Fwd: [LiteracyForAll] More Good News

[Susan Harman <susanharman@igc.org>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: jyatvin@comcast.net
> Date: Tue Dec 11, 2007  10:43:53 AM US/Pacific
> To: LiteracyForAll@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [LiteracyForAll] More Good News
> Reply-To: LiteracyForAll@yahoogroups.com
>
> Thanks Brett and Peter for sharing some good news with us.  I applaud 
> the ASLA and the parents in NYC for standing up to idiocy.  I f more 
> of us did, we wouldn't be in such a mess.
>
> The idea of putting a grade or a label on a school-- or a child or a 
> teacher-- is unfair, illogical and stupid.  We are back in the days of 
> "The Scarlet Letter."  Contrary to what Mr. Liebmann (?) said, life is 
> not one test.  Those of us who get to live a reasonably long life have 
> many chances to learn, change and make up for past mistakes.  Schools 
> and students deserve those chances, too.
>
> Joanne
>
> > The Alaska State Literacy Association (ASLA) spearheaded the drive to
> > quash the absurd mandate from our State Education Department that 
> > would
> > require all teachers to take a one-size-fits-all reading course.  The
> > course was composed of half phonics.  Even trigonometry teachers would
> > have to take it.  ASLA contacted all the major school boards across 
> > the
> > state, who wrote resolutions against the unfunded mandate, also our 
> > the
> > Alaska State Writing Consortium and other interested entities.  The
> > Alaska State School Board received over 800 comments, only two of 
> > which
> > supported this fiasco.  IRA just sent out the below "news release"
> > concerning this.  Some times we win.
> >
> > Controversial reading course for Alaskan teachers on hold
> >
> > The State Board of Education says Alaska teachers will NOT for now 
> > have
> > to take a course on teaching reading to students, according to The
> > Associated Press. Meeting in Anchorage, the board on Friday, December 
> > 7,
> > 2007, decided not to require the course. The board instead asked the
> > Department of Education and Early Development to go back and work with
> > Alaskans on revisions to the course. The course is intended to show
> > teachers how to improve student reading skills. Earlier, The Anchorage
> > Daily News had reported that teachers and others called the plan an
> > unfunded mandate and a waste of most teachers' time. According to
> > comments submitted to the state, Anchorage high school choir teacher
> > Liesl Davenport-Wheeler found it "punitive and way out of bounds." She
> > says it would take away from the time she has to use for her own class
> > content.
> >
> >
> >
> > Congratulations to all of you for your hard work in making this 
> > happen!
> > Let us know how we can help!
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> > Brett Dillingham
> >
> > brett@brettdillingham.com
> >
> > http://www.brettdillingham.com
> >
> > 907.586.1643
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
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