Re: reponse to Deborah/plans for our national effort

[kceh <kceh@AIRMAIL.NET>]

Thunderous applause from Parents Against TAAS Testing!
Carol

Tom and Lisa Amspaugh wrote:
>
> The strategy of a great marketing campaign is always to make people think
> they see you or your ads everywhere, when they really don't. The powers that
> be are doing that, and we need to start. We don't have the money to match
> them, but I don't think we need it.  We're barely organized,(no offense
> intended), have no real financial support, little political support, no
> collective strategy other than to get rid of the high stakes tests, and yet
> 50% of the people already side with us. Do you realize how amazing that is?
>
> In answer to your question, We, should be all fighting. I'd like to see
> discussion of the potential list of 10 most important meetings. I know
> nothing about these meetings, so I don't know which might be the best for
> our cause, but I think at least some of them require a real show of force.
> Look bigger than you are.
>
> We need to develop our own phrases like "raising the bar", "ending social
> promotion", "standards and accountability"-phrases we ALL begin to use to
> describe this situation. Unfortunately, haven't been able yet to come up
> with ones as short as theirs. It's hard to look like we're a cohesive
> opposition, and hard for the public to determine if we're strong enough to
> be worth fighting with us,  if we don't develop the cohesive language the
> enemy has and start to really look like one force. I haven't been associated
> with you all for very long, but I do have some observations. The discussion
> of what's wrong is too deep for the average person to bite into. They don't
> believe it, won't take time to try and understand it, don't care enough to
> dig deeper.
>
> I think what I have to offer the group is that I'm your target market.
> Someone who isn't (wasn't) really involved in education and isn't so close
> to the forest. The following are my suggestions to better reach people like
> me.
>
> To win the war I think we have to stay on the surface in many situations,
> reserving the deeper discussion for those interested in the deeper issues,
> which the general public is not. The enemy doesn't go around discussing all
> the real implications of what is happening, they simply stick with "we're
> raising the bar". I think we need what I will refer to as "DAH" phrases for
> when we're speaking to groups, where the answers to what we talk about are
> sort of smack in the face "DAH". It has been very effective when I use the
> dah statements when speaking, but I actually say the "DAH" after I make the
> statements or ask the question. For some reason it really drives home how
> stupid this idea of high stakes testing really is. WE need basic slogans and
> bumper stickers that hit the average american harder than what we've been
> using, that we ALL begin to use consistently in our talks, op-ed's etc.
>
> These are still very rough off the top of my head ideas, making me hesitate
> to even post them here yet. But I post them to start discussion on the idea,
> so we can refine them to something usable. We need to develop a PR strategy,
> which some of these phrases and statements would be part of. I'll work on
> developing a rough draft. There's a lot we could say, but we need to focus
> on the things that will pull the most people in, and we need to keep it
> simple. We need to figure out which of these rough ideas (or those submitted
> by others) has the strongest pull. I can't help but feel the policians in
> education is one of the strongest things we've got going. It's been the
> strongest and easiest thing I've used here in GA to get people thinking
> deeper. Built in mistrust is an advantage for us. Stupid is an interesting
> word, since it plays on what many people think is happening to our children.
> Several areas have develped slogans like Stop the Bullies, High stakes are
> for tomatoes, etc. These are attempts to devolop phrases that make the
> problem even clearer, and hit average Joe even harder.
>
> Name just one system run by the government that really works as it should.
> Does it make sense to let politicians take over education?                      DAH
>
> High Stakes Testing is just Government Controlled Education.
> Are you in favor of Government controlled education, or local control?
> DAH
>
> Which do you think is more accurate and fair- Evaluating a child over the
> entire school year looking at many things, or using one single test at the
> end of the year?        DAH
>
> Politicians really want these tests, which is a
> good indication it's a stupid idea.          DAH
>
> Don't you think there might be a correlation to the government bureaucracy
> now in schools and the decline of education?              DAH
>
> If one test determines everything for students, teachers, schools, do you
> think there's going to be too much emphasis placed on taking the test and
> not enough on real learning?       DAH
>
> Do you really think one test can measure all a child knows?           DAH
>
> If we create a few million  more drop outs by using these ridiculous tests,
> what do you think our crime rate will be?                DAH
>
> Take back our schools from politicians. End WASL.               slogan/bumper sticker
>
> Proficencies are just Government Controlled Education.           slogan/bumper
> sticker.
>
> Take back local control. End proficiencies.                      slogan/bumper sticker
>
> WASL=Slimy Politicians in Charge of Education.      (one of my favorites)
>
> Raise standards. Remove politicians from education.
>
> Children can't learn, they're too busy taking tests.   (also a favorite)
>
> Take back local control-end high stakes testing.
>
> Kids deserve better evaluation than one test. End WASL.
>
> Kids deserve fair evaluation. End WASL.
>
> Twelve years of schooling and just one test counts-just plain stupid.
>
> One test WASL-just plain stupid. Kids deserve better.
>
> High stakes one test sytems, just plain stupid.
>
> One test to measure total knowledge. Just plain stupid.
>
> High stakes tests=test cramming skills, not real learning.
>
> Test taking skills are not real education.
>
> Current Education Reform=just test taking skills.
>
> Test taking skills. Politicians idea of education reform.
>
> Education is now just test craming. End WASL.
>
> Raise standards. Require more than one test evaluations.
>
> I would appreciate all help and discussion to develop these phrases and
> slogans. The media list recently posted was great. We need to develop a
> systematic method for submitting articles and op-ed's, making sure we reply
> in mass to various articles written. I suggest each of us try and find 10
> other concerned people who might commit to these actions. I know I can find
> 10 here, and I think all of us can. Ending this is like all things. Develop
> a plan and work it. The other side has been doing that for a long time, and
> I feel certain we can do the same.
>
> Personally, I think we need to spend less time talking about the
> problem,implications, fallout, specific situations occuring, and more time
> talking about potential actions and strategies for fixing it. The problems
> are already clear enough, it's the solutions that need our real attention
> and discussion.
>
> thanks,
> Lisa

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