Re: Schmidt and Klonsky

[Peter Farruggio <pfarr@UCLINK4.BERKELEY.EDU>]

I agree with Monty that we should try to keep the list discussions civil
and focused on the big problem:  high stakes testing and "accountability"

I have a question to Mike and others about the following comment (by Monty):

> 4) I am pleased to see Mike speaking out against the testing in Chicago. The
> issue has been raised (and not only by George) by advocates with whom I work
> that most academics (such as but by not means only Mike) have not been
> visible on this issue. In his work with Catalyst, I have not seen Mike as a
> strong advocate on this issue, but that can and I hope will change. Perhaps
> the academics in general are more visible and public and strong than I have
> been informed. If not, I hope they will be -- and I would much prefer to
> focus on the future.


My question is:  What have you done, and what will you do (or try to do) to
oppose the Chicago high stakes program?

I don't intend this as a baiting question.  I don't mean to imply that you
are not a good person if you haven't held a press conference to personally
denounce the harmful use of the CASE test.  Have you done anything that can
be construed as lending support to the CASE?  Have you stood by silently
while others SAID that you support the high stakes?

I understand that academics, just like other professionals, are not all
equal: some have tenure and can take a public stand with little fear of
repercussions, others are less secure, etc.  But I also expect that
principled people will always find a way to avoid compromising their
beliefs, no matter what the security risks.

Right now I think this issue of academics (especially in Education) taking
a stand is important.  The public looks to the profs as the ultimate
experts.  The conservatives know how to line up their academics to bash
public education and to denounce good teaching.  Witness the statement by
the "40 linguists"  in Massachusetts (who had no expertise in the teaching
of reading to young children)  to attack whole language literacy
approaches, and the similar ploy recently in California with university
research mathematicians (have any of them taught Math successfully to young
children in public school classrooms?) who were used as stalking horses for
the excising of conceptual teaching approaches from the new state Math
frameworks.

Aside from Eugene Garcia (Dean of the Graduate School of Ed at UC
Berkeley), who publicly denounced the use of the SAT-9 test to apply high
stakes to immigrant children, and who advocated that parents boycott the test,

Where are our academics???

Pete Farruggio