temp who is the teacher of choice for a growing number of school districts. He grew up in Holyoke, went to school there, returned to Holyoke after service in the military, and became an elementary school teacher in that heavily Latino school district. Gus is brilliant, passionate, and loves children. But he is also an outspoken critic of the overemphasis on testing that is a hall mark of current education policy and the use of "data walls" to humiliate children. So for the second year in the row, the Holyoke School District has refused to renew his contract. What is happening to Gus is a symbol of everything that is wrong in current education policy. He is EXACTLY the kind of teacher we need in our schools, especially high poverty schools-someone who grew up in the same community as he is teaching in whose goal is to be a "teacher for life." It is time to rally in his defense, not only because Gus is a great teacher, but because he represents exactly the kind of person we should be encouraging to enter the teaching profession!
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The state has taken over Holyoke Schools. Got to get rid of all obstacles to real education so they can send in the privatizers.
These very same Education Reformers who for 13 years have been crying about improving test scores. Demanding better test scores from poor schools, teachers, and children.
Well, what about their data? You know the data on United States Department of Education Reforms? In experimental research you have the Experimental Group, (this one get the treatment you hope is the cure), and the other is the Control Group, (this one is the one you feel sorry for, because this one gets nothing). It's time we looked at their data they spent 1.2 trillion dollars on over the last 13 years.
In base it three strikes, and you are out.
STRIKE ONE:
Findings: 2008 Reading First Impact Study: a rigorous research review on the impact of the center piece of United States Department of Education primer NCLB Education reforms from 2002 to 2008. Findings: “Reading First did not produce a statistically significant impact on student reading comprehension test scores in grades one, two and three.” NCEE 2008-4016 In other words U.S. D.O.E. recommended reforms failed!
STRIKE Two:
Findings: 2009 U.S. D.O.E. study of their recommended reforms for grade 5. Effectiveness of Selected Supplemental Reading Comprehension Interventions: Impacts on a First Cohort of Fifth-Grade Students Executive Summary: “Reading comprehension test scores in schools using the selected reading comprehension curricula were statistically significantly lower than scores in control schools for some subgroups defined by student, teacher, and school characteristics.” In other words their recommended reforms failed, and the only group that showed any growth was the one that did not get their reform treatment.
(NCEE 2009-4058 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION)
STRIKE THREE:
2010 U.S. D.O.E. second year follow up study: Effectiveness of Selected Supplemental Reading Comprehension Interventions: Findings from Two Student
Cohorts. “In summary, our findings do not support the hypothesis that these four supplemental reading comprehension curricula improve students’ reading comprehension. In other words, again the center pieces of U.S. D.O.E. reforms failed to demonstrate improvement. (NCEE 2010-4016 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION)
Secretary Duncan no one gets four strikes!
Now what about the 2013 SAT scores of America's High School students! You know the first generation to have learned in schools dominated by United States Department of Education NLCB/RTTT reforms.
The data, your data indicates we need to go back 4 decades to find a time when students scored lower. That a double play Secretary Duncan, game over you are out!
Why chase the test scores of Students?
Why hold teachers accountable for test scores of students?
Why closed our most needy schools based on test scores?
I know why!
Because your data shows dismal failure after failure.
Because you need to keep our eyes off the most massive education reform policy failure in the history of public education.
Why Gus Morales, because he pointed out the emperor has no clothes!
No one get strike four!
No one gets four out!
Game over you lose Secretary Duncan!
Walking to DC,
Jesse
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